thermodynamics
Thermodynamics - Assignment 4
D3
SS Sultana – a Mississippi River steamboat paddle wheeler that exploded on April 27, 1865 in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history.
Around 1,600 of Sultanas 2,400 passengers were killed when THREE of the ships four boilers exploded and Sultana sank near Memphis, Tennessee.
The cause of the explosion was a leaky and poorly repaired steam boiler. There was reason to believe allowable working steam pressure was exceeded in an attempt to overcome the spring river current. The boiler (or boilers) gave way when the steamer was 7 to 9 miles north of Memphis at 2:00 am. The enormous explosion flung some of the passengers on deck into the water, and destroyed a large section of the ship. Hot coals scattered by the explosion soon turned the remaining superstructure into an inferno, the glare of which was visible as far away as Memphis.
The official cause of Sultana disaster was determined to be mismanagement of water levels in the boiler, worsened by the fact that Sultana was severely overcrowded and top heavy. As the steamship made its way north, Sultana listed severely to one side then the other. Sultana's four boilers were interconnected and mounted side-by-side, so that if the ship tipped sideways, water would tend to run out of the highest boiler. With the fires still going against the empty boiler, this created hot spots. When the ship tipped the other way, water rushing back into the empty boiler would hit the hot spots and flash instantly to steam, creating a sudden surge in pressure. This effect of careening could have been minimized by maintaining high water levels in the boilers. The official inquiry found that Sultana's boilers exploded due to the combined effects of careening, low water level, and a faulty repair to a leaky boiler made a few days earlier.
The accident that happened on that day could have been prevented by some simple measures, as stated above the cause was due to the lack of maintenance
D3
SS Sultana – a Mississippi River steamboat paddle wheeler that exploded on April 27, 1865 in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history.
Around 1,600 of Sultanas 2,400 passengers were killed when THREE of the ships four boilers exploded and Sultana sank near Memphis, Tennessee.
The cause of the explosion was a leaky and poorly repaired steam boiler. There was reason to believe allowable working steam pressure was exceeded in an attempt to overcome the spring river current. The boiler (or boilers) gave way when the steamer was 7 to 9 miles north of Memphis at 2:00 am. The enormous explosion flung some of the passengers on deck into the water, and destroyed a large section of the ship. Hot coals scattered by the explosion soon turned the remaining superstructure into an inferno, the glare of which was visible as far away as Memphis.
The official cause of Sultana disaster was determined to be mismanagement of water levels in the boiler, worsened by the fact that Sultana was severely overcrowded and top heavy. As the steamship made its way north, Sultana listed severely to one side then the other. Sultana's four boilers were interconnected and mounted side-by-side, so that if the ship tipped sideways, water would tend to run out of the highest boiler. With the fires still going against the empty boiler, this created hot spots. When the ship tipped the other way, water rushing back into the empty boiler would hit the hot spots and flash instantly to steam, creating a sudden surge in pressure. This effect of careening could have been minimized by maintaining high water levels in the boilers. The official inquiry found that Sultana's boilers exploded due to the combined effects of careening, low water level, and a faulty repair to a leaky boiler made a few days earlier.
The accident that happened on that day could have been prevented by some simple measures, as stated above the cause was due to the lack of maintenance