A boiler evaporates 48,000 lb of steam/hr at a rate of 12 lb of steam/sq ft of heating surface. The boiler has _______ square feet of heating surface.

To find the number of square feet of heating surface in the boiler, you can use the relationship between the amount of steam produced, the evaporation rate, and the heating surface area. The given data states that the boiler evaporates 48,000 pounds of steam per hour and operates at an evaporation rate of 12 pounds of steam per square foot of heating surface.

The formula to determine the heating surface area is:

Heating Surface Area (sq ft) = Total Steam Produced (lb/hr) / Evaporation Rate (lb/sq ft)

Plugging the values into the formula:

Heating Surface Area = 48,000 lb/hr ÷ 12 lb/sq ft

Carrying out the calculation:

Heating Surface Area = 4,000 sq ft

Thus, the boiler has 4,000 square feet of heating surface. This calculation effectively demonstrates how to relate steam production to heating surface area using the given evaporation rate, confirming that the correct number of square feet of heating surface aligns with the requirements for producing the desired amount of steam.