A water tube boiler has 250 tubes that are 20 ft long and 3 inches in diameter. What is the maximum BHP it will produce if it generates one BHP for every 10 sq ft of heating surface?

To determine the maximum BHP (Brake Horsepower) of the water tube boiler based on the provided data, you first need to calculate the total heating surface area provided by the tubes.

1. Calculate the surface area of one tube: The surface area ( A ) of a cylinder (which is the shape of each tube) can be calculated using the formula:

[ A = \pi \times D \times L ] where ( D ) is the diameter and ( L ) is the length of the tube.

Given:

• Diameter ( D = 3 ) inches = ( \frac{3}{12} ) ft = ( 0.25 ) ft (since there are 12 inches in a foot)
• Length ( L = 20 ) ft

Substitute the values into the formula: [ A = \pi \times 0.25 , \text{ft} \times 20 , \text{ft} \approx 15.71 , \text{sq ft} ]

2. Calculate total heating surface area for 250 tubes: Multiply the surface area