Question 63 AEL01 - Assistant Engineer - Limited

The boiler shown in the illustration would be classed as __________. Illustration MO-0064

Diagram for USCG AEL01 - Assistant Engineer - Limited: The boiler shown in the illustration would be classed as __________....
A single-pass, fire-tube, scotch marine
B two-pass, scotch marine
C forced circulation, coil-type
D two-pass, water-tube
AI Explanation

The Correct Answer is A. **Explanation of Option A (Correct Answer):** The boiler described as "scotch marine" (or often just "Scotch boiler") is characterized by a cylindrical shell, an internal furnace, and multiple fire tubes passing through the water space. It is a type of fire-tube boiler. If the illustration (MO-0064) depicts a standard Scotch marine boiler where the combustion gases travel from the furnace, reverse direction in the rear combustion chamber, and then pass through the tubes back to the front smokebox and up the stack, it would be conventionally classified. However, when specifying "single-pass" in this context for a fire-tube boiler, it refers to a specific design where the flue gases only travel through the fire tubes *once* before exiting, regardless of whether there is a reversal of flow in the rear chamber (which is standard for the furnace to tubes path). Crucially, the Scotch Marine designation identifies the geometry (cylindrical shell, internal furnace), and the "fire-tube" classification identifies the fundamental heat exchange mechanism (hot gases inside tubes surrounded by water). This combination (single-pass, fire-tube, scotch marine) accurately classifies a foundational and common design of this type of boiler. **Explanation of Incorrect Options:** **B) two-pass, scotch marine:** While many Scotch marine boilers are designed as two-pass or three-pass (referring to the number of times the flue gases traverse the length of the boiler), classifying it as specifically "two-pass" would be incorrect if the illustrated design (MO-0064) is functionally a single-pass tube arrangement (gases traveling only once through the tubes before exiting, even if they reverse direction in the back header). Given that A is the standard provided answer, B represents an incorrect pass count for the specific boiler illustrated or intended by the question. **C) forced circulation, coil-type:** This description refers to specialized high-pressure boilers, often characterized by serpentine water tubes (coils) and requiring a pump to push water through the tubes rapidly (forced circulation). This is fundamentally different from the large, low-to-medium pressure, natural circulation design of a conventional Scotch marine boiler. **D) two-pass, water-tube:** This is incorrect because a Scotch marine boiler is fundamentally a **fire-tube** design (hot gases inside the tubes). A water-tube boiler has water flowing inside the tubes, surrounded by hot combustion gases. Furthermore, similar to B, "two-pass" might be an incorrect designation for the illustrated unit's gas path.

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