I was on the USS Ranger CV61 from 1985 to 1989. The Ranger is now retired.
…The Steam used on the ship in various applications was 1200 PSI, 600 PSI, 300PSI an 150 PSI. In the machine spaces, 1200 PSI was piped to many locations. It was used to drive the 4 main shafts, to power the eight primary electrical generators and IRC to operate the Flash/Evaporator water distillers. I think 1200-PSI steam was used for the steam catapults. I am sure I am forgetting applications, as I was an Electrician Mate and not a Boiler Tech. We had training concerning the threat of 1200-PSI steam and the broom handle was never mentioned.
…A very small steam leak from a valve was noisy enough to hear over the ear protection and machine noises and quickly created a cloud of steam that was easily seen. I am grateful I never witness a major leak but one chief had his arm very badly burned in a 1200-PSI leak his other arm broken by the Petty officer that grabbed the Chief’s arm and dragged him hard and quick out of the area of the leak. The Chief, who was a Grizzle old Vietnam small boats veteran, said he was never more afraid in his life.
…Anyway, all of this was to make the point that we did have 1200-PSI steam, it was considered very dangerous and we were never told anything about using a broom to test for leaks.
Just wanted to observe that perhaps we may need a new appellation for una. Member, assistant, staff, may be insufficient. I propose that we hereafter afford una her due and properly refer to her as primary source!
A pal’s older brother did a stint in the Merchant Marines out of NY. He told us about the whole broom-handle thing, checking for leaks. He said they would even fine you if you whistled below decks, as it would put everyone on the alert for escaping steam. I don’t know if he was ribbing us, or if he was the rib-ee.
I served on submarines from the late 80s to mid-90s. Our main steam was at about 600 psi. I heard the broom thing numerous times. There was no question that you would hear the leak; the broom was supposed to help keep operators from blundering in front of a small, invisible jet of steam while the leak was being isolated.
My 2¢ worth on the broom story. I served aboard a destroyer in the 70’s with a 1200 psi superheated steam plant and I witnessed (and repaired) a fair number of small steam leaks. It is the noise that alerts you to their existence. Finding them by sound is a different matter. Since there may be a number of possible sources in a relatively small area, and you need to know exactly what is leaking and where, the recommended method for locating small steam leaks was to use an inspection mirror. Droplets of water would condense on the mirror when it encountered the steam. You could then decide whether it could be repaired immediately, usually not the case, or simply roped off until you returned to port.
As far as using a broom, that story was widespread in the Navy. I first heard it in “A” school. On one occasion we got the opportunity to see if it was true. There was a leak in the main steam strainer (immediately above my head where I stood Throttle Watch). The EOOW (Engineering Officer of the Watch) had one of the messengers fetch a broom and tried to cut it in half with the steam. While it didn’t cut it in half, the handle got pretty severely charred and the bristles actually caught fire. Every one in the engine room was suitably impressed and none of us EVER tried to find a steam leak with just our hands.
I saw a show on (TLC?) a couple of years ago in which fairly intricate designs were cut using a tiny hi-pressure water jet in 1" thick glass. And I saw a show on the Food network a few months ago in which they show a hi-pressure water jet used to cut sandwiches in a sandwich factory.
Yeah, my brother’s friend owns his own water jet thingamajig that he uses to cut thick sheets of metal and glass into intricate computer-controlled designs. We had him carve a logo for my dad’s company out of aluminum and stainless steel. But as Una said, it operates at like 20,000 psi, and he said it also uses grains of sand when cutting metal, although he may have been making that up.
I’ll tell you what, though – that thing would have no trouble slicing a broom handle in half.
That is an incredibly fascinating website. This technology has been around for several decades but I’ve never heard of it before. According to the site linked, streams of water .004 to .1 inch are used to cut materials from plastic diapers to concrete. The water stream is traveling at Mach 3 when under 60,000 p.s.i., and the pressure also heats the water up to 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Clearly, these machines are not to be messed with. But they sound way cool! I wonder what it would be like to see the concrete-blaster in action. Given how hot the water is, would everyone have to keep their distance?
I may be misremembering here, but I seem to recall reading the broom thing in one of Heinlein’s short stories. If confirmed, that could be the source of it - alternatively, it could be that as a Navy man, he was incorporating what he’d heard in the service.
I have absolutely nothing to add to the steam discussion unless somebody asks a more specific question, but even then Una would get to it with a more concsise, complete, better written, and more accessible answer than I could ever come up with. And I have a Master’s in power systems.
