S.S. BADGER ENGINES AND BOILERS
S.S. BADGER ENGINES ANDBOILERSHistoric MechanicalEngineering LandmarkLudington, MichiganSeptember 7, 1996The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
THE HISTORY AND HERITAGE PROGRAM OF ASMEThe ASME History and Heritage Recognition Program began in September 1971. To implement and achieveits goals, ASME formed a History and Heritage Committee, composed of mechanical engineers, historians oftechnology, and the Curator Emeritus of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at the Smithsonian Institution. TheCommittee provides a public service by examining, noting, recording, and acknowledging mechanicalengineering achievements of particular significance. The History and Heritage Committee is part of the ASMECouncil on Public Affairs and Board on Public Information. For further information, please contact PublicInformation, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 100172392, 212-705-7740, fax 212-705-7143.An ASME landmark represents a progressive step in the evolution of mechanical engineering. Site designationsnote an event of development of clear historical importance to mechanical engineers. Collections mark thecontributions of several objects with special significance to the historical development of mechanicalengineering.The ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Recognition Program illuminates our technological heritage andserves to encourage the preservation of the physical remains of historically important works. It provides anannotated roster for engineers, students, educators, historians, and travelers, and helps establish persistentreminders of where we have been and where we are going along the divergent paths of discovery.HISTORIC MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARKS.S. BADGER ENGINES AND BOILERS1952THE TWO 3,500-HP STEEPLE COMPOUND UNAFLOW STEAM ENGINES POWERING THES.S. BADGER REPRESENT ONE OF THE LAST TYPES OF RECIPROCATING MARINESTEAM ENGINES. BUILT BY THE SKINNER ENGINE COMPANY, MOST UNAFLOWENGINES ARE SINGLE EXPANSION. THESE FEATURE TANDEM HIGH- AND LOWPRESSURE CYLINDERS SEPARATED BY A COMMON HEAD. THE BADGER’S FOURFOSTER-WHEELER TYPE D MARINE BOILERS, WHICH SUPPLY 470-PSIG STEAM TO THEENGINES, ARE AMONG THE LAST COAL-FIRED MARINE BOILERS BUILT.THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS - 1996Text of the plaque installed on the S.S. Badger
I . IntroductionThe Skinner Compound Unaflow steamengine and Foster-Wheeler coal fired boilersprovide a unique propulsion system for anow rare mode of transportation, thesteamship. Powering the S.S.Badger betweenLudington, MI and Manitowoc, WI., the twinfour-cylinder engines provide a total of 7000horsepower for the largest coal firedsteamship in the United States. Theengineering excellence of the design hasendured for over 40 years and has allowedfor the renovation of the Badger, a treasuredpiece of history of the Great Lakes.Loading dock‚ LudingtonII. History and DevelopmentCar ferry service across Lake Michiganbegan on Nov. 24, 1892 when the Ann ArborRailroad launched the Ann Arbor No. 1 withthe first cargo of loaded railroad cars fromFrankfort, MI to Kewaunee, WI. Steamshipsand freighters were not new to the region; theFlint and Pere Marquette Railway had beentransporting bulk cargo and passengersacross the lake for nearly two decadesprevious. However, James M. Ashley,president of the Ann Arbor Railroad andformer governor of Montana, proved thatrailroad ferries were a profitable alternativeto loose cargo shipping. Cross-lake shippingchanged thereafter. The Flint and PereMarquette soon contracted naval architectRobert Logan to design the first steel hulledcross-lake car ferry, the Pere Marquette,which became the standard for many railroadferries built in the 20th century. In a littleover a decade, three competing rail lines, theAnn Arbor, the Flint and Pere Marquette, andthe Grand Trunk line, were utilizing 11 carferries, most with passenger service. TheFlint and Pere Marquette sold their breakbulk fleet, as it had become obsolete.The years after the turn of the centurywere very successful for ferries, withexpanding service to more cities. Thisgrowth continued through the depression era,interrupted only by World War I, in whichthe United States government established theUnited States Railroad Association to run therailroads and, in turn, the Lake Michigan CarFerry Association, which pooled the fleets ofthe Ann Arbor, Grand Trunk, and PereMarquette to aid the war effort.The 1920’s saw production of more andbetter ferries with triple expansion enginesand Scotch marine boilers. Speeds reached14mph for the first time.The Great Depression forced thedownsizing of the fleets, due to decreasedcommerce. The oldest ships were either soldor scrapped. However, as auto and passengertraffic began to increase, some ferries wereremodeled with more autodecks andamenities to accommodate these trends.The Pere Marquette City of Midland wasthe first to feature Skinner Unaflow engines,two passenger decks, and an autodeck abovethe rail car deck. It proved to be verysuccessful, and only World War II preventedthe Pere Marquette from building a sister.The post-war era through the middle1950’s proved to be the biggest years forLake Michigan ferries. The increasedcommerce from tremendous economicgrowth required more routes, faster travel,and better service. The final additions to theLudington fleet helped fulfill these needs.The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, which
had purchased the Pere Marquette, added the“twin Queens of the Lakes”, the S.S.Badgerand the S.S.Spartan‚ in 1952. Built at a costof 5 million each, both were powered bySkinner Compound Unaflow engines andFoster-Wheeler boilers and could reach aspeed of 18mph. They were the largest GreatLakes rail car ferries ever built. The SkinnerUnaflow engines performed so well, thatother ships in the fleet were retrofited withSkinner engines.By the end of the 1960’s, however, therailroads again began to downsize theirfleets. Improved switching techniques in theChicago area allowed for trains to moreeasily make their way through the city andaround the south end of Lake Michigan.Maritime map of ferry routeIt quickly became more economical to travelaround the lake at upwards of 50mph thanover it at 18mph. The development of theinterstate highway system and the subsequentgrowth of the trucking industry put furtherstrain on the railroads. The railroads alsocited vessel upkeep and increasing labor andfuel costs as reasons for abandoning theirfleets. Service tapered through the late1970’s until the C & O sold their fleet in1983 to the Michigan-WisconsinTransportation Company, which ceasedoperations in 1990. Lake Michigan waswithout car ferries until the summer of 1992.III. System DescriptionThe S.S. Badger was built by the ChristyCorporation of Sturgeon Bay, WI., for theC&O Railroad. Launched on Sept. 6, 1952,she began regular service on March 21, 1953.At the time, the Badger and her sister shipthe Spartan were the largest car ferries inservice on the Great Lakes. The B a d g e rcontinues to hold this distinction of thelargest coal fired steam driven ferry on theGreat Lakes and, in fact, the largest suchvessel in the United States. The Badger andthe Spartan were also the first vessels to bepowered by a new type of Unaflow engineintroduced by the Skinner Engine Companyin 1950.The Steeple Compound Unaflow designtook advantage of the Woolf Cycle, andwhile this thermodynamic cycle was not newto marine applications, the Skinner Companyintroduced many innovative design featuresin this engine. The Badger is powered bytwo of these Skinner Steeple CompoundUnaflow steam engines, each with fourcylinders. Each engine is rated at 3500 SHPat 118 rpm to give a total of 7000 SHP,which drives the B a d g e r across LakeMichigan at a maximum speed of 24 mph;the usual average speed is around 18 mphwith running rpm from 50 rpm (slow) to 95rpm (full). Each engine drives a propellershaft which is roughly 100 ft long and 15inches in diameter. The propellers are madeof cast steel with four blades and a 13 ft 10inch diameter. The steam is supplied to theengines by four coal fired Foster-Wheelertype “D” marine boilers.IV. The Skinner Unaflow Steam EngineThe Skinner Marine Unaflow steamengine was introduced in 1929 by theSkinner Engine Company of Erie, PA. Called“Unaflow” engines because of theunidirectional path of the steam through thecylinders, the engine quickly became the
logical choice for many ships because ofoutstanding economy, reliability,maneuverability and low maintenance.The Unaflow engines on the Badger are acompound steeple reciprocating design withfour piston rods driving each enginecrankshaft.stroke in each cycle. A cut away view of thisarrangement is shown on the next two pages.V. Cycle SequenceA single cylinder head serves bothcylinders, supplying high pressure steam tothe upper cylinder. The diagram below showsthe cycle which begins when both pistons arenear bottom dead center.PistonCompound engines - engines with more thanone expansion stage for the steam - weredeveloped to take advantage of higherefficiency, higher pressure boilers. In thedesign used on the Badger, there are twoexpansion stages through two cylinders usinga single piston rod. The high pressurecylinder with a 22.5 inch diameter piston ismounted directly above a low pressurecylinder with a 55 inch diameter piston,giving the arrangement the appearance of achurch steeple, hence, the “steeple” design.The two pistons are rigidly attached to asingle piston rod which completes a 26 inchWoolf Cycle DiagramHigh pressure, superheated steam entersbelow the high pressure piston and forces itup. The larger low pressure piston, of coursefollows since it is rigidly attached throughthe piston rod. Soon after the pistons beginto move up, the steam valve closes and thesteam continues to expand forcing the pistonsto top dead center. Near top dead center, thetransfer valve opens, and the steam enters thelow pressure cylinder, forcing it to movedown. Expanded (therefore cooled) steamalso enters the annulus around the highpressure cylinder, acting to cool it and
DESIGN FEATURES OF THE SKINNERCOMPOUND UNAFLOW MARINE STEAM ENGINE1 . Inspection cover.2 . Positive piston rod lock.3 . Four inspection parts for piston rings.4 . High-pressure piston, alloy iron.17. Crosshead shoe, rabbitted top and bottom. Thisconstruction allows continuous full-loadoperation either ahead or astern.18. Crosshead and pins, single-piece high-carbonsteel forging.5 . High-pressure cylinder liner, forged steel,19. Permanent indicator reducing motion, withchromium platted. Taper bored to compensatefor expansion due to temperature gradient.Cooled by low-pressure steam.detent, f o r each cylinder. Permits takingindicator cards at any time without stopping theengine.6 . High-pressure cylinder casing, alloy iron.20. Connecting rod, forged steel, forked at upper endto reduce height, with heat-treated fitted bolts.7 . High-pressure piston rod steam packing withspecial bronze rings. Cooled by low-pressuresteam.8 . Piston rod, forged alloy steel, ground to finefinish.9 . Steam-tight transfer valve, transfers steam tolow-pressure cylinder after expansion in highpressure cylinder. Steum valve (not shown)admits steam to high-pressure cylinder frommanifold. Auxiliary exhaust valve (not shown),relieves compression in low-pressure cylinderwhen reversing, and may be held open to permitremoval of water from self-draining highpressure cylinder and head. All valves aresteam-tight, double-seat, telescopic poppet type,with free seat. Permanently tight, regardless ofvariation in pressure and temperature.10. Valve cage, steel, with integral seats. All valvesmounted in cages for convenience in handling.11. Return motion mechanism, hydraulic controls,for lead and cut-off.12. Dual camshafts for accurate timing and positivecontrol of lead and cut-off. All cams, rollers andgears are hardened and ground to closetolerances. Rollers have line contact on cams.Pressure lubrication of all cam mechanism.13. Control lever, cut-off ahead (or lead astern).Control Shifts camshafts hydraulically forminimum effort and quick response.14. Control lever, cut-off astern (or lead astern).15. Throttle valve control lever (hydraulic control).16. Pored crosshead guide, concentrically rabbetedto low-pressure cylinder for permanentalignment.21. Frame weldment, box type, provides rigidity andtotal enclosure for cleanliness.22. Base weldment, heavy construction for rigidity.23. Dry sump to prevent oil loss and oxidation due tosplash.24. Injectors for steam cylinder oil. Two for eachhigh-pressure cylinder.25. Permanent double ground joints, head to highpressure and low-pressure cylinders. No gaskets.26. Steam piping, designed to permit expansion.27. Cylinder head, steam-jacketed, cast steel.28. Throttle valve, balanced for ease of operation.29. Exhaust manifold, fabricated steel.30. Low-pressure piston, fabricated steel. Fitted withsectional piston rings and followers withwearband inserts. Rings and followersremovable through bulkhead opening.31. Drain for condensate under low-pressure piston.32. Exhaust ports, ample area to manifold.33. Low pressure cylinder, alloy iron, taper bored tocompensate for expansion due to temperaturegradient.34. Bulkhead, split for removal through crankcase toprovide access to low-pressure piston andcylinder.35. Bulkhead and vacuum packing, split cased tofacilitate removal.
TRI-DIMENSIONAL SECTION(partially diagrammatic)
prevent vaporization of the lubricating oil.About halfway through the stroke, thetransfer valve closes, and expansioncontinues in the low pressure cylinder. Nearbottom dead center, exhaust valves open, andsteam is exhausted to the condenser. Justbefore the bottom of the stroke, while steamis leaving the lower cylinder, high pressuresteam enters the upper high pressure cylinderand the cycle repeats. Note that thisarrangement allows both the “up” and the“down” stroke to be a power stroke.VI. Maintenance IssuesThere are two camshafts for each enginewhich are geared together and driven by along chain from the crankshaft. Thecamshafts are mounted on the side of theengine in such a way that they are easilyaccessible. The cams are very wide (sixinches), and the entire camshaft assembly canslide endwise to enable an operator to changecams if necessary.The high pressure cylinder can beserviced through the top of the engine. Oneof the innovations of the Skinner design wasto make the low pressure cylinders accessiblefrom the interior of the crankcase, afterremoval of a split lightweight cover.Dismantling the engine to inspect the pistonrings, cylinder surface conditions, andlubrication is not necessary becauseviewports have been built into the engine enabling operators to view these items at anytime.circulates through the cycle continuously from the boiler to the engine to the condenserand pump and back to the boiler. Steam fromthe low pressure cylinder enters thecondenser and begins to condense on thetubes which are cooled by lake water flowingthrough them and back out to the lake. Thepressure in the condenser is dictated by thetemperature at which condensing takes place,but it is normally around 27.5 inches of watervacuum pressure.VII. The CondenserVIII. Foster-Wheeler Marine BoilersThe steam cycle for this power plant is aclosed cycle, meaning that the same waterDrive ShaftThe Badger power plant includes fourcoal fired marine boilers manufactured by theFoster-Wheeler Company. Each boiler has atotal heating surface area of 7675 square feet.The boiler systems include Foster-Wheelereconomizers which pre-heat the water goinginto the boiler using exhaust gasses from the
burning of the coal, and Foster-Wheelersuperheaters which superheat the steamcoming out of the boiler. The boilers arerated at 500 psi and tested to 750 psi. Theynormally operate at around 470 psi.Superheated steam at 750 F and 470 psi issupplied to the engines at a rate of 29,500lb/hr. The boilers can supply up to 44,000lb/hr. Coal is burned in the boilers, andcombustion requires both induced draft andforced draft (four large blowers are manuallycontrolled by the crew). The stokers weremanufactured by the Hoffman CombustionEngineering Company, and here can be seenone of the few places where modern controltechnology has been added. Electroniccontrols have replaced vacuum tube controlsto monitor steam pressure in the boiler andcontrol the flow of coal to the boilers throughthe stokers.Engine RoomFor two daily round trips across the lake,the Badger uses an average of 71.2 tons ofbituminous coal. The coal is loaded inManitowoc by large dump trucks. It is nolonger necessary to pulverize the coal since itis delivered in a form ready to burn. Thepulverization bin is currently used as aholding bin for the coal on its way to thestokers.The boilers actually provide more steamthan is required by the engines. Only threeboilers are needed to power the vessel; thefourth is on standby and is fired only toreplace a boiler down for repairs. In additionto the propulsion steam engines, the boilersprovide steam for several steam turbineengines on board. Two turbine engines areused to drive pumps for the lakewater in thecondensers, and two are used to generate theelectric power needed on the ferry.IX. Historical SignificanceThe S.S.Badger and the S.S.Spartan werethe first marine vessel applications of theSteeple Compound Unaflow designintroduced by the Skinner Engine Companyin 1950. With the exception of a short periodfrom November 1990 to May 1992 when theferry changed ownership, the Badger hasbeen in continuous service, and this powerplant has operated reliably. More than 40years of service with only routinemaintenance is truly noteworthy. This samepower plant was also installed on other steamferries in the United States, however theBadger is the only vessel still in operation(The Spartan is owned by the Lake MichiganCar Ferry company; however, it is not inrunning condition.) At the time, the Badgerand the Spartan were the largest car ferrieson the Great Lakes. Since the Badger and theSpartan were so successful, plans were madefor an even larger ferry; however, that ferrywas never built. Improved rail switchingthrough Chicago made rail freight around thelake more economical and brought the age oflarge railroad car ferries to a close. Carferries were used for automobile andpassenger traffic, and the Badger remains asthe only car ferry still in service across LakeMichigan.To almost 21st century engineers, thepower plant on the S.S.Badger is a fineexample of a well designed mechanicalsystem using an energy source not normallyused for this application today. In an age ofelectronic controls, this is a system with
used for this application today. In an age ofelectronic controls, this is a system withalmost purely mechanical controls withoperator interaction.X. Renovation and ConclusionThe renovation of the Badger started in1991 with the purchase of the ship and theSpartan by Charles Conrad, a Holland, MI,businessman & entrepreneur. Over a halfmillion dollars in renovations helped preparethe B a d g e r for renewed service. T h erenovations included addition of a lounge,restaurant, retail shop, museum, and updatedstaterooms. Other than updating the boilercontrols and general maintenance, all of therenovations have been in the aesthetics andamenities of the ship; no major mechanicaloverhaul was required. Although obsolete by1990’s standards, the engineering design ofthe system and technical skill of the buildershas allowed this ship to operate successfullyfor 40 years with less than two years out ofservice to date.S.S. Badger (Illustration)Bibliopraphy Baumann, Edward, “Shipshape Dream: Updated steamer ferry glides along as the last of its kind on the Great Lakes,” Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1994. Section 12, p. 3.Chavez, Art, Doug Goodhue, and Ken Ottmann, A Brief History of the Pere Marquette/C&O RailwayLake Michigan Car Ferry Service; Lake
steam engines. built by the skinner engine company, most unaflow engines are single expansion. these feature tandem high- and low-pressure cylinders separated by a common head. the badger’s four foster-wheeler type d marine boilers, which supply 470-psig steam to the engines, are among the last coal-fired marine boilers built.
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The European Badger (Meles meles) is twice the size as its family members the African Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) and the American Badger (Taxidea taxus). Badgers can be fierce with powerful claws. . endangered in 1976, is native to
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