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A chimney is a system for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. They are typically almost vertical to ensure that the hot gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion through the chimney effect (also known as the stack effect). The space inside a chimney is called a flue. Chimneys may be found in buildings, steam locomotives and ships. In the US, the term smokestack (colloquially, stack) is also used when referring to locomotive chimneys. The term funnel is generally used for ship chimneys and sometimes used to refer to locomotive chimneys.^[1][2]. Chimneys are tall to increase their draw of air for combustion and to disperse pollutants in the flue gases over a greater area so as to reduce the pollutant concentrations in compliance with regulatory or other limits. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... Chimney is a hamlet in the English county of Oxfordshire. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Chimneys novels were two light-hearted thrillers by Agatha Christie, The Secret of Chimneys (1925) and The Seven Dials Mystery (1929). ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... The Secret of Chimneys is a detective novel written by Agatha Christie in 1925. ... The Seven Dials Mystery (published in 1929) is a detective novel written by Agatha Christie. ... Flue gas is gas that exits to the atmosphere via a flue, which is a pipe or channel for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, oven, furnace, boiler or steam generator. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure. ... A stove is a heat-producing device. ... A furnace is a device for heating air or any other fluid. ... Winter (fireplace), tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century) A fireplace is an architectural element consisting of a space designed to contain a fire, generally for heating but sometimes also for cooking. ... “Air” redirects here. ... This article is about the chemical reaction combustion. ... Stack effect is the ventilation in buildings and chimneys that results from thermal differences between indoor and outside temperature. ... A flue is a duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. ...

Chimney stacks on a building in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Chimney pots in London, England, seen from the tower of Westminster Roman Catholic cathedral

The term chimney may also be applied to natural features, particularly in rock formations. Chimney stacks - Newcastle upon Tyne - England - by & copyright Tagishsimon, 14th August 2004. ... Chimney stacks - Newcastle upon Tyne - England - by & copyright Tagishsimon, 14th August 2004. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1456, 531 KB) Chimney pots in London, England, seen from the tower of Westminster Roman Catholic cathedral. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1456, 531 KB) Chimney pots in London, England, seen from the tower of Westminster Roman Catholic cathedral. ... See Formation of rocks for processes by which rocks are formed. ...

History

Romans used tubes inside the walls to draw smoke out of bakeries but real chimneys appeared only in northern Europe in the 12th century. Industrial chimneys became common in the late 18th century. Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Chimneys have traditionally been built of brick, both in small and large buildings. Early chimneys were of a simple brick construction. Later chimneys were constructed by placing the bricks around tile liners. To control downdrafts venting caps (often called chimney pots) with a variety of designs are sometimes placed on the top of chimneys.

Seagull sits on top of a hot gas cooling chimney at The World of Glass St. Helens UK.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the methods used to extract lead from its ore produced large amounts of toxic fumes. In the north of England, long near-horizontal chimneys were built, often more than 3 km (2 mi) long, which typically terminated in a short vertical chimney in a remote location where the fumes would cause less harm. Lead and silver deposits formed on the inside of these long chimneys, and periodically workers would be sent along the chimneys to scrape off these valuable deposits. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Seagul sitting on the top of a chimney at The World of Glass, St. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Seagul sitting on the top of a chimney at The World of Glass, St. ... For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of St Helens. ... For Pb as an abbreviation, see PB. General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series Post-transition metals or poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish gray Standard atomic weight 207. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

Construction

Due to brick's limited ability to handle transverse loads, chimneys in houses were often built in a "stack", with a fireplace on each floor of the house sharing a single chimney, often with such a stack at the front and back of the house. Today's central heating systems have made chimney placement less critical, and the use of non-structural gas vent pipe allows a flue gas conduit to be installed around obstructions and through walls. For the Grand Central Records albums, see Central Heating (Grand Central album) and Central Heating 2. ...

In fact, many modern high-efficiency heating appliances do not require a chimney. Such appliances are typically installed near an outside wall, and a noncombustible wall thimble allows vent pipe to be run directly through the outside wall.

Carved brick chimneys characteristic of late Gothic Tudor buildings, at Thornbury Castle, 1514

Industrial chimneys are commonly referred to as flue gas stacks and are typically external structures, as opposed to being built into the wall of a building. They are generally located adjacent to a steam-generating boiler or industrial furnace and the gases are carried to it with ductwork. Today the use of reinforced concrete has almost entirely replaced brick as a structural component in the construction of industrial chimneys. Refractory bricks are often used as a lining, particularly if the type of fuel being burned generates flue gases containing acids. Modern industrial chimneys sometimes consist of a concrete windshield with a number of flues on the inside. Thornbury Castle chimney detail, a remarkable piece of brickwork built in 1514, Thornbury, near Bristol, England. ... Thornbury Castle chimney detail, a remarkable piece of brickwork built in 1514, Thornbury, near Bristol, England. ... Map sources for Thornbury, South Gloucestershire at grid reference ST637900 Coat of arms of Thornbury Motto: Decus Sabrinae Vallis (Latin: You never expect the spanish inquisition) Thornbury is a historic market town in South Gloucestershire, England, approximately 11 miles (18km) north of the city of Bristol, with a population of... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazakhstan is 420 meters tall[1] A Flue gas stack is a type of chimney, a vertical pipe, channel or similar structure through which combustion product gases called flue gases are exhausted to the outside air. ... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazachstan is 420 meters tall Flue gas stacks are large vertical pipes, channels or similar structures through which combustion product gases (called flue gases) produced when coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial... This article is about the construction material. ... The structure of a thing is how the parts of it relate to each other, how it is put together. This contrast with process, which is how the thing works; but process requires a viable structure. ... The term refractory can refer to multiple things: A refractory clergyman is one who refused to swear an oath to the French Revolution-era French state under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. ... Panoramic (wrap-around) windshield on a 1959 Edsel Corsair. ...

Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazakhstan is 420 metres tall^[3]

The 300 metre chimney at Sasol Three consists of a 26 metre diameter windshield with four 4.6 metre diameter concrete flues which are lined with refractory bricks built on rings of corbels spaced at 10 metre intervals. The reinforced concrete can be cast by conventional formwork or sliding formwork. The height is to ensure the pollutants are dispersed over a wider area to meet legislative or safety requirements. Image File history File links PowerPlantEkibastus. ... Image File history File links PowerPlantEkibastus. ... Sasol (originally South African Steenkolen en Olie) is a South African company involved in mining, energy, chemicals and synfuels. ... Elaborately decorated classical-style stone corbels support balconies on a building in Indianapolis. ...

Chimney Tops

A chimney pot is placed on top of the chimney to inexpensively extend the length of the chimney, and to improve the chimney's draft. A chimney with more than one pot on it indicates that there is more than one fireplace on different floors sharing the chimney.

A chimney cap is placed on top of the chimney to keep birds and squirrels from nesting in the chimney. They often feature a rain guard to keep rain from going down the chimney. A metal wire mesh is often used as a spark arrestor to minimize burning debris from rising out of the chimney and making it onto the roof. A spark arrester is a device intended to prevent combustible materials, usually sparks or other tiny flaming debris, from escaping into other areas. ...

Spanish Conquistador style wind directional cap found on many homes along the windy Oregon coast.

A chimney cowl or wind directional cap is helmet shaped chimney cap that rotates to align with the wind and prevent a back draft of smoke and wind back down the chimney. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 1. ... Cowl designs from a 1910 catalogue A cowl is a usually hood-shaped covering used to increase the draft of a chimney and prevent back flow. ...

A chimney damper is a metal spring door placed at the top of the chimney with a long metal chain that allows you to open and close the chimney from the fireplace.

In the late Middle Ages in Western Europe the design of crow-stepped gables arose to allow maintenance access to the chimney top, especially for tall structures such as castles and great manor houses. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The borders of Western Europe were largely defined by the Cold War. ... Crow steps on a baronial building in Scotland Crow steps are a feature of buildings found in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. A gable end of a roof made into steps with stone or bricks are called crow steps. ... The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Massachusetts, showing four gables in this view. ... For other uses, see Castle (disambiguation). ... Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ...

Chimney draught or draft

The stack effect in chimneys: the gauges represent absolute air pressure and the airflow is indicated with light grey arrows. The gauge dials move clockwise with increasing pressure.

(See the Flue gas stacks article for more details)

When coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in a stove, oven, fireplace, hot water boiler or industrial furnace, the hot combustion product gases that are formed are called flue gases. Those gases are generally exhausted to the ambient outside air through chimneys or industrial flue gas stacks (sometimes referred to as smokestacks). Image File history File links Chimney_effect. ... Image File history File links Chimney_effect. ... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazakhstan is 420 meters tall[1] A flue gas stack is a type of chimney, a vertical pipe, channel or similar structure through which combustion product gases called flue gases are exhausted to the outside air. ...

The combustion flue gases inside the chimneys or stacks are much hotter than the ambient outside air and therefore less dense than the ambient air. That causes the bottom of the vertical column of hot flue gas to have a lower pressure than the pressure at the bottom of a corresponding column of outside air. That higher pressure outside the chimney is the driving force that moves the required combustion air into the combustion zone and also moves the flue gas up and out of the chimney. That movement or flow of combustion air and flue gas is called "natural draught/draft", "natural ventilation", "chimney effect", or "stack effect". The taller the stack, the more draught or draft is created. For other uses, see Density (disambiguation). ... This article is about pressure in the physical sciences. ... HVAC may also stand for High-voltage alternating current HVAC systems use ventilation air ducts installed throughout a building that supply conditioned air to a room through rectangular or round outlet vents, called diffusers; and ducts that remove air from return-air grilles Fire-resistance rated mechanical shaft with HVAC... Stack effect is the ventilation in buildings and chimneys that results from thermal differences between indoor and outside temperature. ...

Designing chimneys and stacks to provide the correct amount of natural draught or draft involves a number design factors, many of which require trial-and-error reiterative methods.

As a "first guess" approximation, the following equation can be used to estimate the natural draught/draft flow rate by assuming that the molecular mass (i.e., molecular weight) of the flue gas and the external air are equal and that the frictional pressure and heat losses are negligible:^[4]

The molecular mass (abbreviated Mr) of a substance, formerly also called molecular weight and abbreviated as MW, is the mass of one molecule of that substance, relative to the unified atomic mass unit u (equal to 1/12 the mass of one atom of carbon-12). ...

The cubic meter (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... g (also gee, g-force or g-load) is a non-SI unit of acceleration defined as exactly 9. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... For other uses, see Kelvin (disambiguation). ...

Drawbacks

A characteristic problem of chimneys is they develop deposits of creosote on the walls of the structure when used with wood as a fuel. Some types of wood, such as pine, generate more creosote than others. Deposits of this substance can interfere with the airflow and more importantly, they are flammable and can cause dangerous chimney fires if the deposits ignite in the chimney. Thus, it is recommended — and in some countries even mandatory — that chimneys be inspected annually and cleaned on a regular basis to prevent these problems. The workers who perform this task professionally are called chimney sweeps. In the middle ages in some parts of Europe, a crow-stepped gable design was developed, partially to provide access to chimneys without use of ladders. Creosote is the name used for a variety of products: wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles. ... For other uses, see Fuel (disambiguation). ... Flammable or Flammability refers to the ease at which a substance will ignite, causing fire or combustion. ... A chimney fire A chimney fire is the combustion of residue deposits referred to as creosote, on the inner surfaces of chimney tiles, flue liners, stove pipes, etc. ... Chimney sweep in the 1850s A Chimney sweep is a person who cleans chimneys for a living. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Crow-steps on a Scottish baronial building. ...

Masonry (brick) chimneys have also proved particularly susceptible to crumbling during earthquakes. Government housing authorities in quake-prone cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles now recommend building new homes with stud-framed chimneys around a metal flue. Bracing or strapping old masonry chimneys has not proved to be very effective in preventing damage or injury from earthquakes. Perhaps predictably, a new industry provides "faux-brick" facades to cover these modern chimney structures. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of stored energy in the Earths crust that creates seismic waves. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ...

Other problems include "spalling" brick, in which moisture seeps into the brick and then freezes, cracking and flaking the brick and loosening mortar seals. Very high speed photography of a small projectile impacting a thin aluminium plate at 7000 m/s. ...

Modernist chimneys on the Casa Milà (Barcelona, Spain), by Antonio Gaudí.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2342x1522, 350 KB) Chimneys on the terrace of Casa Milà (or La Pedrera), a work of Modernisme by Antonio Gaudí in the Eixample of Barcelona, Spain. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2342x1522, 350 KB) Chimneys on the terrace of Casa Milà (or La Pedrera), a work of Modernisme by Antonio Gaudí in the Eixample of Barcelona, Spain. ... Modernisme in Catalan, (not to be confused with modernism) is the Catalan variant of Art Nouveau. ... Casa Milá at dusk Parabolic or catenary arches under the terrace of Casa Milà. Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera (Catalan for The Quarry), is a building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1905–1907. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Antoni Gaudi Gaudís unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Família The Casa Milà, in the Eixample, Barcelona View of the Park Güell, El Carmel, Barcelona Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (25 June 1852–10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect famous for his unique designs expressing sculptural and individualistic qualities. ...

Dual-use chimneys

Some very high chimneys are used for carrying antennas of mobile phone services and low power FM/TV-transmitters. Special attention must be paid to possible corrosion problems if these antennas are near the exhaust of the chimney. The abbreviations FM, Fm, and fm may refer to: Electrical engineering Frequency modulation (FM) and its most common applications: FM broadcasting, used primarily to broadcast music and speech at VHF frequencies FM synthesis, a sound-generation technique popularized by early digital synthesizers Science Femtometre (fm), an SI measure of length... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ... For the hazard, see corrosive. ...

In some cases the chimneys of power stations are used also as pylons. However this type of construction is not very common, because of corrosion problems of conductor cables. For pylons of overhead lines, see Electricity pylon Pylon Noun from Greek πυλώνας gateway tower like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high voltage electricity cables. ...

The Dům Dětí a Mládeže v Modřanech in Prague, Czech Republic is equipped with an observation deck. Nickname: Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: , Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Pavel Bém Area  - City 496 km²  (191. ...

Cooling tower used as an industrial chimney

At some power stations, which are equipped with plants for the removal of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, it is possible to use the cooling tower as a chimney. Such cooling towers can be seen in Germany at the Power Station Staudinger Grosskrotzenburg and at the Power Station Rostock. At power stations that are not equipped for removing sulfur dioxide, such usage of cooling towers could result in serious corrosion problems. Sulfur dioxide (or Sulphur dioxide) has the chemical formula SO2. ... Nitrogen has six different oxides: Nitric oxide (NO) Nitrous oxide (N2O) Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3) Dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) Dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) The term nitrogen oxide is imprecise and can be used to refer to any of these or to a mixture of them. ... Image 1: Natural draft wet cooling towers at Didcot Power Station, UK Cooling towers are evaporative coolers used for cooling water or other working medium to near the ambient wet-bulb air temperature. ... The power station Staudinger Grosskrotzenburg is a modern hard coal-beaconed thermal power station at Grosskrotzenburg. ... the power station and net company ltd. ...

Notable chimneys

GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazakhstan. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see World (disambiguation). ... The Inco Superstack from a distance of about 10 km, seen from the far side of Lake Ramsey. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Trbovlje Chimney The Trbovlje Chimney (Slovene: Trboveljski dimnik) is the largest chimney in Europe. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The stack is so integrated into the identity of the town, even churches include it in their stained glass. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see Brick (disambiguation). ... On October 10, 1957, the graphite core of a British nuclear reactor at Windscale, Cumbria, caught fire, releasing substantial amounts of radioactive contamination into the surrounding area. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Nuclear power station at Leibstadt, Switzerland. ...

See also

• List of chimneys
• Cooling tower
• Flue gas stack
• Stack effect
• Chimney fire

A list of the tallest chimneys of the world. ... Image 1: Natural draft wet cooling towers at Didcot Power Station, UK Cooling towers are evaporative coolers used for cooling water or other working medium to near the ambient wet-bulb air temperature. ... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazakhstan is 420 meters tall[1] A flue gas stack is a type of chimney, a vertical pipe, channel or similar structure through which combustion product gases called flue gases are exhausted to the outside air. ... Stack effect is the ventilation in buildings and chimneys that results from thermal differences between indoor and outside temperature. ... A chimney fire A chimney fire is the combustion of residue deposits referred to as creosote, on the inner surfaces of chimney tiles, flue liners, stove pipes, etc. ...

References

1. ^ C.F. Saunders (1923), The Southern Sierras of California
2. ^ Jules Verne (1872), Around the World in Eighty Days
3. ^ Diagram of 25 tallest flue gas stacks worldwide
4. ^ Natural Ventilation Lecture

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Chimney

• Power Station Konakovskaya GRES, at which chimneys serve as electricity pylons
• The Fireplace through History
• Article about chimney breast removal
• European Chimney Association ECA; to find further information on chimneys