- Thread starter demag
- Start date
we use needle valves offshore to get more precise flow at low volumes/flow rates. This has reminded me of years ago when I served my time. I used to work on flame tube boiler systems using Hamworthy rotary cup atomised burners. Same principle as your project, atomised oil blown over the dispersal surface. A rotary cup version has a conicle steel cup with a hole in the centre where the oil is injected in. The cup spins and the oil is drawn through a vortex and atomised. Air is passed over the outside to shape the flame created.
Anyway the point I was going to make was the oil flow was controlled through a valve with one static plate with holes drilled in it and another plate with holes in it which rotated. The holes were staggered so as to line up 1 set then 2 then 3 etc etc as the plate was rotated. Just an idea.
Anyway the point I was going to make was the oil flow was controlled through a valve with one static plate with holes drilled in it and another plate with holes in it which rotated. The holes were staggered so as to line up 1 set then 2 then 3 etc etc as the plate was rotated. Just an idea.
rtbcomp
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Don't be making suggestions like that
I'm already thinking of a steam engine and running my workshop from it.
Shox Dr
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I love those engines, went to Harrogate engineering show, and there was a load of guys showing their builds off, saw a very nice Rotary, works of art
rtcosic
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A few points that might help tame that monster:
I hate to think what your insurers might have to say!
- Definitely a needle valve to trim oil flow, NOT gate or ball.
- Gravity fed supply tank so close to the heater terrifies me in the event of a small oil leak. Move the tank to a more ‘remote’ location. Add a quick shutoff ball valve at the point where the oil supply leaves the tank, so that in an emergency you can rapidly shutoff the oil supply to the heater.
- Salvage the flame failure shutoff from an old oil or gas domestic central heating boiler and fit it.
- You have a long horizontal flame firing into a vertical vessel so you have massive flame impingement on the vessel wall. For your ‘MkII’ consider a horizontal vessel – roughly like the good old Lancashire boiler layout. (Don't be making suggestions like that I'm already thinking of a steam engine and running my workshop from it.). In the meantime you need an impingement baffle and you may want to consider lining the lower section of the vessel with fire bricks.
- This comment worries me: ‘Some of the oil will fall off the doorknob that's what the drain in the bottom of the burner is for, it just drips off into a bucket underneath which has to be emptied every few hours.’ Having a puddle of warm oil in a ‘bucket’ in the immediate vicinity of the flame is a fire risk in itself plus faffing about recovering a bucket of warm (hot?) oil from the high temperature area of the burner is a bad burn waiting to happen. Not sure what to suggest to ameliorate that though.
- ‘the bottom ones I'm going to use to let air in’ - consider adding air registers to these lower holes.
I hate to think what your insurers might have to say!
rtbcomp
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There's a Victorian one built into a coke-burning pot belly stove at Blists Hill, Ironbridge, Shropshire. IMHO a Stirling engine would be a much better proposition than a steam engine.
http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our_attractions/blists_hill_victorian_town/
Once again the Victorians were ahead of their time
http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our_attractions/blists_hill_victorian_town/
Once again the Victorians were ahead of their time
rtbcomp
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Not sure what to suggest to ameliorate that though.
A closed container with a hole in the top just large enough to admit the drain tube and a small vent hole.
I'd limit the size of the feed tank (1 gall??) and make the drain tank just a bit bigger so it will catch all the oil if the flame dies. Empty the drain tank before refilling the supply tank.
A closed container with a hole in the top just large enough to admit the drain tube and a small vent hole.
I'd limit the size of the feed tank (1 gall??) and make the drain tank just a bit bigger so it will catch all the oil if the flame dies. Empty the drain tank before refilling the supply tank.
Did a few more bits today.
Got the lid fixed down, just need to make the hole for the chimney bigger.
Made a bracket to fix the oil feed pipe in place.
Made a prototype baffle, this sits in the flame and splits it up, seems to work fairly well, just need to make it from heavier steel.
Changed the ball to one with a single jet to calm the fire down a bit.
I think it's still too hot for my workshop though, after about 15 mins you can't stand any closer than 3 or 4 feet away from it so I'm going to line it with firebricks inside and just run it until it heats up and then shut it off.
Still to do:
Block off the holes in the tank.
Fit a heatshield between the fire and the oil tank.
I'm going to fit solenoids to the oil and air lines connected to an optical sensor and controller I have from a home heating burner so if it goes out everything shuts off, just need to mount the sensor somewhere it won't melt.
Thank's for all the comments and suggestions, I'm liking the Stirling engine idea.
Got the lid fixed down, just need to make the hole for the chimney bigger.
Made a bracket to fix the oil feed pipe in place.
Made a prototype baffle, this sits in the flame and splits it up, seems to work fairly well, just need to make it from heavier steel.
Changed the ball to one with a single jet to calm the fire down a bit.
I think it's still too hot for my workshop though, after about 15 mins you can't stand any closer than 3 or 4 feet away from it so I'm going to line it with firebricks inside and just run it until it heats up and then shut it off.
Still to do:
Block off the holes in the tank.
Fit a heatshield between the fire and the oil tank.
I'm going to fit solenoids to the oil and air lines connected to an optical sensor and controller I have from a home heating burner so if it goes out everything shuts off, just need to mount the sensor somewhere it won't melt.
Thank's for all the comments and suggestions, I'm liking the Stirling engine idea.
rtcosic
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Standard practice is to shut off fuel only and leave the air running to purge the combustion chamber of unburnt fuel.
The other improvements all sound great! I would still like to hear of an emergency fuel shutoff valve located as close to the fuel tank as possible though.
I'm so grateful to you for pointing out this type of engine and to demag for telling us about his burner project. I don't know how I'd never come across Stirling engines before.
I've been meaning to try building a DIY oil burner for some time. I thought I'd use a jet nozzle from a domestic oil boiler for my first attempt. I see they have various sizes like 0.5 and 1.0 which I understand is gallons per hour. The nozzles also have a reference like 80S or 80H being an 80 degree flame, solid (S) or hollow (H). Would anyone hazard a guess as to the best type of nozzle to start with for a simple homemade burner? Would a hollow or solid flame be most likely to work well? Assume the oil coming in will be at pressure.
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If you do it with one of those nozzles you'll either have to use a siphon type or pre heat the oil. I tried one of them with 120 psi pushing waste oil through it cold and still just got a solid stream of oil instead of a mist, it wouldn't light at all.
Now thanks to the mechanic next door who is using my first burner I've got people looking for these, just finished making 7 of the burner housings tonight.
rtbcomp
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They're amazing little engines, and so may variations too. They're even talking about using them as aero engines,
though not coal fired at a guess.
[PEDANT] It's Stirling not Sterling, the latter is a form of diesel engine which uses swash plates instead of a crankshaft[/PEDANT]
Now for a bit of Health and Safety.
The mechanic next door came in yesterday and told me he had a problem with his burner. I'd told him not to heat the ball when he heated the oil feed but he did and this pic is what happened. The ball is hollow and does fill with oil so I'll be using solid balls in any others I make.
The mechanic next door came in yesterday and told me he had a problem with his burner. I'd told him not to heat the ball when he heated the oil feed but he did and this pic is what happened. The ball is hollow and does fill with oil so I'll be using solid balls in any others I make.
If I had a lathe ( Gingery lathe may be next project now I can melt ali )I might be able to do that but I'm going to get a solid ball, drill it out and fit a .6mm mig tip into it and then smooth it off.
