Some of the problems with the burner going out and oil spillage might be solved with the use of a solenoid valve and thermocoupling in the supply line, similar to a gas boiler where the supply line is open only while there is a flame acting on the thermocouple and if the flame goes out the solenoid shuts and the oil is shut off.
-----Original Message----- From: "joewk2000" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2002 18:01:55 -0000 To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Subject: [biofuel] Waste Oil Burner/Stove Plans > I have a few web references and comments that interested waste oil > participants may want to look at regarding "homebrew" or other waste > oil burners. > > Commercial waste oil burners are certainly available. I'll leave > this to the search engines if anyone is in the market. (A quick > inspection on my part indicates that the smaller "domestic sized" > (50K Btu/hr) Lanair machine that I would favor is no longer > available. Lanair now seems to want to concentrate on > the "automotive" market.) > > Steve Spence's site www.webconx.com is probably the best of > the "homebrew" sites. Now not an active link at the Webconx site > but still available at http://www.webconx.com/oil_burner.htm was > a "gut level" waste oil burning plan a la Dennis Park ceramic kiln > practice. This methodology is/was a simple method whereby waste oil > is simply allowed to "drip" onto an inclined, heated plate or louver > exposed to the heat of the fire and is problematical in both it's > fire danger (what if the fire goes out?) and in starting up (which is > usually done with a wood or propane fire.) Airflow/fuelflow could be > problematical as well. > > Steve's webconx site references the classic Mother Earth News #5 > article originally written for Popular Science Magazine at > www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/multifuelburner.htm This article > contains a couple of errors. The MEN reference for the PS issue > should be January 1962 p. 78. The vanes in the burner "throat" > should be placed at 45 degrees, a typo which shows in both the MEN > reprint AND the PS original article. The original PS article shows a > detailed pix showing the vanes mounted at 45 degrees.) > > This stove has a downside in that it is electrically powered by a > variable speed blower and air/fuel proportion is totally manual. One > would be constantly trying to minimise airflow to enhance burning > efficiency and there would always be the question of too little or > too much air. Also, what if the fire should for some reason somehow > go out. Not a stove to be left "unattended." > > Steve includes the classic Mother Earth News #53 article which is a > stove built from a discarded water heater at > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me4.ht > ml. Similar to the MEN#5 plan, this plan is a rework of a Popular > Mechanics Magazine article from October 1941. It's a nice plan in > that outside electrical power is not required. Not necessarily a > stove to be left unattended but at least if your "supply reservoir" > is of less volume than the bottom of the heater up to the inspection > door, you won't have oil mess on the floor should the fire go > out. > > The plan suffers a bit from the same airflow/fuelflow problems as the > others. A person I have talked to who uses this stove is > incorporating a device to heat his oil to a constant temperature to > control drip flowrate and claims no need for draft adjustment. While > I initially had my doubts about "clean burning" this same person > reports that the stove burns "odor and smoke free" when it is hot and > burning at a constant rate. He reports some problems with the stove > going out when the oil flow is at low flow rates. > > I myself have this stove under construction currently and while it > isn't a "hot" project (literally) I will eventually get it done and > give it a try. I'm trying to anticipate problems with the design > (such as the supply reservoir issue) and incorporate some > improvements which I'll eventually report back on. > > Steve's reference to the "Babington Burner" at > www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/babington/default.htm are interesting > and a design methodology I might eventually try. It does suffer some > from the airflow/oilflow syndrome as all of these do but I can see > that using a commercial burner/blower and maintaining a constant > oilflow/compressed air pressure, this design might be brought > to "consistant, repeatable" performance. Still not a burner you > would want to walk away from and leave unattended. > > There are some other "homebrew plans" available on the `net for those > willing to pay some money. > > Seyroche has plans at http://www.seyroche.com/products/wasteoil.htm > which look interesting. At only $8, I might want to try there > first. No details are shown, however, and it might be a plan which > is already in the "common domain." . > > Three more plans are available for $15 at > http://www.autodidactics.com/energy.htm From the little sketch they > include I can surmise that at least two of these plans (and possibly > all three) are the first three plans I have included on this list and > can be had for nada from Webconx. Caviet Emptor. > > For $15 you too can have plans from > http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~alterpla/altenrg4.htm or if you're more > than willing to fork over $16.95 for the same thing see > www.australiatrade.com.au/Alternative/Energy/catalogue.htm#WASTE OIL > WORKSHOP HEATER AND FORGE Both of these seem to be an "unauthorised > copy" of the "Cyberport" plans I'll cite in a minute. > > For those who might want to spend their money on something with a > little more "assurance" of a viable product you can spend $29 (with > shipping & handling) and get plans from www.wasteoilstove.com. The > writer/inventor of this plan has little good to say about the Mother > Earth News #53 plans. Compressed air is not required for the stove > burner but electricity to drive the blower is. I suspect this is a > blower "forced draft" improved version of the MEN#53 plan. > > The plans shown at http://www.web4.net/~tcdyck/ are $50 American (the > originator is in Canada) and convert a standard hot air or hot water > furnace to burn waste oil. He reports that compressed air is > required and of course electricity to drive the blowers is also. He > reports that he uses a unique "agricultural" atomizer" in the burner > and heats his house and shops using the device and has done so for > many years. The furnace reports to be "fully automatic" and > controlled by a thermostat. I got very close to spending my hard > earned money for this plan. > > The plans shown at http://www.cyberport.net/russ/benjamin are also > $50 and are here in the USA. A good solid plan that has been around > for a while. However, totally manual in it's operation and > function. A recent seller on Ebay had a completed "Cyberport" > burner for sale and in true seller enthusiasm reported that it > worked "great." I think it sold for above $80 complete which was > probably the cost of the plan and the parts to make it. Yes, some > people who bid on Ebay have some sense. > > For those wishing to spend more we have at nearly $1800 for a > complete barrel kit or about $545 for the controls only and a > detailed sketch at http://www.heco.net/Wasteoil.htm which by the time > you get to spending this amount you might as well have started at my > second paragraph and saved yourself a lot of reading and construction > time. Like the wasteoilstove.com plans above, the plan seems to be a > blower forced draft augmented version of the MEN#53 stove > > An unknown quantity which I have been trying to find out more > information about is a "sump oil" (i.e. crankcase oil) stove shown at > http://home.worldcom.ch/redi/sumpoil.html. Compressed air or > electricity is not required I expect from it's application to > developing countries. This stove was first shown in "Modern Stoves > for All" by the inventor/developer Waclaw Micuta in 1985 which is > currently published by Intermediate Technology Publications Ltd at 9 > King Street in London. The book is 87 pages and available from > Amazon.com for more than $20 PLUS shipping and I sensibly deferred my > order. An email to Mr. Micuta at the REDI Institute received no > response. This stove can be seen as the HV-1 and HV-2 stoves at > http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/4dc394db5b54f3fa4125673900241f2f/231fd > 9d6c658b8f4412568e20032a0f1?OpenDocument which is quite a long web > address but the picture of a bunch of stoves under construction (yes, > they really made these stoves) is nice. Considering the REDI group's > environmental "slant" I expect the design is a sound and nonpolluting > one. > > Hope this helps everyone. > > Best regards, > Joe > > > -- _______________________________________________ Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup 1 cent a minute calls anywhere in the U.S.! http://www.getpennytalk.com/cgi-bin/adforward.cgi?p_key=RG9853KJ&url=http://www.getpennytalk.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Tiny Wireless Camera under $80! Order Now! FREE VCR Commander! 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