This doesn't really apply to your post but in a way it does...it might give you or some one else some inspiration to make their own heater. Back in '76 my dad built a waste oil heater (actually 2) that burned anything that was viscous and flammable--paint with dirt in it, old motor oil, etc. It was featured in a '76 Popular Science--they paid a whopping $250 to intervew my dad. It put out a measured 5 million BTU. In simplistic terms it was a 1/2" diameter hollow brass sphere with a microscopic slit cut horizontally about 3/8" long in its middle. 60 psi of air was blown through the ball and out the slit. Flammable liquid was sowly pumped over the ball. The compressed air atomized the fluid coming over the slot. Unatomized fluid was collected in a cup at the base of the ball and returned to a 100 gallon tank under the burner. The atomized fluid was ignited by a spark plug which in turn threw a flame down a sprialling burn chamber about 3 feet long and 8 inches in diameter lined with 3" of fire brick. A small blower helped the burn process. The flame fanned out to a fire box measuring 8'x 5'x 4' in which were 4 rows of cast iron hospital radiators which turned water into steam. Steam-turned-hot water was pumped 200 feet to the 3,000 sq ft house through base board radiators. Since the 16' x 16' heat house was connected to the 30' x 50' greenhouse, he had plans to heat the ground and the 12' fish pool inside with the water. GM and a large supermarket chain were interested but the untested technology seemed too risky for the times. Sadly family tragedies led to the dismantling of the entire venture. The first plant he built, he and I were in it as the room filled with a thick fog of atomized oil. A lit propane torch in the room touched off a fire storm the likes I have never seen or been in since. I never thought I'd make it out alive. "Don't try this at home"

Reply

Quote Reply

Digg It

Del.icio.us