MEN type heater

[techdif]

Hi all

Before the question I'll give a little history.  It's cold, I'm bout broke, and I think I've gained access to a major shop's waste oil.  Hopefully it will be fairly clean, but I plan "settle it out" after transport and when I get a more perminent setup I also have plans on filtering as well.

  Copy of my filtering/pump idea I posted to another thread I'm thinking a pre-storage tank to hold for a good while to allow chunks, critters, grit and water to "settle out".  Then scarf up an oil pump off a big block chrysler engine, fab a pick up tube to then route feed tank.  The reason for the BB chrysler is it's external so if you find one junked easy to remove, filter base built on pump, and drive off a drill when I have to fuel up.  I figure this way I'd get really clean oil to my heater.  I'm sure there are other pumps are similar to the chrysler just can't think of any off the top of my head.
   
When I built my copy of the heater (sorry did not document build) I had to vary MEN spec.  I only have 2 instead 3 wraps for the pre-heater but I plan on correcting this soon.  I have the 6" exhaust but only 2.5-3" intake (I haven't measured it) and my funnel attempt did come out a funnel but it's probably twice as long as spec.  Also my intake tube does not stop at the funnel entrance it probably extends 8" or better into the funnel.  The burner itself has the top, bottom, spacers, and wholes to spec but the mid plate is closer to 1/2" instead of 1/4".  On her maiden burn I got a respectable amount of heat of her outside, howling wind, and 30f but good lord amighty the thing smoked like four house fires.  It was unbelievable! Of course this resulted in tremendous amount of soot inside heater and exhaust.  She is burning way to rich.  I only had 2 sticks of stove pipe on test run.  I gave her a light shot of air from the compressor into top of intake and got a foot of dark orange fire out the stack.

My next step is going to be getting more feed tube around the stack and getting some kind of shroud around it to finish the pre-heater as close to spec as I can.  Instead of over size pipe as per plans I'm fab a squarish cabinet out of the water heater skin.  To this I plan to add some kind of a small blower to boost intake on it.

If/when I get it debugged I'm gonna build a reflector type shield and stick her in the corner of the shop.  I plan to hang a regular fan on the wall over to blow down into the shield, across the heater to fan the heat across the shop. Oh the shop is like 24x30 no insulation in the ceiling and raw block walls.  Speaking of raw block I would never have imagined how much air can flow through a block wall.  I've seen the walls damp on the inside in storms with big wind and no the roof doesn't leak.  It's like the wind blows the water through the block.

Hopefully after getting this one hot I want to build another put a housing it and duct it into the house to lower my gas bill...

Now then (yeah finally right lol, sorry post so long) any suggestions?  What do y'all think about my super rich burn?  Am I on the right track about raising oil temp and possibly boosting intake?  I don't really want to scrap the burner but if push comes to shove I guess I can but I've got to cut down on the smoke!

Again sorry for the long post.  And I have really enjoyed the couple hours so far reading over the sight.  I love it.

Ryan

"Look where you're going not where you've been"

[Cmdr. Ron]

Disclaimer:  I be not from here.
What I wonder could be here somewhere.  If so, please forgive asking repeat questions.  This only looks long.  Don't be fooled by all the print.  Some speculation is expected.

Thanks, up-front . . . I am extremely grateful for any & all information and/or helpful suggestions you share.

You built & tested & trouble-shot one, so I ask about the potentially boring details.  That was a year & 1/2 ago.  I read a few things you wrote in the between, but not much definitive.  Is it burning clean & hot now?  Post any pictures I missed?  What's your MPG?
Is the machine you built copied from the 1ST or 2ND TMEN burner?  Or is it like Spike's with the fire hung outside?
 - (With 2 TMEN, Spike, Roger Sanders, and Ozzirt burners, plus the others out there, I need a smidgeon more clarity.)

Near Chattanooga, huh?  It do get cold there.

What was the fuel rich thing, and what was the fix?  Too little combustion air, coupled with incomplete mixing would make sense.  My truck smoked white-gray & lost power (big time) when the air filter clogged.  It sure did pour black smoke, burning the fuel coating when it got a new K&N.  WVO has to be 150F+ before introducing it to the flame or it soots & coke badly.

I'm surprized the rather short funnels (intake, over the burner - right?) works as well as they do.  If yours is longer, it should only improve the swirl, burn, etc.  Aerodynamics.
The Headers by Ed website has a ton of data explainin' the theory better than I do.  That intake pipe is an air plenum.  Flow tolerates gradual changes far better than ripples, roughness, and abrupt angles.

That oil pump idea is whiz-bang.  I be likin' that & the power steering pump, right much.  I needed them last winter.  Wait a minute while I tell my brother.

There are portions of the burner I don't understand, yet, mostly from lack of information.  These are a bit different than the ones sold in 1970.  Your burner is entirely within the tank, where the fire is contained.  Right?  How tall are the sides of the lowest pot?  Ya think a cast iron Dutch oven would be useful, or too tall to burn correctly?  I want to contain the oil in the event of too much oil at the wrong time.

Cool observation.  The wind does blow water through the blocks, sorta.  (There's a long word for it.  Something like hydro-graphic or hygrographic - sounding like hydrostatic).  A little extra pressure on one side pushes the water as it pulls itself into tiny passages in the porous block.
O my, the end.  Thanks again, Ryan.
 - Ron

[techdif]

Hi Ron

I think I missed this post in some of my other replies, sorry.  It has always burned hot, too hot times! I still don't have it clean burning in any sense of the word. I think my version is copied from the second MEN, Sanders burners. Two cast iron pans and steel plate stacked up. The addition of the hair dryer helped a lot but I still think it suffers from alack of air. After my last flooding episode my door leaks now. Thinking about adding another layer of rope.

I have a piece of pipe with a curved slashed exhaust tip welded to it that I stick in the intake to stick the hair dryer in. I would suppose my air has all kinds of turbulence by the time it hits the burner.

Yes the burner is inside the tank and I think my pans are 1.5-2 inches deep. Here is link to the info I used: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me4.html

I think hygroscopic was the term you were looking for.

Again sorry for taking so long to reply.

Ryan

[Cmdr. Ron]

SHALOM, Ryan!
Yessiree, "hygroscopic" was the term.  Yes, it was.  Yes, it was.  Amazing capillary action with a turbo.
 - It came to mind even before reading your reply.
Question 4 you:
Was the "last flooding episode" oil in the stove, or water that refused to stay in the river?
 - Either could develop badly.
Severe OIL flooding could soak the rope, then drip externally (or worse).
Merely burning it empty should be on video.  Steel changing colors to bright orange is psychodelic.
If it burned that hot while clearing, was the exhaust clear - or like you said x 3?
Plus, ya gets warpage.
Thanks for the link.  I'll go see after this http://asheville.craigslist.org/cto/3516583274.html

Hope you had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!