Babington Burner

[Mayhem]

OK - now that winter is here, I spent a little time on the weekend on the babington burner. One of the issues I had since making the rear plate was that it restricted the airflow into the back of the burner. Such is the fun of taking something from a test platform to a self contained unit.

The first modification was to cut the entire bottom half of the rear plate out, leaving just enough metal to maintain the circumference to facilitate it being bolted in place.

The second is that the gas pilot causes the oil to move away from the ball. The solution here was to use a small burner tip on a length of annealed copper line that a friend gave me. This worked much better and I was able to position it so it sits to the side of the ball and slightly in front. This prevents the pilot flame from disrupting the oil flow onto the ball. With this sorted out, a mounting point for the little gas can was added.

The next step was to add the air control. I dug out on old regulator that has the psi on the stem, so the numbers disappear under the handle as the pressure is increased (a bit like a torque wrench). I forgot to get a photo of this. I added a tap so that the air can be shut off. A ball cock would have been better but this is built from things on hand. In fact, the gas can (about $6 for a 4 pack) is the only financial investment so far

OK - time for the pictures:

These three are mainly to show the evolution from its beginnings on lab stands and gravity feed, to a self contained unit.

   

This one shows the original plan for the pilot burner:
   

How it currently looks:
   

Side view showing the pump switch and air control:
   

A few shots showing the pilot system:
   
   
   

I'll see if I can remember to get a video of it running. Once I am happy with how it performs, I'll rebuild some parts.

[TomG]

It's coming along nicely Darren. I'm glad I'm not the only one with these projects sitting around on the back burner.

Does the pilot light only run long enough to start the burner and then shut off?

Tom

[Mayhem]

Thanks Tom. Yes - once the oil gets hot the pilot can be turned off and it will run with just the compressed air.

[DaveH]

Looking good Mayhem

DaveH

[doubleboost]

This is starting to get serious
The amount of propane I burn would warrant a oil burner
John

[Mayhem]

I ran the burner for about 15 minutes today. I was able to kill the pilot after about 2 minutes and she ran fine without it. I had to stop after I noticed an oil leak from the pump.

I'm pretty confident that I can start to build the final burner now. Once that is done, I will begin work on the actual furnace. I also need to add a filler neck to the sump, so I can add oil as required.

I'll see if I can put together a video on the weekend...

[Mayhem]

Well I wonder if having the video camera on hand jinxed me, as I fired it up and it behaved poorly. I've got a few things to try and see if I can get reliable results. If not, I will try a different design.

[TomG]

That's the thing about mechanical devices Darren, especially home brew mechanical devices. They know when you are showing them to someone and screw up accordingly.

Tom

[Mayhem]

I was looking back at some pics of the test bench set up and the flame tube was held in place by a clamp and therefore wasn't attached to the body, as it is now. I am wondering if this is the reason for one of the differences that I have noticed - the fact that the fuel/air mix is burning closer to the ball now. I am going to try drilling some holes around the perimeter of the plate where these two parts join.

[the penguin]

(06-15-2013, 08:08 PM)TomG Wrote: That's the thing about mechanical devices Darren, especially home brew mechanical devices. They know when you are showing them to someone and screw up accordingly.

Tom

I work on commercially built waste oil burners, they can be "bastards" to get to run in the same manner time after time. Oil temperature change as little as 5 degrees F can cause the flame sputters, air pressure changes as low as 3-4 psi can change the flame pattern and cause pulsations.

Good luck with your burner. Be very careful. A guy I knew lost his home to a homemade oil burner, the house/garage burnt basically beyond repair and as it was an unapproved furnace (no UL or other certification) the insurance company refuse to pay off, blaming it on owner negligence. He sued and the courts agreed with the insurance company, they lost their home, cars, tools and all personal stuff.

I work on industrial boilers and furnaces for a living, you do as you want or need to, just be careful, burning fuels seem to have a mind of their own.