Oil Stove

From ivc wiki
Revision as of 15:45, 10 September 2009 by Ivc (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigationJump to search

An efficient oil stove will burn some type of organic oil in an idea environment where the temperature and air (oxygen) supply is optimal. The goal is to burn the fuel in a complete combustion.

Oil as fuel

Oil can be used as fuel for stoves, engines, lamps, and other applications. But the problem with oil is the high flash point, the phase from solid to gaseous form (vaporization). Compared to gasoline, with a flash point of -38 C, organic oils will has a considerable higher flash point, between 230-360 C.

Biodiesel can be made of organic oil, methanol, and a catalyst. The catalyst will help to make the reactions happen on a lower flash point and increase the combustion rate. Pure vegetable oil when vaporized will clog the pipes after awhile because of impurities and will damage the engine. Methanol, type of alcohol, will dissolve the oil and make it fluid and easier to ignite.

A combustion reaction is splitting of one molecule into a set of other molecules. By applying oxygen and energy the bonds holding the molecule together can be broken down and transformed by oxidation into other molecules Chemical reaction.

A important law in chemistry is La Chatelier's principle: If the equilibrium of a system is disturbed by a change in one or more of the determining factors (as temperature, pressure, or concentration) the system tends to adjust itself to a new equilibrium by counteracting as far as possible the effect of the change [1].

Build stove

Two main principles will be used to design the stove:

  • Rising heat to create a turbulence
  • Heat to help the fuel to reach flash point

The heat released by the fire will create turbulence that can be used to control the flame through a conduit. By adjusting the inlet points the intensity of the flame can also be controlled. This can then be used to keep the temperature at a sufficient level while conserving fuel.

For a combustion be complete the supply of air has to be optimal and the temperature surrounding the combustion should be on level with the flash point. Using both metal and ceramic bricks as heat storage, the temperature will stabilize inside the stove.

For optimal efficiency and heat transfer, the cattle will be placed right on top of the conduit.

References