John Mahler's Burner

    An early test

    Six foot flame on air and propane

    This is the standard shot of my burner. It shoots a six foot flame about 2 feet in diameter on .080 jet propane and 200 psig air wide open.

    I have other pictures with the flame invisible because it is properly adjusted. To show this, I made the mixture rich.

    Cyclone flame

    Cyclone flame -- head-on

    With the flame properly adjusted, the gas is invisible. These are the best photos I have of the burner since modifying it. I removed the superheater coil from it. I wasn't sure how much carry-over I might have as the liquid boiled off in the tank with no regulator. That was the purpose of the superheater. It draws enough that the tank pressure falls from 100 psig to 60psig in about 5 minutes.

    I burned 1/4 of a 30 lb tank in about 1 hour and 40 minutes of run time tonight. Then the tank pressure remains at that pressure(60-psig) if it is not run wide open. The flame adjusts easily from about two inches in diameter and 1 foot in length to 2 feet in diameter and 6 feet in length. I think it would be easy to control with a 1/3 2/3 3/3 solenoid valve step set up.

    Here is a sketch of the proportions of my experimental natural draft burner.

    I also built two others. One is a blower fan drafted burner and is very different with only one 1 14" connection to the blower and the 5/16 connection to the propane valve and tank  The other one, you have a picture, used compressed air to get the pretty blue flame. The third one is built as shown to demonstrate to me that natural draft would give a blue flame indicating complete combustion of fuel. I have sent you no pictures of it. It would be redundant since it makes the same image and the difference in the burner is not apparent.
        I adapted the 1/4" fitting on this drawing to the 5/16 required by the propane hose.

    John F. Mahler


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