. Can anyone tell me how small can a burner/boiler be that will run for 5mins
Hi Ron,
The size of a boiler required to run for 5 minutes can only be determined of the following are known: -
a/ The total swept volume of the engine being run by the boiler.
b/ The rpm of the engine.
c/ The working pressure of the boiler.
These 3 items will determine the amount of water which needs to be evaporated at the working pressure for a 5 minute run time.**
Once the amount of water required is known then the amount of heat (in Btu's) required to perform the evaporation rate can be determined which, once known, can then be used to calculate the amount of fuel (Meths) that will be needed to run for 5 minutes... which in turn will determine the number and size of flames required.
It's all a matter of balancing the output requirements with the input required to achieve the desired results and also allow for losses, of which there will be a good few.
It is not really possible to just pick a size and expect it all to work unless you are very very lucky.
So, more info will be required in order to work things out properly.
One or two things to note... 1/ **A boiler should never be run completely dry, so it must hold more water than actually required... 2/ The amount of fuel provided should always run out before the boiler water.
I do like the project you are working on and I am sure it can be made to work as desired, but some extra math is going to need to be done I am afraid if you are to get the best results from your efforts.
If I can help with that then don't be afraid to ask.
From your last post I would suggest you only put 1.25- 1.5 mils of meths in the burner and see how long that runs for.
I hope this is of some help.
Best regards.
Sandy.