Industrial Heater FWE Type II and Type III
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:01 pm
Finally ...
My client has gotten the latest version running, after much struggling through the winter months with poor propane pressure due to unusually cold weather. The engine shown here is called the Type II engine. The client requested a re-design to enlarge the combustion chamber for higher power, comprising a 6-inch long cylindrical extension at the front of the main chamber cone. This necessitated moving the intake forward a few inches and lengthening the tailpipe somewhat. But, hey - it runs. That is the Type III engine, which I don't have photos of (since the client did the mod in his own shop). They say it is plenty loud, and they haven't even fed it all the propane it will take.
The Type II engine and its stainless mounting dingbats were all welded up by Matt Russell of Jim Russell Design in Des Moines, Iowa USA; all design is mine. This re-design and re-build cost me right around $2500 US. It is a far nicer engine than the Type I engine I posted earlier. The only rigid mounting point is at the rear of the chamber. The front mounting ring moves effortlessly back and forth to accommodate thermal expansion while maintaining centerline and carrying half the chamber weight. The rear mount point is two rings with guides that allow the tailpipe to slide for thermal expansion; it supports almost the entire tailpipe weight at roughly the midpoint of the pipe, on a 1/2-inch stainless all-thread screw jack to allow adjustment for perfect alignment. (The engine splits at the juncture of the chamber and tailpipe, with a stainless O-ring pinched between the clamped flanges.)
I'll provide more detail photos later.
L Cottrill
My client has gotten the latest version running, after much struggling through the winter months with poor propane pressure due to unusually cold weather. The engine shown here is called the Type II engine. The client requested a re-design to enlarge the combustion chamber for higher power, comprising a 6-inch long cylindrical extension at the front of the main chamber cone. This necessitated moving the intake forward a few inches and lengthening the tailpipe somewhat. But, hey - it runs. That is the Type III engine, which I don't have photos of (since the client did the mod in his own shop). They say it is plenty loud, and they haven't even fed it all the propane it will take.
The Type II engine and its stainless mounting dingbats were all welded up by Matt Russell of Jim Russell Design in Des Moines, Iowa USA; all design is mine. This re-design and re-build cost me right around $2500 US. It is a far nicer engine than the Type I engine I posted earlier. The only rigid mounting point is at the rear of the chamber. The front mounting ring moves effortlessly back and forth to accommodate thermal expansion while maintaining centerline and carrying half the chamber weight. The rear mount point is two rings with guides that allow the tailpipe to slide for thermal expansion; it supports almost the entire tailpipe weight at roughly the midpoint of the pipe, on a 1/2-inch stainless all-thread screw jack to allow adjustment for perfect alignment. (The engine splits at the juncture of the chamber and tailpipe, with a stainless O-ring pinched between the clamped flanges.)
I'll provide more detail photos later.
L Cottrill