CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Fuel burning devices are devices that produce heat (thermal energy), derived from burning fuel and required for technological processes especially in the industry [Kittle, 2000]. There are so many types of burners with different fuel types. Examples of such fuel are the biodiesel, ethanol, vegetable oil etc. Burning devices that make use of this fuel are classified as the oil burners, liquid fuel burners, and the combined gas liquid fuel burners. Apart from its classification by the type of fuel used, a burner can also be designed based on factors like the combustion chamber geometry, type of oxidizer and also heat transfer requirements which include flame temperature and heat distribution etc. Typical examples of burners which are developed based on the type of oxidizer are the oxy-fuel burner and air fuel burner [Baukal, 2014].
Various works relating to the construction and testing of burners were studied, they include: Development of a high velocity burner for furnace operation. The main components of this burning device are the burner nozzle, mixing tube, downstream section and a cross-connected regulator for air fuel ratio control. It employs forced draft in mixing the fuel and air [Ighodalo, 2010]. Design, Construction and Performance Evaluation of a Biogas Burner, the work was geared towards modification and improvement of the burner and its efficiency [Obada, 2018]. Porous Radiant Burners which make use of liquid petroleum gas were also developed and tested for cooking applications [Mishra et al., 2013]. Other authors studied the Design and Construction of Atmospheric Gas Burners where they dwelt most on the theory of flow of gas through different types of orifice [Walter, 2017].
In University of Maiduguri’s Faculty of Arts, burners of different types have been constructed for use in the kiln for firing or drying of things such as the bricks. A typical example is a burner that uses kerosene only as its fuel. The burner is made up of the nozzle, manual pump, hose and the fuel tank. The pressure required for ignition is supplied by the manual pump which is fixed at a small opening on the fuel tank. Kerosene then passes through the nozzle as it comes in contact with heat supplied by the rings in the kiln. This type of burner is classified as a liquid fuel burner.
Similarly, a burner that uses only used or waste engine oil has its fuel tank located at a certain height and uses electricity which powers the electric motor and helps rotate the blower which supplies the air required for combustion as the used engine oil flows through the burner. Despite the presence of the few types of burner, they are not constructed for carrying out foundry applications. Also, considering the availability of used engine oil, there stems the need to construct an admixture burner for the purpose of carrying out foundry operations.
This paper therefore presents the result of the design, construction and test of a two-faced gas burner for users as an alternative to electric burners. The construction of a two-face gas burner will go a long way in achieving portability of gas burners and also enable asynchronous usage as two objects can be placed on the burner at the same time. It is a starting point of actualizing a functional technology in the country. Irrespective of the fact that there are several breads of gas burners in the market, especially the ones imported, we deemed it necessary to work further on it as a way of modifying the brand with cast not left out in such modification.