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Author Topic: Microwave WVO  (Read 2502 times)
stephen
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« on: June 14, 2007, 10:02:49 AM »

Ok this one came to me whilst micro waving some treacle for a desert and is meant for a little thought provoking. The health and safety of this idea will need a lot of thought. lets call it blue sky thinking for the moment.

Ok then what about building a microwave generator around the inlet to the injectors to thin the WVO . A second generator could be placed in the tank to thin the oil at the same time, hence start and stop on the thick stuff (or solid stuff)
2 to 3 sec on an 800watt microwave heats about ¼ of ltr to about the same viscosity of diesel.

Has anyone tried this?  Thoughts please.

As i said its only to provove the grey matter at the moment.

Stephen
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Paulh_Boats
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« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2007, 11:22:33 AM »

Some studies (but not all) suggest that microwave radiation can cause cancer, high levels will at least cause deep tissue burns.
That's why a microwave oven is in a metal box with a metal mesh on the door - also known as a Faraday cage which theorectically blocks all radiation out (and in). If you can enclose the magnetron in a conducting metal shield with no gaps or holes you should be ok.

-Paul
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Tigger
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« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2007, 11:54:25 AM »

Blue Sky Thinking indeed, I think it's safe to say that this one really is an "out of the box" idea.

OK, principle of microwave ovens.  A magnetron tube creates electromagnetic waves which food readily absorbs causing the particles to align with the waves.  The waves constantly change (at a high frequency) hence the food particles gets moved about and this causes heat via friction.  Science lesson over, back to practical work now......

It's almost the perfect way to warm up your veg oil (or Lard since you're a Northerner).

The downside to this is that metalic objects reflect the electromagnetic waves and your feed to the injector is a copper pipe so your first challenge is to find a non metalic pipe that will withstand the pressure of the diesel pump.  Having solved that challenge (the easy way being to put the "heater" before the pump), you now have to build a metalic box around the pipe into which you aim the magnetron.

Sealing it isn't too bad since the microwaves actually have a wavelenth such that the perforated holes in the foil of the conventional microwave oven door allow light through but are small enough that they are seen as a solid wall and reflect the waves back so it doesn't need to ne "air tight", just make sure there are no holes bigger than a few mm's.

Heating your bigger storage tank is much easier since this will most likely be a metal tank anyway so you just need a metal lid for it (with a few holes to let out any steam in case you get the lard too hot) and your magnetron will happily melt your lard for you.  You'll have to experiment with how much energy you need to put into your lard depending on how much there is in the tank and the ambient temperature.......

Can't wait to see it all happening, from a safe distance of course  Grin Grin


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30 tubes, south facing gable wall (Navitron Fornax Trial System).  Hunter Herald 8, integrated boiler hooked up with Oil Boiler via Dunsley Neutraliser.  Scrounging fire wood wherever possible Smiley
stephen
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« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2007, 03:14:35 PM »

Its wont be a project for me but its got more sense than putting a wind turbine on a chimney. Tongue

Stephen
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Paulh_Boats
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« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2007, 06:55:46 PM »

You could try Induction Heating ... wrap a coil around the pipe and pass an AC current through the coil. The principle is used a lot in industry, but here is a DIY version on You Tube  Smiley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hopa-oXh8cQ

..and the output circuit is here:

http://hem.bredband.net/prylar/induktionvarmare/schema.PNG

It looks like a fun project!

cheers
Paul

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Paulh_Boats
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« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2007, 07:03:56 PM »

You have to love those Google guys......look what they served up...induction heating of diesel injection pipes:

http://www.dieselveg.com/injection_pipe_heating.htm

http://www.dieselveg.com/BIOplantrixIDH1224manualEN.pdf

 Cool
-Paul
« Last Edit: June 14, 2007, 07:09:32 PM by Paulh_Boats » Logged
PEMTEK
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If I can I usually do


« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2007, 11:15:21 PM »

Using a microwaves to heat veg oil would be a very wasteful way as most of the power is lost.

Why not just wrap suitable insulated resistance wire (like the stuff inside electric blankets) and some insulation around it? No circuitry required other than some wire and a switch.
« Last Edit: June 14, 2007, 11:17:46 PM by PEMTEK » Logged

If it aint broke, you aint trying..
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