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http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/253240/engineer-claims-energy-solution
April 25, 2011



An industrial engineer from Massachusetts has an invention he says could save New Hampshire residents a bundle on home heating costs. Eric LaVoie says he has figured out a way to get more heat and less soot from the oil that heats many houses in New England, and his new contraption - which is only sold in New Hampshire - will keep toxic pollutants out of the air while reducing the amount of oil needed to heat homes and offices.

The Monitor spoke with LaVoie to learn more.

Do you have a background in science?

I'm an industrial engineer. I work on boilers and environmental systems like wastewater treatment and chemical processes and pumps. I did that for 10 years - all the way until 1998 - then a lot of the companies that used industrial engineers went over to Asia and China, so I painted houses on the side to try to support my family.

How did you come up with the idea?

I saw somebody burning waste motor oil at a garage that does tune-ups. . . . Some garages burn the used motor oil and transmission fluid to heat the garage. (The garage owner) had kind of an expensive operation going with a lot of apparatuses to try to make the system burn clean, but it wasn't clean and would often fail. I started putting my thoughts together, and within two days I put an idea together in paper. Within four months I had built a working prototype.

How does it work?

The science basically is that we are using a much higher pressure. The pressure in a traditional system is about 100 pounds per square inch. In the Burner Booster, it's between 1,000 and 1,600 (pounds per square inch). The other part of it is that the fuel oil is heated, warmed up to enhance the atomization. It becomes a fine mist, compared to fine droplets in other burners.

The droplets take longer to burn, travels in the boiler and once you put heat in the chimney, it's not doing any good except warming the town you live in. And those emissions that you're sending up the stack are more toxic if they aren't burned in the combustion chamber. (The Burner Booster) keeps the heat inside the center of combustion chamber, and the mist burns up quickly. It's a cleaner burn.

Is it patented?

It's patent pending. We are waiting for one more series of signing off from the patent office, which we expect in the next three or four weeks.

How much can it really reduce the amount of oil used?

No two systems are alike. On average, in the real world, it's a 28 to 36 percent reduction. Lab tests showed higher, but that's in a lab, you know?

And you've tested them out in real homes and businesses?

The first was four years ago, it was in Medway, Massachusetts, and the second was a couple months later in Dover, New Hampshire. Both were homes. We wanted to see how it works in the real world. We first saw results

between 25 and 35 (percent reduction), and we made some adjustments with what we learned to increase efficiency.

Where is it being sold now?

It's only sold in New Hampshire. We're a small company, so we didn't want to be scattered in too many locations at once. We work with Paradigm Plumbing and Heating (in Hooksett), it's the first independent dealer. They handle service within 45 minutes to an hour of Manchester.

How did you get connected with Paradigm?

I had sent out some brochures and fliers to different sellers asking if they wanted to see a demonstration, and Paradigm was interested. I bought an old 17-foot U-Haul box truck to carry two combustion chambers with a glass top so you can look down and see the entire thing. Seeing is believing.

How many have you sold?

Two so far, but I've taken orders this week for six. We're trying to not go crazy. We can produce eight units a day out of the shop, but we're still a startup company.

What are your marketing strategies?

We're getting in touch with large (heating equipment) distributors, and they have shown interest in carrying the Burner Booster. It does have to be installed by a licensed oil-burning technician. The distributors sell directly to plumbing and heating companies like Paradigm, so technicians can walk in and purchase it before they install it in a home. It takes about one to one-and-one-half hours to install.

And it's something that you add on to your current system, instead of a replacement?

You don't have to replace the current system, it adds on to the boiler. It does come with a new burner from Wayne Combustion Systems, though. It's made to work with the Burner Booster, so it's unique, and reliable. The parts have a three-year warranty.

How much do they cost?

They vary in price. Residential, on average, will be around $5,900. Small- and medium-sized commercial buildings - the kind that might go through 10,000 and 20,000 gallons per year - will be close to $8,000. One Burner Booster box can fire two boilers, so they don't have to get one Burner Booster for each boiler.

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2010-03-11
Inventor(s):     LAVOIE ERIC

Abstract -- The present invention is an oil burning system, capable of burning various waste oils with high efficiency burn, reduced emissions, and without producing sludge within the system. Generally, the system operates by pressurizing liquid fuel to a high pressure and delivering the fuel through a two-stage filtration system, pre-heating the fuel, dispensing the fuel through a nozzle and igniting the fuel.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The instant invention generally relates to an oil burning system, and more particularly to a system that is capable of maintaining high-pressure while reducing fuel usage to generate an equivalent quantity of heat as prior systems, while minimizing volume requirements of fuel and pollutants.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] With rising oil prices, consumers have become more cost and efficiency conscious. Homeowners who choose to heat their home with oil can opt to use waste oils as fuel for the heating system. However, existing waste-oil burning systems are relatively inefficient and generate a high level of pollution as these systems burn only about 75-85% of the fuel, while 15% (or more) of the fuel is not burned and is exhausted as soot plus carbon monoxide. Further, existing systems require the fuel to be heated to about 190-250[deg.] F. the heating process creates sludge in the system; this, in turn, requires disassembly of the system for cleaning, and disposal of the sludge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The instant invention, as illustrated herein, is clearly not anticipated, rendered obvious, or even present in any of the prior art mechanisms, either alone or in any combination thereof.

[0006] The primary object of the instant invention is to produce an oil burning system that increases efficiency by reducing the amount of fuel usage through the presence of high pressure within the system, along heating the fuel under high pressure.

[0007] Another object of the instant invention is to produce an oil burning system with reduced emission of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfates and hydrocarbons, and without creating sludge as a byproduct of operation.

[0008] Another object of the instant invention is to produce an oil burning system that comprises the ability to automatically adjust the flame size to maintain a constant stack temperature to maximize efficiency.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the present invention operates in the following manner: the fuel is pumped out of the storage tank by an ultra-high pressure pump which increases the pressure of the liquid fuel to approximately one thousand nine hundred pounds per square inch and passed through a two-stage high-pressure filter, into a pre-heat tank; after the fuel temperature is raised, the fuel is dispensed through a nozzle and is ignited. By monitoring the exhaust stack temperature of the system, and varying the pressure accordingly, optimal heating efficiency can be reached. Initially, when the system is cold, increasing the pressure substantially, allows the flame to burn at a higher level than that of existing systems, while not increasing the volume of liquid fuel utilized. As the water temperature of the boiler rises, the pressure is gradually reduced. Optimal efficiency is reached by monitoring the stack temperature and adjusting the pressure to keep the stack temperature at about four hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit-the pressure is reduced when the system detects the stack temperature above four hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, monitoring the stack temperature and adjusting the pressure accordingly allows the system to use less fuel than existing systems (i.e. as little as half a gallon of fuel per hour) to deliver the same or better temperature as a 0.85 gallon per hour system.

[0010] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the oil burner system in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

[0011] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0012] These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the instant invention, wherein the system includes a storage device, a filtration system and a distribution system such that each component is in fluid communication with each other via a fuel line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The instant invention relates to an oil burning system, and more particularly to a home heating oil booster pump system that substantially increases the efficiency and burning capabilities of existing systems by reducing overall usage of oil while maintaining the same output, along with reducing the amount of pollution created by the system. It is know in the art that most existing oil burning systems, including but not limited to home heating systems, operate at only seventy-five to eight-five percent efficiency. Thus, existing systems waste at least fifteen percent of oil burning due to incomplete burning of fuel with waste products such as soot, carbon monoxide and other pollutants. Therefore, the present system increases the efficiency of oil burning by having more completely burned fuel, along with reducing waste products during the burning process and therefore requiring less oil to generate the same amount of heat as pre-existing systems through the use of high-pressure, effective fuel flow and the elimination of the creation of any sludge throughout the process.

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a high-efficiency oil burning system 10, wherein the system 10 is disposed to increase the oil burning capabilities of existing systems, by maintaining high-pressure throughout the system 10 and allowing for more effective fuel flow, among other things. The overall system 10, includes a storage device 12 for housing liquid to be used within the system 10; in the preferred embodiment, the oil burning system 10 utilizes number two heating oil, however in alternate embodiments the system 10 allows for the burning of a combination of number two heating oil with various other waste oil, including but not limited to biofuels and light grease, waste and virgin paint solvents, waste and virgin cleaning solvents, and diesel, kerosene and hydraulic oils. More preferably, the system 10 allows for up to fifty percent waste oil in combination with the burning of number two heating oil, wherein the waste oil may be a single composition itself, or a combination of the waste oils listed above, given that they do not comprise more than fifty percent of the overall liquid within the system 10.

[0016] The system 10 further includes a filtration system 14, wherein the filtration system 14 substantially removes impurities from the liquid housed within the storage device 12. The filtration system 14 comprises a pump 16, wherein the pump 16 is in fluid communication with the storage device 12 via a fuel line 18 enabling the introduction of liquid from the storage device 12 into the filtration system 14 for high pressure purification. The system 10 also includes a first pair of filters 20 located substantially between the storage device 12 and the pump 16 of the filtration system 14, wherein the filters 20 are in fluid communication with the storage device 12 and the pump 16 via the fuel line 18. In the preferred embodiment, the first pair of filters 20 is arranged in a substantially tandem orientation and in a canister style.

[0017] The pump 16 located within the filtration system 12 maintains high pressure throughout the system 10, thereby creating a more efficient fuel flow throughout the system 10, while also preventing the build-up of any sludge during the heating in the system 10. In the preferred embodiment, the pump 16 is operable in a range of two hundred to three thousand two hundred pounds per square inch, and more preferably, the pump 16 is operable in a range of one thousand to two thousand two hundred pounds per square inch. The pump 16 includes a variable pressure control 22, wherein the control 22 regulates the exhaust temperature or stack temperature of the overall system 10 for more efficient fuel usage, preferably around four hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit; it is know in the art that a stack temperature above this range creates waste and inefficiency within a system once the boiler is heated up to eighty percent of capacity. Furthermore, the system 10 can be automatically controlled by setting the overall stack temperature, alternatively, an individual may manually control the system set the pressure of the system for each desire fuel and burn usage.

[0018] Additionally, the filtration system 12 includes a pre-heater 24, wherein the pre-heater 24 is in fluid communication with the pump 16 via the fuel line 18. The pre-heater 24 operates at a high pressure to maintain efficient fuel viscosity through out the system and prevent the formulation of any sludge or impurities within the liquid. In the preferred embodiment, the pre-heater 24 operates between three hundred and two thousand five hundred pounds per square inch, wherein the pressure is adjustable depending on the desired viscosity of the liquid. Therefore, the pre-heater 24 serves the purpose of heating the liquid to the desired temperature and viscosity for use in the system 10. Moreover, in the preferred embodiment, the pre-heater 24 operates at a temperature range between seventy and one hundred ninety degrees Fahrenheit, wherein the individual utilizing the system may determine the specific temperate setting.

[0019] Furthermore, a second filter 26 is disposed between the pre-heater 24 and the pump 16, wherein the filter 26 are in fluid communication with the pump 16 and the pre-heater 24 via the fuel line 18. Preferably the second filter 26 comprises a two stage high-pressure micron filters with mesh that allows for the removal of any liquid in a semi-solid state, thereby creating an extremely liquefied material for introduction into the pre-heater 24. More preferably the second filter 26 operates at up to three thousand five hundred pounds per square inch to remove impurities from the liquid while continually maintaining the pressure created by the pump 16. The second filter 26 allows for substantially clean and sludge-free passage of the liquid through the remaining components of the system and prevents clogging, while allowing for individual components to be in use longer, but most importantly to prevent sludge from building up within the system 10. The filtration system 14 also includes an even pressure accumulator 36 as known in the art, wherein the accumulator is located substantially between the second filter 26 and the pre-heater 24, such that the accumulator 36 is in fluid communication with the second filter 26 and the pre-heater 24 via the fuel line 18. The accumulator maintains and ensures steady pressure distribution throughout the system 10.

[0020] Lastly, the system 10 includes a distribution system 28, wherein the distribution system 28 is disposed to deliver the liquid to a boiler or furnace, preferably for heating a residential or commercial dwelling. The distribution system 28 further comprises a motor control 30 along with a nozzle assembly 32 for distribution of the liquid from the system 10. The system 10 also includes a valve 34 disposed after the motor control 30 and the pre-heater 24, wherein the valve 34 is preferably a one hundred ten volt electrical solenoid valve that is operable at up to two thousand eight hundred pounds per square inch. The valve 34 is in fluid communication with the pre-heater 24 and the control motor 30 via the fuel line, and wherein the control motor is in fluid communication with the nozzle assembly 32. The valve 34 operates in an on and off capacity, wherein the vale is in electrical communication with the variable control 22 to regulate the overall system 10. Moreover, a third filter 38 is located substantially between the valve 34 and the pre-heater 24 for removal of any remaining particles in the fuel or any sludge that has built up prior to distribution through the nozzle 32.

[0021] Furthermore, it is known in the art that existing oil burning systems, including but not limited to those for heating residential dwellings, create sludge during the process of oil burning and as a result, this creates two significant problems, one being that the system itself requires regular maintenance and cleaning, and two, that some of the oil in the system becomes a waste by-product thereby reducing the efficiency of the overall system. Therefore, as described above the instant invention does not require the use of a sludge collector and/or a blow down tank to remove sludge from the system since none is created by maintaining high pressure throughout the system, and additionally the second pair of filters 26 removes any remaining semi-solid particles that may have formed. Moreover, the system 10 creates a more effective flow of atomized fuel, and as a result of the lack of sludge creation, it is not necessary for the introduction of an external air supply, such as an air compressor to be incorporated into the system to atomize, clean and remove any sludge that has built up through operation. In addition, known pollutants and by-products of oil burning systems such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfate are reduced substantially over current systems.

[0022] Moreover it is known in the art that an oil burning system maintaining a stack temperature above four hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit creates waste and leads to inefficiency; current systems tend to operate in the range of four hundred seventy-five to six hundred degrees Fahrenheit while operating ten to twenty-five percent inefficiently. Conversely, the instant invention allows for the stack temperature to be regulated through the pressure control 22, wherein if the system 10 generates a stack temperature above four hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit, the pressure in the system can be reduced to prevent inefficiency while also limiting oil usage.

[0023] To demonstrate the feasibility of the instant invention, several tests were, performed outlining how by substantially increasing pressure throughout the entire system and monitoring the stack temperature of the system, the overall usage of oil is reduced while simultaneously maintaining output. The below examples reveal data of the instant invention versus conventional and existing oil burning systems, wherein the overall usage of oil was reduced in each instance. Furthermore, as demonstrated below, the instant invention also allows for a reduction in the pollutants given off by conventional oil burning systems, specifically carbon monoxide and hydro sulfides.

EXAMPLE 1

[0024] To demonstrate the feasibility of the instant invention, the system 10 was compared against a two year old Burham oil burner with a nozzle possessing a dispensing capacity of nine-tenths of gallon of oil per hour. Each system was tested to determine the time and oil usage necessary to raise the water temperature of the boiler from seventy to one, hundred eighty five degrees Fahrenheit. Multiple variables were monitored during this process, including overall time lapse, the stack temperature of the system, the rate of oil usage, the pressure in the overall system and the water temperature. Table 1 represents the current system and Table 2 represents the Burham oil boiler; the tables clearly show that it takes the instant invention fifty-nine minutes and 0.62 gallons of oil to raise the water temperature to one hundred eight five degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the Burham oil boiler takes forty-seven minutes and 0.71 gallons of oil. Furthermore, as evidence from the tables, the usage rate of the instant invention dropped to-half a gallon per hour when the temperature reached one hundred eighty five degrees Fahrenheit, thereby creating a more efficient system, while also maintaining the stack temperature consistently around four hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit, thereby eliminating inefficiency as described above.

[0000]

TABLE 1

      Gallons    Water
    Stack  per Hour    Temp
  Time  Temp  Usage  PSI  (F.)
   0  60  0  0  70
   1 min  320  0.8  1600  74
   5 min  390  0.75  1500  85
  10 min  413  0.7  1100  92
  15 min  423  0.66  850  109
  20 min  425  0.6  750  130
  30 min  421  0.59  700  151
  40 min  422  0.58  650  168
  50 min  420  0.58  600  179
  60 min  418  0.5  475  185

TABLE 2

      Gallon    Water
    Stack  per Hour    Temp
  Time  Temp  Usage  PSI  (F.)
   0  60  0  0  70
   1 min  410  0.9  140  76
   5 min  460  0.9  140  88
  10 min  508  0.9  140  97
  15 min  531  0.9  140  116
  20 min  552  0.9  140  140
  30 min  568  0.9  140  160
  40 min  571  0.9  140  178
  50 min  574  0.9  140  185

EXAMPLE 2

[0025] To demonstrate the feasibility of the instant invention, the system 10 was compared against a two year old Burham oil burner with a nozzle possessing a dispensing capacity of one and one-quarter gallons of oil per hour. Each system was tested to determine the time and oil usage necessary to raise the water temperature of the boiler from seventy to one hundred eighty five degrees Fahrenheit. Multiple variables were monitored during this process, including overall time lapse, the stack temperature of the system, the rate of oil usage, the pressure in the overall system and the water temperature. Table 3 represents the current system and Table 4 represents the Burham oil boiler; the tables clearly show that it takes the instant invention fifty-nine minutes and 0.62 gallons of oil to raise the water temperature to one hundred eight five degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the Burham oil boiler takes forty-three minutes and 0.89 gallons of oil. Furthermore, as evidence from the tables, the usage rate of the instant invention dropped to half a gallon per hour when the temperature reached one hundred eighty five degrees Fahrenheit, thereby creating a more efficient system, while also maintaining the stack temperature consistently around four hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit, thereby eliminating inefficiency as described above.

  TABLE 3

      Gallons    Water
    Stack  per Hour    Temp
  Time  Temp  Usage  PSI  (F.)
   0  60  0  0  70
   1 min  320  0.8  1600  74
   5 min  390  0.75  1500  85
  10 min  413  0.7  1100  92
  15 min  423  0.66  850  109
  20 min  425  0.6  750  130
  30 min  421  0.59  700  151
  40 min  422  0.58  650  168
  50 min  420  0.58  600  179
  60 min  418  0.5  475  185

  TABLE 4

      Gallon    Water
    Stack  per Hour    Temp
  Time  Temp  Usage  PSI  (F.)
   0  60  0  0  70
   1 min  440  1.25  140  77
   5 min  490  1.25  140  97
  10 min  525  1.25  140  109
  15 min  552  1.25  140  121
  20 min  577  1.25  140  148
  30 min  585  1.25  140  163
  40 min  609  1.25  140  182
  50 min  611  1.25  140  185

EXAMPLE 3

[0026] To demonstrate the feasibility of the instant invention, measurements for both the level of carbon monoxide and hydro sulfides existing the various systems were taken and shown in detail below. Table 5 represents the instant invention at different fuel usages; Table 6 represents the Burham oil boiler with different nozzle assemblies and usages, exhibiting existing home heating oil systems. As the below data clearly illustrates, the amount of pollutants released by the instant invention is dramatically reduced in comparison to existing systems.

TABLE 5
Fuel Usage  Carbon Monoxide  Hydro Sulfides
(gal/hr)  (ppm)  (ppm)
0.56  10.5   55
0.75  8.5  61
0.85  7.8  76
1  7.1 (cold)  74 (cold)
  6.4 (hot)  70 (hot)
1.25  8.5  96 (cold)
    91 (ppm)

TABLE 6
Fuel Usage  Carbon Monoxide  Hydro Sulfides
(gal/hr)  (ppm)  (ppm)
0.75  55  310
0.85  68  390
1.0  92 (cold)  415 (cold)
  88 (hot)  400 (hot)
1.25  135   615 (cold)
    595 (hot)

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