http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/253240/engineer-claims-energy-solution
April 25, 2011
Engineer claims energy solution
Device
increases the efficiency of oil burners, entrepreneur says
by Tara Ballenger / Monitor staff
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.
US 2010062384
Oil burning system
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)
