What atomizing gas to use for a diesel fired boiler light off?

I was thinking more a propane burner to heat the boiler before turning the diesel on.
Yes, I understand that, but oil has more BTUs and propane and oil should heat the boiler faster than propane alone, but I guess that would depend on the propane burner. Also, there should be a pilot light for the oil burner, on my boat, I used a burner from a propane torch, fed from a larger propane tank, it worked well, but once the refractory at the back end of the scotch boiler was at working temp, the oil fire would light off the brickwork ( I had placed a couple of pieces of broken firebrick in the path of the flame).
 
How bout some sort of glow plug system as used on some Diesel engines ? I have a Long tractor from the eighties that uses such a system.
Dave
 
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I believe Nitrogen and compressed air uses the same valve. Your local welding shop should fill your tank with compressed air, just need to change the label. But check the hydro date on the tank.
 
All interesting idea's here and I thank all of you for taking your time to weigh in as they say. My situation here is kind of you "gotta dance with the one that brung you". I had the 20cf bottle and it had 500 pounds of nitrogen left. So I set it up in the picture as you see and fired the boiler. I was using about 10 pounds of nitrogen and that 500 pounds lasted about 8 minutes and the bottle was empty. I quickly switched to compressed air and finished the job and really got it going today.
Some observations........... It lit right off with the nitrogen in there so it didn't effect the combustion a noticable amount. When I switched over to the compressed air I'm here to say the fire really came to life. But the nitrogen worked. When I switched to steam the fire was about as good as the nitrogen. So I would say that steam and nitrogen, at least in my boiler yield about the same fire. Certainly enough to raise a nice head of steam.

Now I played with the car for about 90 minutes and finally shut it down. I took my empty nitrogen bottle to the welding supply house and had an interesting discussion. First off I could exchange my nitrogen bottle for a full one and that was fine. Straight air was available but in a bottle that was over twice the size of my 20 cubic foot bottle. So the bottle gets too big when I go to air. So I refilled the nitrogen bottle and it has over 2500 pounds in it so I'll see how long or how many starts I get out this. If I only get a couple/few starts out of it then I will have to consider other options like a small portable 12v air compressor that you may plug into a cigarette lighter.

At this point I wish the boiler was a dual fuel system (wood/oil) but then again carrying a supply of wood get's to be an issue. So for now the little steam car is a nice novelty and until I get the start up issues resolved it will have to stay close to home.

Keep the idea's coming.
I do appreciate it.

Lisa
 
If you don't need long run time to start the engine, maybe a large cylinder for a air paint ball gun. They can be bought online or even Wal-Mart. .
 
What about a primus burner, an alcohol flame heating some pipework then a hand pressurised kero or maybe the diesal tank that passes through the heated pipes and converted to a gas thats ignited to heat the boiler.
 
I don't think a 12v air compressor will do the job. one with a gas engine would.
 
Lisa, another option would be a Scuba tank. They should be available used and have to be hydroed as any other pressure vessel. I had a compressor years ago to fill my own but i can't remember the brand.
 
So I had been thinking about this. I see rotary vane pumps used to atomize diesel for those torpedo heaters. I had to rebuild one. Also I have a air vane pump on my bandsaw that is driven off a belt that blows air to clear chips off blade before it cuts.
Can you adapt a vane pump to the crank rotation. Then you could use a little tank for reserve to build pressure or volume??
 
Well gentlemen, while I have been out running the car and learning the boiler systems you all have been busy with idea's here. I have to say "FanMan" and Benmychree" may have hit on something - Propane. For those that have followed this thread this little car was built by a master machinist that passed away last year. All his secrets and ideas' went with him. I have been solving the mysteries and puzzles of this car, engine and boiler and one little unknown is in the two pictures here. The first one is a top down picture of a little metal ring that is about 4" in diameter that is secured in the corner of the rear of the car by a hand pump. The second picture shows a one pound can of propane that fits perfectly in this little metal ring. Also the round shape of the bottom of this one pound cylinder of propane matches perfectly to the wear pattern in the wood where it sits. Also in the picture you see a steel braded line that has my shop air fitting on the end of it (this is what I start the fire with our pressurize the system to test run the engine). But the question is............. Does a one pound cylinder of propane sit there and this steel braded line attach to the regulator of that propane bottle? Why couldn't a low flow of propane be used to atomize the diesel or maybe the boiler is initally fired with propane only to get up maybe 20 pounds of steam pressure. Then the propane fire is secured and the burner relit with diesel and steam? As I mentioned, this boiler is very basic and the systems are simple but the mystery of what sat in that little steel ring and the steel bradded line remain. So today's project is to see if propane will work. I'll report back for sure. But keep the idea's coming.

Lisa

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