Living Web Farms hosts workshop on building atomizing oil burners

Press release from Living Web Farms:

Do you want to become more resilient and cut down on your fossil fuel consumption?  Are you interested in learning how to turn waste products into valuable energy resources? Need a way to heat your greenhouse, shop, or barn? On January 10, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, you can attend a workshop hosted by Living Web Farms to learn about the essential elements of a home built oil atomizer and how to build your own.  Attendees will learn how to capture heat for use in high temperature heating applications, including water and space heating, metalwork, food processing, and more.
Atomizing oil burners are important because they are cleaner and more fuel-efficient than the commonly discussed drip-style burners.   They spray a fine mist of oil mixed with air and ignition to achieve clean combustion.  Hettinger notes that, “achieving the fine mist is what separates the atomizing technology from other DIY oil burners”.
While simple homemade atomizers can be built from common parts purchased at a hardware store, already existing gun-style atomizers can be easily modified to burn a wider range of oils, including heavier biodiesel blends and waste oils.  Although very useful and easy to modify, these types of oil burners require that the oil be shot through a very small hole, making heavy filtration a requirement.  The biochar crew at Living Web Farms has answered this issue by developing a “Babington-style” oil atomizer that drastically reduces the amount of filtration necessary.
Hettinger explains, “the major difference with the Babington atomizer is in the nozzle in which compressed air is pushed through and across a thin film of oil.  With this development, the Babington burner can cleanly burn much heavier, dirtier oils- waste vegetable oils, motor oils, possibly even animal fats, and Pyrolysis oil from biochar production.”
Come learn how to produce your own clean heat! Learn the challenges faced and mistakes made by Hettinger and his crew in perfecting the Babington-style atomizer.
To register for Atomizing Waste Oil Burners for Clean Heat with Dan Hettinger, visit livingwebfarms.org/workshops/atomizing-waste-oil-burners-for-clean-heat

Living Web Farms is an education and research organic farm located in Mills River, NC.  With over 35 acres, four greenhouses, alternative energy innovation, pastured livestock, forest crops, and diverse vegetable production, Living Web is a leading demonstration site for effective organic farming in western NC. Living Web conducts year-round education in farming, homesteading, cooking, and sustainable living.  All education conducted at the farm is archived online in a free video library, and all food produced at the farm is donation to charity, via seven North Carolina food banks.  For more information, visit www.LivingWebFarms.org.