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Other books in the Energy Series: Understanding and Maintaining Burners | All About WOOD: As A Fuel, Heating, Stoves | Wood Pellet Handbook and Buyers Guide | How To Build and Benefit From A PASSIVE SOLAR SPACE HEATER | Energy Tips, Coping With Energy Problems In A Power Hungry Culture | Emergency Power From Solar Electricity, Vol 1 | Emergency Power From Solar Electricity, Vol 2 | Cooking Without A Kitchen- Survival Cooking | This Book |
This book describes easy to use methods of fine tuning a combustion system for maximum efficiency, whether it is a kiln or the home furnace. This is probably the method used by a repair person to work on your furnace. It is a simplified variation of the practices used in power plants.
From a consumer’s view, it is good to know what the furnace repairman is doing, or should be doing to reduce your fuel bill. As a ceramist, knowing all you can about your basic tool is an absolute necessity.
Natural gas, Propane, LPG, and diesel fuel oil all have combustion curves in the book, as well as the instructions for using them. It is a comprehensive treatment for determining when your kiln or furnace is performing at peak efficiency. All of the factors that affect the firing of a kiln or furnace are presented so that you can know what to expect. Imagine being able to "tune" your kiln or furnace by watching a pyrometer needle.
How does weather, humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds, and temperature affect kiln or furnace performance? The answer to these questions eliminates the concept of a "stubborn" kiln. These same factors can also degrade furnace performance. It will also tell you why you get less heat when you need it most.
What affect do heat losses from a stack or chimney have on firing? You will be surprised. Stack draft, negative pressure, primary and secondary combustion air, thermocouple, afterburners, inches of water column: all these terms and more will roll knowingly off your tongue like honey drips from a biscuit.
In this day of increasing energy prices, it becomes more important than ever to utilize all of a fuel’s heat content. Besides, what is not used as heat goes into the atmosphere as pollution. What goes into the air must be breathed by all of us. This book was almost discontinued for lack of sales. Then came Peak Oil and people started looking for a better way to use the fuel they pay for.
Introduction To The Combustion Efficiency Graphs For Natural Gas, Propane, LPG, Fuel Oil.
Pyrometers and Thermocouples. Their Importance. Hookups. What To Adjust.
Factors That Affect A Firing.
Effect of Fuel Type On Efficiency.
The Act of Firing A Kiln.
Introductions To Stacks and Chimneys.
Air Density and Volume Graphs.
Stack Heat Losses.
Afterburners.
Inside The Stack.
Application of Stack Draft Data.
Conclusions.
Glossary.
Footnotes.
Bibliography.
1994, revised edition.
ISBN: 0-939656-17-5 $13.95 , for the Print Edition.
December 13, 2008
This page contains the copyrighted works of Ralph Ritchie and Fern Ritchie