(1) The burner plate is preheated by burning waste material under it before
adding the oil-water mixture. When the plate becomes hot, the oil-water mixture is
allowed to drop slowly onto the plate. A hot flame may be obtained by adjusting the
individual streams of oil and water. Very little smoke or odor is produced when the
burner is operating properly.
(2) If waste motor oil is to be used as a fuel, it should be strained through a
screen or cloth before it is added to the oil container to remove sludge and lumps that
might block the drip valves.
(3) This burner is very sensitive to strong drafts, rain, or anything that will
cool the plate. For this reason, it is not recommended for use in heating water for
washing and sterilizing individual messkits. It is more appropriate for heating
shower/bath water in the field.
(4) Shields should be on hand to protect the burner from wind and rain. If
sheet metal for making these shields is not available, a simple protecting wall of stone
or earth should be built.
6-28. VAPOR-TYPE BURNER
A device that may be used to increase the efficiency of other improvised heating
devices--particularly the inclined plan incinerator--the vapor-type burner.
a. Description. The vapor-type burner uses volatile liquids such as diesel oil,
kerosene, gasoline, or a combination of these. As with the oil-water flash burner, it may
be necessary in cold climates to thin the heavier fuels with gasoline before use.
(1) For the construction of this burner, it is necessary to have several
sections of pipe, a valve, pipe fittings, and a fuel reservoir (figure 6-22).
(2) The operation of the vapor-type burner depends on vaporization of the
fuel by preheating before burning. Burning of the fuel that escapes from the lower pipe
of the burner heats the fuel in the upper pipe, causing the fuel to vaporize into a gas.
This gas produces pressure in the lower pipe and forces the fuel out through small
holes as a spray, thus producing a better flame.
(3) For best operation, the pipes should be placed in a fire trench. The
trench should be about one foot wide and 15 inches deep.
(4) The pipe is assembled in such a manner that it is doubled under itself.
The best size pipe to use is either one-half or three-quarters of an inch in diameter.
Very small holes (1/16 inch or less) are drilled in the top of the lower pipe at points
under the containers. The end of the pipe is capped so that fuel can escape only from
the drilled holes. Properly constructed and operated, the vapor-type burner will boil
water very efficiently.
MD0008
6-33