Sometime in the late 70's I came across this
Firestorm Apparatus
as it was called in some Encyclopaedia.
It was made of clear plastic with some liquid
fuel in a container - something like this YT video.
It was just a piece of lab demonstration equipment.
It shows how some building fires get supersized.
But I saw things differently. I made variations
of this to burn garden refuse and played around
with various dimensions and sizes.
The most promising was a large tin used to store
biscuits. I carved a flap into each face and bent
them inwards to direct the airflow into a combined
counterclockwise direction as seen from above.
A chimney improved combustion.
It was successful but lacked a means of clearing
out the ashes and embers. This accelerated the
wear and tear as the walls glowed cherry red and
quickly rusted.
Then I was seduced by the rocket stove. I could
never find enough clay pipes and this too wore
out by expansion cracks.
My last attempt was the ARS-C.
I am moving back to the Firestorm Apparatus.
It has noticeable advantages over the rocket
stove:
- silent
- the entire inlet runs the length of the apparatus
so it never chokes
- the swirling incoming air helps to cool the walls
of the chamber
- If I affix a yoke at the top and suspend this
with a chain, I can lift everything an inch
or two to clear out the ashes and coals
- it works with blocks or sticks
- since the hot coals are at the bottom, anything
dropped in is sure to ignite
- the YT video shows his glass variation with
two inlets working, a 4 inlet version will catch
the wind coming from any direction to supercharge
the flame.
- It is super simple to build - just a rectangular
sheet of metal approximately 21 x 24 inches rolled
up. To keep the inlet from closing or adjusting it,
you need a stone at the bottom or long screws at
the top and middle. Just drill two holes smaller
than the thickness of the screw and force the
screw in thus carving its own thread. This way
you can set the size of the inlet and adjust it
before the next burn. The overlap is also adjustable
if you drill extra holes in advance.
Or you can make this out of individual panels
attached to a chassis. The panels do not need
to be curved.
Feel free to innovate.
Whatever design I try next depends on the trash
my neighbours throw out. The unit you see in
the 2023 videos has rusted to pieces.
The best fuel is of course blocks or sticks of
wood but this can handle scrunched up newspaper
but then you have more ash to clear.
You can also use this to light your barbeque
charcoal or start a campfire.
I will append new developments as they arise.
A further development will be to capture the heat for cooking
or heating but first a means of suspending it so it does not
topple.
Here are 6 views for two separate burns:
[youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/lvxio7gs3Q8[/youtube]
