In homes, you rarely see a boiler that does not run on natural gas or solid fuel. Basically it is gas or coal stoves that are more often installed for heating rooms. Liquid fuel boilers, despite the fact that they are modern units with very good quality characteristics and high efficiency indicators, for some reason we do not use great demand. What cannot be said about our neighbors living in the countries of Western Europe. They definitely know how to value and save natural resources. And that is why such boilers for heating with liquid fuel are much more common with them. Let's try to understand in detail the principle of the device of such heating units and consider their quality characteristics and types of liquid fuel.
Boilers for liquid fuel used in everyday life (we will not consider industrial boilers ) can function smoothly and operate efficiently on different types of liquid fuel. An expensive, but the most common and high-quality type of fuel is diesel.
Unfortunately, this type of combustible raw material cannot boast a low cost compared to, say, gas or electricity. But the products of the processing of fuel oil or fuel oil for furnaces are already an order of magnitude lower than diesel fuel. True, their heating coefficient is also less, about 15-20 percent. Diesel fuel does not require a particularly careful filtering process, but fuel oils must still be very carefully run through purification filters.
Types of fuel
Fuel for boilers can be biological. If you mix diesel fuel or petroleum oil with combustible vegetable raw materials, you can get a great view of fuel - biofuel. According to their characteristics, vegetable raw materials are a bit similar to types of oil fuel, but they cost a little cheaper.
This type of heating fuel can be found in organizations or private homes located in close proximity to the service station or near auto enterprises. And also to the territories where agricultural machinery is located. In such places used oil at least "eat a spoon." And therefore, economical owners use the old motor lubricant and effectively use it to heat their premises.
Consider the principle of operation of the device responsible for the heat exchange processes in heating boilers for liquid fuel. The combustion of liquid raw materials and heating of the coolant in heating equipment occurs in a device called a heat exchanger. The principle of operation of the heat exchanger is designed so that it can effectively absorb a large amount of thermal energy during operation.
Today you can meet such boilers as condensing liquid fuel units with another zone for an additional exchange of thermal energy, which allows you to process heat from exhaust gases, turning into an additional heat source destructive for the nature of evaporation.
By type of material, the heat exchangers are made of cast iron or steel. Cast iron with careful handling will last more than half a century, but too heavy. But steel ones weigh less, but their characteristics and service life are also worse than those of cast-iron heat exchangers.
Burner operating principle
Burners in such boilers are equipped with additional pumps and fans, built-in type. The pump pumps fuel from the tank and sprays it under pressure in the heat exchanger chamber. The fan is responsible for supplying the air flow in the amount required for the correct and efficient operation of the apparatus on liquid fuel. Also, the ventilation device is responsible for smoke removal.
Burners in units operating on liquid types of raw materials are very complex and quite expensive devices. And they are extremely demanding on the quality of the fuel supplied. Rather simple and not very expensive burner configurations can only work at maximum power, but more advanced models have up to three power modes. This leads to an increase in the life of the device responsible for combustion, and to fuel economy.
In most cases, burners can only operate on lightweight liquid fuels. These include diesel fuel, engine oil, and biological fuels. But manufacturers have gone much further, and more modern devices are already able to process thicker and less efficient types of liquid fuel. To do this, it is necessary to slightly warm up the fuel raw material before supplying it to the combustion device.
Control automation in boilers operating on liquid fuel
For the coordinated operation of the burner and heating system, automation is responsible. This allows you to use fuel efficiently and economically, as well as cope well with the heating functions. And in this case, in fact, not inferior to the common types of boilers running on gas or solid fuel.
Many thermal units can work autonomously in heating systems, which are called "smart home", only with the presence of high-quality liquid fuel raw materials. Switching automation on and off in such boilers is carried out remotely.
Liquid fuel boilers and their varieties
There are two types of such units. Single-circuit and double-circuit.
The heating equipment with one circuit performs the function of heating only the heating system. And double-circuit boiler models heat both fuel and running water passing through a heat exchanger. But experts often do not recommend choosing units that have more than one circuit. They advise installing a separate boiler and a storage water heater. The installation of separate equipment will cost a little more, but this will undoubtedly justify itself during further operation.
Universal
Heating devices can be combined. They are called "universal combination boilers."
Such boilers are able to work on all existing types of fuel raw materials. Moreover, the transition from one species to another can be done immediately, as soon as the raw materials used are over.
Classification of heating universal units
By the type of raw materials used, combined boilers come in four modifications.
- They can be combined, for example, gas and liquid raw materials.
- Three types can be used: liquid, solid and gaseous fuels.
- Well-proven models of heating equipment that allow you to work on natural gas, electricity and various types of liquid raw materials.
- Well, the most unique units work on all four types of substances that can produce heat.
Liquid fuel boilers: prices (what they depend on)
As you know, price is determined by quality. As we have already mentioned, models of heating units with cast-iron heat exchangers will both last longer and cost more compared to boilers made of steel.
When choosing a unit, pay attention to the cost indicated on the boiler. The price of them will directly depend on consumer requests. It should be noted that the efficiency of the device and the amount of fuel required for it will depend on the cost of the brand.
Conclusion
Enough has been said about the quality of the heating apparatus. It remains to summarize.
In areas where natural gas does not pass, a heating device operating on liquid fuel raw materials will be an indispensable option.
Such boilers, the price of which is from 15 to 30 thousand rubles on average, will justify heating the house, where the principle of heating is selected electric or solid fuel. Permission to install and use such units on liquid fuel is not required. And fuel consumption will only depend on the heating area, the efficiency of the heating apparatus and the brand chosen by the consumer.
So, we found out what the price of boilers is and what they are.