Evaporators

Evaporators are used when the available/designed fuel pressure is so low that
"normal" spray nozzles can't produce atomisation fine enough for good combustion.

On a large engine with perhaps 40 psi of air pressure ( P 2 ) in the combustor at

full power, one needs at least that 40psi in fuel pressure before any fuel could begin to
flow through any form of fuel delivery system, either a spray nozzle, or injector into an
evaporator. A single automotive, inline, EFI fuel pump will be large enough to do the job
even on large engines with 3.5 inch diameter inducered compressors as long as the fuel
pressure doesn't exceed ~80 psi. Total fuel pressure of 80psi could be made up of 40psi
P2 air pressure and 40psi of fuel pressure drop across the "distribution system".
Distribution systems can range from a large single spray nozzle capable of supplying the
required fuel flow at low pressure drop and spraying into a single large evaporator or
inlets of a cluster of evaporators.

The system could also be a multiple injector sytstem delivering fuel via a number
of "injectors" mounted in a common fuel manifold using either syringe needles of plain
drill holes to meter fuel into the mouths of an equal number of evaporators spaced around
the flame tubes primary combustion zone. Evaporators need to supply primary zone air as
well as do the fuel vapourisation so that a "combustable??" fuel/air mix issues from their
outlets, therefore, they need a certain cross-sectional flow area proportional to the
compressors inducer area. A 10-15% proportion of the inducers area would be adequate
for the evaporators flow area, this proportion is about half the total primary air hole area
of ~30% of the inducers area. For a 3 inch inducered compressor which has ~7.1 square
inches of inducer area , our "normal" 30% primary zone hole area portion equates to
~2.1 sq inches, so we'd be needing a total of ~1 square inch of evaporator/s cross-
sectional flow area, with the remaining 1.1 sq inches divided between the primary zone
air holes, some of which would be strategically places so they could "blow through" the
evaporators outlets to add extra air for combustion as well as producing turbulance for
mixing the vapourised fuel and air issuing from the evaporators.

To obtain adequate heating of the evaporators they must project into "the fire".
Traditionally, evaporators were mounted in/through the primary end of the flametube
and were either hooked tubes or "walking sticks" ( long axial leg with a short radial arm
and another axial leg pointing back towards the flame tube end with 90 degrees bends at
each turn of direction ).

More recent designs being used by the RC Jet Aircraft engine guys have
"straight" evaporators starting at the outlet end of the flametube and projecting towards
the primary zone end. This design provides heating along their full lengths, something
not always achieved by more traditional designs, and because the evaporators discharge
towards and close to (a couple of evaporator diameters away) the flame tube end, there is
considerable recirculation and improved combustion even though they are using very
small volumed flame tubes in their miniature aircraft jet engine.

Evaporation of the fuel requires heat, so the evaporators need large surface areas
as well as thin walls to maximise heat transfer through the evaporator walls. Inconel
tubing is preferable because of its high temperature abilities, but stainless steel tubing
will do although it might need to be a bit thicker walled. Try to keep the wall thickness
less than 0.9 mm - 0.036 ", even though this is about the thinnest that can be easily
welded if making "walking sticks". Another source of high alloy, thin walled tubing is the
sheathing on electric heating elements (do a 'Google' search for a supplier in your
country). This sheathing can be purchased in 0.5mm - 0.020" wall thickness with 30%
nickel, 21% chrome content in a range of diameters , and can have its end flared so that
the evaporator can be fitted through a suitable sized hole in the flame tube end and the
flair silver soldered (high temp type) to the flame tube end. The flair stopping the
evaporator from dropping into the flame tube if for some reason (hot bad start) the flame
tube is overheated and the silver solder melts. Under normal conditions the evaporator
inlet should run at low temperatures from the air and fuel cooling.

The surface area of the tubing will be relatively "greater" if smaller diameter
tubing is used for the evaporators, eg: Our 3 inch inducered turbo needs ~1 square inch of
evaporator crossectional flow area, this could be accomplished with the construction of a
single evaporator of ~1.125 inch ID.

This 1.125 inch tubing would only produce ~3.5 square inches of surface area per
linear inch of evaporator, and as we need at least 6 inducer areas of evaporator heating
surface , with our 3 inch inducered turbo having 7.1 square inches of inducer area , we
need 6 X 7.1sq ins = 42.6 square inches of evaporator surface area , which equates to
~12 linear inches (42.6 divided by 3.5 ) of 1.125 inch diameter tubing.

If we used 0.5 inch ID tubing (~0.2 sq inch cross-sectional area) we'd need 5
evaporators to get our required ~1.0 sq inch of flow area , but , 0.5 inch bore tubing has
~1.6 square inches of heating surface area per linear inch , therefore we'd be needing
~26.6 linear inches ( 42.6 sq inches required divided by 1.6 ) of evaporators , as there are
5 of them, that equates to only a bit over 5 linear inches per evaporator , much easier
lengths to fit into the primary zone of our flame tubes, and with 5 outlets the fuel/air mix
is more evenly spread out around the flame tube than if only one large evaporator was
used.

Try and use from 4 to 6 evaporator outlets , either as several separate/independent

evaporators or as "branches" from a large diameter single central "truck" which MUST be
mounted vertically so as to produce equal fuel distribution to the HORIZONTAL
branches.

In a static running situation the "trunk and branches" type will probably work as
effectively as a number of separate evaporators , but when mounted in a vehicle subjected
to acceleration loads , this type of evaporator might not perform as well as the separate
type due to fuel "biasing" to particular "branches" under those acceleration loadings.

In summary...

1) Total cross-sectional air flow area of all evaporators , ~10 - 15% of inducer area.

2) Total surface area of all evaporators, between 6 - 8 times the inducer area.

3) Reasonable number of evaporators and/or outlets for our can type flame tubes, 4 - 6
outlets.

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Potential problems: Flameouts on fast power cuts from high power settings

Because evaporative systems invariably use "low" fuel pressures, what can happen is this:

Imagine the engine is running "full bore", and the power lever is suddenly pulled
back to idle, the air pressure in the combustor ( P2 ) can't suddenly drop to "normal" idle
P2 because, firstly, the energy in that fast rotating assembly takes time to dissipate , and
secondly , there is a lot of available heat/"fuel" energy in all the "full bore hot" metal bits
of the engine, both of these reasons produce a "time delayed" return of a couple of
seconds to normal idle P2s. During this second or so, the pressure output of the
compressor ( P2 ) can be greater than the normal idle fuel pressure. The result ...
flameout :-((

Lets take our large turbo running full bore at a P2 of 40 psi and a fuel pump
output pressure of 60 psi. This equates to only a 20 psi fuel pressure drop across the fuel
"injector(s)". At idle the P2 might be 7 psi and a fuel pump pressure of only 8 psi, or only
1 psi pressure drop across the injector(s).

A sudden power reduction to idle is made, the fuel control wants to supply fuel at
8 psi, but the air pressure in the combustor ( P2 ) will be more than 8psi , probably
somewhere between our 40psi full bore P2 pressure and ~ 20 psi P2, as a result, fuel
can't enter the engine and combustion ceases (flameout).

This situation is exacerbated by very low fuel pressures, so try and have "full
bore" fuel pressure as high as your pump is capable of whilst still supplying the required
quantity of fuel for full power running.
 To overcome this shortcoming of an evaporative fuel system, either one reduces
power slowly over a 2-3 second interval, or one places an "air over fuel" accumulator,
with check valve (non return v/v), in the fuel line at the engine near to the fuel inlet to
the injector/s.

The accumulator would, in our example, provide a "few seconds worth" of fuel
under the influence 60 psi air pressure (full bore fuel pressure) in the top of the
accumulator, at the moment the large power reduction was made.

The check v/v (non return v/v) at the fuel inlet to the accumulator now prevents
the "high pressure" fuel from flowing backwards to the fuel control and being "dumped"
back to the tank. The check v/v (non return v/v) can be a simple stainless steel ball fitted
in the fuel line fittings at the injector so that it drops down onto the "prepared" end of the
fuel delivery line which then acts as its seating . It doesn't have to be a "perfect", "needle
and seat" arrangement.

The total capacity of the accumulator ( air and fuel ) will depend on the engine
size (fuel burn rate) and acceleration/deceleration characteristics, a bit of trial and error
"tuning" of its capacity is required, but need only be ~ 50 cc for a large engine .

The accumulator will fractionally increase spool up times as the "engine fuel" fills
the accumulator, and will increase marginally (if correctly proportioned) the spool down
times.

Unless there is a fuel shutoff valve at the injectors inlet, there will be a slightly
longer wind down time when the the engine is switched off , as the small quantity of fuel
in the accumulator still under low air pressure, burns off .

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Flows through "syringe needle" injectors ( like the ones used by the RC jet
aircraft engine guys )

Because we must take both combustor pressure ( P2 ) and potential maximum fuel
pump pressure into account when designing a "low pressure" fuel delivery system for
vapourizers , a conservative maximum pressure drop we can hope for through the
syringe injectors is ~60 psi on a small engine (lower P2s and fuel flow) , and perhaps 40
psi for a large engine (high P2s and fuel flow). Consequently "flow bench" testing of
injection devices will be at pressures greater than 40psi.
 The following is some rough flow rates for a couple of syringe needles using
Kerosine:

1) The 0.9mm OD 0.65mm ID (20 G X 1 inch ) flowed ~400 cc/m @ ~40 psi fuel
pressure

2) The 0.65mm OD 0.40mm ID (23 G X 1.25 inch) flowed ~100cc/m @40psi.

The "thicker" 20 G needles feel "safer" to use than the "thin" 23 G ones . The thin
23 G needles can sometimes, with a bit of a fiddle , be slipped inside the thicker 20 G
needles and be silver soldered together to make a double walled "stronger feeling"
injector.

If you wish to make your own injection device by drilling small diameter holes to
meter and squirt fuel into evaporators, you'll need ~ 1 square millimetre of orifice area
per 8 square inches of inducer area. 1sqmm = 1600 square 0.001"s = 0.040" x 0.040".

If we use our 3 inch inducered example again, its 7.1 sq ins of inducer area will
require ~ 0.9 sq mm (1440 sq 0.001"s) of "squirt area", and if we used 4 separate
evaporators each being supplied by its own "squirt hole", each "squirt hole" would need
to be ~ 0.5mm (0.020") diameter.

Fuel injectors for evaporators can be made from alloy, brass, or copper pipe for
easy small hole drilling, there is no need for "high temperature" metals like stainless or
ordinary steel if the injector is well removed from potential high temperatures, injectors
are liquid cooled and normally not subjected to heat from combustion in the flame tube.

BUT ..... If there is to be auxiliary/alternative propane fuelling (other than a small

pilot light for preheating the evaporators) along with the diesel/kerosine through the
injectors, care must be taken when propane only is being used. For whatever reason, be it
poor construction design, poor engine management or just poor bad luck :-(( , it is
important that high (flame) temperatures aren't applied to the injectors, not only to stop
them melting if made of alloy, but to minimise any possible chance of the small orifices
being blocked by carbon (coking) of the fuel as it passes through the injector(s).