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Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352

International Conference on Industrial Engineering, ICIE 2016

Development of the Autonomous Heat Gun for Repair and

Maintenance of Utilities
G.I. Pavlov, Ⱥ.P. Abrakovnov, R.R. Khaliulin*
Kazan National Research Institute - Kazan Aviation Institute Kazan, 10, Karl Marx Str, Kazan, 420111, Russian Federation

Abstract

In this article the authors present theoretical and experimental studies of gas-burning devices with the chordal feed of gas jets.
The optimum diameter of the nozzles providing for the necessary range of gas jets for a high-quality mixing of fuel gas and air in
the mixing chamber of minimum length is determined by calculation. The analysis of the parameters of the flame indirectly
proves the reliability of the calculated data. The chordal flow of the gas jets and optimization of their range will significantly
reduce the overall structural dimensions of the gas burner units. Short-flame gas-burning devices formed the basis for the
creation of the Autonomous heat gun intended for repair and maintenance of engineering networks. Obtaining of a good heat gun
is ensured by the motor fan capable of generating a high-pressure jet without connection to an external electrical network. Using
of the autonomous heat gun in the housing and communal services is very promising in comparison with similar devices.
© 2016
© 2016Published
The Authors. Published
by Elsevier by Elsevier
Ltd. This Ltd.
is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility ofthe organizing committee of ICIE 2016.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICIE 2016
Keywords: burner; housing and communal service; excess air ratio; mixing device; flow turbulence; steam-generation unit

1. Introduction

Repair and preventive maintenance regularly carried out on objects of housing and communal services. Utilities
are subject to frequent accidents. It is often necessary to use air-heating device – a heat gun in the cold season to
repair of pipelines. There are several types of heat guns:
x electric heat guns;
x heat guns on gas fuel;

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +7-962-5526925.

E-mail address: [email protected]

1877-7058 © 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of ICIE 2016
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2016.07.323
1346 G.I. Pavlov et al. / Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352

x heat guns for liquid fuel

These non-autonomous gun powered by mains. This is due to using as an air compressor - fan motor. Attempts to
use mini-power as a source of electric power demonstrated economic unreasonableness. In addition they are
cumbersome, require the using of long cables, and inconvenient to use.
The research deals is dedicated to the development of gas-dynamic installation capable of operating in
autonomous mode (independent from external electrical network). Nowadays, compact and small-sized heat gun,
capable of operating without connection to an external electrical network are not available by industry.
Statement of research problem
The purpose of work: to develop a generalized autonomous heat gun to solve such tasks as:
x repair of a rolled roofing material on buildings;
x heating pipelines water and sewer infrastructure while repair in the winter;
x heating of construction materials ;
x removal from repaired objects of ice, frozen mud;
x pre-heating of mini-tractors, snowplows and other equipment;
x local patching yards, etc.

According to the technical scheme, the main parts of an autonomous heat gun were the air compressor and gas
burner device. As the compressor was used motor fan. Gas burners, suitable on technical characteristics for use in
heat gun could not be found. The creation of a compact forced burner with a short flame has been a major scientific
problem.
Given the complexity of physicochemical processes occurring during combustion of fuel in burners, the
predominant method of research was experimental-theoretical method.

2. Description of physical scheme of the burner

From the theory of combustion it is known that one of the basic conditions for effective burning of the
combustible gas mixture with air. Traditional methods of mixing are widely used in existing gas-burning devices: a
tangential feed of one or both of the fuel components in the mixing chamber; the mixing of components in a
concurrent flow or in countercurrent; the twisting of the components with the using turbulators, etc. The proposed
gas burner device model is implemented, which is based on two physical factors [1]:

x chordal applying jets of combustible gas in the mixing chamber;

x organization of ordered turbulent pulse of the revolutions by means of rings.

Feeding to the mixing chamber of the gas streams along the chord allows to distribute a combustible substance in
a cross section of the mixing chamber with high uniformity at the initial phase. Air flow moving through the mixing
chamber, penetrates the gas layer, thereby providing an intensive gas-dynamic mixing of two components.
Determination of the optimal conditions of mixing in the mixing chamber is a challenging scientific task. Because of
the large amount of alleged experiments to solve this problem empirically is difficult. Promising is theoretical
method.
Figure 1 shows the calculation model, according to which the burner includes:
x the mixing chamber;
x gas collector from which a combustible gas is fed into the mixing chamber through nozzles. The inclination angle
of the nozzles affects to the concentration field of gas-air mixture. The number of nozzles also affects to the
uniformity of distribution of gas in the cross section of the mixing chamber;
x grille installed at the outlet of the mixing part of the gas burner, which prevents flashback inside the mixing
chamber of the burner, which increases the safety of using.
 G.I. Pavlov et al. / Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352 1347

Fig. 1. Diagram of a gas burner

Using of chordal feed of combustible gases in air flow provides better mixing compared to other schemes of gas
supply for the mixing chamber of the same length [2].

3. Theoretical study of gas-dynamic processes in the mixing chamber

The object of research is the mixing chamber. The aim of the research was to determine the optimal diameter of
the nozzles, providing a good mixing of fuel and air mixture in the chamber with a minimum length. The studies
were conducted at a constant diameter of the length of the camera and the inclination angle of gas jets. Scheme of
the mixing chamber shown in figure 2.

Fig. 2. Scheme of the mixing chamber

Calculations were carried out in ANSYS-Fluent. The method of calculation included the construction of a 3D
geometric model of the mixing chamber, which was applied the computational grid. Sampling of the simulated
space has been only flowing part of the chamber. The chamber wall is not covered by computational grid, which
excluded the solution of conjugate problems of heat exchange. Modelling of flow parameters of actuation fluid on
the tract of the mixing chamber was carried out in stationary statement without taking into account the dissipation of
heat to the environment (Fig. 3).
In studies used RNG k-e model.
The boundary conditions of the simulation: the inlet was set to mass flow rate of air (kg 0,016/c) of set
temperature (298,15 K); the output – pressure to a constant value, that equal to one atmosphere.
In the process of the calculations were investigated the model of the mixing chamber with the bore diameter for
supplying fuel gas: 0,8; 1; 1,5; 2; 3 mm. The total area of the bores was constant. It is established that the model
with a bore diameter of 2 mm has the best qualities of mixing. The length of the mixing chamber correspond to the
value L = 0,180 m. Other models with bore diameter less than 1.5 mm and a large number of nozzles provide poor
1348 G.I. Pavlov et al. / Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352

mixing (Fig. 5). This is well illustrated in figure 5. The concentration of the gases near the wall over most of the
length of the chamber than in the central part. This is due to the smaller depth of penetration of gas jets into the air
flow and, consequently, to increase the length of the camera, which manages to equalize the concentration field.
Models with bore diameter 3 mm is characterized by the increased concentration of combustible gas in the flow
core. The range of the gas jet at this diameter exceeds the optimum value. Because of this length of the mixing
chamber, the corresponding to the equalized concentration field, also increases. Calculation methods defined the
least length of the mixing chamber to the diameter of the nozzle equal to 2 mm (Fig. 4).

Fig. 3. The computational grid models of the mixing chamber

Fig. 4. Illustration of gas flow from a 2.0 mm nozzle

 G.I. Pavlov et al. / Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352 1349

Fig. 5. Illustration of gas flow from a 1.5 mm nozzle

Table 1 presents the values of the lengths of the mixing chamber, ensuring complete mixing of gas with air,
depending on the diameter of nozzles for supplying gas at a constant flow. As mentioned above, the constancy of
flow provided by changing the number of bores. The shortest length has a model with a nozzle diameter of 2 mm. It
was taken for further studies.

Table 1. The dependence of the length of the mixing chamber from the nozzle diameter
The bore diameter, mm 0,8 1 1,5 2
The optimum length of the 0,35 0,31 0,27 0,18
mixing chamber, m

4. Development of experimental stand

To assess the results of theoretical studies on the effect of mixing quality on the flare is designed fire stand.
Schematic diagram of the stand is shown in figure 6.

Fig. 6. A schematic diagram of a firing stand

1350 G.I. Pavlov et al. / Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352

Fig. 7. General view of experimental stand

The firing stand (Fig. 7) comprised of a welded frame on which are mounted: gas burner device model; control
system; system of fuel gas supply; diagnostic equipment with the means of measurement.
The system of gaseous fuel supply included: the cylinder of propane-butane mixture 1 (WP = 4-6 kg/cm2, V=50
l); gas reducer regulator with pressure gauge 2; cutoff solenoid valve 3; a measurement system for gas flow 4 .
The control system includes: a DC power source 5; the control panel 6; an electric spark from a high voltage
source 7. The control system was designed to supply the voltage to the actuating elements from the control panel.
the length of the flame; change the transparency of the flame depending on diameter of the torch; the luminosity of
flame were the test parameters of the flame.

5. Experimental study of the effect of the depth of penetration to the gas jet on the combustion process

Parameters of the flame help indirectly judge about the quality of mixing fuel gas with air. The experiments were
carried out with different nozzles, the diameter of which corresponded to the values, mm: 1,5; 2,0; 2,5. The nozzle
was screwed into the removable ring. Figure 8 shows a gas manifold with a replaceable ring.

Fig. 8. Gas manifold with replaceable ring

The flow rate of fuel gas has not changed in the experiments. Flame is closed by shroud to prevent air leaks from
the environment. A window made of quartz glass provides for visual monitoring of the flame and its photographing
in the housing 11. Comparing the parameters of the torch it was possible to indirectly judge the influence of the
depth of penetration on the jet on the quality of mixing and chemical transformations of fuel in the combustion
 G.I. Pavlov et al. / Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352 1351

products. Figures 9, 10 and 11 show photographs of the flame of combustion of propane-air mixtures, with
corresponding different diameters of nozzles.

Fig. 9. The flame (the diameter of the gas nozzle d =1.5 mm)

Fig. 10. The flame (the diameter of the gas nozzle d =2.0 mm)

Fig. 11. The flame (the diameter of the gas nozzle d =2.5 mm)

Due to the comparative analysis these photos shows that the nozzle diameter greatly affects the parameters of the
torch. At the end of the fuel gas from the nozzle with diameter d= 1.5 mm the burning fuel and air mixture occurs in
a peripheral area of the combustion chamber. This is because the range of the jet is insufficient, the concentration of
combustible gas near the walls inflated. Another picture can be seen in figure 10. The flame torch translucent, the
1352 G.I. Pavlov et al. / Procedia Engineering 150 (2016) 1345 – 1352

torch length is short, the distribution of the products of combustion of diameter torch uniform. A further increase in
diameter exacerbates the combustion of fuel air mixture. Figure 11 shows the flame formed by combustion of fuel
gas flowing from the nozzle with a diameter of 2.5 mm. Because of the increased range of the jets of combustion gas
concentrates in the central part of the mixing chamber. The quality of mixing deteriorates, which subsequently
affects to the investigated parameters of the flame torch. It is seen that the central part of the flame is darker than
other parts. This suggests that it is rich in combustible components.

6. Conclusion

As a result of experimental and theoretical studies established that the depth of penetration affects to the mixing
of propane with air. The quality of mixing greatly affects the parameters of the flame torch. The optimum nozzle
diameter provides the lowest length of the flame. The results of the research was a practical basis for the creation of
autonomous heat gun. A general view of this device is shown in figure 12.

Fig. 12. Autonomous heat gun

Distinctive features of the developed heat gun are: autonomy; space saving; high pressure heated gas stream.
Heat gun is a frame structure that includes motor fan and gas burner device. Combustible gas is fed in a heat gun of
propane. The launch is performed in manual mode from cartridge. As a generator for supplying high voltage to
cartridge using a standalone power source. Flue gas temperature at the nozzle is easily adjusted by adding or
reducing the secondary air in a gas jet. Compared to commercially releasing heat guns, the apparatus is capable to
operating independently from external power network, to develop a gas-dynamic jet with a capacity of 2.5-3 times
more than heat guns with electric fan (limited bandwidth, power cables and power boards), has a pre-property in
size, weight and ease of use.

References.

[1] Ya.M. Schelokov, The intensification of the combus-tion gas by the vibration, Gas industry. 9 (1970) 31௅33.
[2] V.V. Pomerantcev, K.M. Arefiev, D.B. Ahmedov, Basics of practical combustion theory, Textbook for high schools, Energoatomisdat, St.
Petersburg, 1986.
[3] G.I. Pavlov, J.M. Sahabutdinov, O.S. Kochneva, Analysis of thermally excited by fluctuating gas vibrations in the cylindrical tube, Math.
universities, Energy Problems. 4 (2004) 13௅26.