Let's examine then tear down this engine, also called a: flame eater, flame licker, flame sucker, atmospheric engine, vacuum engine, flame dancer, etc. I'll explain why I'd not buy this particular engine again.
I did not mention in the video, but I tried fueling it with both isopropyl and ethanol alcohols to see if a cooler flame would make a difference. It made no noticeable change in run times. Also I found that "fanning" or spreading out the top of the "wick" into a funnel shape helped keep it from getting blown/sucked out.
This is part 2. Part 1 is here:
• Flame Licker Engine-Ov...
20230427: UPDATE - I tried using a "cooler" fuel by adding water to the alcohol. 10% water, 20%, 30%. None of that made any difference in run time before it overheated. I did add a flame screen around the burner wick and that helped a lot in keeping the flame from being blown out. Summary: cooler fuel no help. Flame screen gave more consistent runs, but no longer runs because of overheating.
WARNINGS: Burns possible. This engine gets very hot. It uses flammable liquid fuels in a burner that can easily leak spreading fire to persons and things. It leaked fuel and set my hand on fire while making this video! This should not be used by children unless closely supervised by responsible adults.
Graphics credits:
Flame licker gif: Benutzer:Karl Bednarik GNU 1.2 (Wikipedia)
Flammenfressermotor Michael Frey GNU1-2 (Wikipedia)
Flame Temp Isopropyl: 1890C
Flame Temp Ethanol: 1980C
26 мар 2023
