lsayre wrote:I've just been reading the thread where members are relating their stories of explosions in their hand fed stoves. I currently have a thread running that suggests that the Coal Gun shares many design and function features with hopper equipped hand fed stoves. When viewed in this light the Coal Gun explosions do not seem all that out of line. Perhaps we can learn from the reasoning behind the hand fed stove explosions and relate them to the Coal Gun.
There is a "Combustion Triangle"...where all three conditions must all be met to have combustion. It needs a source of fuel, sufficient heat to vaporize that fuel and a source of
sufficient oxygen to sustain the combustion...
take away at least one piece of the triangle and the combustion process is compromised.
FUEL_HEAT_OXYGEN
It is really quite simple, carbon monoxide gases and other volatile gases that have accumulated
[FUEL] and are starved/lacking enough oxygen...and then when suddenly the
[OXYGEN] is available you get a...BOOM! The ignition source
[HEAT] is a given in any robust fire pot.
The Coal Gun appears to sometimes create a condition of insufficient oxygen and surplus volatiles above the coal-bed after the fan shuts down. Correct this and problem is solved.