Working with a problematic lantern that continually sooted mantles the suspected culprit became the loop vaporizer, Preston Loop. I disassembled the vaporizer this morning and attempted to blow some "canned air" through the loop. I nipped the end of of the extended nozzle 45deg and bent a small crook at the end. First attempt produced no outflow from the other end. Persistence inverted the can for liquid output but still nothing from the far end of the loop but in doing this I noticed the chill/frosted exterior only part way around the loop... Time to break out the big guns I plugged in the air compressor and got the rubber nib blow gun. I stopped up the mid point restriction with a little wad of paper towel thinking that if things got stuck and I had to dig it back out later paper would be easy. Hitting the loop with ++120psi hardly moved anything and after a few tries decided to try reversing the flow. Pop, out goes the plug... ghrrr, what to do, needing a better plug and scratching the noggin, BB ! that's it!!! The BB against the restriction of the Preston Loop worked as the perfect check valve, too big to get into the loop but rock solid diverting the air pressure where it needed to go. I had to reverse the flow a few times swapping the BB each time but finally the woosh that I was wishing for. Reassembled and with a double preheat on the side porch to combat the 19F/-7C VICTORY IS MINE !!! article on preston loop Edit: The problematic lantern seen here
I use a screw in the same way as you use the BB pellet. The shank of the screw shall be small enough to fit inside the restriction, and the head is larger so it will stay seated at the restriction when I apply air pressure or steam (which is a very effective cleaner).
Me too, or rather a combination of both plus heating the loop with a torch when plowing compressed air through it. But on some vapourisers it's very tricky to get the cable inside the loop. It works when the angle of the loop allow it, but some attach almost perpendicular to the vertical tube, and then it's impossible to get the wire to work well.
Hi Christer! Haven't you mentioned your work related steam before ?...Quite a high pressure ? Do you work in a power station or similar ?.. I know it's slightly off topic.. ...But I have been quite good lately??? Regards, T.
Yep! I've mentioned steam at several times. I'm glad atleast someone took notice! I work on a large petrochemical plant, and we have a couple of really large boilers for the process.
...Oh Nice one ! Does that mean you can get low price lamp oil/fuel or maybe make it yourself???.. There must be a tap somewhere?..Or maybe just the left overs?..
We don't make those stuff, but we have them on barrels for other purposes. We do have most fuels and liquids except paraffin. But we have white spirit, and that work as fuel for most paraffin applications, but I only use it when nothing else is available. I think it coke up the vapourisers much faster than the real deal. What the plant is about is ethylene oxide... perhaps I should try running a lantern with that. Look out for a mushroom cloud in north east!
..Erk!.. ...No need for that, we like our moderator unsinged and whole! Ah!..It's the old C2H4o colourless and flammable at room temperature ploy ! You should have said...
Can't say I've ever heard of it - which is a bit odd considering I taught sciences for almost 25 years. Anyway:- One of the good guys, then...
Not much I can say David, dow have a good rundown of what this intermediate is used for: http://www.dow.com/ethyleneoxide/applications/
Yes, they list some of the stuff we make here. They don't mention FAE bombs. EO is what they most often use in thermobaric weapons. You know the kind they used in e.g. Afghanistan against the talibans in their caves. On topic, EO is a fantastic cleaning agent, so perhaps I should try to clean the vapourisers with it. I know people used it to clean sooty and greasy things before the HSE-people went beserk. It's not a nice product, though. Toxic and carcinogenic, so caution is of course needed.
On the topic of cleaning, can I ask what you recommend for cleaning the Preston loop? Is it actually brass? Mine is so fouled with ?carbon, to the point I don't know what to use!
@Damien It is usually brass (only occasionally steel). A wire rod up the main tube; then more flexible wire through the Preston loop. Then carburettor cleaner. Then fine brushes. Most of all patience and more patience. Cheers Tony
