Liquid fuel vaporization

Boom! The classic potato gun harnesses the combustion of flammable vapor. Show us your combustion spud gun and discuss fuels, ratios, safety, ignition systems, tools, and more.
Blackett
Specialist
Specialist
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:07 pm

Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:22 pm

anyone have any clever ideas to reproduce the state of the gas form of a potential liquid fuel?

next to propane I have found that useing a hot heatsink or something like that to force the liquid to do so works, provided it isn't red hot and you are being careful, but I suppose you could do it with a hotplate or such, but i am under the opinion that the reproduction of something like this would be right under propane if you measured it correctly, like an aersol but purer. By purer I mean no hair gunk.
User avatar
jimmy101
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
United States of America
Posts: 3199
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:48 am
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 17 times
Contact:

Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:13 pm

Sorry, no can parse your post.

Do you mean "I need a good/simple/reliable way to get a liquid fuel to vaporize in my gun"?

Since a typical size gun only uses a few drops of fuel I would think you can just drop the drops in, turn the fan on for a few seconds, then fire the gun.

A few tests of add drops, close, run fan, open and look for drops, will tell you how long it takes for the fan to evaporate the fuel.
Image
User avatar
PinHead
Private 4
Private 4
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:23 pm

Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:00 pm

Most good liquid fuels will vaporize very quickly on their own, so there's no need for a heat source, really. As long as you have a fan, you will have plenty of air movement to use just about any liquid fuel. What's more important is trying to figure out just how much you need to add.

Like Jimmy said, drops should be all you need. I recently built a mini with a powerade bottle that I've been using acetone as a fuel.I only need a whopping 3 drops to make that thing shoot; any more and it won't light reliably. With acetone, those 3 drops vaporize and light right away.

What kind of fuels are you thinking of using?
Blackett
Specialist
Specialist
Posts: 105
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:07 pm

Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:03 am

unmentionables.

for here anyways. I would feel guilty if someone read and then decided to go do something dumb and blow off a hand. or worse.

But I mean useing a hotplate and a gas extracter, dont rem exact name. (the thing with a rubber ball on the end of a giant glass eyedropper with the two rubber pinch valves)

I meant for future storage anyways, because I have found that i like the power from said unmentionables in gas form.
bugsingelyn
Private 2
Private 2
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:58 pm

Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:55 pm

I am going camping in Idaho this October and I found this gasoline powered stove for use in high altitudes (propane doesn't work too great) in my cabin up north. I have no clue how old it is or if they still make them. It has a little gas tank with a valve and a pump that you pump it up with air pressure and it vaporizes the gasoline to a gas. then you use the valve to let out a little bit of flammable gas that goes into a burner. i think coleman makes it, if I find a picture i will post it. but I wonder if you could use it in a launcher? If you aren't using gasoline I am sure it will work with other liquids too. I haven't tested it yet in a launcher but i will post as soon as i do.
User avatar
PinHead
Private 4
Private 4
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:23 pm

Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:19 pm

That thing sounds interesting. Is it labeled specifically for use with gasoline? I would think that using gas for a stove fuel would put out too many fumes, but who knows.
User avatar
benstern
Corporal 5
Corporal 5
Posts: 908
Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:24 pm

Donating Members

Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:20 pm

The average cannon uses at max 2.5 drops of gasoline with an average of 1 drop.
Post Reply