Studies on Performance of Metallic wick using Kerosene and Biodiesel

Cotton wicks are normally used for heating stove and lightening lamps. It is felt that frequent changing of cotton wicks can be avoided by developing metallic wicks using powder metallurgy techniques. Conventional stove cannot accommodate these metallic wicks. To accommodate them the wick carrier is slightly modified. Existing lifting mechanism in stove is modified for the sake of simplicity. The wick carrier tubes are slightly enlarged and shortened. According to literature survey much work is not carried out in this direction. Hence the present work is taken up to study the efficiency of metallic wick stove using kerosene and compare it with conventional cotton wick stove. Fabricated Metallic wicks are fitted in the fabricated wick carrier. Further the performance characteristics using metallic wick such as fuel consumption, fuel tank temperature, flame height, capillary action are studied. The efficiency of metallic wick is compared withs conventional stove and the results are compared. An attempt has been made to explore the suitability of seed oil (bio fuel) as a fuel in substituting Kerosene. This oil has a very high viscosity and as a result, cannot flow through capillary in a lamp and hence, requires viscosity reduction by a transesterification process to convert it into biodiesel. Hence, the project work is undertaken to develop metallic wick stove similar that of stove commercially used, fuelled by 100% biodiesel for its heating and its comparative performance with respect to a standard kerosene lamp.