Spontaneous Combustion: Start it, Control it.

[dave_cahoon]

Group,

While bedridden with the meselles. (while in my 40s), A thought
occurred to me, the terrible danger of oily rags spontaneously catching fire.
FACT: Before the rags ignite there is heat produced from the oil oxidizing.

Is that heat obtained more efficiently from the oil than out-right flaming combustion?

My thought was if spontaneous combustion were made easy to reproduce
would a heat exchanger be able to keep the temps below the ignition temp
and what amount of heat could be predicted and would it be useful?

I found this site with its experiment Smiley
Wildwood Survival - Fire - Reflectors

What if the temp was clamped at say 100-150C with an exchanger and
the heat moved some where useful?

How can oil be added to sustain operation 24/7?
What about another matrix something other than
cloth my first guess is fiberglass??

Imagine a 55gal drum to dumpster sized device, positioned
away from home and heat piped inside. If it goes it full burn
it will be safe away.

Also, notice that before it flared it was vaporizing the oil.
Would a large unit produce enough vapor to sustain an engine,
If the vapors were passed through a GEET reactor?

Dave

[Jetijs]

Hi Dave
This is a great idea. I also have been told that oil and oxygen is a dangerous mix. Yesterday I made a simple test, I put some cotton wool balls in oil and then put the soaked cotton balls on a plate so that air can circulate freely around. After few hours there was no difference in temperature. I tried some engine oil and some cooking oil. No heat at all. Have you tried that yourself?
Thanks,
Jetijs

[dave_cahoon]

Jetijs,

You may want to somehow insolate the cotton so heat can buildup.

The cooking oil (vegetable oil) would be the first to heat BUT
Linseed oil used in the painting industry is the best.

For this application the linseed oil would not have to be as filtered as what is required for paint.

Be very careful sometimes this reaction can take hours or days to begin.

I do all the dangerous fire stuff over at our bon-fire pit...

Dave