How To Burn Big Bales Of Straw

2008 - Volume #32, Issue #1, Page #34

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Wyoming rancher Curt Lamb built a simple residue burner that he thinks has potential. After some cold weather testing of his "no-cost" prototype, he hopes someone else will take the next step and put it into production.
Lamb's residue burner started out as a 1,000-gal. underground fuel storage tank. Although it had rust holes at one end, the rest was solid.
"I used angle iron and a piece of 1/2-in. pipe to make hinges so I could cut off one end to act as a door," says Lamb.
Several pieces of angle iron welded along the sides act as braces so a strong wind can't roll the empty tank. A square hole was cut in the back of the tank for smoke escape.
"I picked up some 1/8-in. shelving material that had been thrown out and made a simple smoke stack and secured it to the end of the tank," says Lamb. "Angle iron and chain hold the stack in place. I also ran some guy wires from it to the ground."
The first test of the stove was on a typical Wyoming winter day with outside temperature of 19 degrees F at 3 p.m. A bale of grass was inserted in the stove and ignited with natural airflow from a 5 mph wind. By 6:30 the next morning the big furnace was warm to the touch, but the bale had smoldered out.
"I cut three 3 by 6-in. openings in the door, but the bale just smoldered," says Lamb. "Finally I opened the door and left it for five days. The bale slowly burned and the stove stayed warm the entire time."
Lamb realized he needed more air so he installed a low volume fan from an old forced air furnace. Even with only a small amount of airflow, a new bale burned sufficient to make the entire stove hot in a couple hours. A full 18 hours later, the entire stove was still hot to the rear of the bale even though the outside air had fallen to 10 degrees F. By the time 36 hours had passed, the stove was cold, but 1/3 of the bale remained. Lamb says a larger fan would probably burn the entire bale.
Lamb credits his neighbor, Dwight Gilbert, for help with the project. Much more work is needed on the residue burner.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Curt Lamb, 1099 Rd. 19, Powell Wyo. 82435.

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How To Burn Big Bales Of Straw ENERGY Miscellaneous 32-1-34 Wyoming rancher Curt Lamb built a simple residue burner that he thinks has potential. After some cold weather testing of his "no-cost" prototype, he hopes someone else will take the next step and put it into production. Lamb's residue burner started out as a 1,000-gal. underground fuel storage tank. Although it had rust holes at one end, the rest was solid. "I used angle iron and a piece of 1/2-in. pipe to make hinges so I could cut off one end to act as a door," says Lamb. Several pieces of angle iron welded along the sides act as braces so a strong wind can't roll the empty tank. A square hole was cut in the back of the tank for smoke escape. "I picked up some 1/8-in. shelving material that had been thrown out and made a simple smoke stack and secured it to the end of the tank," says Lamb. "Angle iron and chain hold the stack in place. I also ran some guy wires from it to the ground." The first test of the stove was on a typical Wyoming winter day with outside temperature of 19 degrees F at 3 p.m. A bale of grass was inserted in the stove and ignited with natural airflow from a 5 mph wind. By 6:30 the next morning the big furnace was warm to the touch, but the bale had smoldered out. "I cut three 3 by 6-in. openings in the door, but the bale just smoldered," says Lamb. "Finally I opened the door and left it for five days. The bale slowly burned and the stove stayed warm the entire time." Lamb realized he needed more air so he installed a low volume fan from an old forced air furnace. Even with only a small amount of airflow, a new bale burned sufficient to make the entire stove hot in a couple hours. A full 18 hours later, the entire stove was still hot to the rear of the bale even though the outside air had fallen to 10 degrees F. By the time 36 hours had passed, the stove was cold, but 1/3 of the bale remained. Lamb says a larger fan would probably burn the entire bale. Lamb credits his neighbor, Dwight Gilbert, for help with the project. Much more work is needed on the residue burner. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Curt Lamb, 1099 Rd. 19, Powell Wyo. 82435.

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