Voice of Fire - Plan

under construction, check back often (Ver 1.4)

There are 13 burners mounted on the ends of curved pipes. These are mounted on top of a 5x5 foot, five sided box

The base is made of a welded steel frame with sheet steel plating. (see below) A blower feeds filtered air inside the base to ventilate and to provide positive pressure to reduce the dust buildup. The entire structure is steel, so in a worse case meltdown, the base will contain any fire. Inside the base, the propane tanks will be in an armored box with an open top. In a worse case failure this will redirect any tank shrapnel upwards. It is possible that a CO2 purge system will be added for emergency shutdown.

The pipes are arranged so that the ones closer to the edge are higher up and the one lower down are inside the "cage" made be the taller pipes.

Each burner has a low pressure, low volume propane flame*. Here are some pictures of burner testing: There is a low volume feed line adding a small amount of ionizing fluid to the flame (water with sodium (table) salt) Each burner has an electrode that carries high voltage (low current) power into the flame. The power is modulated with audio signals. This makes sound come from the flame. The propane will be supplied in standard 20lb "BBQ" tanks. Three tanks will be inside the base, with three spares (for easier refilling) There will also be a generator with a self-contained gas tank.

There will be a safety sensor that will shut off the flames and power if anyone gets too close or tries to climb on the structure. One plan is for a small laser to form a perimeter and cut off the gas and power if the beam is broken. Another thought is to use hose on the ground around the base and trip the system off with a pressure switch (to detect any stepping on the hose). A time delay will keep the system off until the disturbance has left.

All systems will have leak (fume) detectors and auto shut off valves. Propane regulators will have "high flow" cutoffs. All pipes near the flames will be copper or steel, hoses will be limited to sheltered areas inside the base. All reserve fuel will be stored safely at camp, propane bottles will be refilled using services at BRC.

side plan view (not to scale)

top plan view

The frame takes shape in the shop.

The frame viewed from above

The location of the pipes on the internal support plate.

Note the rather occult looking construction lines ;)