Friction heater running in my house

[Pirate88179]

Hi folks, well this is not exactly similar to oilpiggy's design, though i thought i would share what i will be testing tomorrow.
Besides, if it works well, it is a good alternative to building a drum style heater that anyone can build and it should run very true.
It is built using almost a full roll of aluminum roof flashing cut to size with tin snips.
Each end has a disk, it seems hardware stores don't carry the 6-12" aluminum oxide saw blades anymore, so i used the one i had and the other end has a steel disk i made.
I aluminum taped it together, then riveted it solid and used high temp sealant to hold  and seal it together.
The sealant may not be good for long term use, though if it works well, it can be jb welded later.
Questions and comments welcome.
peace love light

Nice build.  I am looking forward to your results.  Good idea using the sheet metal.

Bill

[SkyWatcher123]

Hi folks, Hi pirate, thanks for the kind words.
I tested it today, though of course, it needs tweaking.
It ran very true with very little vibration, until .
The rotating drum slowly started taking in oil and becoming a bit out of balance, this then caused it to oscillate more back and forth within the aluminum cylinder, causing it to bump into the inner walls of aluminum cylinder.
It requires a bottom bearing and the rotating drum needs to be sealed better.
I have already torn it apart and started making changes, will pick up some more high temp. silicone tomorrow and it should be up and running in a couple of days for more testing.
Like i said, it ran very true and while it was running fairly good, the heat up rate was very good, averaging around 6 degrees F. per minute, though it didn't last long enough for a max. temp. test.
Also, the high temp. red silicone sealant held very well and was solid, i just didn't apply enough in the right places, so it leaked into the drum.
peace love light

[SkyWatcher123]

Hi folks, to update what i'm doing, the hand made rotating drum needs more attention to making it more round and preventing leaks into the drum.
This can be done, though at the moment, i had a paint can already almost setup, just had to bore hole in other end of paint can.
Used a printed template again and was able to drill accurately enough and the paint can rotor drum runs with little vibration.
Sealed the end that sits in the vegetable oil with high temp. silicone.
Was testing it earlier today and it was performing well.
It climbs to 120 F. from 62 F. at an average of 10 degrees per minute and starts off at 400 watts input, then at around 170 F. drops back to 320 watts input, though i think it had a tad too much oil to begin with.
It climbed from 120 F. to 170 F. in 7 minutes, then i noticed oil leaking from the bottom.
So could not get a max. temp reading, it was losing oil anyway, so new test results need to be taken as far as heat up rate, etc..
It seems the oil is climbing up and out the top screw holes that hold the top plate in place and down in between the laminations of aluminum roof flashing.
So, i made a new top plate and ran a bead of high temp. silicon to seal the oil in properly, acting as a gasket.
The only other place where hot oil might spit out a bit, is the shaft hole in the top plate.
peace love light

[SkyWatcher123]

Hi folks, an update on the drum heater tests for those reading.
Using 300 watt input average, (motor no load is 140 watts input) it climbed to 210 F. in 1 hour 10 minutes.
It climbed to 170 F. from 65 F. in 30 minutes.
The rpm is somewhere between 1500-1600 rpm, have not calculated pulley ratios exactly yet.
Having trouble getting higher rpm's, as the motor seems to bog down, it is a 300 watt motor.
It would heat up much quicker if i can get the rpm higher.
Which might be possible, i need to jb epoxy weld for more rigidity the shaft at bottom of paint can, as it might be causing undue slight wobble and friction in that area, as it is now held in place using high temp. silicone.
And aside from having to tweak a spot on top plate with a little more silicone, acting as gasket, it is going fairly well.
It's a good thing im making these posts for reference, as i'm not taking notes as i should be.
Though i'm wondering if the further separated disk design is fairly close in performance to this paint can, if one takes into account the lower input draw and the disks are rotating at higher rpm.
comments and questions welcome.
peace love light

[SkyWatcher123]

Hi folks, here is an update on the paint can design for those interested.
I finished reinforcing the paint can.
Made another 1/8" thick high density plate, for inside at top of can, this jb welded and bolts ran through this and other wood plate.
Also, riveted small metal plate at other end and jb welded in place.
Then seal all potential leak spots with high temp. silicone.
Tested it today and it ran much better, with less vibration and remained stable throughout a full test run.
Unfortunately, the bottom plate is medium density fibreboard and the bearing at the bottom was not sealed in properly.
Hot oil has saturated the wood, caused bulging  and seeped out through the bottom screw holes that hold the aluminum cylinder in place.
Soo, now am making new bottom plate and top plate out of 5 ply plywood.
The test yielded much better results up to 210 F., though it lost some oil, so the test stopped at that point.
It reached that 210 F. in 45 minutes at 300 watt average input.
I think the reinforced paint can enabled the flow of oil to be smoother in rotation, if not also faster and yielded a quicker heat up rate.
I also think the new bottom plate will also help speed up heat rate, as the bearing will be set more flush, this way less oil can be used and still maintain similar heat rate and watt input.
Another area of improvement is the aluminum cylinder, its been modified and repaired a few times, so it has alot of silicone inside that is not needed, this causing more disturbance to the flow of oil and less contact with a metal aluminum surface.
So, these results can be improved and the max. temp. i'm sure can be raised also.
Please share your thoughts.
peace love light