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(Vers. 10.26.2017)

 

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Series (E) Refractory Walled Air Curtain Burner (Electric Motor & VFD)

 

OPERATING MANUAL

 

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION S

-

SERIES

 

 

When delivered to a job site, the S

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Series machine is ready for use as soon as it is off

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loaded. The entire system is built on a skid type base frame which is designed for easy 

movement over the ground. The forward equipment deck supports an Electric Motor 

and a Variable Frequency Speed Controller (VFD). The motor is usually directly cou-

pled with the fan (motor and fan on a single shaft). When viewed from the front of the 

unit, the patented air disbursement manifold is mounted on the left top side of the com-

bustion chamber. The back of the FireBox is fitted with refractory lined doors that allow 

ash removal and access to the burn chamber.

 

 

The electric motor that turns the fan is controlled by the VFD unit housed securely be-

hind the security cage in a NEMA IV enclosure. The high velocity air is sent down the 

manifold through the vanes and directed to the outlet nozzles. A balanced and distrib-

uted air flow is directed across the top of the box and then reflected down into the com-

bustion zone.  

 

 

The curtain of air acts as a top over the FireBox, trapping a large percentage of the es-

caping particulate matter (smoke) and causing it to burn down even further under the 

curtain before finally escaping through the curtain as a hot gas. The air from the noz-

zles travels across the FireBox creating the air curtain effect; then it reflects off the far 

side thermos

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ceramic wall adding oxygen to the combustion zone helping to generate 

a hotter more complete fire. This additional agitation helps prevent the fire from starv-

ing for oxygen as the ash builds up during burning operations.

 

All of this is carefully engineered to provide the correct amount of air at the correct 

velocity. It is sometimes thought that more air flow will actually increase the burn 

rate. This is INCORRECT. Modifying the air flow will actually have the opposite 

effect and reduce the machine

s through

-

put. Additionally, it will reduce the ma-

chine

s ability to meet air quality minimum standards.  There is a maximum rate at 

which wood can burn. Trying to exceed that rate by adding more air to an air cur-

tain burner causes two major problems:

 

 

1)

 

It will cool the fire reducing combustion efficiency creating more smoke (carbon 

dioxide and nitrogen enriched). This will begin a circular effect of further reduc-

ing the oxygen and further reducing combustion efficiency. The result is, your 

through

-

put drops and smoke increases.

 

2)

 

Increasing the air flow beyond design standards will over pressurize the Fire-

Box causing larger sized particles to be ejected from the FireBox. Besides vio-

lating the EPA limits for PM (particulate matter) the larger hotter embers eject-

ed will pose a much greater fire hazard. 

 

Summary of Contents for S-111E

Page 1: ...Air Burners Logo are Registered Trademarks of Air Burners Inc All Rights Reserved Subject to change without notice Dimensions metric conversions rounded Visit Our Web Site at www AirBurners com Operating Manual S Series Air Curtain Burner Equipped With Electric Motor and VFD Speed Control S 111E S 116E S 119E S 220E and S 327E Above Ground Self Contained Refractory Walled Air Curtain Burner Better...

Page 2: ...72 220 7302 E mail support airburners com 1998 2018 Air Burners Inc The words Air Burners and the Air Burners Logo are Registered Trademarks of Air Burners Inc All Rights Reserved Subject to change without notice Dimensions metric conversions rounded Visit Our Web Site at www AirBurners com S 327 Air Burners Largest FireBox Model Page i ...

Page 3: ... notice Dimensions metric conversions rounded Visit Our Web Site at www AirBurners com INDEX PRINCIPLE OF AIR CURTAIN BURNING Page 1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF S SERIES Page 2 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS Page 5 HOW TO SET UP THE MACHINE Page 8 SITE PREPARATION Page 10 LOADING AND STARTING A FIRE Page 13 HOW TO FEED A FIRE Page 17 SHUTDOWN Page 18 ASH REMOVAL Page 19 TROUBLESHOOTING Page 20 MAINTENANCE AND C...

Page 4: ...nd the Air Burners Logo are Registered Trademarks of Air Burners Inc All Rights Reserved Subject to change without notice Dimensions metric conversions rounded Visit Our Web Site at www AirBurners com S 111E S 111 E S 220E Electric Series FireBox NOTICE All electrical connections and installations must be made by a licensed local electrician according to respec tive codes and regulations by the co...

Page 5: ...op of an earthen trench or thermo ceramic lined FireBox The wood debris is dumped into the trench or FireBox and then ignited usually with a propane torch or with a small amount of Diesel fuel just as you would light any other pile of wood you intended to burn Once the fire has gained strength the air curtain is turned on The air curtain traps most of the smoke particles and causes them to re burn...

Page 6: ... factors such as nature and type of wood waste its moisture content prescribed opacity limits operator skills elevation of location etc The figures stated here are guidelines only If more specific information is required please contact the Factory Electric Motor Version Motor 3 Phase heavy duty with enclosed VFD speed controller NEMA IV Enclosure Balance Three Phase 220V to 480V 50Hz to 60Hz VFD D...

Page 7: ...der the curtain before finally escaping through the curtain as a hot gas The air from the noz zles travels across the FireBox creating the air curtain effect then it reflects off the far side thermos ceramic wall adding oxygen to the combustion zone helping to generate a hotter more complete fire This additional agitation helps prevent the fire from starv ing for oxygen as the ash builds up during...

Page 8: ...tor VFD OPERATING MANUAL IMPORTANT Notice how dirt is placed all around the inside bottom to close any openings under the skids that may be caused by uneven terrain This will prevent smoke from escaping FireBox in Operation Smoked trapped by Air Curtain and re burned S 327 Rear Doors Open ...

Page 9: ...tored within a minimum 100 foot clearance in any direction The S Series units do not have a bottom and should not be located over com bustibles such as dry grass or peat moss In addition hot embers will escape from the unit and depending on the wind will land on the ground around the unit The unit should not be located within 100 feet of any stored combustible materials The waste material to be bu...

Page 10: ...e unit Do not stand along the rails or on top of the S Series unit under any circumstance 6 Shut the unit down in an emergency Stop loading the unit stop the air flow by pressing the STOP Button on the con trol panel or by disengaging the master switch on the external power supply line Dump dirt or sand on to the fire Water should only be used as a last resort as it will likely damage the refracto...

Page 11: ...er cent cotton materials would be the minimum cotton treated with a fire retardant would be better and fire proof materials like Nomex would be best B Noise ear protection is recommended around the machines It is a good practice to wear approved ear protection when working in close proximity to the fan and engine C Hot Panels The backs of the thermo ceramic panels and parts of the steel structure ...

Page 12: ...couraged however to have the wind come from either end of the machine as this will tend to disrupt the air cur tain B PRE OPERATION CHECKS 1 Check Ground Wire connection from grounding lug to grounding rod and power pole on left side of FireBox below the air fan and repair if needed 2 Check intake air filter for cooling fan on VFD lower left side for cleanliness open small access door 3 Make sure ...

Page 13: ...d Switch is placed in Position OFF Insure the RED POWER BUTTON is OFF pushed in Set the Main Power Switch to the ON position this will connect power to the unit Wait 15 seconds for the VFD to boot up before going to the next step Pull out the red POWER BUTTON ON Position Load FireBox and start fire per Operating Manual Page 13 Set FAN SPEED to Position NORMAL 2 Once the machine is fully operationa...

Page 14: ...ver your truck and trailer Consider where the waste piles will be located We generally recommend two waste piles explained in next section Consider the predominate wind direction Hot embers will be escaping from the Fire Box during all burning operations Consider the available 480V three phase power pole connection and underground feed to the FireBox from there Power to be supplied pursuant to Loc...

Page 15: ...e dies down you add some more good wood to bring it back up The big difference is that on your campfire you are probably not adding root balls and leaves and pine needles These are the high moisture content and dense materials that bring the fire temperature down The temperature drops smoke in creases and your burn rate slows down if you overload the machine with materials that have high mois ture...

Page 16: ...hot burning base fire You will also draw from the good wood pile throughout the day if you should need to stoke up the fire more on this in the following sections As the FireBox operator is drawing from the main debris pile throughout the day he should continue to replenish the good wood pile as necessary The good wood pile only needs to be enough material to stoke up the fire if needed and enough...

Page 17: ...e smoke from es caping underneath the unit This is generally only a concern on hard ground and it usu ally only lasts for the first hour of burning As burning continues the ash will build up and seal off the bottom of the unit as well Load your most burnable material materials from the Good Wood pile as discussed in the previous section which is the smaller dryer and cleaner wood into the FireBox ...

Page 18: ...d burning plus it will start quicker and burn hotter If you will be burning stumps then it is best to load them after the first hour of burning when the fire is up to full temperature The level of material in the FireBox for light off should be kept just below the manifold nozzles If you are using Diesel fuel as a igniter it is sometimes helpful to add a second coat to the top load again ENSURE TH...

Page 19: ... are using Diesel fuel as a starter let the fire burn until you begin to see wisps of white smoke replacing the wisps of black smoke from the Diesel fuel or if you are using propane torches wait until the fire has strengthened and flames are reaching the top of the FireBox Then engage the air setting the speed controller to Position Normal 1 As the fire burns stronger increase the air by switching...

Page 20: ...es in the lighting holes if you have trouble with a hot start If the material does not light the FireBox must be emptied before trying a cold start with the use of an accelerant HOT START LIGHTING Similarly to a cold start you begin with your best and most burnable materials 1 Load the FireBox to about one third or half way with the Good Wood The wood should begin burning as soon as you start load...

Page 21: ... is burning add some of the heavier material 5 The rate at which you load the unit varies depending on moisture content of the materials and the temperature of the fire If you overload the box you will notice an increase in white smoke White smoke is an indication that the temperature is dropping If the smoke increases stop loading until the fire has caught up You can also bring the temperature up...

Page 22: ...e manifold it will be safe to turn the SPEED SWITCH to the COOL DOWN mode After appropriate burn down time turn the SPEED SWITCH to OFF and push the RED POWER BUTTON to OFF Finally turn the Main FireBox Fan Switch counterclockwise to the horizontal OFF position Make sure the fire is contained as necessary to comply with your local regulations Do not spray the refractory walls with water as this wi...

Page 23: ...here is only one way to empty the ash out of the Electrically powered FireBox name ly by excavating it out EXCAVATING If the box is not going to be moved to dump the ash you can remove it by reaching in with an excavator or by driving into the box with a small skip loader type vehicle and scooping the ash out Remember to use the appropriate breathing apparatus espe cially if you drive in the FireB...

Page 24: ...r Good Wood pile to bring the tem perature back up You may have overloaded the box or loaded the box too fast Example if you only have 1 ton of material burning you can not load in 3 tons of material The new material will smother the fire Stop loading and let the fire catch up The material you are load ing may have a very high moisture content You can either load at a slower rate or mix the wetter...

Page 25: ...motor side Such default shut down requires the powering off of the VFD to initiate an automatic reset of the unit As the air fan would not be supplying air to the manifold for the reset period of time such shut down should be absolutely avoid ed once there is a fire in the FireBox to prevent warping of the manifold Do not operate the FireBox S Series E if weather conditions may indicate a possible...

Page 26: ... min 460V three phase out from control box to electric motor The motor is rated at 460V to allow for a voltage drop of approximately 20V by the VFD The unit can be set to handle ei ther 50Hz or 60Hz power The S327E is fitted with a 75 HP 56 kW and the S 220E and S 100E Series are fit ted with a 30 HP 22 4 kW premium three phase motor Rotation Rotation is clockwise as viewed from the motor end or c...

Page 27: ...al power lead feedthrough It has to be posi tioned and provided by the local li censed electrician A main breaker or fuse switch not supplied must be installed externally per local code Ensure proper grounding of the unit per local code and connect a ground ing rod to the grounding lug on the I beam located on the left side below the main air curtain fan Grounding Lug View inside the NEMA IV box d...

Page 28: ... POINTS There are four designated lifting pad eyes for lifting all FireBox Series units by suitable crane Only lift by attaching cables or straps to these four pad eyes Their locations are marked with yellow lifting point labels with up arrows There are two lifting points in the front and two in the rear of all FireBoxes ...

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