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DIY: Turk Oil Burner

Alternative sources of fuel are becoming more commonly used, and one that is utilized in heating applications is waste oil. Waste oil may be used vegetable oil that is normally thrown away, or used motor oil that would also be routinely discarded. These byproducts can be recycled in a Turk burner: a device that increases the temperature within its furnace by swirling outside air around its interior. If you are interested in experimenting with alternative energy sources, you can build your own Turk burner with common household items.

Things You'll Need

Coffee can
Family serving-size can (such as a soup can)
Empty 2-liter plastic bottle
Scissors
Hammer and nail
Tin snips
Duct tape
12-volt gel cell battery
Alligator-clip leads
Computer case fan
1-inch wide aluminum conduit
Cotton or fiberglass insulation
Waste vegetable oil
Facial tissue

Instructions

Fan Blower
- 1
  Remove the cap from the plastic bottle, then cut a square large enough to fit the fan into from the side of the bottle.
- 2
  Fit the fan to the bottle facing inward, so that it will draw in air from the outside of the bottle and blow it out through the mouth. Tape the fan in place with duct tape.
- 3
  Lay the bottle on its side with the fan intake facing upward, and fit one end of a 1-inch-wide aluminum conduit to its mouth. Seal with duct tape and set aside.
Furnace
- 4
  Use a hammer and nail and a pair of tin snips to create a hole in the side of the coffee can for the other end of the aluminum conduit to fit through.
- 5
  Create another, slightly smaller hole in the side of the family serving-size can. Position the hole to align with that of the coffee can when the family serving-size can is placed inside it.
- 6
  Nest the family-size can inside the coffee can, then insert the aluminum pipe through the coffee can and fit it to the hole in the family can.
- 7
  Seal the port in the inner can around the end of the pipe with duct tape to prevent heated air from escaping into the insulation.
- 8
  Stuff insulation ̵2; such as cotton or fiberglass ̵2; into the space between the inner and outer cans.
Operating the Turk Burner
- 9
  Pour a small amount of oil, such as waste vegetable oil (WVO) into the furnace, being careful not to fill it to the level of the air pump inlet.
- 10
  Place a tissue on the surface of the oil to function as a wick and carefully light it.
- 11
  Wait a few minutes for the burning oil to build up heat within the furnace, then connect the fan to a 12-volt power source with alligator-clip wires. If the flame burns out, repeat the process and wait longer for heat to build up. Eventually, the fan blowing over the burning oil will raise its temperature to boiling, which will give off noticeably greater heat energy.

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