Exhaust gas applied nerdocity

[n86121]

Part 1. Setting home oil burner to max EGT

My home has oil heat.
The way the oil service cleans and 'adjusts the burner seems amazingly primitive.
The pull a sample of exhaust from the flu through a filter.
If not black, then okay.

Which got me thinking about high school physics and turbo aircraft engines,


The burner is either ON or OFF.
One can only adjust the air mixed with it.

Atop the oil burner is the heat exchanger section.

Physics suggests,
given a fixed fuel flow
to achieve maximum delta T in the heat exchanger
that heat exchanger needs to be at or near peak "EGT"


Naturally,
I put a high temp sensor just downstream of the heat exchanger in the flu.
Looking at the 'EGT'

Then I set the 'mixture' to maximize temp.
Make sense?

I am surprised oil burners don't have some automatic control along these lines.
But then, the oil services wouldn't have service to sell...?

I searched high and low in the land of google.
'Nada


Part 2. LAMBDA O2 sensors on airplanes?

I wonder if anyone has ever experimented with a lambda O2 sensor on an airplane exhaust?
Wouldn't the same ability to optimize fuel/air apply?

Maybe EGT is just as good.

Especially since unlike autos, aircraft engines operate steady state.

Pilots often 'kvetch' (1) about 'primitive aircraft engines.'

But when operating in a steady state,
you set timing ignition and EGT / mixture right
and that's all you can do.

Maybe tweak fuel atomization a bit.
Maybe play with cylinder geometry and combustion air flow a bit.
Maybe streamline intake airflows a bit.

But that's about it.,.

Throw your two cents in the cup and pile on!


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Note 1.

'Kvetch' according to the airman information manual is,
"to bellyache pointlessly because you have nothing better to do"