The burner: the basis of the operating system of an oil-fired boiler

What is an oil burner?

The burner is a mechanical element consisting of several parts allowing the combustion of heating oil within an oil boiler. The burner heats the fuel from the tank before it is diffused into the radiators.

There are essentially pulsed burners on the market, i.e. equipped with a fan ensuring the arrival of the air used for combustion and the evacuation of fumes resulting from the combustion of fuel.

The burner, a secure system

A safety system continuously controls the burner flame. This control is ensured either by a photoresist cell sensitive to the light produced by the flame, or by a photoelectric cell sensitive to the light radiation of the white light spectrum.

The system is alerted in the following cases:

If the flame does not appear when the fuel is released,

If it goes out during the process.

If it appears while the burner is still starting.

Thanks to this control system, your boiler does not receive unburned heating oil, as an accumulation of surplus fuel can cause the combustion system to flood or even explode.

LOW burners NOₓ, the new generation

Technological advances in burners have allowed the installation of burners that emit less fuel residues (surplus unburned fuel oil), mainly nitrogen oxides (referred to by the generic term NOₓ), which are the result of mixing nitrogen (N) released into the air after combustion and oxygen (O2).

Composition of boiler burner elements

The fuel burner is essentially composed of seven elements:

The fuel pump: it feeds the boiler with the fuel coming from the tank. It is equipped with a pressure regulator that returns excess fuel required for combustion.

The fan: it supplies the burner with the air necessary for the combustion of the fuel oil. Its proper operation minimizes the resistance of the air to the flame and the resistance of the flame in the combustion chamber.

The solenoid valve: it is a valve that operates automatically. It is used to supply the nozzle with sufficient fuel for combustion.

The burner nozzle: this is the centerpiece of the burner. The nozzle makes it possible to send the fuel in droplets in a very dispersed way so as to support its mixture for combustion.

The fuel heater: it makes the fuel contained in your tank less viscous in order to promote combustion. This initial viscosity is linked to the storage temperature in the tank but also to the specific characteristics of the fuel contained in your tank.

Electrodes: they light the flame.

The combustion head: it is composed of two elements. A nozzle to guide the flame, and a deflector to maintain the flame.

The burner operating mode can be decomposed sequentially:

Pre-ignition: turning on the transformer which allows the motor to operate.

Firing: opening of the remote solenoid kit which sends fuel to the nozzle.

Post-ignition: stage which consists in keeping the spark to be maintained after the appearance of the flame, so as to stabilize it.

Operating mode: switching off the ignition circuit after flame stabilization.

Stop: stop the solenoid valve and the fan then switch off the burner after using the boiler (no more hot water or switch off/non-use of the boiler).