The Burner
The Burner is like the engine of the hot air balloon. It is what propels the hot air up into the envelope to make the balloon rise. There are many different varieties of burner available - single, double, up to quad systems.
How the Burner Works
Modern hot air balloons use propane in the burner to heat the air in the envelope. The propane is stored in cylinders in the balloon basket. The propane is highly compressed in the cylinders and flows to the burner in liquid form. When the pilot starts the burner, the propane flows to it and is ignited by a pilot light. As the flame burns, it heats up the metal in the surrounding tubing and when the tubing becomes hot it heats the propane flowing through it. This process changes the propane from a liquid to a gas before it is ignited. The gas makes for a more powerful flame and an overall more efficient fuel consumption.
Types of Burner Systems
You can get a wide variety of different burner systems. They differ mainly in the number of actual burners included. Most popular is the double burner which is made up of 2 burner coils but it is also possible to get triple and quad systems where 3 or 4 burners are linked together, obviously providing a much more powerful flame. A balloon can be powered by just a single burner, it all depends on the size of the envelope.
| Propane Valve | Burner Coil | |
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