We are talking about the unique development of the team of the Department of Industrial Safety and Engineering Systems - a "smart" burner for gas stoves. The use of the device will help solve the problem of a large number of explosions due to gas leakage
This unique development cannot be taken into hands yet. The complex structure is now at the design stage, but today its author, winner of the UMNIK talented youth support program, third-year student Ivan Ustyuzhanin is sure that the “smart” burner, which has no analogues in the world, has a great socially significant future ahead.
The essence of the development is not the number of sensors. Here they are not at all. University scientists deliberately abandoned electronics in order to achieve maximum reliability. A tandem mechanism and special material, which is responsible for promptly turning off the gas supply device, will help to ensure it.
Ivan Ustyuzhanin (author of the "smart" burner project):
"Our burner has two levels of protection. The first is a sealed lid. In it, we use a product of grinding and heat treatment of volcanic glass - expanded perlite. This material quickly absorbs and releases moisture. When the burner is filled with water, the lid quickly increases in mass and size and closes the slots of the burner divider, shutting off the gas. The second level of protection is an additional part inside the product - a pusher. Initially, it is needed in order to raise the lid of the burner, release gas and maintain the lid at a certain height. But inside the pusher, we have provided a special spring that will work when the burner is flooded or the fire is extinguished, if the first level of protection does not work - the cover."
In simple words, the uniqueness of the burner is in the combination of design and materials used, says Ivan. Each material reacts to changes in either temperature or humidity, then deforms and prevents leakage. That is, as soon as the fire goes out, it does not matter whether it is flooded with liquid or blown away by a strong gust of air, the burner blocks the gas supply channels.
A couple of hours after closing the lid of the burner, it will be able to return to its original position, which means it will be ready for reuse. It is important to note that the protective systems of the device arereproduced, which brings the reliability of operation to almost 100%.
Andrey Zykin (mentor, Acting Head of the Department of Industrial Safety and Engineering Systems of Vyatka State University):
"The burner is designed so that it can be installed without changing the design of gas stoves. Therefore, potentially, such a burner can be installed immediately during the production of stoves. Also, there will be no problems in the conversion of already used stoves. We are not talking about the exact cost yet, it depends on the number of products in the batch. If you calculate the cost of materials per burner, then this is 200-300 rubles."
The benefit becomes more tangible if we take into account the additional equipment installed in the apartments to fix the gas leak. So, the cost of a gas analyzer with an installation will cost about 20,000 rubles or more, and a gas alarm - 10,000 rubles. Vyatka State University scientists expect that the installation of “smart” burners on gas stoves will not lead to their rise in price.
“We have a more significant goal than profit,” notes Ivan's mentor at the UMNIK competition, associate professor, candidate of technical sciences Andrey Zykin.
The social significance, in my opinion, is obvious. This is a reduction in emergencies associated with a gas leak. If with the help of our development it is possible to save one life, then the mission will already be completed. But the ultimate goal is the complete exclusion from our lives of any possibility of a domestic fire or gas explosion.
In 2020, more than 350 household gas explosions were recorded in Russia, in which more than 1,500 people were injured. A small but confident step by the university team towards minimizing the number of "gas" emergencies has already been made. In the near future, the developers of the “smart” burner will receive 500,000 rubles - a grant from the UMNIK competition for the development of an innovative project. The amount will be spent on the creation of a prototype, its comprehensive study and, ultimately, the creation of a model for mass production.
