hot air balloon burners?

Question

so, there are two burners in a hot air balloon, right? how come one of the burners blow fire into a balloon with high pressure and the other one doesnt?

Answer 1

Not precisely. You only need one burner.

A burner will usually have a blast valve, and a metering valve. The blast valve is high pressure, the metering valve cuts down the sound and pressure, but their purpose is still the same, and they are hooked to the same burner. One valve goes out, you can fly on the other one...or on the tank valve.

The little light that's on all the time in a balloon burner is merely a pilot light, and might roast a hot-dog if you are on the ground and have the patience.

Metering valves are useful when you want to do a long, quieter, cooler burn, such as when you're flying over skittish livestock. A metering valve turned full on will give the same power as the blast valve.

Balloons, depending on their size, can have multiple burners, and they are usually identical; the redundancy is a nice luxury.

I personally really loved my dual Aerostar Zone Fives. 30,000 BTU--- that translates to Indy 500 horsepower. One toot from both burners and I could stop in mid-air from a 400 ftm descent. Smooth.

(FAA Certified Commercial/CFI free balloon with airborne heater.)

Answer 2

Most modern hot air balloons have a two sets of valves. The first is the primary which burns propane(was liquid but heated coils warm turn the liquid to gas before it is burnt) that has been heated which creates a larger flame for more heat and lift. The second uses liquid propane that not heated which creates a weaker flame, but one that is quieter so it won’t scare farm animals or be as load when flying low at early hours of flight.