AU2006100748B4

AU2006100748B4 - A burner for a heater

Info

Publication number: AU2006100748B4
Application number: AU2006100748A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Uwe Backes; Stephane Wilfrid Thomas
Original assignee: Esmart Group Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Esmart Group Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2003-10-24
Filing date: 2006-09-01
Publication date: 2006-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2012-10-25
Also published as: AU2006100748A4

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Applicant(s): Esmart Group Pty Limited A.C.N. 099 603 568 Invention Title: A BURNER FOR A HEATER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: A BURNER FOR A HEATER Field of the Invention The present invention broadly relates to a burner for a heater. The burner is arranged for combustion of a 00 hydrocarbon liquid.

Background of the Invention ITraditionally, heating of buildings such as private homes involves gas, oil, wood and electric heaters.

Generally, wood heaters have the disadvantage that a flue is required for exhaust fumes and that the wood needs to be stored. In many dwellings such as apartments, units and townhouses installation of a flue and storage of the wood may cause problems or may not be possible at all.

Gas heaters have similar problems as a gas connection is required. Oil heaters also need to be flued. Electrical heaters are generally rather expensive to operate and require electrical connections.

One interesting and largely environmentally clean alternative is a heater that is arranged for combustion of a hydrocarbon liquid such as an alcohol. For example, if ethanol is combusted, the exhaust products are largely limited to carbon dioxide and water steam.

A simple burner for ethanol has previously been used to provide a heat source for a fireplace. This burner comprises an open tank in which ethanol is combusted.

However, as ethanol and other hydrocarbon liquids are easily combustible and may even be explosive if in vapour form or mixed with air, there is a need for a burner for a hydrocarbon liquid that provides improved safety.

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O Summary of the Invention >The present invention provides burner for a heater,

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Z the burner comprising: 0 a body portion having a bottom wall portion and a combustion zone for combustion of a hydrocarbon liquid; OO a further wall portion coupled to the body portion, the further wall portion having an aperture; Sa shutter arrangement for selectively opening and ND closing the aperture; and a fuel inlet opening; wherein the aperture and the fuel inlet opening are arranged so that the fuel inlet opening is at least partially closed when the aperture is open.

As the fuel inlet opening is at least partially closed when the aperture is open, the safety during filling the hydrocarbon liquid into the burner is improved.

The burner typically is arranged so that the fuel inlet opening is entirely closed when the aperture is open.

The shutter arrangement typically comprises a plate that is movable across the aperture between an open and a closed position. The plate is configured to close the fuel inlet opening when the plate opens the aperture.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention the shutter is disposed between an exterior surface of the burner an the bottom wall portion. The shutter typically is guided by a guide and moveable relative to the aperture -4-

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C typically in a straight direction. The shutter may be positioned inside the combustion chamber and may be 0 z arranged for sliding across an inner surface of the exterior wall portion.

The body portion typically comprises a tank portion OO for the hydrocarbon liquid located immediately adjacent the combustion zone.

The burner typically comprises substantially vertical projections extending into the body portion, the

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projections approximating an extension of the combustion zone in which in use a flame is burning and the tank portion is an immediately adjacent portion in which in use no flame is burning.

The bottom portion of the burner typically has a Vshaped cross-sectional shape and is arranged so that in use gravity facilitates accumulation of the hydrocarbon liquid in the combustion zone.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of a specific embodiment. The c-q description is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings.

O Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a side-view, a further side-view,

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00 a top-view and a perspective view of a burner for a heater according to a specific embodiment, Figure 2 is a perspective and exploded view of

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Scomponents of the burner shown in Figure 1.

c- Detailed Description of a Specific Embodiment Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the burner for a heater according to a specific embodiment is now described. The burner 10 comprises a body portion 14 and a further wall portion is provided in the form of a lid portion 12. The lid portion 12 and body portion 14 are composed of stainless steel. The lid portion 12 has an aperture 16 below which the combustion zone 17 of the burner is located.

In this embodiment, the combustion zone 17 is positioned between two tank portions 13 and 15 of the burner and stainless steel walls 18 and 20 define the tank portions 15 and 17 positioned immediately adjacent the combustion zone 17. The walls 18 and 20 project from the lid portion into the interior of the burner have apertures 19 which allow the hydrocarbon liquid to penetrate from the tank portions 15 and 17 into the combustion zone 17.

In this embodiment, the tank portions 15 and 17 are filled with stainless steel wool (not shown) which distributes heat and reduces likelihood of ignition in the tank portions 15 and 17 and thereby reduces formation of air pockets within the hydrocarbon liquid.

It will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments the burner may take any other suitable form.

For example, the burner may comprise one or more than two tank portions. Further, the tank portions may be filled C with any material that conducts heat and that allows fuel to be stored in the tank portions. Alternative examples O0 0any type of metal wool (not necessarily stainless) and a large number of small particles such as metal balls.

Further the material with which the tank portions are Cfilled may not necessarily be metallic but may comprise a c- 10 non-metallic material.

The burner 10 is arranged for the combustion of ethanol or methylated spirits which has the advantage that the combustion is largely environmentally friendly.

The burner comprises a shutter 22 that is guided by guides 24 and 26. The shutter 22 has a handle portion 28 that projects through a slot 30 of the lid portion 12. By moving the handle portion 28 along the slot 30 the shutter adjusts the aperture 16 and thereby controls the exchange of oxygen and exhaust through the aperture 16 (and also controls the convection of oxygen within the combustion chamber). This allows controlling heat output of the burner and the fuel consumption. Further, the shutter may fully close the aperture 16 so that the penetration of oxygen into the combustion chamber is substantially stopped whereby the flame in the combustion zone is extinguished. The shutter 22 is larger than the aperture 16 so that in a closed position the shutter 22 overlaps lid portion 12 from the inside and, due to the overlap, the likelihood of diffusion of an amount of oxygen into the combustion chamber that is sufficient for combustion is further reduced.

As the shutter moves underneath the lid portion 12, an item positioned on the lid portion 12 and over the -7shutter 22 is not moved by the shutter when the shutter is moved.

C/ The wall portion 18 comprises a flat portion 32 which O has a recess portion 34 positioned underneath handle portion 28 and slot 30 so as to prevent diffusion of

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0oxygen through the slot into the interior of the burner kO In this embodiment the shutter 22 comprises brass I rollers (not shown) which are received by guides 24 and 26 c- 10 so that during sliding of the shutters the rollers roll in guides 24 and 26 which reduces friction. Further, as the rollers are composed of brass which is a soft material, likelihood of jamming is reduced.

It will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments the shutter may take any other form and shape.

For example, the shutter may be hingetly connected to the body portion 14 or to the lid 12 portion. Alternatively, the shutter may be a lid that is removable from the body portion lid.

The lid portion 12 comprises a fuel inlet opening 34 which has an internal grid (not shown) through which during a fuel filling process fuel penetrates and which reduces likelihood of formation of air pockets in the fuel. The shutter 22, the fuel inlet opening 34 and the aperture 16 are arranged so that, when shutter 22 opens fuel inlet opening 34, the shutter 22 closes at least a portion of aperture 16 and thereby reduces the flame in the combustion zone which improves the safety during filling the hydrocarbon liquid into the burner Further, fuel inlet opening 34 has a lid 36 and in this specific embodiment wall 20 has a scale that functions as a fuel level indicator.

In this embodiment the burner is largely composed of -8stainless steel (the exception being the brass rollers of the shutter 22) which resists corrosion. However, in variations of the embodiment the burner may be composed of any other suitable metallic or non-metallic material and may also comprise ceramics materials.

0 The body 14 has in this embodiment a V-shaped bottom portion 38 and therefore gravity permits the direction of _the hydrocarbon liquid to the combustion zone. The lid Iportion 12 has lips 40 and 42 which are arranged to be p, 10 slidingly received by the interior of the body portion 14 and thereby provide a largely oxygen diffusion tight connection with the body portion 14.

The burner 10 may also comprise spacers (not shown) such as brackets that allow the burner to be installed into a combustible medium such as a timber plate. In this case the spacers may be arranged to inhibit direct contact of the combustion chamber and the combustible medium.

The burner 10 typically is arranged for insertion into a cavity of an item such as a portion of a building, eg a fire place, or a furniture item such as a table.

Typically an upper edge of the burner 10 is flush with a surface of the item.

Although the invention has been described with reference to particular examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms. For example, the burner may be arranged for the combustion of any hydrocarbon liquid.

Further, the burner may have any volume, size and shape including for example round, rectangular and triangular shapes.

Claims

2. The burner of claim 1 wherein the fuel inlet opening is fully closed when the aperture is open.
3. The burner of claim 1 or 2 wherein the shutter arrangement comprises a plate that is movable across the aperture between an open and a closed position.
4. The burner of claim 3 wherein the plate is configured to close the fuel inlet opening when the plate opens the aperture. A burner for a heater substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.