CA1337472C - Domestic gas fires - Google Patents
Domestic gas firesInfo
- Publication number
- CA1337472C CA1337472C CA000588927A CA588927A CA1337472C CA 1337472 C CA1337472 C CA 1337472C CA 000588927 A CA000588927 A CA 000588927A CA 588927 A CA588927 A CA 588927A CA 1337472 C CA1337472 C CA 1337472C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- gas
- tray
- fire apparatus
- blanket
- base
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F24C3/00—Stoves or ranges for gaseous fuels
- F24C3/002—Stoves
- F24C3/006—Stoves simulating flames
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Gas Burners (AREA)
- Chimneys And Flues (AREA)
- Combustion Of Fluid Fuel (AREA)
Abstract
A burner tray (10) for a domestic gas fire has a gas inlet (12), and a ceramic fibre blanket (18) lining its bottom surface (11), the blanket distributing gas over substantially the whole area of the tray while reducing heat loss to the tray and increasing the heat output of the fire.
Description
DOMESTIC GAS FIRES
This invention relates to a domestic gas fire, particularly a decorative coal or log effect gas fire.
To provide a coal or log effect gas fire, the gas from a domestic supply is first distributed over the area of a fire burner tray which is fitted in the fire grate. The most common method at present used for distributing the gas is to fill the tray with silica sand which covers a gas inlet in the bottom of the tray. In one alternative, the gas is introduced into a hollow perforated tube resting on the bottom of the tray, the tube then being covered with the silica sand.
Apart from silica sand, alternative distributing materials have included vermiculite granules, expanded clay and other refractory aggregates, mineral or ceramic wool, and slotted refractory boards.
Existing gas fires sometimes incorporate a flame failure valve responsive to a pilot light. The pilot light generally requires its own piped supply of gas, the pilot assembly being provided as a "bolt-on"
accessory to the basic fire. These accessories add to the cost of the fire and are often difficult to instal and adjust.
Existing fires also suffer from undesirable gas hiss. Attempts to reduce or eliminate this hiss have previously been made but have been unsuccessful and/or require more complex burner trays. For example, in UK Patent No. 1561099 there is disclosed a gas fire burner tray fitted with a silencer which consists of a separate chamber containing a non-combustible porous material such as miner~l wool or ceramic wool. The combustion region of the tray may also be part filled with miner~l or ceramic wool.
A further disadvantage of eYi~ting gas fires is that a substantial amount of heat is lost by conduction to the metal burner tray.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved burner tray which overcomes at least some of the drawbacks and disadvantages associated with existing coal and log effect gas fires.
According to the present invention, there is provided a domestic coal or log effect gas fire appald~us comprising a generally horizontal metal burner tray with a base and vertical side walls upst~n~ing from the base, the base having a gas inlet for connection to a gas supply line, and a flat bed of in~ ting m~t~ri~l covering said base of the tray, the bed of in~ ting m~tPri~l ~u~po,ling imitation coal or logs in a combustion region of the fire, and comprising a unitary flexible ceramic fibrous blanket retained in a colllpressed state by said upst~nlling side walls, the blanket con~i~ting solely of bulk ceramic fiber free of bindeM, and being fitted in the tray above the gas inlet such that gas emerging from the inlet is diffused over subst~nti~lly the whole area of the tray producing an even fiame distribution and decreased gas hiss from gas exiting said gas inlet, and said blanket in~ul~ting said metal frame from heat produced from said combustion region.
- 2a - 1 3 3 7 4 7 2 The tray is preferably provided with upst~n~ing front, back and opposed side walls, and the block of refractory fibrous m~tçri~l is retained by the upstanding walls in a colllpr~ssed state to ensure a seal around the edges of the block. The block preferably has a rectangular cross-section with a uniform thickness in the range of 6mm to lOOmm, and more preferably 30mm to 70mm.
The block also has a pr~rt;ll~d uniform density in the range of 20kg/m3 to 250kg/m3, and more preferably in the range of 40kg/m3 to l50kg/m3. It has been found that the use of flexible refractory fibrous m~tPri~l, particularly ceramic fibrous m~tPri~l, in the form of a compressed unitary block to diffuse the gas not only "'C, 3 - I 33 ;~472 p~u~ ~ al~ e~ eptionall~ qui~t ;ir~ with lit.tle or no gas h~S8 bu~ al60, ~cauSe, of it I lna~l~tin~ proper~ie~, r~duceg hea~ losg to the tray by a~3 ~uch ~ sa% ~nA
the~eby ~l~niflcan~ly inC~r~A8e~ ~he he~t outpu~ from the f ire The incre~.gf~d heat outp~t is accom~anied by a ori~hter glo~ wnlch therefore ~r~h~nc~3 ~he d~3corative e~ect o~ rll~ fire~
'rhe compreh~e~ block also provides imp~oved di~txibu~ion of ga6 over c~e area c~f t~e t~y, ar~d ic c~ier to handl~ than ~nd or other loo~e pa~ticulate ~aterial~ .
The improved gas ~i~tributlo~ en~les t2~e u~e ~E ~n i~pr~ved pilot l~ht arrange~ent, the burner tray including a pilot hole locatea ad~acent to an e~ct~rn~l f l~me ser~sing de~ice, such as a ~hermocc~uple, the g~s eme~ing ~ro~ the pilo~ hole being ~utomatlc:ally isnitcd t~ prc~vide ~ pilot fla~e when the burne~ tr~y i9 igni ted .
It i~ ~L~3o po~ible to ~k~ an aer~ted b~rr~er .lsing a simila~ ~ibrous block to distrlbute the gax~lr ~ixt~c.
Esearln~ in mind the rel~ti~ely iarge are~ o~ t~le burner and the con~eq-~ent lo-~r velo~ity of the g~tai~ mlxture through tne ~ibre, the rcYi~tanc:e o~ the flbre ln such a burner wo~ld be low encu~h to pre~en~ blow ~a~k~ ~ a re~ult of back p~e~urc at the ga~ in je~or In t~e accomparlyinq drA~,fing~, by way of eYam~le ~nly:-Fig. ~ is ~ eop pl~n vie~ o~ a burner t~ay em~odying thepre~ent invent lon, and 4 l 337472 Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on line A-A of Fig. 1.
The rearwardly tapered metal burner tray 10 is designed to fit in a fire grate positioned in a S conventional domestic fire back. It has a base 11 with a gas inlet 12, two upstanding side walls 13, 14 and front and back walls 15, 16. The tray 10 could have other shapes and might, for example fit in a rectangular fire basket. It could also be free standing.
The inlet 12 is located toward the front of the tray, and immediately behind the inlet 12 is a distribution bar 17 which is welded or otherwise secured to the base 11. A unitary block 18 of a lS flexible ceramic fibrous material having a rectangular cross-section is fitted in the tray 10.
In this particular example, the block 18 rests on the base 11 of the tray. The resulting clearance around the bar 17 provides a passage 19 for the gas emerging from inlet 12, the passage 19 extending in both directions toward the opposite side walls 13, 14.
The block 18 is a uniform thickness and density. It is initially cut from a continuous roll of the ceramic fibrous material, and is further cut to ensure a precise fit in the tray. In particular, the block is cut slightly oversize to ensure a compressive fit. Accordingly, each side of the block is urged against a corresponding inside surface of the respective retaining walls 13, 14, 15 and 16 to form a seal.
When the burner is ignited, the draft from the chimney generally draws the gas backwards toward the rear wall 16 and the fibrous block 18 effectively diffuses this gas over the entire area of the tray 10 while at the same time providing insulation between the gas flames and the bottom of the tray. Imitation coal or logs (not ~, -5- l 337472 shown) are placed on top of the fibrous block 18 to provide a coal or log effect fire.
The ceramic fibre in the fibrous block 18 may comprise, for example, a blown alumino-silicate fibre made from blends of high purity alumina and silica.
The rolls of ceramic fibrous material are often known as ceramic fibre blankets and can be made solely from bulk fibre without the inclusion of binders. Such blankets are at present used primarily as a lining material for low thermal mass furnaces, including ceramics kilns and petrochemical process plan.
A small pilot hole 20 is located in the side wall 13 opposite one end of the distribution bar 17 and just below the top edge of the side wall. The tip of a thermocouple heat sensing device 21 is located outside the tray close to the hole 20, the device 21 being secured to the side wall 13. The fibre blanket 18 is such an efficient gas distributor that a proportion of the gas entering through the inlet 12 emerges from the pilot hole 20 where it automatically ignites when the gas distributed over the burner tray 10 is ignited. The presence of the pilot flame is detected by the thermocouple 21 which feeds a signal to a flame failure valve 22 in the gas supply line to maintain the valve open. Since the pilot is taken directly from the main burner, it no longer requires a separate gas supply nor does it require adjustment since it is self-adjusting with the main burner gas pressure. This has the added advantage of enabling the burner to be used on natural gas or bottled liquid propane gas without any pilot adjustment.
~s The use of the compressed ceramic fibre blanket 18 to diffuse the gas produces an exceptionally quiet fire with little or no gas hiss, and also produces an even flame distribution. Particularly good results have been achieved when using a 128kg/m3 ceramic fibre blanket with a uniform thickness of about 50mm, and having a thermal conductivity ranging from about O.lW/mk at 500 to about 0.22W/mk at 1000C.
This invention relates to a domestic gas fire, particularly a decorative coal or log effect gas fire.
To provide a coal or log effect gas fire, the gas from a domestic supply is first distributed over the area of a fire burner tray which is fitted in the fire grate. The most common method at present used for distributing the gas is to fill the tray with silica sand which covers a gas inlet in the bottom of the tray. In one alternative, the gas is introduced into a hollow perforated tube resting on the bottom of the tray, the tube then being covered with the silica sand.
Apart from silica sand, alternative distributing materials have included vermiculite granules, expanded clay and other refractory aggregates, mineral or ceramic wool, and slotted refractory boards.
Existing gas fires sometimes incorporate a flame failure valve responsive to a pilot light. The pilot light generally requires its own piped supply of gas, the pilot assembly being provided as a "bolt-on"
accessory to the basic fire. These accessories add to the cost of the fire and are often difficult to instal and adjust.
Existing fires also suffer from undesirable gas hiss. Attempts to reduce or eliminate this hiss have previously been made but have been unsuccessful and/or require more complex burner trays. For example, in UK Patent No. 1561099 there is disclosed a gas fire burner tray fitted with a silencer which consists of a separate chamber containing a non-combustible porous material such as miner~l wool or ceramic wool. The combustion region of the tray may also be part filled with miner~l or ceramic wool.
A further disadvantage of eYi~ting gas fires is that a substantial amount of heat is lost by conduction to the metal burner tray.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved burner tray which overcomes at least some of the drawbacks and disadvantages associated with existing coal and log effect gas fires.
According to the present invention, there is provided a domestic coal or log effect gas fire appald~us comprising a generally horizontal metal burner tray with a base and vertical side walls upst~n~ing from the base, the base having a gas inlet for connection to a gas supply line, and a flat bed of in~ ting m~t~ri~l covering said base of the tray, the bed of in~ ting m~tPri~l ~u~po,ling imitation coal or logs in a combustion region of the fire, and comprising a unitary flexible ceramic fibrous blanket retained in a colllpressed state by said upst~nlling side walls, the blanket con~i~ting solely of bulk ceramic fiber free of bindeM, and being fitted in the tray above the gas inlet such that gas emerging from the inlet is diffused over subst~nti~lly the whole area of the tray producing an even fiame distribution and decreased gas hiss from gas exiting said gas inlet, and said blanket in~ul~ting said metal frame from heat produced from said combustion region.
- 2a - 1 3 3 7 4 7 2 The tray is preferably provided with upst~n~ing front, back and opposed side walls, and the block of refractory fibrous m~tçri~l is retained by the upstanding walls in a colllpr~ssed state to ensure a seal around the edges of the block. The block preferably has a rectangular cross-section with a uniform thickness in the range of 6mm to lOOmm, and more preferably 30mm to 70mm.
The block also has a pr~rt;ll~d uniform density in the range of 20kg/m3 to 250kg/m3, and more preferably in the range of 40kg/m3 to l50kg/m3. It has been found that the use of flexible refractory fibrous m~tPri~l, particularly ceramic fibrous m~tPri~l, in the form of a compressed unitary block to diffuse the gas not only "'C, 3 - I 33 ;~472 p~u~ ~ al~ e~ eptionall~ qui~t ;ir~ with lit.tle or no gas h~S8 bu~ al60, ~cauSe, of it I lna~l~tin~ proper~ie~, r~duceg hea~ losg to the tray by a~3 ~uch ~ sa% ~nA
the~eby ~l~niflcan~ly inC~r~A8e~ ~he he~t outpu~ from the f ire The incre~.gf~d heat outp~t is accom~anied by a ori~hter glo~ wnlch therefore ~r~h~nc~3 ~he d~3corative e~ect o~ rll~ fire~
'rhe compreh~e~ block also provides imp~oved di~txibu~ion of ga6 over c~e area c~f t~e t~y, ar~d ic c~ier to handl~ than ~nd or other loo~e pa~ticulate ~aterial~ .
The improved gas ~i~tributlo~ en~les t2~e u~e ~E ~n i~pr~ved pilot l~ht arrange~ent, the burner tray including a pilot hole locatea ad~acent to an e~ct~rn~l f l~me ser~sing de~ice, such as a ~hermocc~uple, the g~s eme~ing ~ro~ the pilo~ hole being ~utomatlc:ally isnitcd t~ prc~vide ~ pilot fla~e when the burne~ tr~y i9 igni ted .
It i~ ~L~3o po~ible to ~k~ an aer~ted b~rr~er .lsing a simila~ ~ibrous block to distrlbute the gax~lr ~ixt~c.
Esearln~ in mind the rel~ti~ely iarge are~ o~ t~le burner and the con~eq-~ent lo-~r velo~ity of the g~tai~ mlxture through tne ~ibre, the rcYi~tanc:e o~ the flbre ln such a burner wo~ld be low encu~h to pre~en~ blow ~a~k~ ~ a re~ult of back p~e~urc at the ga~ in je~or In t~e accomparlyinq drA~,fing~, by way of eYam~le ~nly:-Fig. ~ is ~ eop pl~n vie~ o~ a burner t~ay em~odying thepre~ent invent lon, and 4 l 337472 Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on line A-A of Fig. 1.
The rearwardly tapered metal burner tray 10 is designed to fit in a fire grate positioned in a S conventional domestic fire back. It has a base 11 with a gas inlet 12, two upstanding side walls 13, 14 and front and back walls 15, 16. The tray 10 could have other shapes and might, for example fit in a rectangular fire basket. It could also be free standing.
The inlet 12 is located toward the front of the tray, and immediately behind the inlet 12 is a distribution bar 17 which is welded or otherwise secured to the base 11. A unitary block 18 of a lS flexible ceramic fibrous material having a rectangular cross-section is fitted in the tray 10.
In this particular example, the block 18 rests on the base 11 of the tray. The resulting clearance around the bar 17 provides a passage 19 for the gas emerging from inlet 12, the passage 19 extending in both directions toward the opposite side walls 13, 14.
The block 18 is a uniform thickness and density. It is initially cut from a continuous roll of the ceramic fibrous material, and is further cut to ensure a precise fit in the tray. In particular, the block is cut slightly oversize to ensure a compressive fit. Accordingly, each side of the block is urged against a corresponding inside surface of the respective retaining walls 13, 14, 15 and 16 to form a seal.
When the burner is ignited, the draft from the chimney generally draws the gas backwards toward the rear wall 16 and the fibrous block 18 effectively diffuses this gas over the entire area of the tray 10 while at the same time providing insulation between the gas flames and the bottom of the tray. Imitation coal or logs (not ~, -5- l 337472 shown) are placed on top of the fibrous block 18 to provide a coal or log effect fire.
The ceramic fibre in the fibrous block 18 may comprise, for example, a blown alumino-silicate fibre made from blends of high purity alumina and silica.
The rolls of ceramic fibrous material are often known as ceramic fibre blankets and can be made solely from bulk fibre without the inclusion of binders. Such blankets are at present used primarily as a lining material for low thermal mass furnaces, including ceramics kilns and petrochemical process plan.
A small pilot hole 20 is located in the side wall 13 opposite one end of the distribution bar 17 and just below the top edge of the side wall. The tip of a thermocouple heat sensing device 21 is located outside the tray close to the hole 20, the device 21 being secured to the side wall 13. The fibre blanket 18 is such an efficient gas distributor that a proportion of the gas entering through the inlet 12 emerges from the pilot hole 20 where it automatically ignites when the gas distributed over the burner tray 10 is ignited. The presence of the pilot flame is detected by the thermocouple 21 which feeds a signal to a flame failure valve 22 in the gas supply line to maintain the valve open. Since the pilot is taken directly from the main burner, it no longer requires a separate gas supply nor does it require adjustment since it is self-adjusting with the main burner gas pressure. This has the added advantage of enabling the burner to be used on natural gas or bottled liquid propane gas without any pilot adjustment.
~s The use of the compressed ceramic fibre blanket 18 to diffuse the gas produces an exceptionally quiet fire with little or no gas hiss, and also produces an even flame distribution. Particularly good results have been achieved when using a 128kg/m3 ceramic fibre blanket with a uniform thickness of about 50mm, and having a thermal conductivity ranging from about O.lW/mk at 500 to about 0.22W/mk at 1000C.
Claims (9)
1. A domestic coal or log effect gas fire apparatus comprising a generally horizontal metal burner tray with a base and vertical side walls upstanding from the base, the base having a gas inlet for connection to a gas supply line, and a flat bed of insulating material covering said base of the tray, the bed of insulating material supporting imitation coal or logs in a combustion region of the fire, and comprising a unitary flexible ceramic fibrous blanket retained in a compressed state by said upstanding side walls, the blanket consisting solely of bulk ceramic fiber free of binders, and being fitted in the tray abave the gas inlet such that gas emerging from the inlet is diffused over substantially the whole area of the tray producing an even flame distribution and decreased gas hiss from gas exiting said gas inlet, and said blanket insulating said metal frame from heat produced from said combustion region.
2. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 1 in which the ceramic fiber is an alumina-silicate fiber.
3. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 1 in which the blanket of ceramic fibrous material is of rectangular cross-section with a predetermined uniform thickness in the range of 6mm to 100 mm.
4. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 3 in which the predetermined thickness is in the range of 30 mm to 70 mm.
5. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 1 in which said blanket of ceramic fibrous material has a predetermined uniform density in the range of 20 kg/m3 to 250 mg/m3.
6. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 5 in which the predetermined density is in the range of 40 kg/m3 to 150 kg/m3.
7. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising elongate barrier means disposed behind the gas inlet for initially directing gas outwardly toward an opposed pair of side walls, the barrier means locally supporting the ceramic fibrous blanket clear of the flat base of the tray to provide a passageway for the unimpeded flaw of gas.
8. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 7 in which the barrier means comprises an elongate bar secured to the bottom of the tray.
9. A gas fire apparatus according to claim 8 in which one of the upstanding side walls includes a pilot hole disposed substantially opposite one end of the bar, the pilot hole providing a pilot flame when the burner is ignited, and in which a heat sensing device is arranged to sense the pilot flame to control a flame failure valve in the gas supply.
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA000588927A CA1337472C (en) | 1989-01-23 | 1989-01-23 | Domestic gas fires |
GB9102105A GB2240620B (en) | 1989-01-23 | 1991-01-31 | Domestic gas fires |
EP19910300767 EP0440475A3 (en) | 1989-01-23 | 1991-01-31 | Domestic gas fires |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA000588927A CA1337472C (en) | 1989-01-23 | 1989-01-23 | Domestic gas fires |
GB909002262A GB9002262D0 (en) | 1990-02-01 | 1990-02-01 | Domestic gas fires |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
CA1337472C true CA1337472C (en) | 1995-10-31 |
Family
ID=25672398
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
CA000588927A Expired - Fee Related CA1337472C (en) | 1989-01-23 | 1989-01-23 | Domestic gas fires |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0440475A3 (en) |
CA (1) | CA1337472C (en) |
GB (1) | GB2240620B (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2256920B (en) * | 1991-06-21 | 1995-03-08 | Le Baigue Magiglo Limited | Simulated solid fuel gas fires |
GB2331802A (en) * | 1997-11-26 | 1999-06-02 | Baigue Stephen John Le | Gas burner |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1561099A (en) * | 1977-11-24 | 1980-02-13 | Parker E | Gas silencer |
GB2179438A (en) * | 1985-07-17 | 1987-03-04 | Flamelog And Coal Fires Limite | Solid-fuel simulating gas fire |
FR2617576B1 (en) * | 1987-07-01 | 1991-04-12 | Auer Soc Ind | GAS BURNER FORMING DEVICE, ESPECIALLY FOR A HEATING APPARATUS |
-
1989
- 1989-01-23 CA CA000588927A patent/CA1337472C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1991
- 1991-01-31 GB GB9102105A patent/GB2240620B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1991-01-31 EP EP19910300767 patent/EP0440475A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0440475A2 (en) | 1991-08-07 |
GB2240620A (en) | 1991-08-07 |
EP0440475A3 (en) | 1991-08-28 |
GB9102105D0 (en) | 1991-03-13 |
GB2240620B (en) | 1993-11-24 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
MKLA | Lapsed |