EP0856706B1 - Heizgerät mit Strahlungsrohr - Google Patents

Heizgerät mit Strahlungsrohr Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0856706B1
EP0856706B1 EP19970300688 EP97300688A EP0856706B1 EP 0856706 B1 EP0856706 B1 EP 0856706B1 EP 19970300688 EP19970300688 EP 19970300688 EP 97300688 A EP97300688 A EP 97300688A EP 0856706 B1 EP0856706 B1 EP 0856706B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
burner
tube
gas
air
carrier
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 - Lifetime
Application number
EP19970300688
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0856706A1 (de
Inventor
Michael John May
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Individual
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Individual
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Priority to EP19970300688 priority Critical patent/EP0856706B1/de
Priority to DE69728746T priority patent/DE69728746T2/de
Publication of EP0856706A1 publication Critical patent/EP0856706A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0856706B1 publication Critical patent/EP0856706B1/de
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
    • F24D5/00—Hot-air central heating systems; Exhaust gas central heating systems
    • F24D5/06—Hot-air central heating systems; Exhaust gas central heating systems operating without discharge of hot air into the space or area to be heated
    • F24D5/08—Hot-air central heating systems; Exhaust gas central heating systems operating without discharge of hot air into the space or area to be heated with hot air led through radiators

Definitions

  • This invention relates to gas-fired radiant tube heater systems and to methods of use thereof.
  • Gas-fired radiant tube heaters are widely used to heat large internal areas, such as workshops, factories, warehouses and the like. They are normally located near the ceiling and are arranged to radiate heat downwardly, with reflectors provided to prevent heat being radiated other than downwardly.
  • One or more gas burners are arranged so that the hot combustion products emitted therefrom are fed into and flow through a carrier tube, which may be of linear configuration or "U" shaped. Heat from the combustion products is transferred, by convection and conduction, to the carrier tube which then radiates the heat outwardly.
  • fan means are provided to induce a flow of air along the carrier tube so as to draw the hot combustion products therealong and to exhaust the cooled combustion products out of the carrier tube and out of the building.
  • the simplest and cheapest form of heater comprises a single gas burner, which operates on a similar principle as a bunsen burner, feeding into a single radiant carrier tube. Gas is fed at a pressure of about 4 inches water gauge (W.G.) (10 mbar) to the burner and the necessary air for combustion is induced by the gas flow. The combustion products are removed by a fan at the distal end of the carrier tube. Sometimes the fan is located adjacent the burner and feeds the air past the burner at a pressure of about 1 inch W.G. (2.5 mbar) or less.
  • W.G. water gauge
  • a common radiant carrier tube often referred to as a flue duct.
  • two burners are located at the ends of the radiant carrier tube and the fan is located towards the centre of the tube.
  • each burner feeds into a separate branch, or burner, tube, the burner tubes leading into a common carrier tube in a linked or a herringbone pattern.
  • Such systems can also be operated in parallel or in series in order to give a greater heat output.
  • the fan operates at an increased rate, typically to give a suction of about 2 inch W.G. (5 mbar), to remove the combustion products.
  • pre-mix gas burners In an attempt to reduce NO x and CO emissions, pre-mix gas burners have been used. Such burners operate on the principle whereby a mix of gas and air sufficient for combustion to take place (usually a stoichiometric mixture) is fed, typically at a low pressure of 1 inch W.G. (2.5 mbar) or less, to a gas burner head comprising a plurality of burner "ports", usually holes of between about 1 mm and 2 mm diameter. The introduction of a mixture of gas and air to such a pre-mix burner has the effect of reducing NO x and CO emissions therefrom.
  • Systems have been produced incorporating several such pre-mix gas burners arranged inside a common radiant carrier tube.
  • a fan is provided at the end of the carrier tube, which sucks or blows air at a pressure of about 6 inch W.G. (15 mbar) to draw the gas/air mix through the burner ports, to draw the hot combustion products along the carrier tube and to spread out the heat therealong.
  • the operation of the fan In order to vary the total heat output, the operation of the fan must be varied so as to draw a different amount of gas and air mixture from the separate pre-mix burners and this effectively alters the length of the combustion zone, or flame, from each burner.
  • the variation in length of the combustion zone leads to the length of the combustion zone being significantly less or greater than the distance between adjacent burners (which is fixed). In the former situation, alternate "hot” and “cold” zones are created, where the carrier tube radiates different amounts of heat i.e. the radiant heat distribution is uneven.
  • pre-mix gas burner type radiant heater systems
  • this cooler air comes into contact with the combustion zone and the interaction between cool air and the hot combustion products in or adjacent the combustion zone produces NO x and CO emissions and these are increased when, in order to vary the heat output of the system, the ambient air flow rate is increased.
  • known pre-mix gas burner radiant heater systems do not effectively minimise these undesirable emissions.
  • US-A-4848315 discloses apparatus for supplying heated air to an air stream including a first air flow duct having an inlet and an outlet, a blower for forcing air through the duct to the first duct outlet, and a second air flow duct having an inlet, an outlet, and a burner chamber between the inlet and outlet, with the second duct outlet connected to the first duct downstream of the blower for drawing atmospheric air through the second duct by air flow through the first duct.
  • a gas burner which may comprise a plurality of burner tubes on a manifold, is positioned in the burner chamber. The gas burner is not a pre-mix burner.
  • EP-A-169689 discloses a gas-fired radiant tube heater system comprising one or more pre-mix gas burners, a radiant carrier tube and fan means for inducing a flow of carrier air wherein the or each gas burner is located in a burner tube, an end of each burner tube being connected to the carrier tube so that the hot combustion products from the burners are drawn from the burner tube into and along the carrier tube by the flow of carrier air.
  • One end of the carrier tube is closed and carrier air is introduced into the heater system around the pre-mix burners.
  • a gas-fired radiant tube heater system comprising one or more pre-mix gas burners, a radiant carrier tube and fan means for inducing a flow of carrier air into one end of the carrier tube and therealong, wherein the or each gas burner is located in a burner tube, an end of each burner tube being connected to the carrier tube so that the hot combustion products from the burner(s) are drawn from the burner tube(s) into and along the carrier tube by the flow of carrier air, the system additionally comprising means for conducting a proportion of the hot gases expelled from the carrier tube to the upstream end thereof so that little or no ambient air is drawn into the end vent 41 and the volume of gas removed from the system is equal to the volume of gas and combustion air burnt.
  • the arrangement of the invention enables the total heat radiated by the carrier tube to be easily varied and to be evenly distributed along the carrier tube, by varying the flow rate of the carrier air and/or the amount of gas/air mixture fed to the or each burner.
  • the length of the or each burner tube is greater than or equal to the maximum length of the combustion zone from the gas burner associated therewith. This ensures that the cooler ambient air does not come into contact with the hot combustion products in the combustion zone until combustion is complete, thereby minimising NO x and CO emissions.
  • each burner is located at the end of the burner tube remote from the carrier tube, that end of the burner tube being closed so as to prevent any ingress of air thereinto, adjacent the burner and/or the combustion zone.
  • the hot combustion products from each burner are fed separately into the carrier tube and mix evenly with the carrier air. It is therefore possible to ensure that the heat distribution within, and the consequent heat radiation from, the carrier tube is evenly distributed along the carrier tube by adjusting the flow rate of carrier air. Moreover, because the hot combustion products from one burner do not come into contact with the combustion zone of the adjacent burner, because combustion is completed in the burner tubes, NO x and CO emissions are minimised. These emissions are also minimised by preventing air from entering the burner tubes other than in the gas/air mix flowing through the pre-mix gas burner.
  • the distance between adjacent burner tubes can be optimised, depending on such variables as the individual burner heat output, the size and material of the carrier tube and the carrier air flow rate so as to ensure an even radiant heat distribution along the carrier tube across the range of operating conditions for the system.
  • the length of the burner tube is preferably between 0.2 m and 1.5 m.
  • the burner tube has the same diameter on the carrier tube, usually between 50 and 200 mm, for ease of manufacture of the system and to reduce the cost thereof.
  • each burner tube may contain several gas burners provided these are disposed relative to each other so that the combustion zones thereof do not interfere, such as by positioning the burners side-by-side and/or providing baffles between the burners, or by locating each burner in a separate tube leading into the burner tube.
  • the burners and burner tubes may be parallel to the carrier tube, in a herringbone pattern, or they may be linked perpendicularly thereto, or disposed in any intermediate configuration.
  • portions of the carrier tube may be formed of different materials and/or covered with a thermal insulation so as to vary the radiant emission of the carrier tube. These techniques may also be applied to the burner tubes in order to optimise the transfer of heat to the heat radiating portions of the carrier tube.
  • Figure 1 shows a prior art gas burner 1 which operates on the "bunsen burner principle". Gas is supplied at a pressure of about 10 mbar to a jet 3 within a housing 5 which is connected to a radiant carrier tube 7. The flow of gas induces air to flow along the direction of the arrows 9 or combustion to occur, the hot combustion products passing along the carrier tube 7 in the direction of the arrow 11. A baffle 10 is provided, adjacent the jet 3 in order to assist the combustion process.
  • a fan 13 is used to assist the flow of hot combustion products along the carrier tube 7 and to exhaust the combustion process.
  • the fan 13 may be mounted at the distal end of the carrier tube 7 (see Figures 2a and 2c) or within the housing 5 (as shown in Figures 2b and 2d, the combined housing and fan being denoted as 1').
  • Simple gas-fired radiant tube heater systems comprising only one such burner may have a carrier tube of U configuration ( Figures 2a and 2b) or it may be linear ( Figures 2c and 2d).
  • Figure 2e shows a double linear configuration system in which two gas burners 1 feed into a common linear carrier tube 7, a fan 13 being provided in the centre of the carrier tube to draw the combustion products therealong and to exhaust these from the system.
  • Figure 2f illustrates a multiple burner system in which the individual gas burners are arranged in separate branch tubes 15 in a parallel, herringbone configuration relative to the carrier tubes 7, which feed into a single fan 13.
  • Figure 2g illustrates what is known as a linked system, in which individual burners 1 feed into separate branch tubes 15 which are perpendicular to the main carrier tube 7.
  • the lengths of the branch tubes and the distances between burners is set so as to optimise the distribution of the heat radiated by the carrier tube at a particular total heat output, or temperature.
  • the amount of gas supplied is varied.
  • the operation of the fan may also be varied, so as to alter the flow rate of air and hot combustion products along the carrier tube in order to maintain a constant distribution of heat radiation therealong.
  • this is relatively ineffective, since varying the air flow rate can substantially affect the combustion process at each burner. Therefore prior art systems using such gas burners are only effective at providing an even distribution of radiant heat at a given total heat output, or temperature, or in a limited range thereof.
  • a pre-mix gas burner 21 is shown in Figure 3 and is generally recognised as giving rise to lower NO x and CO emissions.
  • Gas 23 and air 25 is fed into a burner head 29, usually in a stoichiometric ratio.
  • the gas/air mix 27 flows out of a plurality of holes 31, of between 1 and 2 mm diameter, producing a flame 33, the length of which is determined partly by the gas/air pressure and principally by the flow rate of air passing the burner head 29 in the direction of the flame 33.
  • FIG 4 shows a typical radiant tube heater system incorporating several pre-mix gas burners 21.
  • the burner head 29 of each burner 21 is located in a common carrier tube 7 (two parallel carrier tubes are illustrated). Air is drawn into the carrier tubes 7 at the ends 35 thereof by a fan 13, which provides a suction of about 15 mbar. This "carrier air” flows along the carrier tube 7 and draws the gas mixture 27 out of the burner heads 29 and draws the flame, or combustion zone, and the hot products of combustion along the carrier tube 7 towards the fan 13.
  • the flow rate of carrier air is altered. This varies the amount of gas/air drawn through the burner heads 29, altering the total heat output thereof and also varying the length of the combustion zone. If the combustion zone is lengthened substantially, the combustion products from one burner head 29 affects combustion at the next burner head 29. If the combustion zone is shortened substantially, the hot combustion products from one burner head 29 transfer all of their heat to the carrier tube 7 before reaching the next burner head 29. Accordingly, systems of the type shown in Figure 4 cannot produce an even radiant heat distribution along the length of the carrier tube 7 over more than a very limited range of temperature, or total radiant heat output. Moreover, the interference effect of the hot combustion products from one burner head 29 on the combustion process at the next burner head 29 leads to an undesirable increase in NO x and CO emissions.
  • a pre-mix burner 21 (two are shown) is disposed at the end of a burner tube 37.
  • Each burner tube 37 feeds into a common carrier tube 7 along which air is induced to flow in the direction of the arrows 35 by a fan (not shown).
  • the fan is preferably located at the downstream end 39 of the carrier tube 7 and is adapted to draw air into the upstream end, or end vent, 41 of the carrier tube 7 (although the fan could equally be located at the upstream end 41 of the carrier tube 7 and blow air in the direction of the arrows 35).
  • the flow of air along the carrier tube 7 creates a low pressure in each of the burner tubes 37 which draws the gas/air mixture from the burners 21.
  • Varying the fan speed varies the pressure drop at the ends of the burner tubes 37 and hence the amount of gas/air mixture drawn from the burners 21. It is therefore possible to vary the total heat output from the burners 21, and the burner tube temperature, simply by varying the fan speed. The same effect can be produced by varying the amount of air able to enter the upstream end 41 of the carrier tube 7, using means which vary its cross-sectional area, such as a motorised or damper fixed variable restrictor. Greater control of the total heat output and of the burner tube temperature can be achieved by varying both the fan speed and the amount of air allowed to enter the end vent 41.
  • the burner tube 37 is of sufficient length to exceed the maximum length of combustion zone created by the burner 21, so that only hot combustion products emerge from each burner tube 37 and mix with the carrier air. There is no opportunity for interference between combustion processes at adjacent burners 21 because of the respective flow directions and, in order to vary the total heat output of the system it is only necessary to adjust the flow rate of carrier air. Because the hot combustion products merging from each burner tube 37 mix with the carrier air, an even distribution of radiant heat along the carrier tube 7 can be provided at any desired total heat output.
  • the efficiency of the system may be improved by pre-heating the air entering the end vent 41 of the carrier tube 7 and/or the air which is mixed with the gas prior to being drawn out of the burners 21.
  • This pre-heating may be carried out using the hot air and exhaust gases expelled from the downstream end 39 of the carrier tube 7, by means of a heat exchanger or recuperator (not shown) as is known in the art.
  • a proportion of the hot air and exhaust gas expelled from the downstream end 39 of the carrier tube 7 is directed to the upstream end 41, at least partially recycling the gases flowing through the system along the phantom line 43 in Figure 5.
  • Figure 5 shows a single herringbone configuration system. It will be appreciated that the principles of the present invention may be applied to systems having any number of burners in configurations such as parallel, linked, or any intermediate configuration between linked and herringbone (as shown in Figures 2f and 2g).
  • the distance between adjacent burner tubes is a matter of design, depending upon the burner heat output, the size and material of the burner and carrier tubes and the carrier air flow rate, or range thereof.
  • the burner tube should be between 0.2 m and 1.5 m in length.
  • the burner tubes may be thermally insulated to maximise the heat transferred to the carrier tube and thermal insulation and materials of different thermal conductivity and/or radiant emissivity may be used for the carrier tubes as is known in the art.
  • the invention has been described in relation to a single pre-mix gas burner located in a burner tube. It will be appreciated that two or more burners may be provided, side-by-side, in each burner tube and provided that these are arranged so that the adjacent combustion zones do not interfere, then such an arrangement would provide the same advantages as the invention hereinbefore described. Moreover, such an arrangement enables the variation of total heat output to be carried out over a greater range, simply by switching off one or more of the gas burners in the burner tube, by interrupting the supply of gas/air mix thereto.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Gas Burners (AREA)
  • Combustion Of Fluid Fuel (AREA)
  • Air Supply (AREA)

Claims (11)

  1. Eine gasgefeuerte Strahlungsrohr-Heizanlage, die einen oder mehrere Vormischgasbrenner (21), ein Strahlungsträgerrohr (7) und Lüftermittel (13) zum Bewirken einer Strömung von Trägerluft (35) in ein Ende des Trägerrohrs und dort entlang umfasst, worin der oder jeder Gasbrenner (21) in einem Brennerrohr (37) positioniert ist, ein Ende jedes Brennerrohrs an das Trägerrohr angeschlossen ist, so dass die heißen Verbrennungsprodukte des Brenners (der Brenner), durch die Strömung der Trägerluft, ab dem (n) Brennerrohr (en) in das und entlang dem Trägerrohr gezogen werden, die Anlage außerdem Mittel zum Leiten eines Anteils der heißen Gase, die aus dem Trägerrohr ausgestoßen werden, zu dessen Stromaufwärtsende umfasst, so dass wenig oder keine Umgebungsluft in die Endentlüftungsöffnung (41) gezogen wird und das von der Anlage entfernte Gasvolumen gleich dem Gasvolumen und der verbrannten Verbrennungsluft ist.
  2. Eine Anlage wie in Anspruch 1 beansprucht, worin die Länge jedes Brennerrohrs (37) größer oder gleich der Maximallänge der Verbrennungszone ab dem damit assoziierten Gasbrenner (21) ist.
  3. Eine Anlage wie in Anspruch 1 oder 2 beanspruch, worin zwei oder mehrere Gasbrenner (21) in jedem Brennerrohr (37) positioniert und relativ zu einander so angeordnet sind, dass sich deren Verbrennungszonen nicht stören.
  4. Eine Anlage wie in einem beliebigen vorhergehenden Anspruch beansprucht, die drei oder mehr Brennerrohre (37) umfasst, worin die Abstände zwischen benachbarten Brennerrohren, an der Stelle wo sie sich mit dem Trägerrohr (7) verbinden, im Wesentlichen gleich sind.
  5. Eine Anlage wie in einem beliebigen vorhergehenden beansprucht, worin der oder jeder Gasbrenner (21) am Ende des (r) Brennerrohrs (e) (37) fern dem Trägerrohr (7) positioniert ist (7).
  6. Eine Anlage wie in einem beliebigen vorhergehenden Anspruch beansprucht, worin das Ende des oder jedes Brennerrohrs (37) ferm dem Trägerrohr (7) geschlossen ist, um das Eindringen von Luft in dieses zu verhindern.
  7. Eine Anlage wie in einem beliebigen vorhergehenden Anspruch beansprucht, die Mittel zum Variieren der Durchflussrate von Trägerluft in das und entlang dem Trägerrohr (7) umfasst.
  8. Eine Anlage wie in einem beliebigen vorhergehenden Anspruch beansprucht, die Wärmetauschermittel umfasst, um Wärme ab den heißen Gasen, die aus dem Trägerrohr (7) ausgestoßen werden, an die Luft, die in das Trägerrohr strömt, und/oder an die dem (n) Gasbrenner(n) (37) zugeführte Luft zu übertragen.
  9. Ein Verfahren für den Gebrauch einer gasgefeuerten Strahlungsrohr-Heizanlage wie in einem beliebigen der Ansprüche 1 bis 8 beansprucht, das das Variieren der dem oder jedem Gasbrenner (21) zugeführten Luft- und/oder Gasmenge umfasst.
  10. Ein Verfahren wie in Anspruch 9 beansprucht, worin zwei oder mehr Gasbrenner (21) in dem oder jedem Brennerrohr (37) positioniert sind, wobei das Verfahren Unterbrechen des Betriebs von einem oder mehreren der Gasbrenner in dem oder jedem Brennerrohr umfasst.
  11. Ein Verfahren wie in einem beliebigen der Ansprüche 9 oder 10 beansprucht, das das Erwärmen der dem (n) Gasbrenner (n) (21) zugeführten Luft umfasst.
EP19970300688 1997-02-04 1997-02-04 Heizgerät mit Strahlungsrohr Expired - Lifetime EP0856706B1 (de)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19970300688 EP0856706B1 (de) 1997-02-04 1997-02-04 Heizgerät mit Strahlungsrohr
DE69728746T DE69728746T2 (de) 1997-02-04 1997-02-04 Heizgerät mit Strahlungsrohr

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19970300688 EP0856706B1 (de) 1997-02-04 1997-02-04 Heizgerät mit Strahlungsrohr

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0856706A1 EP0856706A1 (de) 1998-08-05
EP0856706B1 true EP0856706B1 (de) 2004-04-21

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19970300688 Expired - Lifetime EP0856706B1 (de) 1997-02-04 1997-02-04 Heizgerät mit Strahlungsrohr

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0856706B1 (de)
DE (1) DE69728746T2 (de)

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2162301B (en) * 1984-07-23 1988-02-10 Radiant Systems Techn Ltd Infra-red heating system
US4848315A (en) * 1988-06-03 1989-07-18 Adler Lee J Apparatus for supplying heated air to an air system
GB2236406B (en) * 1989-09-12 1993-08-18 Radiant Systems Technology Ltd Radiant heating systems
DE9103004U1 (de) * 1991-03-15 1991-06-13 Pender Strahlungsheizung GmbH, 6802 Ladenburg Raumheizungseinrichtung

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0856706A1 (de) 1998-08-05
DE69728746T2 (de) 2005-04-28
DE69728746D1 (de) 2004-05-27

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