GB2074719A - Radiants for gas fires - Google Patents

Abstract

A radiant for a gas fire comprises a vertical back face and a sloping front face defining an upwardly converging passageway. The front face is formed at its lowest part as simulated firebars (30) with apertures between them and at its upper part as an openwork coal or coke fuel simulation (31). The back wall is formed at its top end as a fuel simulation (32). An exhaust gas opening (33) is between the fuel simulations (31) and (32). Apertures (34) allow the glowing surface of the back wall to be seen, and allow radiant heat to pass when a gas burner is directed up into the passageway. This arrangement provides a compact fuel simulation having greater vertical extent than depth. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Radiants for gas fires This invention relates to radiants of the kind which are heated by burning gas to radiate heat from a gas fire.

The invention provides a radiant having a front wall and a back wall defining therebetween a passageway for burning gas and exhaust gas to pass through while heating the radiant, those surfaces of the radiant which in use are visible from the front being shaped to simulate a solid fuel-burning fire and the front wall of the radiant having apertures.

In use the internal surfaces of the passageway glow with heat and, being glimpsed through the apertures, enhance the simulation of a real solid fuel-burning fire.

The simulation may include grate simulating members, e.g. firebars which appear to support burning solid fuel.

Said front wall may provide said simulation, the apertures being between simulations of pieces of burning fuel and/or between simulatons of firebars. The front wall may slope back from the vertical at angles between 0"-30", the back wall being vertical in use.

Said back wall may extend higher than the front wall, the portion thereof which is higher than the front wall having or supporting a simulation of burning solid fuel. The radiant may have further fuel simulation pieces lying on its upper surface, effectively forming part of the radiant.

The radiant may have an outlet opening for exhaust gases which extends between fuel simulation pieces.

The fuel simulation may be coke or coal or logs.

The invention also extends to a gas fire including one or more radiants as set forth above, arranged so that said passageway is substantially vertical and located above a vertically directed aerated gas burner. Preferably said gas fire includes a heat exchanger for convection air. The fuel simulation preferably lies wholly or with a major part thereof in front of the vertical plane of the back walls of the passageway.

Specific embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side section through a first embodiment of radiant, Figure 2 is a side section through a second embodiment of radiant, Figure 3 is a side section through a third embodiment of radiant, Figure 4 is a front view of the radiant of Fig. 3, Figure 5 is a side section through a gas fire including another embodiment of radiant, and Figure 6 is a side section through another gas fire including another embodiment of radiant.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a radiant 11 is formed from a fired moulding of ceramic material in a hollow generally rectangular shape with open top and bottom so that a generally vertical open passageway 1 2 is formed. The front wall 1 3 of the radiant slopes back from the vertical at a small angle, about 5 , while the back wall 14 is substantially vertical so that the passageway 1 2 converges towards its upper end. The moulding of the front face of the front wall 1 3 is such as to present an apertured simulation of an array of burning coal, coke or logs with openings 1 5 communicating with the passageway 1 2. The rear face of the front wall is formed with a series of protrusions 1 6.

The back wall 14 is plane on its vertical rear face but has protrusions 1 7 on its front face.

In use, the radiant 11 is located near the front of a gas fire directly above one or more vertically disposed burners 36 directing flame and exhaust gases up into the passageway 12, the exhaust gases leaving the upper end of the passageway to enter either a heat exchanger system or an exhaust pipe as shown by the arrows.

The hot flame and gases heat the radiant so that it becomes hot and radiates heat into a space to be heated. The protrusions 1 7 and the interior of the radiant may be heated to a red glowing condition. When viewed from the front in use, the radiant presents a simulation of a fire with solid fuel seen against a background of glowing red visible through the openings 15.

The fuel may be made more realistic by being coloured as appropriate to the fuel chosen to be simulated.

In order for the radiant to be easily located in a gas fire it is formed with location lips 1 8.

The radiant may be moulded in one piece, or alternatively in two pieces which are fitted together.

It will be appreciated that a simulation of a solid fuel-burning fire may include simulated firegrate bars, as well as the coal, coke or logs.

The embodiment of Fig. 2 is generally similar to that of Fig. 1 in that it provides a hollow rectangular radiant with a passageway 12' for hot exhaust gases. In this embodiment, however, the simulation is of a grate having firebars with hot coals above and behind. The front wall 20 of the radiant slopes back at about 3" to the vertical and is shorter than the back wall 21. It comprises horizontal bars 22 coloured black to look like the firegrate bars of a solid fuel fire. The rear surfaces of the bars have protrusions into the hot gas passageway 12'. The back wall has protrusions into the passageway 12' on its front face up to the level of the front wall. The portion of the back wall which extends above the front wall has its front face moulded with a simulation 23 of burning fuel.The end walls of the radiant extend upwards from the front and back walls to define a rear exhaust opening 24 above the back wall and sloping top faces 25. The area in front of the fuel simulations 23 may have further burning fuel simulations (not shown), for instance loose ceramic pieces of simulated coal or coke, with sufficient gaps between them to allow the exhaust gases to flow out of the opening 24.

The embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4 is similar to that of Fig. 2, but has its front wall formed at its lower part with simulated spaced firebars 30 and its upper part moulded as an openwork coal or coke fuel simulation 31.

The front wall slopes back from the vertical by about 10 . The back wall is somewhat taller than the front wall and has its top end formed with a fuel simulation 21. An exhaust gas opening 33 is between the fuel simulations 31 and 32. Apertures 34 allow the glowing surface of the back wall to be seen through the fuel simulations 31 and firebars 30 and allow radiant heat to pass.

As viewed from the front, both the embodiments of Fig. 2 and Figs. 3 and 4 will in use appear like firegrates having horizontal bars with coals within the grate and heaped above the grate to an extent which is greater in the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4. The glimpses of the red glowing interior of the radiants seen through the apertures in the front wall make the simulation more realistic.

Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of a gas fire incorporating a radiant 40 in which both the vertical back face 41 and the front face 45 are formed with ceramic simulations of logs, the front face sloping back along an irregular line at about 30 so that the vertical internal passageway 42 converges towards the top.

Openings are formed between the logs of the front face and also at the top to provide an exhaust opening 43. A vertically directed gas burner provides an aerated flame 44 which heats the radiant.

A glass panel 46 closes the upper part of the fire only, while a fire guard 47 protects the lower part.

A double pass heat exchanger 48 receives hot exhaust gases from the fire and passes them in heat exchange with convection air which enters the space to be heated through upper passages 49.

A second burner or series of burners 50 provides a non-aerated flickering flame 51 at a position near the top of the radiant 40 so that the flame is visible over the top of the radiant and through the openings in the radiant and contributes to a very realistic burning fuel effect.

Beneath the radiant 40 the fire has a glass fronted illuminated area 53 which has a grill 54, giving the effect of a continuation of the fuel effect. The illumination is given by a pair of red or orange bulbs 56, one each side of the fire, which gives a warm glow to the illuminated area 53.

The radiant 40 here is formed from a one piece back face and a number of log simulating ceramic pieces which are piled on top of one another to form the front face 45.

In use, the radiant is heated mainly by the aerated flame 44 and radiates heat both from the front face and from the back face through the openings between the simulation logs of the front face. Heat from the exhaust gases.is extracted in the heat exchanger and supplied to the space to be heated through passages 49. The glass panel 46 helps to control thg air supply and so maintains the efficiency of the fire.

The fire shown in Fig. 6 uses a radiant 60 fairly similar to that shown in Fig. 2, except that both front face 61 and back face 62 are vertical, the internal passageway 63 not converging as in the previous embodiments. The front face is formed of ceramic material simulating spaced black firebars and the solid back face has irregular protrusions simulating burning fuel. The upper part of the radiant comprises loose pieces of ceramic 65 simulating logs which are heaped above the ''firebars'' and the rear face. An aerated flame 66 is vertically directed within the passageway 63.

A non-aerated burner 67 is located near the top of the back face 62 to produce a flickering flame playing through the "logs" 65.

A short glass panel 68 partially closes the front of the fire and a fireguard 69 covers the whole of the front. A double pass heat exchanger 70 receives exhaust gases emerging from the openings between the ceramic "logs" 65 to heat convection air passing into the space to be heated through openings 71.

In use, the fire viewed from the front gives a realistic simulation of a fire grate supporting logs heaped above it. The interior projections of the radiant are heated to a red glowing condition and are seen through the "firebars" of the front face, while the non-aerated flame flickers through the "logs". The relatively large openings between the "firebars" allow a good proportion of heat to be radiated directly from the hot centre of the radiant, which therefore operates with an efficiency comparable to that of a conventional radiant.

In all of the embodiments above, the inte.

gration of the fuel simulation into a substantially vertical radiant allows a realistic fire simulation to be made without substantially increasing the front to back depth of the fire.

This simplifies fitting the gas fires into standard hearths. In the embodiments shown, for instance, ratios of height to depth of the fuel simulating radiants vary between 4:1 and 2:1, in every case the height being considerably greater than the depth. No further fuel simulation other than that provided by these radiants is required.

Claims (14)

1. A radiant for a gas fire, having a front wall and a back wall defining therebetween a passageway for burning gas and exhaust gas to pass through while heating the radiant, those surfaces of the radiant which in use are visible from the front being shaped to form a simulation of a solid fuel-burning fire and the front wall of the radiant having apertures.

2. A radiant as claimed in claim 1, wherein said simulation includes both a simu lation of grate members and of solid fuel.

3. A radiant as claimed in claim 2, ,wherein said front wall is or includes simula tions of firebars, said apertures being between the firebars.

4. A radiant as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, adapted in use to be located so that the back wall is substantially vertical and the front wall slopes toward the back wall at an angle between 3" and 10 so that the internal passageway converges towards the top of the radiant, where one or more exhaust openings are formed.

5. A radiant as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, formed from an integral hollow mould ing and having location members formed thereon.

6. A radiant as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 formed from a number of separable members.

7. A radiant as claimed in claim 6, com prising a single member forming the back wall and the front wall and a number of loose fuel simulating members piled on top with an exhaust opening or openings between said loose members.

8. A radiant as claimed in claim 6, com prising a single member forming the back wall and a number of loose coal or log simulating members piled up to form the front wall.

9. A radiant as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 having protrusions formed on the surface of the passageway.

10. A radiant as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, wherein said back wall extends higher than the front wall, the portion thereof which is higher than the front wall having or sup porting a simulation of solid fuel.

11. A radiant as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ratio of height to depth is .between 4:1 and 2:1, the height being greater than the depth.

1 2. A gas fire incorporating one or more radiants as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, having one or more aerated gas burners lo cated to direct a flame vertically upward through said passageway between said front and back walls.

13. A gas fire as claimed in claim 12, in which the simulation lies wholly or with a major part thereof in front of the vertical plane of the back wall of the passageway.

14. A gas fire as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, incorporating a heat exchanger and passages for convection air passing being said radiant or radiants.

1 5. A gas fire as claimed in any of claims 1 2 to 14, having a glass panel across its front face.

1 6. A gas fire as claimed in any of claims 1 2 to 15, having an illuminated area beneath the radiant or radiants, which area constitutes a continuation of the fuel simulation.

1 7. A gas fire substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to Fig. 5 or to Fig.

6 of the accompanying drawings.

1 8. A radiant for a gas fire substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to Fig.

1 or Fig. 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 or Fig. 5 or Fig.

6 of the accompanying drawings.