GB2466035A

GB2466035A - A fan blowing air over a stove body

Info

Publication number: GB2466035A
Application number: GB0821253A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Amor
Original assignee: LIVING FLAME Ltd
Current assignee: LIVING FLAME Ltd
Priority date: 2008-11-21
Filing date: 2008-11-21
Publication date: 2010-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2028-11-21
Also published as: GB0821253D0; GB2466035B

Abstract

A stove 50 has an electric fan 58 blowing air over a face of the stoves body to heat the air. The stove and fan can be in an alcove 53 with cold air drawn in at the bottom and blown up the back of the stove before exiting as warm air 55. Another embodiment (figs 10a, 10b) for a free-standing stove has the fan as part of a detachable shroud. The fan may be of the cross-flow type.

Description

A STOVE ARRANGEMENT

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to heating devices known as stoves or ranges and to devices to aid their efficiency.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Hearths and fireplaces are well known and are typically built at the same time as a house is built. Stoves take the place of such fires and hearths and provide more manageable devices which can produce heat for a room, or indeed, a house. Some stoves including water heaters; some allow saucepans to be placed upon a top surface, still others provide oven enclosures. Stoves are generally fitted after a house has been built, but will, where appropriate, utilise ducting for a chimney that has either been designed for a stove or that has been prepared for a normal fire and hearth arrangement. Indeed, Stoves can be installed in the place of a traditional hearth and fireplace or can be retro-fitted in a room, provided there is sufficient space for the ducting of smoke and other fumes through a chimney.

A typical stove will be manufactured from a cast iron base or will be manufactured from sheet steel whereby to provide a support for logs! coal or gas jets; and enclosure with doors for the placement of logs, coal etc or a window, conveniently removable for maintenance. Airflow into the stove may be controllable whereby to enable a control of heat output to be provided. Figures 1 -4 show four different types of stove; the first and fourth stoves comprising gas stoves. The second and third stoves comprise solid fuel stoves. The fourth stove is of a flueless design; a catalytic converter removes poisonous gases.

As will be appreciated, due to their enclosed design a stove is safer than an open fire in that sparks etc do not come flying out, since there is a door, typically of steel or of glass; the heating effect is due to radiation of heat and convection of heat from air that has been heated by the stove.

Whilst the efficiency of stoves is increasing, by their nature they continue to be inefficient at distributing heat around a room being a metal box usually in a fireplace recess; whilst large rooms can be heated by stoves, large stoves need to be used to provide sufficient heating; sometimes several stoves may be used together. Due to the nature of stoves, they tend to be installed in the corner of a room or within a fireplace or alcove.

Accordingly, the typical positioning of a stove in an enclosed space means that radiated heat will heat masonry surrounding the fire. Figure 5 shows how convected air 51 will rise due to being heated by radiation form the front of the stove 53, provided with flue 55 within alcove 57.

OBJECT TO THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the problems addressed above. The present invention also seeks to provide a more efficient stove arrangement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a stove arrangement, the stove including a front face, a rear face, and a bottom and a cross-flow fan, wherein, the fan draws in air and urges a flow of air about the rear and bottom faces of the stove, whereby to heat the air and assist in the transfer of heat from the stove to the surrounding atmosphere. The air could be drawn in from within the room or from an external supply.

Conveniently, the air will be drawn in from the front, from the room or otherwise connected to an intake ducting, pass under the stove and benefit from heat transfer therewith and heat would be expelled from above and from the rear. Variations in the design can enable heat transfer from the sides of the stove; in certain circumstance, the top could also be utilised as a heat exchanger with respect to the air. It may be appropriate to have the side faces of the stove provided with upstanding elements such as fins to allow greater heat exchange with the air.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a shroud adapted to be fitted around at least one face of a stove and is provided with a fan; the fan being adapted to urge air between the shroud and the stove whereby to assist in heat transfer from the stove to the surrounding atmosphere.

The stove may have a flue or may have a catalytic device to absorb and br convert potentially nauseous products of combustion.

The stove may accept wood, coal, biomass, oil or gas as fuel.

The stove may comprise food preparation elements, such as a ring for a saucepan or oven enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the Figures as shown in the accompanying drawing sheets, wherein: -Figures 1 -4 illustrates four known stoves; Figure 5 illustrates how air will flow about a stove; Figure 5a illustrates a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 & 7 illustrate two variations of the concept in cross-section; Figures 8 and 9 show further uses of the fan; Figures 10, ba and lOb show a freestanding stove with a shroud element in accordance with another aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

There will now be described, by way of example only, the best mode contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the present invention. In the following description, numerous specific details are set out in order to provide a complete understanding to the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that the present invention may be put into practice with variations of the specific.

Referring now to Figure 5a, there is shown a first example of a stove 50 in accordance with the invention; the stove has a front face 51 and is standing on legs 52; the stove is positioned in an alcove 53. A n electric fan 58 is disposed below the bottom face (not shown of the stove and draws in cold air 54 at floor level and forces such cold air about the bottom face of the stove and around the back, whereby to gain heat not only form the conduction with respect to the stove but also conduction from the surrounding walls of the alcove 56 and from being heated by radiation from both the stove and the walls of the alcove, whereby to provide heated air 55, which is forced to flow from the rear of the stove and into the room.

Figure 6 and 7 show how a fan may be placed in two positions below the stove. Conveniently, the fan is a cross-flow fan which can provide a flow of air across the width of the stove; whilst other types of fan could be used such as an axial fan or a centrifugal fan, the cross-flow fan benefits from a narrow diameter, which extends across the width of a stove; no complicated intake ducting to ensure even flow about the under surface, the rear faces and the side faces (when possible) of the stove. In Figure 6, the fan is shown as drawing cool air 61 from the lowest part of the room so that it is under the stove and drives it vertically between the rear of the stove and the back of a fireplace recess. In this embodiment there is a 56mm gap between the rear of the stove and the rear wall of the fireplace recess. In Figure 7, the fan is arranged so that there may be less than 56mm between the stove and the rear wall of the fireplace recess, but a minimum of 56 mm beneath the stove. It will be appreciated that in areas of the join of the floor to the ceiling, it may be beneficial to place smooth plaster infill, whereby to promote flow and, additionally ot reduce noise form the flow of air. Further ducting may be placed about one or more faces of the stove and walls. Indeed, ducting may be arranged about the sides whereby as the air flows form the top, towards the open room, that airflow is induced from the sides.

It has been found in the case of an exemplary stove of dimension 50 x 50 x 40 (width; height; depth), that a 40cm cross-flow fan operating at a nominal rating of 18w arranged alongside the bottom (with feet of a height of 8cm, can induce an inward flow of air amounting to one cubic meter per minute. The airflow rate of the exhaust gas amounts to some two -four times the intake flow, in part due to the temperature increasing by 10000 or more -the temperature rise being dependent upon the flow rate, the temperature of the stove and other variables.

The exemplary fan as discussed above has an electrical consumption of l8watts; the increase in heat output from the stove, however, may be as great as two kilowatts, for the stove and fireplace recess. The exemplary power units operate at 240v, but many types of different voltage rated fans can be provided without departing form the scope of the invention.

Details of the electrical supply are not provided, it is appreciated that one skilled in the art would be able to install a fan with switches and cabling of a rating suitable for high temperature 300°C operation, with a suitable margin for safety. Effectively, the running cost is approximately 1% of the extra heat generated. Since the fan does not affect the rate of combustion, this is believed to represent a remarkable benefit; with cooler walls of the stove, less heat goes up the chimney. It is also envisaged to provide fan assist means to enable air heated in one room to be passed to another room. The same low power fan units could be placed within walls 82 and wall/ceiling members 92 as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

Referring now to Figure 10, there is shown a rear view of a free-standing stove. A shroud 104 in accordance with another aspect of the invention is fitted to the stove 102. This shroud is detachable as shown in Figure ba. Figure lOb shows the inside of the shroud with the fan element 106.

By providing a shroud for known types of free-standing stove, post-installation of shroud elements is possible.

With the increasing cost of gas and fuel oil, in combination with an ever increasing social consciousness directed to conservation and recycling, further attention is being directed to alternate fuel sources such as wood, coal and other solid/semi-solid combustibles or combustible residues. The use of an efficient stove as opposed to the use of a gas heater

Claims

CLAI MS: 1. A stove arrangement, the stove including a front face, a rear face, and a bottom and a cross-flow fan, wherein, the fan draws cool air in and urges a flow of air about the rear and bottom faces of the stove, whereby to heat the air and assist in the transfer of heat from the stove to the surrounding atmosphere.
2. A stove according to claim 1 wherein the there is provided a flue.
3. A stove according to claim 1 wherein the there is provided a catalytic device to absorb and br convert potentially nauseous products of torn bust ion.
4. A stove in accordance with any one of claims 1 -3 wherein one or more of the following fuels can be employed: wood, coal, biom ass or gas.
5. A stove in accordance with any one of claims 1 -4 wherein there is further provided one or more food heating elements
6. A stove in accordance with claim 1 wherein the fan is a cross-flow fan.
7. A shroud adapted to be fitted around at least one face of a stove the shroud being provided with a fan; the fan being adapted to urge air from an intake so that it can flow between the shroud and the stove whereby to assist in heat transfer from the stove to the surrounding atm osphere.