JPH11304115A - Catalytic combustor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a portable catalytic combustor utilizing heat generated through catalytic combustion of liquefied fuel gas in which temperature can be controlled even at low temperature by operating a firing section when the temperature at a combusting section is lower than a specified level thereby refiring the fuel gas to reheat a catalyst. SOLUTION: A fuel regulating section 23 controls fuel gas supply to a combusting section 21 for generating heat through oxidizing reaction of fuel gas and air and fuel gas from the fuel regulating section 23 is fired at a firing section 24 and then the temperature at the combusting section 21 is detected at a temperature detecting section 25. Output signal from the temperature detecting section 25 is inputted to a control section 26 controlling the fuel regulating section 23 and the firing section 24. When the temperature at the combusting section 21 is lower than the combustion temperature of catalyst, the control section 26 operates the firing section 24.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable and convenient catalytic combustion apparatus utilizing catalytic heat of liquefied fuel gas.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of catalytic combustion apparatus has the configuration shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described.

[0003] As shown in the figure, a catalyst 1 is fixed to the inner surface of a case 2 formed of a material having good thermal conductivity. An electric insulator 4 such as a ceramic is provided on the inner surface of the case 2 between the exhaust hole 3 provided in the case 2 and the catalyst 1, and the electric insulator 4 discharges a spark at the time of ignition to ignite the catalyst 1. 5 constitute a catalytic combustion section 6.

[0004] The temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 has a Curie point at which magnetic properties change rapidly, and is formed in a ring shape to form an outer shell 8.
It is fixed to. The magnet 9 is provided on the inner surface of the outer shell 8 so as to face the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 with a predetermined gap 10 interposed therebetween. The magnet 9 attracts the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7. Is fixed. The spring 12 is a magnet 9
Are urged away from the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7.

The valve body 13 is provided with a valve port 14 facing the valve member 11 to form a valve 15 and a valve port 1.
A nozzle 16 for ejecting the vaporized fuel gas toward the catalyst 1 is provided at a position opposite to the side 4.

A temperature control section 17 for controlling the combustion temperature of the catalytic combustion section 6 is constituted by the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7, the outer shell 8, the magnet 9, the valve member 11, the spring 12, the valve body 13, and the like. 2 is press-fitted and fixed to the inner surface at one end. Reference numeral 18 denotes a fuel gas supply port. A hole 19 for taking in air is provided between the catalyst 1 and the nozzle 16.

When the fuel gas is supplied from the fuel gas supply port 18, the fuel gas passes through the center of the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 and passes through the gap between the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 and the magnet 9. After passing through the gap 10 with the outer shell 8, it reaches the valve port 14 and blows out from the nozzle 16. At this time, the air is drawn from the holes 19 by the flow rate of the fuel gas, and becomes a mixture of the fuel gas and the air and is supplied to the catalyst 1.

Then, a spark is generated from the discharge electrode 5 to generate a flame on the discharge electrode 5 side of the catalyst 1. The generated flame heats the catalyst 1 and starts the catalytic combustion. When the catalyst 1 starts catalytic combustion, only the exhaust gas comes to the flame, and the flame naturally disappears. The case 2 is heated by the catalytic combustion, and the heat also heats the outer shell 8.

When the outer shell 8 is heated, the outer shell 8 is heated.
When the temperature of the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 reaches the Curie point determined by the composition, the magnet 9 cannot be attracted to the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 and is separated from the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 by the spring 12. , Valve member 11
Moves to the valve body 13 side to close the valve port 14. As a result, the fuel gas is no longer supplied to the catalyst 1, and the temperature decreases.

When the temperature of the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 decreases, the magnet 9 attracts the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 again, opens the valve port 14 and supplies fuel gas. When the fuel gas is supplied, unless the temperature of the catalyst 1 is lower than the temperature at which the catalytic combustion continues, the catalytic combustion starts again when the fuel gas is supplied. By repeating this operation, the temperature of case 2 can be kept constant.

[0011]

In such a conventional configuration, in order to continue the catalytic combustion, after the fuel gas is no longer supplied to the catalyst 1, the catalyst 1 is re-supplied when the fuel gas is supplied again. It is an essential requirement that the temperature does not become lower than the temperature at which catalytic combustion continues, and in order to satisfy this requirement, the Curie point of the temperature-sensitive ferrite 7 needs to be set high, and the set temperature for temperature control is set low. I couldn't do that.

Therefore, when the temperature is controlled at a low temperature, after the fuel gas is no longer supplied to the catalyst 1, the temperature of the catalyst 1 when the fuel gas is supplied again becomes lower than the temperature at which the catalytic combustion is continued. Therefore, the user must operate a switch (not shown) each time to discharge a spark from the discharge electrode 5 to generate a flame on the discharge electrode 5 side of the catalyst 1, which deteriorates usability. There was a problem.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. When the temperature of the combustion section is lower than a predetermined temperature, the ignition section is operated to re-ignite and heat the catalyst again, so that the catalyst is heated even at a low temperature. The purpose is to be able to control the temperature.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention controls the supply of fuel gas to a combustion unit that generates heat by oxidizing a fuel gas and air by a fuel control unit. The ignition section ignites the fuel gas from the fuel adjustment section, and the temperature of the combustion section is detected by the temperature detection section. An output signal of the temperature detection unit is input to the control unit to control the fuel adjustment unit and the ignition unit, and the control unit operates the ignition unit when the temperature of the combustion unit is lower than the temperature at which catalytic combustion is performed. The configuration is as follows.

Thus, when the temperature of the combustion section is lower than the predetermined temperature, the ignition section is operated to re-ignite and reheat the catalyst, whereby the temperature can be controlled even at a low temperature.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is directed to a combustion section for generating heat by oxidizing a fuel gas and air, a temperature detection section for detecting a temperature of the combustion section, A fuel adjustment unit that controls supply of fuel gas to the combustion unit;
An ignition unit that ignites the fuel gas from the fuel adjustment unit, a control unit that receives an output signal of the temperature detection unit and controls the fuel adjustment unit and the ignition unit, the fuel adjustment unit, the ignition unit, A power supply unit that supplies power to the temperature detection unit, wherein the control unit is configured to operate the ignition unit when the temperature of the combustion unit is lower than the temperature at which catalytic combustion is performed. When the temperature of the combustion portion is lower than the temperature at which catalytic combustion takes place, the ignition portion is operated to re-ignite and the catalyst is heated again, so that the temperature can be controlled even at a low temperature.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit is configured to stop the operation of the ignition unit when detecting a rise in the temperature of the combustion unit. The power consumption of the device can be suppressed and the use time of the device can be prolonged.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control section operates the ignition section for a predetermined time, and operates the ignition section again when the temperature rise of the combustion section is not detected. With this configuration, the power consumption of the power supply unit can be suppressed, the operating time of the device can be extended, and the ignition operation can be reliably performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or the second aspect of the present invention, when the control section does not detect a temperature rise of the combustion section even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation of the ignition section, The ignition section is operated after the fuel adjustment section is once turned off and then turned on again.When the fuel adjustment section is not normally turned on and off due to a catch of the fuel adjustment section, a series of operations are performed. The normal state can be returned by changing the on / off state.

[0020] The invention described in claim 5 provides the above-mentioned claims 1 to
5. The power supply unit according to claim 4, further comprising a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage of the power supply unit, wherein the control unit is configured to change an operation time of the ignition unit according to the voltage of the power supply unit. And the operating time of the device can be prolonged.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first aspect of the present invention,
In the invention described in (3) or (4), the control unit includes at least one
The ignition unit is configured to operate for a time necessary for performing multiple discharges, so that the power consumption of the power supply unit can be suppressed and the use time of the device can be extended.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing a main configuration of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram in which a catalytic combustion device is mounted on clothes or the like and utilizes heat generated by catalytic combustion. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Uses a combustion catalyst (not shown) to oxidize a mixed gas of fuel gas and air sent from the fuel tank 22 to generate heat. The fuel adjustment unit 23 is configured by an electromagnetic valve or the like, and supplies or shuts off fuel gas from the fuel tank 22 to the combustion unit 21. The ignition section 24 is for generating a spark by high-voltage discharge and igniting the fuel gas.

The operation of the ignition section 24 becomes unnecessary when a flame is generated by igniting the fuel gas. The generated flame heats the combustion catalyst and thereafter shifts to catalytic combustion. Upon transition to catalytic combustion, the gas flowing into the ignition section 24 becomes exhaust gas, and the flame goes out. The temperature detection unit 25 detects the temperature of the combustion unit 21 and inputs the detection output to the control unit 26. The temperature setting section 27 sets a desired temperature control level among a plurality of temperature control levels previously provided to the control section 26.

The control unit 26 compares the output of the temperature detection unit 25 with the temperature control level set by the temperature setting unit 27,
The comparison output is output to the fuel control unit 23, and the temperature of the combustion unit 21 is controlled at a desired temperature. The power supply unit 28 uses a battery or the like, and operates the control unit 26, the ignition unit 24, the fuel adjustment unit 23, the temperature detection unit 25, and the temperature setting unit 27.

The heating sheet 29 is made of a heat conductive material such as a metal foil, a metal mesh, and a heat conductive fiber having good heat conductivity, and fixes the combustion section 21 to be heated by the combustion section 21.

The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. When controlling the average temperature of the combustion unit 21 at T1, the temperature setting unit 27 sets a predetermined temperature T2 for turning off the fuel adjustment unit 23 and a predetermined temperature T3 for turning on the fuel adjustment unit 23. The control unit 26 operates the ignition unit 24 to ignite the fuel gas while the temperature is lower than the temperature T0 at which the process shifts to catalytic combustion.

As a result, when the flame is generated, the generated flame heats the combustion catalyst and the combustion section 21 and the combustion section 21
When the temperature becomes equal to or higher than T0, the combustion shifts to catalytic combustion, and the rate of temperature rise increases.

When the temperature of the combustion section 21 reaches a predetermined temperature T2, the control section 26 turns off the fuel adjustment section 23 and stops the supply of the fuel gas from the fuel tank 22. afterwards,
The temperature of the combustion section 21 gradually decreases, and when the temperature falls below the temperature T0, catalytic combustion stops. Then, the control unit 26 controls the combustion unit 21
When the temperature becomes lower than the predetermined temperature T3, the fuel control unit 23 is turned on to supply the fuel gas from the fuel tank 22, and the ignition unit 24 is operated again to ignite the fuel gas to generate a flame, The temperature of the combustion unit 21 is increased.

By repeating these series of operations, the average temperature of the combustion section 21 can be controlled at T1. Therefore, by lowering the predetermined temperature T3 at which the fuel control section 23 is turned on, the temperature can be further reduced. Temperature control can be performed.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined temperature T3 for turning on the fuel adjusting section 23 is set lower than the temperature T0 for shifting to catalytic combustion, but a plurality of temperatures can be set by the temperature setting section 27. When the temperature is set to a high temperature, the predetermined temperature T3 may be set higher than the temperature T0. In this case, when the temperature of the combustion section 21 becomes higher than the predetermined temperature T0 and the fuel gas is supplied, the ignition section 24 need not be operated.

(Embodiment 2) The control unit 26 in FIG.
When the temperature rise of the combustion unit 21 (change in temperature per unit time t) is detected, the operation of the ignition unit 24 is stopped. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. When the temperature of the combustion unit 21 reaches the predetermined temperature T2, the control unit 26 turns off the fuel adjustment unit 23 to stop the supply of the fuel gas from the fuel tank 22, and when the temperature becomes lower than the predetermined temperature T3, the fuel adjustment is performed. The fuel gas is supplied from the fuel tank 22 by turning on the part 23, and the ignition part 24 is operated again to ignite the fuel gas to generate a flame and raise the temperature of the combustion part 21.

Here, when the temperature rise of the combustion section 21 is detected, the operation of the ignition section 24 is stopped, so that the power consumption of the power supply section 28 can be suppressed, and the use time of the equipment can be extended.

In this embodiment, when detecting a temperature rise in the combustion section 21, a change in temperature per unit time t is detected. However, a predetermined temperature difference is detected regardless of time. Thus, a rise in the temperature of the combustion unit 21 may be detected.

(Embodiment 3) The control unit 26 in FIG.
The ignition unit 24 is operated for a predetermined time t1, and when the temperature rise of the combustion unit 21 is not detected, the ignition unit 24 is operated again. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. When the temperature of the combustion unit 21 reaches the predetermined temperature T2, the fuel control unit 23 is turned off to stop the supply of the fuel gas from the fuel tank 22, and when the temperature becomes lower than the predetermined temperature T3, the fuel control unit 23 is turned on. To supply the fuel gas from the fuel tank 22 and set the ignition portion 24 for a predetermined time t1.
Make it work.

After the ignition section 24 is operated, the temperature of the combustion section 21 is detected by the temperature detection section 25 after a lapse of time t2,
If there is no temperature rise during the time t2, it is determined that the ignition has failed, and the ignition unit 24 is operated again for the predetermined time t1. Then, after a lapse of time t2, the temperature of the combustion unit 21 is detected by the temperature detection unit 25, and the temperature rise ΔT during the time t2.
If there is, it is determined that ignition has been completed, and the ignition operation ends.
If there is no temperature rise during time t2, the same operation is repeated.

As described above, since the ignition section 24 is operated for the predetermined time t1, the power consumption of the power supply section 28 can be suppressed to extend the use time of the apparatus, and when there is no temperature rise during the time t2. Since the ignition unit 24 is operated again, the ignition operation can be reliably performed.

(Embodiment 4) The control unit 26 in FIG.
When the temperature rise of the combustion unit 21 is not detected even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation of the ignition unit 24, the fuel adjustment unit 23 is turned off once, turned on again, and then the ignition unit 24 is operated. . Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. When the temperature of the combustion unit 21 reaches the predetermined temperature T2, the fuel control unit 23 is turned off to stop the supply of the fuel gas from the fuel tank 22, and when the temperature becomes lower than the predetermined temperature T3, the fuel control unit 23 is turned on. Then, the fuel gas is supplied from the fuel tank 22 and the ignition unit 24 is operated again.

Here, the ignition unit 24 is operated for a predetermined time t1 second, and when the temperature rise of the combustion unit 21 cannot be detected even after the predetermined time t3 seconds have elapsed, the fuel control unit 23 is turned off and turned on and off. Turn on again after repeating
By operating 4, when it is not possible to normally turn on / off due to the catch of the fuel adjustment unit 23 or the like, a series of operations can be performed to change the on / off state and return to a normal state.

In the present embodiment, when the temperature rise of the combustion section 21 cannot be detected, the fuel control section 23 is turned off, and is repeatedly turned on and off and then turned on again.
There is no need to repeat the turning off.

(Embodiment 5) As shown in FIG. 7, the voltage detecting section 30 detects the voltage of the power supply section 28, and the control section 31 uses the voltage of the power supply section 28 as shown in (Table 1). Thus, the time for operating the ignition unit 24 is changed. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0046]

[Table 1]

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In the ignition section 24, when the voltage of the power supply section 28 decreases, the interval at which sparks occur becomes longer. For this reason, as shown in Table 1, the time t for operating the ignition unit 24 in accordance with the voltage of the power supply unit 28 is calculated.
By changing 1, the power consumption of the power supply unit 28 can be further suppressed, and the use time of the device can be prolonged.

It is to be noted that the operation time t1 of the ignition unit 24 is set to the minimum time necessary for igniting the fuel gas without providing the voltage detection unit 30 (for example, even if the voltage of the power supply unit 28 decreases, the spark is minimized). One time to generate, specifically 0.2
Second) If the ignition unit 24 is operated, the power consumption of the power supply unit 28 can be reduced by not operating the voltage detection unit 30.

[0049]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a combustion section that generates heat by oxidizing a fuel gas and air, and a temperature detection section that detects the temperature of the combustion section Unit, a fuel adjustment unit that controls the supply of fuel gas to the combustion unit, an ignition unit that ignites the fuel gas from the fuel adjustment unit, and an output signal of the temperature detection unit that inputs the fuel adjustment unit. A control unit that controls the ignition unit; and a power supply unit that supplies power to the fuel adjustment unit, the ignition unit, the control unit, and the temperature detection unit. When the temperature is lower than the combustion temperature, the ignition unit is configured to operate.When the temperature of the combustion unit is lower than the temperature at which the catalytic combustion is performed, the ignition unit is operated to re-ignite,
By heating the catalyst again, the temperature can be controlled even at a low temperature.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the control unit is configured to stop the operation of the ignition unit when detecting a rise in the temperature of the combustion unit. Use time can be extended.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the control unit is configured to operate the ignition unit for a predetermined time and to operate the ignition unit again when the temperature rise of the combustion unit is not detected. The power consumption of the unit can be suppressed, the use time of the device can be extended, and the ignition operation can be reliably performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the control section does not detect a rise in the temperature of the combustion section even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation of the ignition section, the control section temporarily turns off the fuel control section. Since the ignition unit is configured to operate after turning on again, when the fuel adjustment unit is not normally turned on and off due to catching, etc., by performing a series of operations to change the on / off state. It can be returned to a normal state.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a voltage detecting section for detecting the voltage of the power supply section, and the control section is configured to change the operation time of the ignition section according to the voltage of the power supply section. Therefore, the power consumption of the power supply unit can be further suppressed and the use time of the device can be prolonged.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the control unit is configured to operate the ignition unit for a time necessary for discharging at least once, so that the power consumption of the power supply unit is suppressed and the control unit operates. Use time can be extended.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a catalytic combustion device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the catalytic combustion device.

FIG. 3 is an operation timing chart of an ignition section of the catalytic combustion device.

FIG. 4 is an operation timing chart of an ignition section of a catalytic combustion device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an operation timing chart of an ignition section of a catalytic combustion device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an operation timing chart of an ignition section and a fuel adjustment section of a catalytic combustion device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of a catalytic combustion device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part of a combustion part of a conventional catalytic combustion device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 21 Combustion unit 23 Fuel adjustment unit 24 Ignition unit 25 Temperature detection unit 26 Control unit 28 Power supply unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kiyoshinobu Yoshida 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A combustion unit that generates heat by oxidizing a fuel gas and air to generate heat, a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the combustion unit, and a fuel adjustment unit that controls supply of the fuel gas to the combustion unit. An ignition unit that ignites the fuel gas from the fuel adjustment unit, a control unit that receives an output signal of the temperature detection unit and controls the fuel adjustment unit and the ignition unit, the fuel adjustment unit, and the ignition unit And a power supply unit for supplying power to the control unit and the temperature detection unit, wherein the control unit is configured to operate the ignition unit when a temperature of the combustion unit is lower than a temperature at which catalytic combustion is performed. Combustion equipment. 2. The catalytic combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops the operation of the ignition unit when detecting a rise in the temperature of the combustion unit. 3. The control unit operates the ignition unit for a predetermined time,
The catalytic combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the ignition unit is operated again when the temperature rise of the combustion unit is not detected. 4. When the ignition unit operates and does not detect a rise in temperature of the combustion unit even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit turns off the fuel control unit once, turns it on again, and then operates the ignition unit. 3. The catalytic combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the catalytic combustion device is configured as described above. 5. The power supply unit according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage of the power supply unit, wherein the control unit changes an operation time of the ignition unit according to the voltage of the power supply unit.
Item 15. The catalytic combustion device according to Item 1. 6. The catalytic combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit operates the ignition unit for a time necessary to discharge at least once.