TWI783858B - Combustion system and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A combustion system uses at least 90 wt% propylene glycol based liquid fuel and includes a first fuel tank, a second fuel tank, a pipeline, and a driving unit. The first fuel tank accommodates the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and is inserted with a metal wick. A sensing unit is disposed in the first fuel tank, and the sensing unit is configured to receive an activation signal and to sense the liquid level of the propylene glycol based liquid fuel, according to which a fuel replenishing signal is issued. The second fuel tank accommodates the propylene glycol based liquid fuel. The pipeline communicates the first fuel tank and the second fuel tank. The driving unit is disposed on the pipeline, and the driving unit is configured to receive the fuel replenishing signal, so as to replenish the propylene glycol based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank to the first fuel tank via the pipeline to cooling the metal wick.

Description

Combustion system and method of operation thereof

The invention relates to a combustion system and its operating method.

Today's combustion devices, such as fireplaces for ambience, are mostly fueled with ethanol-based fuel, which is a highly flammable liquid that can cause risks such as explosion or scalding during filling, especially if the fireplace is completely extinguished Or the risk of refilling fuel before cooling down sufficiently is particularly high. Another risk occurs when the fireplace is accidentally toppled over. Ethanol-based fuel will allow the fire to spread quickly. Although isopropanol is also often used as a fuel, it still has similar disadvantages as ethanol-based fuels.

It has now been found that the use of propylene glycol based fuels can overcome the above problems. Propylene glycol-based fuels contain at least 60 wt% propylene glycol and have a flash point at least above 50°C, and can even be as high as 104°C depending on the blending ratio. So propylene glycol-based fuel is actually a non-flammable but combustible liquid fuel. "Non-flammable" means that it will not catch fire when it comes into contact with a flame (such as a match) at room temperature, and "flammable" means that it can burn under the right conditions. Also, when propylene glycol-based fuel burns, it will extinguish when poured on a surface at the same ambient temperature, preventing the fire from spreading.

A wick for ignition is essential for the fuel, through which the aforementioned fuel is transported by capillary effect. The wick may for example be made of fiberglass, ceramic fiber material, silicate fiber material or rock wool, or a polymeric material such as aramid fiber, cotton or porous material such as pumice, or other wicking materials known in the art . Among them, compared with wicks made of other materials, the metal wick does not produce carbonization and wear when burning, and is more suitable for completely burning the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel. However, metal wicks have the problem of overheating affecting the size of the flame and heat transfer from the flame end to the fuel due to the good thermal conductivity of the metal.

Also, when the flame goes out, the wick and fuel are still hot, which means the fuel is evaporating, creating exhaust with toxic chemicals. Although propylene glycol-based fuel is a fuel with low smoke toxicity, even the smallest amount of toxic chemicals raises concerns about the fuel being harmful to human health, so solutions are still needed, as the combustion unit needs to be able to operate in the presence of children and pregnant women. used in the environment.

The object of the present invention is to provide a combustion system and its operation method, which can automatically replenish fuel and effectively extinguish flames and achieve the effects of cooling and extracting exhaust gas.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the combustion system of the present invention uses at least 90 wt% propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and includes a first fuel tank, a second fuel tank, pipelines and a driving unit. The first fuel tank accommodates propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and is inserted with a metal wick capable of transporting propylene glycol-based liquid fuel. A sensing unit is arranged in the first fuel tank, and the sensing unit is configured to receive an activation signal and sense the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank, so as to send out a fuel replenishment signal. The second fuel tank is for holding a propylene glycol based liquid fuel. The pipeline communicates with the first fuel tank and the second fuel tank. The drive unit is arranged on the pipeline, and the drive unit is configured to receive a fuel replenishment signal , so as to replenish the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank to the first fuel tank through the pipeline, and through the pipeline from the second fuel tank Propylene glycol-based liquid fuel cools the metal wick.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the drive unit is configured to receive a closing signal , so as to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank to the second fuel tank through the pipeline.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the drive unit is configured to receive the closing signal and continue to operate for a predetermined time after pumping the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank to the second fuel tank.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the volume of the first fuel tank is smaller than the volume of the second fuel tank.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the volume of the second fuel tank is at least ten times the volume of the first fuel tank.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel contains 95 wt% propylene glycol.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the pipeline includes a first pipe section connected between the first fuel tank and the driving unit and a second pipe section connected between the driving unit and the second fuel tank.

In an embodiment of the invention, the driving unit includes a motor.

In addition, the operating method of the combustion system of the present invention, the combustion system uses at least 90 wt% propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and includes a first fuel tank, a second fuel tank, pipelines and a driving unit. The first fuel tank accommodates propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and is inserted with a metal wick capable of transporting propylene glycol-based liquid fuel. A sensing unit is arranged in the first fuel tank. The second fuel tank is for holding a propylene glycol based liquid fuel. The pipeline communicates with the first fuel tank and the second fuel tank. The driving unit is arranged on the pipeline. The operation method of the combustion system includes the following steps: the sensing unit receives the start signal and senses the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank, and sends out a fuel replenishment signal accordingly; the drive unit receives the fuel replenishment signal , and according to the The propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank is replenished to the first fuel tank, and the metal wick is cooled by the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel from the second fuel tank.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the following steps are further included: the driving unit further receives the closing signal , so as to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank to the second fuel tank through the pipeline; the driving unit receives the closing signal and After the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank is pumped to the second fuel tank, it still continues to operate for a predetermined time, so that the drive unit is delayed to close to extract exhaust gas.

Based on the above, the combustion system and its operating method provided by the embodiments of the present invention are configured by the drive unit to receive the oil replenishment signal from the sensing unit , so as to transfer the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank through the pipeline to Replenish to the first fuel tank to achieve the effect of automatic refueling. In addition, the drive unit is configured to receive a closing signal, so as to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank to the second fuel tank through the pipeline, so as to effectively extinguish the flame and achieve the effect of cooling. Further, the drive unit is configured to receive the closing signal and continue to operate for a predetermined time after pumping the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank to the second fuel tank, thereby extracting exhaust gas.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail together with the accompanying drawings.

Some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the referenced symbol numbers in the following description, when the same symbol symbols appear in different drawings, they will be regarded as the same or similar elements. These embodiments are only a part of the present invention, and do not reveal all possible implementation modes of the present invention. Rather, these embodiments are only examples of combustion systems within the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , which are schematic appearance diagrams and partial cross-sectional diagrams of an embodiment of the combustion system of the present invention. The combustion system shown in this embodiment uses at least 90 wt% propylene glycol-based liquid fuel, and the combustion system includes a first fuel tank 10 , a second fuel tank 20 , a pipeline 30 and a driving unit 40 . The first fuel tank 10 is for containing propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and is inserted with a metal wick 11 capable of transporting propylene glycol-based liquid fuel. A sensing unit 12 is arranged in the first fuel tank 10, and the sensing unit 12 is configured to receive an activation signal and sense the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10, so as to send a replenishment signal . The second fuel tank 20 accommodates propylene glycol-based liquid fuel. The pipeline 30 communicates with the first fuel tank 10 and the second fuel tank 20 . The driving unit 40 is arranged on the pipeline 30, and the driving unit 40 is configured to receive a fuel replenishment signal , so as to supplement the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank 20 to the first fuel tank 10 through the pipeline 30, thereby This achieves the effect of automatically refueling and cooling the metal wick 11 through the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel from the second fuel tank 20 .

Further, before the metal wick 11 is ignited, the sensing unit 12 can pre-sense the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10, and if the liquid level is low, send a fuel replenishment signal to the drive unit 40, The driving unit 40 replenishes the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank 20 to the first fuel tank 10 through the pipeline 30 to reach a high liquid level; otherwise, if the liquid level is high, the user can light the metal wick 11 . When the metal wick 11 is ignited and starts to transmit the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to cause a flame at its flame end, once the sensing unit 12 senses that the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 is consumed to When the liquid level is low, a fuel replenishment signal is sent to the driving unit 40, so that the driving unit 40 replenishes the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank 20 to the first fuel tank 10 through the pipeline 30, and the fuel from the second fuel tank 20 The propylene glycol-based liquid fuel can not only supply fuel to maintain the flame, but also cool the metal wick 11 currently being heated by the flame, so as to achieve the effect of automatically replenishing fuel and cooling the metal wick 11, and at the same time prevent the metal wick 11 from being overheated. type. The above-mentioned effects are especially based on the fact that the propylene glycol-based fuel has a high flash point characteristic, and the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel from the second fuel tank 20 is used to cool the flame-heated metal wick 11 and stabilize the flame scale and shape. Ethanol or isopropanol-based fuels cannot be used in this way, because of their extremely low flash point, they will be ignited as soon as they touch the metal wick 11 heated by the flame, and cannot be used to cool the metal wick 11 at all.

In addition, the driving unit 40 is configured to receive a closing signal , so as to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to the second fuel tank 20 through the pipeline 30 . Therefore, when the metal wick 11 is in the ignited state, once the drive unit 40 receives the closing signal, it will start to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to the second fuel tank 20 until the liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 The propylene glycol-based liquid reaches a low liquid level so that the metal wick 11 cannot produce a flame, or the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 is completely pumped to the second fuel tank 20, so that the flame at the flame end of the metal wick 11 is extinguished. Since the metal wick 11 conducts heat from the flame end to the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 when it is lit, it can also be cooled by pumping it to the second fuel tank 20, preferably to the environment. Temperature, which is also the characteristic of using the high flash point of the propylene glycol-based fuel, using the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank 20 to lower the temperature of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel from the first fuel tank 10 .

Further, the driving unit 40 is configured to receive the closing signal and pump the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to a height that cannot be transmitted by the metal wick 11 to generate a flame, or the first fuel tank 10 After the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the fuel tank 20 is completely pumped into the second fuel tank 20 (sensed by the sensing unit 12), it still continues to operate for a predetermined time, so that the drive unit 40 is delayed to close to draw away the gap caused by the metal wick 11 flame end. Exhaust gases from flame extinguishment.

In order to improve the cooling efficiency of the fuel, the volume of the first fuel tank 10 in this embodiment is smaller than the volume of the second fuel tank 20, and more preferably, the volume of the second fuel tank 20 is at least ten times the volume of the first fuel tank 10 more than double.

Further, at least 90 wt% propylene glycol-based liquid fuel used in the combustion system of this embodiment can more preferably contain 95 wt% propylene glycol.

The pipeline 30 of this embodiment can include a first pipe section 31 connected between the first fuel tank 10 and the driving unit 40 and a second pipe section 32 connected between the driving unit 40 and the second fuel tank 20 .

The driving unit of this embodiment includes a motor 41, which can supplement the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank 20 to the first fuel tank 10 through the pipeline 30, or supply the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 through the pipeline 30. The propylene glycol based liquid fuel is pumped to the second fuel tank 20 .

Please refer to FIG. 3 , which is a flow chart of the operation method of the combustion system of the present invention. The operation method of the combustion system of the present invention. The method of operating the combustion system includes the following steps:

Prepare the aforementioned combustion system, whose structure has been described in detail above, and will not be repeated here;

The sensing unit 12 receives an activation signal and senses the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10. If the liquid level is low, a fuel replenishment signal is sent; otherwise, if the liquid level is high, it can be ignited metal wick 11;

The driving unit 40 receives the replenishment signal , so as to replenish the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank 20 to the first fuel tank 10 through the pipeline 30, so that the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 reaches a high level , for igniting the metal wick 11 or maintaining the flame produced by the metal wick 11 in the ignited state, so as to achieve the effect of automatic refueling. It is worth noting that the metal wick 11 will heat up due to heat conduction when it is lit, and the metal wick 11 can be cooled by supplementing the normal temperature propylene glycol-based liquid fuel from the second fuel tank 20 to achieve the effect of cooling.

The method of operating the combustion system can also include the following steps:

The drive unit 40 also receives a closing signal to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to the second fuel tank 20 through the pipeline 30 until the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 reaches a low level. position so that the metal wick 11 cannot produce a flame, or the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 is completely pumped to the second fuel tank 20, so that the flame at the flame end of the metal wick 11 is extinguished;

The drive unit 40 receives the closing signal and pumps the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to a low level, or completely pumps the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to the second fuel tank After 20 hours (sensed by the sensing unit 12 ), it continues to operate for a predetermined time, so that the drive unit 40 is delayed to close to extract the exhaust gas generated by the extinguishment of the flame at the flame end of the metal wick 11 through the pipeline 30 .

Based on the above, in the above embodiment of the present invention, the drive unit 40 is configured to receive the fuel replenishment signal from the sensing unit 12, so as to supplement the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank 20 to the second fuel tank 20 through the pipeline 30. A fuel tank 10 is used to automatically replenish fuel and cool the metal wick 11. In addition, the drive unit 40 is configured to receive a shutdown signal, so as to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to the second fuel tank 20 through the pipeline 30 to effectively extinguish the flame and cool down. Further, the drive unit 40 is configured to receive the closing signal and continue to operate for a predetermined time after pumping the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank 10 to the second fuel tank 20, so as to remove the flame end caused by the metal wick 11. The exhaust gas produced by the extinguishing of the flame.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

10: First Fuel Tank 11: metal wick 12: Sensing unit 20: Second Fuel Tank 30: pipeline 31: The first pipe section 32: The second pipe section 40: drive unit 41: motor

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the combustion system of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the combustion system shown in Fig. 1 . Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the operation method of the combustion system of the present invention.

10: First Fuel Tank

20: Second Fuel Tank

30: pipeline

31: The first pipe section

32: The second pipe section

40: drive unit

41: motor

Claims (10)

A combustion system using at least 90 wt% propylene glycol-based liquid fuel, the combustion system comprising: a first fuel tank for containing the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and inserting a metal wick capable of delivering the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel, the first A sensing unit is arranged in the fuel tank, and the sensing unit is configured to receive an activation signal and sense the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank, so as to send out a fuel replenishment signal; a first fuel tank Two fuel tanks for containing the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel; a pipeline communicating with the first fuel tank and the second fuel tank; and a driving unit arranged on the pipeline, and the driving unit is configured to receive the The replenishment signal is used to replenish the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank to the first fuel tank through the pipeline, and cool the wick through the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel from the second fuel tank. The combustion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive unit is configured to receive a shutdown signal , whereby the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank is pumped to the second fuel tank through the pipeline. The combustion system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the driving unit is configured to continue to operate for a predetermined time after receiving the shutdown signal and pumping the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank to the second fuel tank. The combustion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volume of the first fuel tank is smaller than the volume of the second fuel tank. The combustion system according to claim 4, wherein the volume of the second fuel tank is at least ten times the volume of the first fuel tank. The combustion system of claim 1, wherein the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel comprises 95 wt% propylene glycol. The combustion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pipeline includes a first pipe section connected between the first fuel tank and the driving unit and a second pipe section connected between the driving unit and the second fuel tank Second pipe section. The combustion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive unit includes a motor. A method of operating a combustion system using at least 90 wt% propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and comprising: a first fuel tank for containing the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel and inserting a metal wick capable of delivering the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel, A sensing unit is arranged in the first fuel tank; a second fuel tank is used to accommodate the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel; a pipeline is connected to the first fuel tank and the second fuel tank; and a driving unit is arranged on the On the pipeline; the operation method of the combustion system includes the following steps: the sensing unit receives a start signal and senses the liquid level of the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank, so as to send out a fuel replenishment signal; The driving unit receives the fuel replenishment signal , and replenishes the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the second fuel tank to the first fuel tank through the pipeline, and cools the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel from the second fuel tank The wick. The operation method of the combustion system as described in claim 9, further comprising the following steps: the driving unit further receives a closing signal , so as to pump the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank to the second through the pipeline Two fuel tanks; the drive unit receives the closing signal and continues to operate for a predetermined time after the propylene glycol-based liquid fuel in the first fuel tank is pumped to the second fuel tank, so that the drive unit is delayed to be closed for extraction exhaust gas.

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