US2056702A - Fuel burning system and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 6, 1936. l. v. .LNBADJNEFF 2,056,702

FUEL BURNING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. '7, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 y ,Z'revenlor` I QM Oct, 1936. l. v. ABADJIEFF FUEL BURNING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. '7, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Octo 6, 1936. l. v. ABADJIEFF FUEL BURNING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. '7, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l may ezr. im vl f Patented Oct. 6, 1935 UNITED STATES FUEL BURNING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Ivan V. Abadjieff, Auburn, Mass., assignor to Leland-Gilford Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 7, 1932, Serial No. 631,984

15 Claims.

This invention relates to liquid fuel burning apparatus and systems and has particular reference although not necessarily restricted to the so-called range-type of oil burners.

A range type oil burner as usually constructed comprises a base having an open top and usually annular fuel channels or chambers with perforated tubes upstanding above the top of the channel and in communication therewith in the space between which tubes, the vaporized fuel from the channel is. adapted to be burned. The channel is supplied with liquid fuel, usually oil, through a control valve from a constant level oil reservoir, the oil reservoir and the burner base being located in the same horizontal level so that the oil can only rise to a certain height in the fuel channel. Thus the head of oil that causes the flow of oil from the reservoir to the burner is exceedingly small. When the burner is in steady operation there is usually relatively little oil in the channel, the oil being vaporized in the oil pipe opening into the channel or immediately around said pipe in the channel.

The oil regulating valve is usually of the needle type and, even when open wide enough to pass the maximum amount of oil that the burner can handle, has a relatively small opening therethrough. Furthermore, it is an underwriters requirement that the valve shall not be capable of being opened to pass oil at a faster rate than the oil can be burned otherwise ooding of the burner and aml unsatisfactory and dangerous operation may result. When the burner is idle, there is no oil therein. Due to the small oil passage through the valve, even when the valve is wide open, and also due to the small head of oil, it takes a relatively long time, sometimes four or ve minutes with the usual system, before enough oil runs into the fuel channel to start the burner in operation and to heat it up sufficiently to vaporize the incoming oil. The long time required to fill the fuel channel with oil is a disadvantage and it is an object of the present invention to provide a range type oil burning system with means whereby the amount of oil necessary for starting the burner in operation can be instantly introduced into the fuel channel or chamber.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by which the fuel can be instantly introduced or injected into the oil channel of the burner, the apparatus including a chamber that is in constant communication with, and below, the fuel line extending from the constant level oil reservoir to the fuel channel so that the chamber is maintained constantly full of oil, the chamber having a movable wall by which the volume of the chamber may be decreased at will to force the oil out of the chamber and along the fuel line into the fuel channel of the burner.

It is desirable to lock the fuel injecting apparatus against operation except at times of starting the burner since the injection of oil into the burner when the burnervis in operation would result in flooding the burner and causing improper operation and an overflow of burning oil. Hence, 5 a further object of the invention is in the association of the oil injecting apparatus with the control valve of the burner in such a way that the injecting apparatus can not be operated when the oil valve is open.

The movable wall of the fuel injecting apparatus` is returned automatically to its normal position after an operation thereof and hence the oil that has been injected into the burner tends to return to the fuel chamber. Hence, a further 15 object of the invention is the provision of an oil burner having a dam between the outlet of the fuel line and the fuel channel in the burner so as to entrap in the channel a predetermined amount of injected oil thereby to prevent the oil from 20 returning back into the injecting apparatus.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide an oil burner of the type above set forth with two fuel channels separated by an air space and a fuel distributing Valve located in the air passage and arranged to deliver oil at the same time and separately to both channels.

Another object of the invention is generally to improve the construction of oil burners.

Fig. l is an elevation partly in section of an oil burner system embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a, plan view taken of the fuel injecting and fuel regulating apparatus taken partly in section along line 3--3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a detailed elevation of the fuel injecting and regulating apparatus of Fig. 3 taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3 and showing the control valve in closed position and the fuel injecting apparatus in inoperative position.

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 5, but showing the fuel injecting apparatus in an operated position and the fuel valve in locked and closed positions.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating a modified construction of fuel injecting apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation and Fig. 9 is a plan view of a further modified form of fuel injecting apparatus.

Fig. l0 is a plan View of the burner base taken along line lill0 of Fig. 1.

Fig. l1 is a side elevation of an outer vapor distributing cone of the burner base of Figs. 1 and 10.

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of an inner vapor distributing cone of the burner of Figs. 1 and 10.

top outer and inner annular fuel channels V26r and 28, the inner ring 24 having a central air passage 30 and there being an annular air passage 32 between the two rings. The rings are integrally connected by angularly spaced bridges 36 that span the air passage 32. One of the bridges 36 between the fuel rings is hollow and has a recess 38 therein into the bottom of which a pipe 40 of the fuel line opens to admit fuel into the fuel distributing recess 38. The confronting side walls of the rings have fuel apertures 42 therethrough which open into the fuel channels 26 and 28, the bottoms of the passages 42, in accordance with the present invention, terminating above the bottoms of the oil channels so that dams 43 are provided between the passages 42 and the fuel channels whichserve to retain in the channels a suitable amount of oil that can not flow back into the pipe 40. A pair of inner and outer perforated combustion tubes 44 and 46 upstand above the top of the outer fuel channel and another pair of outer and inner combustion tubes 48 and 50 upstand above the top of the inner fuel channel as is the usual practice in this type of burner. Annular igniting wicks 52 and 54 are located respectively in the outer and inner portions of the outer and inner fuel channels and are seated on ledges 56, see Fig. 1, which rise above the bottom of the channels. An outer vapor distributing member or cone 58 is located in the outer fuel channel 26 and has its upper inner edge in substantial gas tight contact with the inner wall of the channel, or with the inner combustion tube 46, and inclined downwardly and outwardly toward the outer wall ofthe channel and away from the fuel opening 42, said member having an annular inwardly-directed horizontal flange 60 at the bottom thereof which is seated in an annular groove in the bottom of the fuel channel and maintainsthe member in the aforesaid position. The distributing member thus forms with the inner wall of the channel an annular chamber 62 in the fuel channel which is in communication with the fuel inlet 42. The distributing member 58 is provided with a series of upper and lower openings 64 therein by which fuel can pass through the distributing member and outer portion of the fuel channel and into the space between the combustion tubes. Since the oil is vaporized mainly in the chamber 38 and in the pipe 40 when the burner is in steady operation, the vapor distributing member 58 serves to conduct the oil vapors around the burner base and distribute the vapor into and practically equally throughout the lower portion of the combustion tubes. The inner fuel channel 28 is provided with a generally similar member or cone 66 which, however, engages the outer wall or the combustion tube 48 of the fuel channel and has the annular outstanding horizontal flange 61 at the lower end which is seated in the bottom of the fuel channel.

Ordinarily a range employs two similarl burners mounted upon a suitable supporting standard 10, but'one burner being herein shown.

Fuel is supplied to the burners from a constant fuel-level reservoir l2 supported at the upper end of a suitable standard 16 and adapted to receive the invert'ed'neck of an oil receptacle or bottle 18, the bottle preferably being in line with the standard. The reservoir extends laterally beyondthe bottle and carries an upstanding tube which has a bracket 82 which provides a support for the bottle. The tube is open at its lower end to the oil in the reservoir and an igniter 84 for the oil burner is adapted to be stored within the tube with its porous lower end in the oil in thereservoir and supported from the top of the tube by the flame-snung member 86. The igniting device is described and claimed in myY copending application Serial No. 628,708, filed August 13, 1932.

The level of oil in the oil reservoir 'l2 is adapted to stand somewhere above the bottogm of the fuel openings 42 of the burner base and below the top of the burner. Oil is conducted from the constant level reservoir through a pipe 88 to the valve and injecting mechanism generally indicated at 90 and thence through separate pipes 92, 94, see Fig. 2, to the burners.

The fuel control and injecting apparatus 90 is provided withV mea-ns separately to control the rate at which fuel flows into Athe separate burners .and also separately to inject into each burner a sufficient amount of oil so that the burnerv can be instantly ignited and started in operation. Said apparatus is illustrated more particularly in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. The apparatus comprises a body 96 having an oil passage 98 with which the supply pipe 88 communicates. Separate valve passages |00 extend from the passage 98 and the flow of fuel through eachpassage is controlled by the conical end of a valve stem |02 which is screw-threaded in the body 96 and terminates in a Valve operating disc |04 having an inwardly directed cylinder or drum |06that on its outer periphery bears suitable'indicia, not shown, to indicate the degree of, openingof the valve. The two valves are in the same axial line. Fuel passes from the valve passages |00 into separate horizontal oil passages |08 which communicate separately'with thepipes 92 .and 94. The body 96 is provided with an integral cover plate ||0 which underlies the passages. |08 and carries depending fuel injecting cylinders or reservoirs ||2 which are secured to the cover plate in any suitable manner, as by soldering or brazing, and have cylinder heads or caps ||4, see Fig. 5, on their lower ends. Each cylinder has a piston ||6 secured to the lower end of a vertical piston rod I8 which is slidable in ,the body 96 and in a stuffing box |20 and extends through the top of said body and is terminated in a suitable nger engaging device as the ring |22. A-compression spring |24 vsurrounds the piston rod within the cylinder and serves to urge the piston downward in the cylinder. The piston rod is provided with a central vent passage |26 that is open to the atmosphere at the upper end and to the space under the piston at the lower end. The passage at the lower end is closed by the engagement of the bottom of the piston rod with a valve seat |28 of the end cap ||4 when the piston is in its normal `lowerrnost position in the cylinder. The passage |26 is for theY purpose. of admitting air to, orv venting, .the under side of the piston so as to permit the .pistontobe elevated without creating a vacuum in the bottom of the cylinder. A passage |30, see especially Fig. 4,.opens from the bottomcf thev passage |08 into the .top'of the cylinder so that the cylinder is adapted to be maintained full of oil at all times and oil must flow into the cylinder to i-lll it before it can flow further in the same direction toward a burn-er. With this arrangement, it is apparent that when a fuel valve is closed, oil can be immediately injected from the cylinder H2 into the burner by raising the piston H6, the oil flowing out of the cylinder through the passage |30 and along a pipe 92 or 94 into the burner. When the piston is released the spring |24 returns the piston to its lowermost position so that `oil can return from the burner into the cylinder. Due, however, to the dam 43 provided between the outlet of a supply pipe and the fuel channel in the burner an amount of oil is entrapped in the channel that is sufficient to heat up the burner so that it can vaporize the oil that subsequently flows into the burner through the open control valves, thereby to condition the burner for steady operation. After the injecting device has been operated and has returned to its normal position, the control valve is adapted to be opened. The oil that flows through the Valve from the constant .oil level reservoir first runs into the injecting cylinder and refills it. Additio-nal oil then passes on into the burner.

It will be noted that, immediately after the injecting or priming device has been operated, the injecting cylinder is practically empty so that oil can run thereinto and rei-lll it through the passage |30. The effective head of oil that forces oil through the regulating valve, at this time, is the difference in levels of said passage and the oil level in the supply reservoir 12. This difference, or head, is greater than the head on the valve, when the priming cylinder is full. Hence, immediately after the injecting or priming device has been operated, the head of oil that acts to force oil through the valve, regardless of the setting thereof becomes increased so that the priming cylinder can be rapidly refilled with oil and additional oil can flow to the burner, before the priming charge has been entirely consumed, thereby to continue the operation of the burner without interruption.

It is highly important to prevent the operation of the injecting device when the fuel valve is open as the burner then may be in operation and the sudden injection of a large quantity of oil will cause the flooding and the dangerous operation of the burner and may cause burning oil to overflow the burner. Hence locking mechanism is arranged between the injecting device and the oil valve so that the injecting device can not be operated except when the oil valve is closed and also, preferably, so that the oil valve can not be opened except when the injecting device is in its lowered position. The locking mechanism comprises a plunger |32 that is slidable in the body 96 and has a rounded end that is adapted normally to be held within a similarly shaped annular groove |34 of the piston rod |8 by a compression spring |36. The plunger has a stem |38 which projects outwardly of the body and is terminated close to, and is adapted to be in line with an aperture or notch |40 of, the valve cylinder |06 when the valve is closed. When the valve is closed, the piston rod 8 can be elevated, the plunger being forced out of the annular groove |34 by the movement ofthe piston rod and into the opening |40 of the valve cylinder, as is illustrated in Fig. 6, thereby to hold the valve against being opened. When the piston is in its lowermost position the valve can be opened and when the valve Iis open the recess |40 is out of alignment with the stem of the plunger and hence the valve cylinder holds the plunger from axial movement and thereby prevents the operation of the injecting device. Each valve is so arranged that its valve stem can only be turned something less than a complete revolution in an opening direction and when open to its maximum extent, will pass the maximum amount of oil that the burner can burn. Hence the injecting device can be operated only when its associated valve is closed.

A modified form of a fuel injecting cylinder is illustrated in Fig. '7, the cylinder |211 being composed of a single piece of drawn metal having an annular outstanding attaching ange |42 at its upper end which is secured to the under side of the cover plate by screws |44.

A further modified form of fuel injecting device is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. The cylinder |46 is composed of exible corrugated material, as a sylphon bellows, so that the cylinder can be compressed and expanded by the application of the pressure to the bottom plate |48 thereof. In this construction, the locking mechanism comprises a vertical pin |50 which is carried by the bottom plate |48 and is adapted to be aligned with a groove |52 of the valve disc |04, when the valve is closed, so that the cylinder wall can be compressed to inject fuel into the burner, the pin preventing the opening of the valve when the cylinder is compressed. When the valve is open, however, the groove |52 is out of register with the pin |50 so that the cylinder can not be compressed.

Instead of having the fuel enter the space between the two fuel channels of the burner and thence pass laterally into each channel, the construction can be modified, to adapt the igniting apparatus to many existing burners, as illustrated in Fig. 13 where the fuel pipe 94a opens into the bottom of the fuel channel 26a. With this construction a sleeve |54 is inserted in the fuel opening |56 to stand above the bottom of the fuel channel so as to provide a dam that will retain a suitable amount of oil in the channel after the injecting device has been operated.

With the usual construction of multi-ring burner of the general type herein described, the incoming oil is introduced into one only of the several fuel channels and thence flows therefrom into the next fuel channel. Hence, if the oil in one channel is ignited, as the oil is consumed, cold oil from the communicating channel ilows into the heated burning oil, thereby cooling it and hindering the heating of the burner. With the present construction, the oil that is in the two channels cannot intercommunicate and hence the burner can heat up and come into a condition for steady operation more rapidly.

I claim:

1. A liquid fuel burning system comprising a burner having a fuel chamber, a pipe for conducting fuel into said chamber, a control valve in said pipe, a fuel injecting device communicating with said pipe at a point intermediate said valve and burner for injecting fuel into said chamber, and locking means coacting with said valve and injecting means and governed by the position of said valve for permitting operation of said injecting device only when said valve is closed.

2. A liquid fuel burning system comprising a burner having a fuel chamber, a pipe for conducting fuel into said chamber, a control valve in said pipe, a fuel injecting device communicat- 'valve and burner for injecting fuel into said chamber, and locking mechanism coactingv With said valve and injecting device and operable to prevent the injection of fuel when said valve is open and also to prevent the opening of said valve when said injecting device is being operated.

3. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a control valve, fuel injecting means including a fuel chamber having a piston operable therein, and means coacting with and jointly controlled by said valve and piston to prevent the yconcurrent opening of said valve and the actuation of said piston to inject fuel.

4. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a control valve, fuel injecting means operable independently of said valve, and means coasting With and governed by the position of said valve for controlling the operation of said injecting means.

5. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a control valve, fuel injecting means operable independently of said valve including a fuel chamber having a piston operable therein, and locking mechanism interposed between said valve and injecting means and co'acting with said valve to lock said piston against operation when said valve is open.

6. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a control valve, fuel injecting means including a fuel chamber having a piston operable therein, a rod for actuating said piston, a locking member coacting with said rod to lock it against operation, and an abutmentmemher coacting with said valve arranged to position its abutment in the path of movement of said locking member and hold said locking member in locking relation with said rod.

7. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a fuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder having a piston operable therein, a locking member coasting With said piston and operable to lock it against operation, and a member connected with said valve for controlling the movement of said locking member.

8, Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a fuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder having an operator, a locking member engaged with said operator for holding it against operation and which is moved out of locking position by movement of said o-perator, and a member connected With said valve for at times preventing unlocking movement of said locking member and for holding it in locking engagement with said operator.

9. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a fuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder having an operator, a locking member engaged with said operator for holding it against operation and which is moved out of locking posit-ion by movement of said operator, and a member connected with said valve for at times preventing unlocking movement of said locking member and for holding it in locking engagement With said operator, said valveconnected member having means for interlocking it with said locking member when sai'doperator is unlocked for then preventing operation of said valve.

10. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a fuel regulating valve structure provided with a recess, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder, a piston therein having a piston rod provided With a recess, and a locking pin alternatively engageable With either recess;

1l. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a fuel regulating valve structure provided with a recess, fuel injecting means comprising a cylinder, a piston therein having a piston rod provided With a recess, and a locking pin interposed between said recesses and normally held in the piston rod recess and moved out of said recess When the piston rod is operated to enter the valve structure recess when said latter recess is aligned with said pin.

l2. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a body having a fuel passage therein, a valve in said passage, a cylinder carried by said body having a fuel opening communicating with said passage, a piston in said cylinder having a piston rod extended through said body and terminated in an operating member, said piston rod having an annular groove therein, a spring-pressed plunger normally located in said groove, said valve having a stem, and a cylinder on said stem having a recess therein which confronts said plunger when the valve is closed so that said piston rod can then be moved, said cylinder otherwise preventing movement of said plunger out of said rod recess.

13. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a body having a fuel passage therein, a valve in said passage, a cylinder carried by said body having a fuel opening communicating With said passage, a piston in said cylinder having a piston rod extended through said body and terminated in an operating member, said piston rod having an annular groove therein, a spring-pressed plunger normally located in said groove, said valve having a stem, and a cylinder on said stem having a recess therein vvhich confronts said plunger when the valve is closed so that said piston rod can then be moved, said cylinder otherwise preventing movement of said plunger out of said rod recess, said operated piston rod also holding said plunger in. said recess and preventing operation of said valve.

14. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a control valve, fuel injecting means operable independently of said valve when said valve is closed, and means cooperating with said valve and injecting means and rendered operative by the opening of said valve to prevent operation of said fuel injecting means when said valve is open.

l5. Fuel regulating and injecting apparatus for oil burners comprising a manually operable fuel regulating valve, fuel injecting means operable independently of said valve, and means cooperating with said valve and injecting means and rendered operative by actuation of said fuel injecting means to prevent opening of said valve when said fuel injecting means is in an operated position.

' IVAN V. ABADJIEFT.

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