US2650555A - Baffle member for combustion chambers - Google Patents

Description

p 1, 1953 w. R. HOWLAND ET AL 2,650,555

BAFFLE MEMBER FOR COMBUSTION CHAMBERS Filed Aug. 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l lNVENTORS WILLIAM R. HOWLAND and IVAN D. TEFFT I Maw ATTORNEY Se t. 1, 1953 w. R. HO WLAND ET AL 2,650,555

BAFFLE MEMBER FOR COMBUSTION CHAMBERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 14, 1950 29 so 32 24 29,32,30, ,25, 25a,

IIHHIIIIHIIIHII INVENTORS WILLIAM R. HOWLANDond B IVAN D. TEFFT FIG.3

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 195 3 l UNITED STATES BAFFLE MEMBER FOR COMBUSTION CHAMBERS William R. Rowland, Milton Junction, and Ivan D. Teflt, Janesville, Wis., assignors to Vane-- Plate 00., Janesville, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin l Application August 14, 1950, SerialNo. 179,342

This invention relates to combustion aids for heating units.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a highly eificient baffle for easy installation over and adapted to function in conjunction with the combustion chamber of a heating unit; which baflle is constructed of a high diffusivity metal,

and is so shaped and so positioned relative to said combustion chamber as to greatly increase the combustion efficiency of said heating unit, and thus reduce fuel costs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combustion aid for heating units which not only serves as a combustion aid, but also serves as a heat diverter, as his so formed and positioned over the combustion chamber as to divert the heat of the flame from a substantially vertical and central path in the furnace, to a path closely following the contour of the heat-transfer wall over the entire height of said wall, thus causing the heat to impinge on the heat-transfer wall in such manner as to utilize said entire wall as a radiator, and increasing the thermal efficiency of said furnace by transferring more of the heat of the flames to the medium to be heated.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a combustion aid for heating units which has adjustable legs as to enable the installer to properly position said combustion aid on combustion chambers of a relatively wide range of diameters.

A further object of this invention is to' provide a combustion aid which improves the operation of heating units by slowing down the speed of the hot products of combustion in their path through the furnace, and by increasing the turbulence in the combustion chamber to aid the completion of combustion, thus reducing the amount of unburned or partially burned fuel and the unpleasant odor of such, and to aid in quieting and mufiling of the flame roar.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a combustion aid for intermittently-fired furnaces such as oil burning furnaces, which while inexpensive to produce, is sturdy and will not crack and disintegrate as do refractory plates, when subjected to the repeated stresses set up by alternate heating and cooling.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken in connection with the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a coal furnace converted to the use of oil with the combustion aid installed; the furnace casing, firepot, ashpit,

3 Claims. (01. 110-47) and cement fill being cut away to expose said combustion aid and the refractory combustion chamber. i i i Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentaryperspective view of the firepot; ashpit, and cementfill, which have been cut away to disclose the combustion aid and the combustion chamber.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken through the center of the firepot, ashpit, combustion chamber, and combustion aid.

In Fig. 1 the combustion aid I0 is shown positioned in a cast iron type coal furnace which has been converted to the use of oil. The unit disclosed comprises a casing II and a bonnet I2, both enclosing a radiator l3, a furnace proper M, a firepot IS, an ashpit l6, and an ash cleanout bay ll assembled in conventional manner. Conversion of said heating unit to the use of oil has been accomplished by the removal of a coal grate formerly situated at the bottom of the firepot i5, and the construction in the ashpit 16 of a combustion chamber l8 with refractory walls l9 and refractory floor 20, with cement fill- 2| poured between the wall of said ashpit l6 and walls l9. A standard gun type oil burning conversion unit 22 having a nozzle 23 is shown installed adjacent the heating unit, with said nozzle projecting slightly into the combustion chamber l8. Our combustion aid !0 is shown properly positioned relative to the combustion chamber l8, said positioning being accomplished by proper adjustment of the height and straddle-diameter of the supporting legs. A l

The combustion aid l0 comprises a disc-shaped body 24 of sheet stainless steel spun or stamped into a substantially frusto-conical shape with a plurality of concentric annular lands 25 spaced along the angular walls of said body, which lands serve to increase the radiating area of said body, and to slow down and impart turbulence to the burning air-fuel mixture when the burner is in operation.

The body 24 is fashioned of sheet stainless steel, which will not crack, check, or disintegrate as refractory plates do. Said body is of high thermal conductivity, and thus will heat up extremely rapidly. This is an important consideration in the operation of an intermittently-fired furnace, where a large drop in the combustion efficiency is caused by the lag between the time that said furnace "goes on to burn fuel, and the time that the refractory materials in the combustion chamber heat up to aid such combustion.

The central portion 21 of the body 24 is dished to engage in apertures stamped in the annular walls of the body 24. Thus the legs can be slid radially centerward and outward of the body 24, permitting one size of combustion aid Ill to be positioned on combustion chambers of a wide range of diameters.

The outermost land 25a of the body 24 is perforated at for each of the legs 28 by a petforating die so constructed as to form an apertare 39cm fo a tra 3! o ec in outward .ircm. sai u e mcst l nd. The iic izcntal nor: tions 29 of the legs 26 slidably pass through said straps 3|, an Pa e i t t iru to-ec i a i terier c he b d .24. t r ectan u ar per..- vfdiet;one 3 s ablished in a o said t ps in said body.

c the less 26 has p ra ity o hericnt deeply-s i ed lines 33 which pe mit the y lbc tenins oi sa d less y me ely knocki r ben ng ef t e l n h o le si to. be retriev d, Thu th ecmb s i n a t can b easi pc ticned e an s z o shape of com hu ticn chamber- We la ins unit mpri i g an upri ht, e ereilyey indr cal wall having a ea its i n .face orti n form d a refracto y at ial and defi i a eembu t cn chamb r having an open upper end a fuel burner for delivering fuel into sa d hambe and burnin it therein, and a combustion aid device including a hollow, generally conical baflie member formed from stainless steel and of substantially uniform thickness and having jor ned therein a plurality of concentric. annular lands with their faces generally perpendice iilar t th ax oi said ba l member, and a eliirei ty of le s spac d c u ren ally around. and extendin r d all rom said bafl m m r. each leg aving a dcwnt ned end rest n upon the top ge of ai we sa d le s to ether s p! perta ns said baffle member a e c nward y in.- a position generally in alignment with said con biis iee cha ber an spaced om bu ufli iently slcee t0 he top edge o aid wel to d fin n annular outlet from said combustion chamber and whereby substantially all of the heat which is reflected by the lower face of said baffle member is reflected into said chamber.

2. A combustion aid device adapted for installe e e er a c mb cn hamb r f i type fined b an upri t wa l. a d havin a p upper end, said device comprising a hollow, generally conical bafiie formed from stainless steel of substantially uniform thickness, a plurality of circumferentially spaced supporting legs extending radially from said baflie member, each leg having a generally horizontal portion connected to said baille; member and a downturned outer end portion outwardly beyond said baffle member for supper-ting said device on the top edge of the combustion chamber wall, and means formed on said baffle member intermediate the apex and base edge and slidably receiving the horizontal portions of said legs respectively connecting said les iic aid hafiie m m e ,fer adia ad stme relatively to the latter.

A ccinhueti n aid de i ted or st lls e er a ecmeu i ii cha of e type defined. by an u ri ht a and having an cnen upper nd aid dev c r i a hol w, en

WILLIAM R. HOWLAND. IVAN n. TEFFT.

lfteferen98$ Gited in the file or this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Numb r Name D t m sic ttier Sen 1 91' 132%97 Braut em ---.1-- Au 27; 1929 ,i .9;1 cwers Feb, 28, 193 2,186,374 Faulds Jan, 9,,1940 192,5 Milled Mar, 5, 9 2 2869% 7 g June 16, 9 2 asicei Apr. 10, 1951 2 .5i x12l hr sten en 1

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