US3062274A

US3062274A - Oil burning heater for tobacco barns

Info

Publication number: US3062274A
Application number: US808690A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ransom W Mcmichael
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-04-24
Filing date: 1959-04-24
Publication date: 1962-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1979-11-06

Description

Nov. 6, 1962 R. w. MCMICHAEL 3 3 l3 l6 3| [6 1 36 7 I5 FIG. 1 36 38 2| III' 34 I9 as lo 22 36 3| I3 33 u as -27 21 29 g 23 24 a i g 25 2 55 &

FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

Ransom W. M9 Michael BY z ATTORNEY United rates Patent 3,%Z,Z74 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 ice snsznm 01L BURNING HEATER FGR TOBAQCQ BARNS Ransom W. McMichael, Rte. 2, Summerfield, N.C. Filed Apr. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 868,690 4 Claims. c1. 158-91) The present invention relates to liquid fuel burners and relates more particularly to improvements in liquid fuel or oil burners for use in conduits or ducts arranged in barns for drying and curing tobacco and for other purposes.

Carbon deposits formed during combustion of liquid fuels, and particularly kerosene and the heavier fuel oils, have a tendency to accumulate about vital burner components which deposits will reduce burner operating efiiciency. These deposits predominantly occur about the openings or ports through which the flame is propagated. The removal of these hard carbon or soot deposits is eX- tremely difficult and is a very time consuming process. Preliminary to removal of the hard carbon deposits on the burner components, the units must be disassembled and frequently the entire curing system must be placed out of operation until the cleaning operation is completed.

This invention has for one of its objectives an oil burner for use in combination with a tobacco curing system in which the components may be readily disassembled for easy cleaning and replacement Another objective of this invention is to provide a burner head member in which the ports or openings cooperate with the configuration of the oil-receiving chamber to form flame passageways and in which the cornbustion chamber is directly above the head member.

Still another objective of this invention is the provision of a burner head member and fuel-receiving chamber which may be readily disassembled and substitute burner heads of the desired configuration and contour may be introduced into the chamber.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved oil burner of the open type employed in ouring and drying tobacco which may be readily replaced without disassembling the fuel-receiving chamber.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this novel liquid fuel burner will become more readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of burner and burner housing taken in plane normal to the axis of the burner housing;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1, reduced in size, with portions removed, to more fully illustrate the orientation of the burner components;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the plane of section line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the plane of section line 4-4 of FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of modified construction of a burner head and base embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of FIG. 5 with a transverse section removed substantially along the plane of section line 66 of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a terminal portion only of a duct network it) which extends at a suitable level above the ground in a tobacco barn for curing and drying tobacco with only one burner position 11 being illustrated, how

ever, it will be readily recognized that a plurality of burner positions are selectively located in the duct network depending upon the size .and configuration of the barn and the load requirements. In some instances, the duct network assumes a circuitous path within the barn and the burner positions may be located at intervals depending upon the heat requirements. Adjacent to the terminal end of the duct 12 is the burner housing 13 which may be made of cast iron or for cooperatively engaging with the sheet metal duct 12.

The burner housing 13 is supported above the ground level preferably by means of the plate and saddle 14 having the requisite curvature in the saddle to retain the circular housing therein. At one terminal end of the burner housing and suitably fastened therein is a plate 15 in which there are a series of elongated slots 16 for exhausting any combustion gases in the event of any positive pressure exerted within the ductwork so as to prevent sudden flame propagation through the end of the combustion housing 13.

-A collar 17 is integrally cast with the housing at the top thereof for cooperatively receiving the central leg 18 of the T-shaped air intake duct 1i which is mounted and suitably fastened within the collar 17. The T-shaped duct 19 is provided with the horizontal section 2% at the ends of which are mounted the elbow connections 21 to which free ends a vertical leg 22 is supported reaching downwardly and terminating a suitable distance above the ground level to induce the flow of warm air into the combustion chamber or housing 13. It will be readily apparent that the T-shaped duct 19 constituting an assemblage may be readily raised from the collar 17 to permit access into the combustion housing.

At the base of the housing 13 is a platform 23 through which a passageway 24 is drilled to receive the fuel oil line 25 which is threadably connected to the supply inlet line 26 that leads to the supply tank (not shown).

A cylindrical oil burner base member 27 is positioned on the platform 23 and securely retained in position through the threaded connection 29 with the line 25. The upper portion of the oil burner base is provided with a frusto-conical oil receiving chamber 30 into which the liquid fuel from the supply line 25 may flow. The inverted frusto-conical chamber 30 will have a depth depending upon the capacity of the burner.

A burner head member 31 is freely and cooperatively insertable and retained or mounted within the inverted frusto-conical oil burner receiving base 27. The head member 31 has a lower portion 32 having a configuration which will be cooperatively received within the chamber 30 and is spaced a predetermined distance from the chamber walls by means of the radially extending ribs 33 that are integrally cast with the head member and are circumferentially spaced about the lower portion periphery of the member 31. The upper portion 34 of the member 31 has a conical surface 35 and integrally cast therewith is a plurality of circumferentially spaced and radially extending vanes 36 which project beyond the vertical wall of the burner base 27. The vanes 36 diverge downwardly and intermediate the height of the head member converge downwardly to form the ribs 33 at the lower portion of the head member.

When the head member 31 is introduced into the oil burner base chamber 30 it is retained there with considerable stability to avoid tilting when supporting a load thereabove in the form of the air intake stack or duct 38.

Duct 38 is in the form of a cylindrical sleeve which is positioned or mounted directly and in axial alignment on the head member 31 and in contact with the radially extending vanes 36. Air intake duct 38 extends up- 3 wardly through the opening (not shown) in the top of the housing 13 through the collar and into the T-shaped assemblage 19.

Fuel oil entering the supply line 25 will flow into the oil-receiving chamber 30 in the base 27 and upon ignition thereof air for combustion will be supplied through the air intake duct 38 and the products of combustion will fiow through the duct network 10.

Removing carbon deposits in the burner assembly is facilitated by removal of the T-shaped assemblage 19 making the burner components readily accessible and by removal of the sleeve 38 and head member 31, the components may be readily cleaned by removing the carbon from the accessible surfaces which do not have any small ports or openings.

A modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. and 6 wherein the oil-receiving base 40 is provided with a cylindrical opening 41 for the introduction of fuel oil into the inverted frusto-conical oil-receiving chamber 42. However, the base 40 may be substantially similar to the base 27 heretofore described for the preferred embodiment. The oil burner head member 45 that is supported freely in the chamber has a lower portion 46 of frusto-conical configuration for cooperatively introducing into the chamber 42. A plurality of downwardly extending recesses 47 is circumferentially spaced from each other about the conical surface of the lower portion with each of the recesses extending downwardly into the oil-receiving chamber permitting oil to be introduced eliminating the necessity for a wick. Obviously, the number of recesses may be increased or decreased depending upon the burner requirements or capacity. The upper portion 48 of the member 45 has a conicallyshaped surface 49 which i interrupted circumferentially by the downwardly diverging radially projecting vanes. The terminal ends 51 of which extend outwardly beyond the perimeter of the base 40 so as to support and receive thereon an air intake duct similar to duct 38.

It will be readily apparent that assembling and disassembling the burner assembly described herein is readily accomplished in view of the simplicity of the components and their accessability, particularly since there are no binding or mechanical connections between the components which will prevent the parting of one unit from its mating unit.

Many modifications and variations of this invention relating to a fuel oil burning assembly are obviously contemplated without departing from the real purpose and spirit of this invention as well as the use of mechanical equivalents which are to be employed.

What is claimed is:

1. An oil burner for uSe in tobacco curing systems within a ductwork comprising an oil receiving base member having an open chamber and means for admitting a liquid fuel into the chamber, a head member having a lower chamber cooperating plug and an upper stacksupporting portion having radially projecting means, said plug having radially projecting means for supporting the head member in the open chamber, and a stack mounted on the upper stack-supporting portion radially projecting means, said stack-supporting portion being conical and having downwardly diverging radially projecting vanes, the terminal portions of said vanes reaching beyond the chamber.

2. An oil burner for use in tobacco curing systems as described in claim 1, said stack-supporting portion vanes being integrally formed with the head member.

3. A burner for use in tobacco curing systems comprising, in combination, a circular drurn having a closed end and an open end, said closed end having an arcuate 4 series of elongated slots adjacent the lower periphery of said drum, a vertical air intake duct located adjacent the closed end of said drum, said air intake duct having a portion thereof extending downwardly through the upper side of said drum, a raised interior surface portion located in said drum adjacent its closed end, a circular burner base fixedly attached on said raised interior surface portion, fuel feed means projecting through said raised interior surface portion of said drum and through said burner base, a burner head located immediately above said burner base and being of solid center construction and being provided with radiating vanes in contact with said downwardly extending portion of said air intake duct, said vanes extending beyond the burner head, whereby a combustion zone is formed adjacent the closed end of said drum, a burner base of cylindrical construction having an upward cavity of inverted frustum configuration, a burner head of solid center construction with upper and lower integral portions, said upper portion being of conical configuration and said lower portion being of inverted frustum configuration, vanes radiating from said solid center construction of said burner head and extending from the apex of said upper conical portion to the lower base plane of said lower portion, whereby the outer edges of the lower extremities of said vanes are so shaped that they conform to the upper cavity configuration of said burner base.

4. A burner for use in tobacco curing systems comprising, in combination, a circular drum having a closed end and an open end, said closed end having an arcuate series of elongated slots adjacent the lower periphery of said drum, a vertical air intake duct located adjacent the closed end of said drum, said air intake duct having a portion thereof extending downwardly through the upper side of said drum, a raised interior surface portion located in said drum adjacent its closed end, a circular burner base fixedly attached on said raised interior surface portion, fuel feed means projecting through said raised interior surface portion of said drum and through said burner base, a burner head located immediately above said burner base and being of solid center construction and being provided with radiating vanes in contact with said downwardly extending portion of said intake duct, said vanes extending beyond the burner head, whereby a combustion Zone is formed adjacent the closed end of said drum, a burner base of cylindrical construction having an upper cavity of inverted frustum configuration, a burner head of solid center construction with upper and lower integral portions, said upper portion being of conical configuration and said lower portion being of inverted frustum configuration, vanes radiating from said solid center construction of said burner head and extending from the apex of said upper conical portion to the lower base plane of said upper conical portion, a plurality of elongate V- shaped grooves located in the surface of said lower portion of said burner head and being situated in vertical plane passing through the center line of said burner head at acute angles with the said center line, whereby fuel may be drawn from the fuel means through the said elongated V-shaped grooves to the combustion area.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 990,150 Liddell Apr. 18, 1911 1,585,221 Wine May 18, 1926 1,594,520 Hiett Aug. 3, 1926 1,905,360 Noles Apr. 25, 1933 2,224,089 Scott Dec. 3, 1940 2,444,814 Dowless July 6, 1948 2,742,894 Love et al. Apr. 24, 1956