Combustion apparatus

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a combustion apparatus, and more particularly relates to a combustion apparatus adapted for use with a hot-water supply system, a boiler or the like.

[0003] 2. Related Art

[0004] The “thick and thin fuel combustion” method known in the art is designed to burn a fuel gas in its thin state. At least one main flame formed by burning a thin gas and at least one auxiliary flame formed by burning a thick gas will be jetted in juxtaposition to each other in this prior art system. In detail, such a thin gas for forming the main flame is composed a volume of the gas premixed with an amount of air whose volume is about 1.6 times as much as the theoretical air for said gas. A thick gas for forming the auxiliary flame contains a lesser amount of air.

[0005] In the thick and thin fuel combustion method, the fuel gas is burned with such an excess of air so that flame temperature is kept relatively lower to produce a less amount of nitrogen oxides. Thus, some types of current house-held water heater are constructed using such burners of the thick and thin fuel combustion system.

[0006] An example of thick and thin fuel combustion apparatuses having been widely used is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laying-Open Gazette No. 10-47614.

[0007] In the combustion apparatus shown in the Gazette No. 10-47614, a first array of main burner ports for jetting and burning a gas mixture of a concentration is disposed along at least one second arrays of auxiliary burner ports for jetting and burning a gas mixture of a higher concentration. Main flames, which formed in the main burner ports, are stabilized with heat which they receive from auxiliary flames made by the auxiliary burner ports.

[0008] Generally, smaller burner ports will make more stable fire flames. There-fore, each prior art apparatus as shown in Gazette No. 10-47614 usually comprise a burner port assembly composed of a few metal plates corrugated and laid one on another to form between them an elongated opening. This opening is divided into a first array of small main burner ports arranged longitudinally of said assembly. However, nodes as idle portions not making any fire flame will inevitably intervene between main burner ports, so that some regions thereof disposed close to such nodes are spaced far from the auxiliary burner ports. As a result, the main flames being formed in main burner ports in such regions are not likely to be stabilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved combustion apparatus that will stabilize combustion of a fuel gas.

[0010] In order to achieve this object, the present invention has employed the following improvements.

[0011] From a first aspect of the present invention, it provides a combustion apparatus with a burner port assembly that comprises an elongated first array of main burner ports for jetting and burning a fuel gas mixture of a concentration to make main flames. The combustion apparatus comprises also at least one second arrays of auxiliary burner ports for jetting and burning a further fuel gas mixture of a different concentration to make auxiliary flames, wherein the second arrays of said auxiliary burner ports extend along the first array of said main burner ports. The burner port assembly is constructed using inner and outer wall segments together with outermost wall segments or bands, wherein the inner and outer segments are corrugated to define between them openings serving as the main burner ports. The one of said band faces the corresponding one of said outermost segments so as to define between them collateral burner ports. A still further gas mixture to be jetted from and burnt at the collateral burner ports may either be of the same concentration as that for the auxiliary burner ports or of a medium concentration between said respective concentrations for the main and auxiliary burner ports.

[0012] Fire flames from such collateral burner ports will be formed adjacent to the basal portions of main flames, thereby stabilizing same to diminish the so-called problem of ‘lifting phenomenon’ during operation of the apparatus of the invention.

[0013] Such a stabilized combustion will be free from the phenomenon of flame pulsating, and scarcely emitting any noise. Almost complete and thorough combustion will be afforded to any rate of fuel gas fed to this apparatus, thereby diminishing the degree of incomplete burning of said fuel gas. Production of monoxide and any other toxic gases will now be reduced to a minimum, advantageously from an ecological point of view. Efficiency of energy is also improved for the fuel gas fed to this apparatus, thus enabling an accurate control of its quantity and rate.

[0014] As summarized above, the burner port assembly comprises the corrugated inner and outer segments together with the outermost bands. A space defined between the one corrugated outer segment and the corresponding outermost band facing it is herein divided into some discrete cavities, due to corrugation of said segment. These discrete cavities serve as collateral burner ports having each a relatively small opening. In operation of the apparatus, significantly smaller but steady flames generated by the collateral burner ports will contribute to stabilization of the main flames as mentioned above.

[0015] The outermost bands incorporated into the apparatus of the invention give an addition to overall heat capacity of main burner ports. Therefore, even if occasionally heated by adjacent fire flames, the main burner ports would not be superheated to such a degree as possibly causing their thermal de-formation. By virtue of this feature, a higher ‘turndown ratio’ (T.D.R.) can now be adopted in this combustion apparatus.

[0016] From another aspect, the present invention provides a combustion apparatus with a burner port assembly that comprises an elongated first array of main burner ports for jetting and burning a fuel gas mixture of a concentration to make main flames. The combustion apparatus comprises also at least one second arrays of auxiliary burner ports for jetting and burning a further fuel gas mixture of a different concentration to make auxiliary flames, wherein the second arrays of said auxiliary burner ports extend along the first array of said main burner ports. The burner port assembly is constructed using inner and outer wall segments together with outermost wall segments or bands, wherein the inner and outer segments are corrugated to define between them openings serving as the main burner ports. The one of said outer segments faces the corresponding one of said outermost bands so as to define between them collateral burner ports. The second arrays of auxiliary burner ports comprise each a plate portion that cooperates with the corresponding one of outermost bands in order to define between them intermediate burner ports. A still further gas mixture to be jetted from and burnt at the collateral burner ports may either be of the same concentration as that for the auxiliary burner ports or of a medium concentration between said respective concentrations for the main and auxiliary burner ports. A yet still further gas mixture jetted from the intermediate burner ports is of another medium concentration between said respective concentrations for the main and auxiliary burner ports.

[0017] In this mode of the invention, the intermediate burner ports are provided between the outermost band constituting the first array of main burner ports and the plate portion as one of members constituting the second arra1ys of auxiliary burner ports. Therefore, at least three groups of fire flames made of respective gas mixtures of different concentrations will be generated in and along a broad central zone of the first array where the main burner ports are located close to the auxiliary burner ports.

[0018] In this case, fire flames from such collateral burner ports and intermediate burner ports will be formed adjacent to the basal portions of main flames, in addition to the flames from the auxiliary burner ports. Consequently, the main flames will be stabilized much more to avoid the problem of ‘pulsating combustion’ during operation of the apparatus of the invention.

[0019] Such a stabilized combustion will be free from the phenomenon of flame oscillation, and scarcely emitting any noise. Almost complete and thorough combustion will be afforded to any rate of fuel gas fed to this apparatus, thereby diminishing the degree of incomplete burning of said fuel gas. Production of carbon monoxide and any other toxic gases will now be reduced to a minimum, advantageously from an ecological point of view.

[0020] Also in this case, the collateral burner ports are relatively small discrete cavities divided by the corrugated outer segment, so that during operation of the apparatus significantly smaller but steady flames generated by the collateral burner ports will continue to stabilize the main flames as mentioned above.

[0021] Also, the outermost bands are incorporated in this apparatus in addition to the inner and outer wall segments forming the first array of main burner ports. Thus, the overall heat capacity of main burner ports will be increased due to such an incorporation of those bands. Even if these main burner ports would occasionally and sharply be heated by adjacent fire flames due to any slowdown in fuel combustion rate, they will not be superheated to such a degree as possibly causing their thermal deformation. By virtue of this feature, a higher ‘turndown ratio’ (T.D.R.) can now be adopted in this combustion apparatus.

[0022] Communicating openings may preferably be formed in and through each wall defining a gas mixture passage leading to the array of auxiliary burner ports. These openings bring the collateral burner ports into fluid communication with said auxiliary burner ports.

[0023] A part of the gas mixture flowing through the said passage towards the auxiliary burner ports will be directed into the collateral burner ports, through such communicating openings.

[0024] The collateral burner ports may be discrete holes arranged longitudinally of the array of said main burner ports.

[0025] Considerably small but steady flames generated at such discrete collateral burner ports will be more effective to stabilize the main flames.

[0026] Also preferably, these collateral burner ports may consist of burner port holes of different opened areas and arranged longitudinally of the array of said main burner ports.

[0027] According to experiments done by the present inventors, it is apparent that such a structure of the array of collateral burner ports is also useful in achieving the purpose discussed above, and will be much more effective if the larger collateral burner ports alternate with the smaller ones.

[0028] Also preferably, each outermost band may be of a smaller height to cover a part of retracted regions defined in each corrugated outer wall segment, with the other retracted regions being left exposed to the outside of said band. Further, communicating openings formed in the wall of a gas mixture passage leading to the auxiliary burner ports may be opened to face the said exposed retracted regions.

[0029] In this example of the present apparatus, the said exposed retracted regions formed outside the outer wall segment are regions in a direct fluid communication with the collateral burner ports. Therefore, a part of the gas mixture flowing through the passage towards the auxiliary burner ports will surely be delivered to said collateral burner ports, with fire flames jetted there-from reliably stabilizing the main flames.

[0030] In a preferable mode of the apparatus of the invention, it comprises an air intake for receiving ambient air or a thin mixture of a fuel gas, a fuel intake for receiving the air and a thick mixture of said fuel gas, and a thin gas passage that brings the air intake into a fluid communication with the main burner ports so as to supply them with the gas mixture. This apparatus further comprises a thick gas passage in a fluid communication with the auxiliary burner ports, and a blending station in communication with the fuel intake so as to homogeneously intermix the fuel gas with the ambient air. In this apparatus, a part of the thick gas mixture prepared at the blending station will be given in part to the thin gas passage, with the remainder being forwarded into the thick gas passage.

[0031] Ratio in fuel concentration of the thin gas mixture (for the main burner ports) to thick gas mixture (for the auxiliary burner ports) can now be kept stable more easily. The air intake in this apparatus may need only to suck the ambient air, with a fuel feed nozzle being disposed in connection with the fuel intake. Neither premixing of a fuel gas with air to prepare a mixture outside the apparatus, nor control of fuel concentration in such a mixture, will be necessary any longer, thereby simplifying a hot-water supplier or the like.

[0032] In a further embodiment, a flame stabilizer may be disposed in a space in which the auxiliary burner ports are disposed, in order to divide this space into a plurality of stabilizing burner ports.

[0033] Such a modification of the present apparatus will be advantageous in that the flame stabilizer does not impair rigidity of this apparatus, but enabling an easier division of each auxiliary burner port into any desired number of small chambers as the stabilizing burner ports. The apparatus modified in this manner will ensure a long-term stable operation, and such stabilizing burner ports determining the shape of flames jetted therefrom can be changed or adjusted in any desired fashion.

[0034] A zigzag pattern of such stabilizing burner ports may be employed to be separated from each other by said strip-shaped flame stabilizer. The auxiliary burner port divided in this way into the plurality of portions (i.e., the stabilizing burner ports) is advantageous in that respective cross-sectional areas thereof can easily be designed appropriately to obtain an optimum flow speed of minute tributaries flowing through those stabilizing burner ports. Such fine portions of the auxiliary flame will be much steadier in their shape to thereby further stabilize the main flames formed of the thin gas mixture jetted from the main burner ports.

[0035] The combustion apparatus may further comprise an igniter emitting electric sparks to inflame the gas mixture being jetted from the main burner ports and the like. In this connection, the main burner ports in burner port assembly may be composed of several plate-shaped wall segments that are united with each other at narrow tie portions intervening between them. Some or all of these tie portions protrude upwards from the main burner ports to function as a target or targets on which the electric sparks will impinge.

[0036] It will be understood that the gas mixture will be jetted up while flowing closely to and passing by such protruded tie portions in the array of main burner ports, so that easy and ready inflammation of the gas mixture is now ensured in this apparatus.

[0037] The combustion apparatus of the invention may be constructed such that each array of the auxiliary burner ports are disposed along the corresponding array of main burner ports so as to jet and burn the gas mixture of a different concentration from that of the other mixture for main burner ports. This array of main burner ports mainly composed of wall segments further comprises outermost bands, with each band facing the corresponding outer wall segment to define between them an array of the collateral burner ports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combustion apparatus provided in an embodiment;

[0039]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the combustion apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0040]
FIG. 3 is a front elevation of plates forming a main body of the combustion apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0041]
FIG. 4 is a front elevation of further plates forming a supplementary body of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0042]
FIG. 5 showing a process of manufacturing the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the main body shown in FIG. 3 and overlaid on and caulked to the supplementary body shown in FIG. 4; a modification of the direct expansion type heat exchanger;

[0043]

FIG. 6

a
is a cross section taken along the line D-D in FIG. 5;

[0044]

FIG. 6

b
is a cross section taken along the line E-E in FIG. 5;

[0045]
FIG. 7 is a front elevation corresponding to FIG. 5 and showing a further embodiment of the invention;

[0046]
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the member constituting a burner port to be incorporated in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0047]
FIG. 9 is a scheme illustrating the process of manufacturing the burner port for the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0048]
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the burner port for the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0049]
FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the burner port shown in FIG. 10;

[0050]

FIGS. 12

a
and 12b are fragmentary perspective views of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and being manufactured;

[0051]
FIG. 13 is a view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and seen in the direction ‘A’;

[0052]
FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view corresponding to FIG. 13;

[0053]
FIG. 15 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, with some parts being cut off;

[0054]
FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0055]

FIG. 17

a
is a cross section taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1;

[0056]

FIG. 17

b
is a cross section taken along the line C-C in FIG. 1;

[0057]

FIG. 18

a
is a cross section taken along the line A-A in FIG. 15;

[0058]

FIG. 18

b
is a cross section taken along the line B-B in FIG. 15;

[0059]

FIG. 18

c
is a cross section taken along the line C-C in FIG. 15;

[0060]
FIG. 19 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0061]
FIG. 20 is a front elevation corresponding to FIG. 19 and showing a still further embodiment of the invention;

[0062]
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a modified main body incorporated in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0063]

FIG. 22

a
is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a venturi portion forming a further modified main body incorporated in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0064]

FIG. 22

b
is a cross section taken along the line A-A in FIG. 22a;

[0065]

FIG. 23

a
is a scheme illustrating the flow of a gas mixture through a deflecting region that is included in the gas passage in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, wherein no lugs are formed in the wall of the deflecting region;

[0066]

FIG. 23

b
is a scheme corresponding to FIG. 23a, but showing a case wherein a number of lugs are formed in the wall of the deflecting region;

[0067]

FIG. 23

c
is a scheme illustrating the flow of the gas mixture through a constricted section that is included in the gas passage formed in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, wherein no lugs are formed in the wall of the constricted section;

[0068]

FIG. 23

d
is a scheme corresponding to FIG. 23c, but showing a case wherein a number of lugs are formed in the wall of the constricted section;

[0069]

FIG. 24

a
is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a modified venturi portion incorporated in the apparatus of the invention;

[0070]

FIG. 24

b
is a cross section taken along the line A-A in FIG. 24a;

[0071]

FIG. 25

a
is a perspective view of a blending station that is formed in the apparatus according to a yet still further embodiment;

[0072]

FIG. 25

b
is a scheme showing the flow of the gas mixture in and through a thick gas passage of the apparatus show n in FIG. 25a;

[0073]

FIG. 26

a
is a perspective view of the blending station that is formed in the apparatus according to another embodiment;

[0074]

FIG. 26

b
is a scheme showing the flow of the gas mixture in and through the thick gas passage of the apparatus shown in FIG. 26a;

[0075]
FIG. 27 is a scheme showing the flow of the gas mixture in and through a modified thick gas passage;

[0076]
FIG. 28 is a scheme corresponding to FIG. 27 but showing the flow of the gas mixture in and through a further modified thick gas passage;

[0077]
FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the combustion apparatus according to still another embodiment;

[0078]
FIG. 30 is an exploded perspective view of the combustion apparatus shown in FIG. 29;

[0079]
FIG. 31 is a scheme of the flow of a fuel gas mixture being jetted from main burner ports that the apparatus shown in FIG. 29 comprises;

[0080]
FIG. 32 likewise is a scheme of the flow of another fuel gas mixture being jetted from auxiliary burner ports that also are built in the apparatus shown in FIG. 29;

[0081]
FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the combustion apparatus according to yet still another embodiment; and

[0082]
FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the combustion apparatus shown in FIG. 33.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0083] Now, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail referring to the drawings.

[0084]
FIG. 1 illustrates a combustion apparatus provided in an embodiment, indicated generally at the reference numeral 1. This apparatus 1 is designed to perform the so-called thick and thin fuel combustion, wherein a thin fuel gas will be burnt generating main flames. A thick fuel gas is burnt generating auxiliary flames. Similarly to the prior art, a single apparatus 1 may be used alone or some apparatuses 1 may be arranged to for a row in a proper casing. The combustion apparatus 1 comprises a burner body 2 and a burner port assembly 3.

[0085] The burner body 2 consists of a principal part 5 and a supplementary part 6 covering opposite side faces of the principal part. The principal part 5 is composed of two metal plates 7 and 8, with the supplementary part 6 being likewise composed of two further metal plates 10 and 11. In other words, the burner body 2 is constructed by stacking the four plates 7, 8, 10 and 11 and side by side and consolidating them into an integral unit.

[0086]
FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the two metal plates forming the principal part 5. As shown there, its two constituent plates 7 and 8 are prepared each by pressing a flat metal plate to have bulged portions and depressed portions. The principal part 5 is composed of six pairs of fragments, and three pairs thereof are air intake fragments 21a, intermediate fragments 19a serving as tie walls 19 and venturi fragments 23a. The air intake fragments 21a serve to airtightly connect an air intake 16 (described below) to a venturi portion 23 formed of the venturi fragments 23a. The other three pairs are gas chamber fragments 25a forming a thin gas mixing chamber 25, communicating fragments 26a forming a communication channel 26, and burner port fragments 27a forming a burner port assembly holder 27. All the fragments in each metal plate integrally continue from one to another.

[0087]
FIG. 4 is a front elevation of metal plates forming the supplementary part 6 of the combustion apparatus shown in FIG. 1. As seen in FIG. 4, the two flat metal plates constituting this part 6 and united with each other at their bottoms will be subjected to the pressing step of forming bulged and depressed regions in each plate 10 and 11. Two of the four pairs of fragments thus formed are intake fragments 21b extending from the air intake 16 (described later) to a recess 40, and recessed fragments 40b forming the recess 40. The other two pairs are gas passage fragments 43b forming a bulged passage 43 for a thick gas mixture, and contact fragments 45a to be tightly combined with intermediate tie walls 19 of the principal part 5.

[0088] As seen in FIG. 5, the plates 7 and 8 of the principal part 5 will be laid on a half segment ‘A’ (viz., plate 10) and ‘B’ (viz., plate 11) of the integral metal plate 12, respectively, at the assembling step. In detail, the intake fragments 21b of the supplementary part 6 overlie the respective air intake fragments 21a of the principal part 5. The recessed fragments 40b of the supplementary part 6 cover both the gas chamber fragments 25a and venturi fragments 23a of principal part 5. The gas passage fragments 43b of supplementary part 6 are superposed on both the communicating fragments 26a and burner port fragments 27a of principal part 5.

[0089] The principal and supplementary parts 5 and 6 laid one on another in this way will then be spot welded to each other. In addition, these parts 5 and 6 are subjected the next step to be caulked in part at their portions respectively included in the gas chamber fragments 25a and recessed fragments 40b. As a result, interference fitting-engagement appearing between those portions will serve to firmly secure the parts one to another, while forming therein ribs 14 to jut outwards. Side edges of the constituent plates of the principal part 5 that are previously ben t inwards to face one another will be fixed one on another, by the spot welding.

[0090] Structural details of the present combustion apparatus 1 will now be discussed, supposing that its constituent parts 5 and 6 have been combined in the manner as described above.

[0091] As seen in FIG. 2, the principal part 5 is generally of a plane configuration. Its air intake 16 and its top 15 (also serving as the top of apparatus 1) are opened to the outside. A flange 17 is formed in and along three sides except for the air intake 16 and the open top 15. A portion of the flange 17 is cut off to provide a generally semicircular cutout above the air intake 16, so as to provide a mixing-accelerator 18.

[0092] As seen in FIGS. 2 and 16, the mixing-accelerator 18 is formed by severing at first a portion from the flange 17 to prepare a square cutout and further cutting off its inner edge to provide a semicircular cutout 18a continuing from the square cutout. The thus formed innermost arcuate edges will then be burred sideways away from each other to give transverse protrusions 18b.

[0093] A communication hole 20 is formed above the air intake 16 and downstreamly of the mixing-accelerator 18. This hole 20 is composed of a generally horizontal region extending towards the accelerator 18 and a generally upright but slightly slanted region. These regions merge with each other into a single opening, that is, the generally L-shaped communication hole 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 16. The horizontal region of communication hole has an upper border extending along the oblique edge of bulged passage 43 formed in the plates 10 and 11. The horizontal region has also a lower border extending along a slanted ceiling of the air intake 16. Thus, the communication hole's horizontal region increases its vertical width towards its upstream end facing the accelerator 18. On the other hand, the generally upright region of said hole 20 has its fore-to-aft width generally equal to the inner diameter of a thick gas passage 72 (detailed later), and has an up-ward length reaching the middle height of this passage 72. The communication hole 20 of such a configuration penetrates both the constituent plates 7 and 8 of the principal part 5 so as to render uniform the pressure of gas mixture flowing into this part. Further, this communication hole 20 serves also as a branching station for diverging into branch streams the fuel gas mixture fed in through a fuel intake 66. In detail, one of such branch streams advances into a thin gas passage 22, with the other stream flowing into a thick gas passage 73.

[0094] Portions of the constituent plates 10 and 11 of supplementary part 6 cover the communication hole 20 so as to form a blending station 70 as shown in FIG. 16. Portions of the tie walls 19 are disposed adjacent to the mixing accelerator 18 and communication hole 20.

[0095] As seen in FIG. 2, the thin gas passage 22 as a series of regions continuing one to another is defined between the two constituent plates 7 and 8 of principal part 5. Some portions of these plates closely contact one another, and the remainder portions are spaced one from another to form between them the thin gas passage 22.

[0096] As seen also in FIG. 2, the thin gas passage 22 generally consists of the venturi portion 23, the thin gas mixing chamber 25, the communication channel 26 and the burner port assembly holder 27. Thus, this passage 22 starts from the air intake 16 and then progresses through the said portion 23, chamber 25, channel 26 and holder 27, in this order.

[0097] The air intake 16 is an oval opening continuing inwards a distance to reach a tapered-off region 28 at the entrance of venturi portion 23, so as to sharply throttle herein the thin gas passage 22. Downstream end of the venturi portion 23 is defined as a flared region 30 to increase again the cross-sectional area of said gas passage 22.

[0098] As will be seen best in FIG. 16, the tapered-off region 28 is inclined to have its upper end that is disposed nearer the air intake 16 than its lower end is, whilst the flared region 30 stands almost upright. Therefore, the venturi portion 23 is generally of a reversed triangular shape in side elevation.

[0099] Such a reversed triangular shape of venturi portion 23 is employed for the following two reasons.

[0100] Firstly, even if an imaginary upright tapered-off region (28) are formed to define an imaginary square venturi portion (23) having supplementary gas openings (29) scattered all over it, any noticeable amount of thick gas mixture would not enter the thin gas passage through the openings (29) disposed at upstream and lower corner of such a square venturi portion (23).

[0101] Secondly, the combustion apparatus 1 of the embodiment has to accelerate therein the mixing of air with fuel gas, both sucked in through the fuel intake 66. Such a mixture of the air and fuel gas must be kept uniform in internal pressure throughout its passage. For these purposes, the blending station 70 should have its cross-sectional area reduced at first and then expanded again as it progresses downwards. The inclined tapered-off region 28 employed herein will meet this requirement because the cavity surrounding the venturi portion 23 gradually increases as the passage progresses inwards.

[0102] Height and cross-sectional area of the thin gas passage 22 in the region of venturi portion 23 gradually increase towards the downstream regions of this passage 22, until the area becomes constant at a given maximum height. The venturi fragments 23a of the constituent plates 7 and 8 defining the venturi 23 in this embodiment lie in parallel with each other.

[0103] A plurality of the supplementary gas openings 29 may be formed in each flat wall of the triangular venturi portion 23, in the combustion apparatus of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 16. As an example, six openings 29 arranged in a staggered pattern are of different diameters depending on their positions. The thin gas passage 22 has to receive the thick gas mixture essentially uniformly all over its cross section. Therefore, an optimal diameter is selected for each supplementary gas opening 29, taking into account different levels of negative pressure appearing at different heights, and also in view of different numbers of said openings aligned with respective stream lines of the gas mixture.

[0104] Instead of forming such a preferable staggered pattern, the supplementary gas openings 29 may alternatively be arranged along a horizontal line or lines, or along a vertical line or lines. Only one or a few openings 29 can be formed in the venturi, if so desired, although not recommended.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 2 the flared region 30 defining a downstream border of said venturi 23 will gradually increase the transverse width of thin gas passage 22, before it accurately changes its direction to define a large hairpin curve as the thin gas mixing chamber 25.

[0106] This mixing chamber 25 terminates at its downstream end located centrally of the principal part 5, and the gas passage 22 is narrowed again to continue to the communication channel 26. This channel 26 has a transverse width or thickness of about a half of that of the thin gas mixing chamber 25, and forms a triangular space whose summit is the downstream end of said chamber 25.

[0107] The communication channel 26 connects the downstream end of the mixing chamber 25 to an upstream end of the burner port assembly holder 27. Horizontal distance between the air intake 16 and the downstream end of the channel 26 is about one third of the full length of the principal part 5.

[0108] The burner port holder 27 disposed in the top of principal part 5 extends over the full length thereof. Opposite ends of the burner port holder 27 are formed as vertical grooves 24 each extending upright and over full height of said holder 27. Opposite vertical ears 69 of the burner port assembly 3 will fit in the respective vertical grooves 24 so as to hold this assembly in position, as will be detailed later. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 15, protuberances 31 protruding out sideways from each side of the holder 27 do alternate with flat basal portions 32 in a longitudinal direction thereof. The protuberances 31 are positioned corresponding to collateral burner ports 61a each of a smaller opening and formed in the burner port assembly 3, with the flat basal portions 32 corresponding to further collateral burner ports 61b each of a larger opening and also formed in said assembly 3.

[0109] Communicating openings 33 and 35 opened outwards from the interior of principal part 5 are formed in and through the protuberances 31 and flat basal portions 32, respectively. Each communicating opening 33 in each protuberance (or ‘recess’ if viewed from inside) 31 is a round hole, and each of the other openings 35 in basal portions (or ‘protrusions’ if viewed from inside) 32 is an elongated hole of a larger opening than the round hole. Consequently, the gas will flow through each communicating opening 35 at a higher rate than through each round opening 33. Outer wall surfaces of the principal part 5 serves as the portions of walls defining the thick gas passage 73, also serving as a space 63a for defining auxiliary burner ports 63. The round communicating openings 33 and 35 formed in the passage leading to this auxiliary burner ports 63 are in communication with both the collateral burner ports 61a and 61b.

[0110] Longitudinal groove 36 is formed in the sidewall of burner port holder 27 and below the protuberances 31 and basal portion 32. This groove 36 extending over full length of and protruding out sideways from the burner port holder 27 is intended to enhance its rigidity and to balance one another the gas mixture flow rates through the respective burner ports.

[0111] Similarly to the principal part plates 7 and 8, each of the further plates 10 and 11 constituting the supplementary part 6 and sandwiching principal part 5 is also prepared by pressing a metal plate in a manner shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Each of these plates 10 and 11 symmetrical with each other is of a recessed shape as a whole. Their two opposite vertical sides and their bottom sides, except for their side portions adjacent to the air intake 16, have flanges 37 or 38.

[0112] Each plate 10 and 11 of the supplementary part6 has a relatively recessed region 40 corresponding to the principal part's 5 thin gas mixing chamber 25, generally in conformity therewith.

[0113] Each plate 10 and 11 is expanded out above the recessed region 40 that has an upper end 40c in parallel with the top and bottom of each plate. This upper end 40c extends towards the air intake 16 from each plate's innermost portion remote from the air intake 16, by a distance of about one third of each plate. Upper regions above the upper ends 40c define the bulged passage 43 for the thick gas mixture, and this passage has a slanted border 43c extending towards the air intake 16. Oblique grooves 45 serve to communicate the bulged passage 43 to a region adjacent to the air intake 16.

[0114] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a straight array of unit dams 46, a group of round recesses 47a and a group of rectangular recesses 47b are arranged in the uppermost region of each plate 10 and 11. The number of unit dams 46 is 8 (eight), and an inter-dam canal 46a is formed between the adjacent two unit dams 46.

[0115] Each round recess 47a is disposed above the corresponding inter-dam canal 46a. Each of the rectangular recesses 47b continues from the corresponding round recess 47a and extending to the top of each constituent plate 10 and 11 of the supplementary part. The unit dams 46 and the round recesses 47a are all depressed inwardly of the burner body 2. Thanks to these structural elements, fuel gas will be assisted to intermix well and quickly with air, to thereby ensuring stable formation of flames out of the auxiliary burner ports 63. In addition, those round recesses 47a will serve as portions that are welded to the neighboring portions when assembling the burner body 2.

[0116] Opposite side flanges 37 and 38 of each supplementary plate 10 and 11 have upper end regions formed as retaining tabs 44a and 44b that are located close to the burner port holder 27. These tabs 40a and 40b are shaped in conformity with the vertical grooves 24 of the burner port holder 27 which the principal part 5 comprises. Upward ears 48a and 48b, or 49a and 49b, are integral with the tops of those tabs 44a and 44b and disposed to face said grooves 24, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 12a. FIG. 12b shows that those ears 48a to 49b are bent inwards to shut off the vertical ears 69 of burner port assembly 3, at their upper ends close to flames.

[0117]
FIG. 8 shows that the burner port assembly 3 is made of a prefabricated steel plate having formed therein rectangular burner port wall segments 52 (viz., 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d, 52e and 52f) and rectangular bands 58 integral with the outermost segments 52a and 52f. Each wall segment 52 has ridges 50 and valleys 51a and 51b, and the adjacent wall segments 52 are connected one to another by narrow and short tie portions 59. FIG. 9 illustrates how to fold the prefabricated steel plate in six at these tie portions 59, so as to provide a generally square column.

[0118] The ridges 50 in the adjacent two burner port wall segments 52 will overlap each other, and at the same time the valleys 51 in these adjacent wall segments 52 also overlap each other, when these segments are folded back one on another. It will be seen in the drawings that the ridges 50 formed in the outer wall segment protrude, perpendicularly to its face, significantly higher than the other ones in the inner segments. It also will be noted that the ridges 50 in all the wall segments 52a to 52f, as well as the valleys 51a and 51b in the inner four wall segments 52b to 52e, do all extend transversely of the respective segments. Thus, the burner port assembly 3 manufactured by folding such a prefabricated steel plate in the described manner, will have an array of main burner ports 53 provided as clearances opened up and down between the adjacent ridges 50.

[0119] The ‘valleys’ 51 is a general term for narrower valleys 51a of a smaller width ‘W1’ and broader valleys 51b of a larger width ‘W2’. The narrower valleys 51a and the broader valleys 51b alternate with one another longitudinally of each rectangular burner port wall segment, with one ridge 50 intervening between the adjacent two valleys 51a and 51b. The narrower valleys 51a in the adjacent two of segments 52a to 52f will contact each other. In this way, the burner port assembly 3 has smaller nodes 54a formed by folding back these segments one on another. Likewise, the broader valleys 51 in these two segments 52 also contact each other to provide larger nodes 54b. In more detail, the smaller nodes 54a alternate with the larger nodes 54b longitudinally of the burner port assembly 3.

[0120] In the burner port assembly 3, the tie portions 59 (viz., 59a, 59b and 59c) are bent up and down as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11. The bent tie portions 59a and 59c at the top of the assembly 3 will serve as targets for electro-static arcs emitted from an igniter 81 disposed above this assembly.

[0121] Communicating openings 74 formed in and through the portions of outermost wall segments 52a and 52f (said portions forming the ridges 50 in burner port assembly 3) communicate the inside with the outside of each main burner port 53. FIGS. 8, 10 and 11 show that a hollow bulge 55 is formed longitudinally of and in each of the outermost segments 52a and 52f, in addition to the ridges 50 and valleys 51a and 51b. Such hollow bulges 55 are the burner port assembly's 3 protuberances facing outwards, and each vertically extending ridge 50 intersects each hollow bulge 55 such that their internal cavities communicate with each other. Thus, the cavities of the neighboring ridges 50 do also communicate with each other. However, each hollow bulge 55 divides each of valleys 51a and 51b into an upper recess 56a or 57a and a lower recess 56b or 57b, such that each upper recess 56a and 57a is isolated from the corresponding lower recess. In other words, the upper recesses 56a and 56b are disposed only in the upper region of each outer burner port wall segment 52a and 52f, with the lower recesses 57a and 57b being separately disposed in the lower region.

[0122]
FIGS. 8, 10 and 11 further show that the outermost wall segments or bands 58 are formed by bending outwards the top portions of outer segments 52a and 52f. Thus, bent portions and each band 58 continuing therefrom constitute as a whole a flame stabilizer 60. This stabilizer inclusive of said band continues from the main burner ports 53 will increase surface area, effective volume and consequently heat capacity of these burner ports. Height ‘h’ of the bands 58 is smaller than height ‘H’ of the burner port wall segments 52. Several lugs 58a arranged at intervals on the outer face of each band 58 do protrude out therefrom. The upper recesses 56a and 56b in each outer wall segment 52a and 52f are covered in part by the band 58. There are cutouts 58b at the band's 58 portions corresponding to the communicating openings 74 so that these openings 74 are exposed to the outside. Also, a lower half of each upper recess 56a and 56b is exposed to the outside, thereby providing side openings 62 (viz., 62a and 62b) in the burner port assembly 3.

[0123] As will be seen in FIG. 12a, supplementary burner ports 61a and 61b are cavities each defined by and with the upper recess 56a or 56b of outer wall segment 52a or 52b and the band 58. Thus, each cavity as the supplementary burner ports 56a and 56b are disposed in the node 54a or 54b adjacent to the corresponding main burner ports 53. The neighboring supplementary burner ports 61a and 61b are separated from each other by the flame stabilizer 60. The supplementary burner ports 61a have openings smaller than the other supplementary burner ports 61b.

[0124] Four of the wall segments 52a, 52c, 52d and 52f have each at their opposite ends tab-shaped ears 64 as shown in FIG. 8. Thus, the burner port assembly 3 has at its opposite ends the vertical ears 69 that are formed each by consolidating the tab-shaped ears 64 together. These vertical ears 69 tightly fit in the respective vertical groove 24 formed in burner port holder 27 in order to firmly hold the burner port assembly 3 in position.

[0125] As noted above, each band 58 disposed outermost in the burner port assembly 3 has the outward lugs 58a. A gap is formed between this assembly and each of the plates 7 and 8 constituting the principal part 5, as seen in FIGS. 14 and 18, so as to provide an intermediate burner port 78 extending longitudinally of said assembly 3. The main burner port 53 communicates with such intermediate burner ports 78 by means of the communicating openings 74.

[0126] The space 63a to form an array of auxiliary nozzles is present between the outer face of each plate 7 and 8 of the principal part 5 and the inner face of each plate 10 and 11 of the supplementary part 6, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 13. The rectangular recesses 47b in the plates 10 and 11 divide each of such spaces 63a into several regions serving as the auxiliary burner ports 63.

[0127] Next, some complementary explanations will be given on relationships between the components of the combustion apparatus 1 provided in the present embodiment. As best seen in FIG. 2, the principal part 5 composed of the plates 7 and 8 is positioned centrally of this apparatus and sandwiched by and between the plates of supplementary part 6. The burner port assembly 3 is held in and secured to the top of such a principal part 5. The principal and supplementary parts 5 and 6 are made integral with each other at their flanges 17, 37 and 38 spot welded or otherwise joined together. For example, consolidation of the principal and supplementary parts 5 and 6 is carried out primarily by welding one central plate 7 to one side plate 10, and also welding the other central plate 8 to the otherside plate 11. Further, those parts 5 and 6 are forced into an interference-fit engagement with each other by caulking the thin gas chamber fragments 25a onto the recessed fragments 40b, thereby forming the ribs 14 at the caulked portions of these fragments. In practical manufacture, the principal part 5 will be fixed on the supplementary part 6 at first, before folding double the latter part at and along its center line and subsequently conducting the welding and edge-bending or the like processes.

[0128] The burner port assembly 3 is inserted in the burner port holder 27 formed in the principal part 5. At a middle height of the burner port assembly 3, its hollow bulges 55 protruding out from the burner port wall segments 52a and 52f are in contact with the respective plates 7 and 8 of principal part 5. However, the outermost side portions of the burner port assembly 3 are the lugs 58a jutting out from the bands 58. These bands 58 contact these plates 7 and 8 only at said lugs 58a, to thereby define between each plate and each band the inter-mediate burner ports 78.

[0129] With the burner port assembly 3 being inserted into the holder 27, the straight array of flat basal portions 32 of the principal part 5 will come into proximity of the outer wall segments 52a and 52f. In this state, the side openings 62 present in the upper recesses 56a and 56b of these wall segments 52a and 52f are in communication with the communicating openings 33 and 35 that penetrate the protuberances 31 and flat basal portions 32, respectively. Thus, those openings 62 will serve as a means (or ‘communication holes’) for distributing the fuel gas mixture.

[0130] Upward ears 48a, 48b, 49a and 49b on the top of supplementary part 6 are bent in towards the center line of apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 12b, so that the vertical ears 69 of burner port assembly 3 is kept in place. These ears 48a to 49b define opposite boundaries for the flames jetted from this assembly 3, and preventing any flame from being emitted up from the vertical ears 69 thus closed.

[0131] The principal part 5 is in contact with the side supplementary plates 10 and 11 only at its regions located near the air intake 16, located near the thin gas mixing chamber 25 and at the tie walls 19. In other words, all the areas and zones except for these regions of principal part 5 are spaced apart from the supplementary plates 10 and 11. Side walls 16a and 16bas well as bottoms 16c and 16d (all included in the contour of the air intake 16 in principal part 5) are in close contact with the side plates 10 and 11, leaving no clearance between them as seen in FIGS. 1 and 16.

[0132] The welding of side plates 10 and 11 of the part 6 to the central plates 7 and 8 of the part 5 will be done within round recesses 47a formed near the top of the former plates 10 and 11. The main and auxiliary burner ports 53 and 63 are located in proximity of the round recesses 47a, so that the latter will protect plate regions adjacent thereto from deformation due to high temperatures.

[0133] Thus, those plates' portions very close to burner port fragments are preferably welded.

[0134] Such round recesses (‘protrusions’ if seen from inside) 47a welded to the principal part 5 have their inner faces in contact therewith, thereby producing and keeping a clearance around them.

[0135] An opening 65 defined by and with the portions of side plates 10 and 11 is much larger than the air intake 16, with the top thereof being spaced apart from the ceiling of the larger opening 65. Thus, a kind of duplex hole is provided near the bottom of burner body 2, wherein the lower hole is the air intake 16 and the upper hole is the fuel intake 66.

[0136] The central plates 7 and 8 have near their lower corners respective cutouts that are positioned above the air intake 16 and included in the fuel intake 66. The communication hole 20 of the principal part 5 is located near the cutouts, thus providing a comparatively broad space 67 disposed above the air intake 16 and exposed to the outside. A combination of this space 67 with a further space 68 around the venturi 23 serves as the blending station 70 mentioned above.

[0137] Since the ceiling of air intake 16 serves as the bottom of fuel intake 66 in such duplex structure, any idle space that would make the apparatus taller is not involved here. The fuel intake 66 overlying the air intake 16 is located closer to all the main, collateral and auxiliary burner ports 53, 61a, 61b and 63, and the air intake 16 is more remote therefrom.

[0138] As seen in FIGS. 16, 17a and 17b, the further space 68 is present around the principal part's venturi 23 and between it and supplementary part 6. Thus venturi 23 is not in contact with the supplementary part except for its bottom, but is surrounded by the space 68.

[0139] The thin gas mixing chamber 25 of principal part 5 is in a close contact with the recessed region 40 of supplementary part 6, as shown in FIG. 6. These chamber 25 and region 40 are in a tight engagement with each other at the rib 14 so that any amount of gas flowing by the venturi 23 does not float in between them 25 and 40. The rib 14 thus serves as a member for shutting the space 68 around the venturi 23.

[0140] As seen in FIGS. 17a and 17b, a still further space 71 separates the bulged thick gas passage 43 from the inner principal part 5. However, the communication channel 26 is made thinner than the neighboring zones, so that a wider cavity is provided beside this passage. The said further space 71 extends along the thin gas passage 22 and over the full length of the principal part 5.

[0141]

FIG. 17

a
shows also that the tie walls 19 are in a close contact with the inner faces of supplementary part 6 so that the upper space 71 is almost separated from the lower space 68 located at the lower and side region of said principal part 5. These spaces 71 and 68 communicate with each other only through the oblique grooves 45. These grooves 45 are formed in said supplementary part 6 so as to bring into communication the proximity of air intake 16 with the bulged thick gas passage 43, which in turn communicates with the fuel intake 66. On the other hand, the tie walls 19 are flat portions interposed between the side plates 10 and 11, thus providing there the constricted canal 72 summarized hereinabove.

[0142] More details of this canal 72 as a part of the thick gas passage 73 will now be given below referring to FIG. 16. The communication hole 20 formed in the tie walls 19 is located near the constricted canal 72, which faces the center in fore-and-aft direction of an expanded or flared canal 75 formed as another part of said thick gas passage 73. The bulged regions of side plates 10 and 11 have, adjacent to the communication hole 20, their lower borders extending across the obliquely upward extension of this hole 20. Thus, the constricted canal 72 is in communication with both the upper and lower spaces 71 and 68. As seen in FIGS. 16 and 17b, a lower end or half region of constricted canal 72 encircling the upper end of upward extension of communication hole 20 is a completely hollow cavity without any obstacles. However, an upper end or half region of this canal 72 is divided by the portions of tie walls 19 into cells separated one from another and arranged side by side.

[0143] In such a seriate manner described above, the thick gas passage 73 is provided between the principal part 5 and the supplementary part 6 (composed of the side plates 10 and 11), with the constricted canal 72 bringing the lower space 68 into communication with upper space 71. The open top of the downstream end of this passage 73 functions as the auxiliary burner ports 63. The straight row of main burner ports 53 and the collateral burner ports 61a and 61b constitute a kind of burner port block, which intervenes between the side rows of such auxiliary burner ports 63. In the combustion apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the upper space 71 communicating with the auxiliary burner ports 63 serves as the expanded or flared canal 75 constituting the thick gas passage 73. On the other hand, the constricted canal 72 connecting the lower space 68 to upper space 71 serves as a thick gas feed route to supply the expanded canal 75 with the thick fuel gas mixture.

[0144] In more detail, there are gaps arranged side by side, and one of them being defined between one plate 7 of the principal part 5 and one plate 10 of the supplementary part 6. The other gap is defined between the other plate 8 of principal part 5 and the other plate 11 of supplementary part 6. Lower regions of these gaps communicate with upper regions thereof through the constricted canal 72. The open top of the expanded canal 75 as a part of the thick gas passage 73 works as the auxiliary burner ports 63.

[0145] The constricted canal 72 in this embodiment bridges a gap between the lower space 68 and the upper space 71 defining the expanded canal 75, in order to blow the thick gas mixture thereinto. There is no passage between the upper and lower spaces 71 and 68 other than such a constricted canal 72. The thick gas mixture from the blending station 70 will thus flow through the constricted canal 72 into the expanded canal 75 and then towards the auxiliary burner ports 63.

[0146] As will be seen in FIG. 16, a comparatively wide space 67 is provided near the side end, and more particularly above the air intake 16. This space 67 exposed to the outside is intended to function as a part of the blending station 70. Due to the thinned venturi 23 in the principal part 5, the comparatively large lower space 68 is defined between this venturi and the side plates 10 and 11. These spaces 67 and 68 cooperate with each other to serve as a whole as the blending station 70 for mixing the fuel gas and air. In addition, the lower space 68 will serve as a part of the thick gas passage 73 for flowing the gas mixture prepared in the blending station 70.

[0147] The blending station 70 in this embodiment has a cross-sectional area that is constricted at first and then expanded again.

[0148] In detail, the side plates 10 and 11 are in contact with the tie walls 19 of the principal part 5, as shown or seen in FIGS. 2 and 16. As shown in FIG. 17a, the lower spaces 67 and 68 forming the blending station 70 is separated from the upper space 71 forming the expanded canal 75 in the thick gas passage 73. The area where the tie walls 19 contact the sidewalls 10 and 11 has an upper border formed as an inclined side 76 (see FIG. 2) of the bulged thick gas passage 43. On the other hand, a lower border of the said area is a further inclined side 77 (see FIG. 2) such that the upper inner wall of the blending station 70 is slanted along this further side 77 to descend downstreamly of the gas mixture flow. The upper outer wall of the air intake 16 ascends at first downstreamly of airflow, and then at the tapered region 28, descends sharply.

[0149] In this way and as seen in FIG. 16, the blending station 70 starting from the fuel intake 66 is tapered off to gradually reduce its cross-sectional area downstreamly of the gas mixture flow, until it leads to the communication hole 20. At this point, the tapered region 28 defining the venturi 23 causes the blending station 20 to sharply increase its cross-sectional area and continue to the space 68. In short, the blending station 70 is tapered off between the fuel intake 66 and the tapered region 28, where it has a minimum cross-sectional area, and thence sharply increases its cross-sectional area downstreamly of the gas flow.

[0150] The fuel gas and air fed into the fuel intake 66 will form a rough mixture to be divided into right and left tributaries. They will advance then towards the communication hole 20 so as to be mixed further while being accelerated in velocity due to the gradual decrease in cross-sectional area of the flow passage. As they progress beyond the region of minimum cross-sectional area, they will be allowed to expand and lower their velocity due to the subsequent sharp increase in cross-sectional area. Those tributaries merge one another through the hole 20 temporarily for a short time, so that they are equalized in pressure, before separated again from each other to further advance towards the burner ports.

[0151] The combustion apparatus 1 may comprise an igniter 81 to inflame the fuel gas mixture jetted from the top 15 of this apparatus.

[0152] Now, flows of fuel gas and air will be discussed in detail.

[0153] In the combustion apparatus 1 of the embodiment, a fuel feed nozzle 80 will be inserted in the fuel intake 66 above the air intake 16, in order to receive the fuel gas and ambient air. A fan or blower (not shown) disposed upstreamly of the burner body 2 comprising these air intakes 16 and fuel intake 66 will supply them with air streams. The ratio in amount of air to fuel gas will be set at about 40% of a theoretical value, thus rendering the mixture very rich in fuel gas. The fuel nozzle 80 inserted in the fuel intake may be kept in a condition similar to usual Bunsen burners. Thus, a certain annular gap will be present between the outer periphery of the fuel nozzle 80 and the inner periphery of fuel intake 66, so that the ambient air enters this apparatus together with the fuel gas. The ratio of air to fuel gas is about 40% of theoretical value as noted above, whilst the air intake 16 receives only the ambient air.

[0154] Such a raw mixture of fuel gas and air will further be blended within the blending station 70. This station 70 substantially consisting of the spaces 67 and 68 will gradually reduce cross-sectional area, towards its downstream side. Consequently, fuel gas and air are forcibly mixed with each other to form a preferably thick gas mixture.

[0155] In detail, the fuel gas and the ambient air having flown in through the fuel intake 66 advances at first towards the mixing accelerator 18. Here, the rough mixture will be caused to follow the curvature of burred semicircular and transverse protrusions 18b. Because of convergence on the surface of these protrusions, partial streams of the rough mixture will collide with each other. Thus, the rough mixture will be divided into right and left tributaries, which subsequently encounter decrease in cross-sectional area of flow passage and consequently increase their flow velocity as they rush towards the communication hole 20.

[0156] The space 68 around this hole increases cross-sectional area of flow passage, so that the tributaries will lower their flow speed. Simultaneously, they merge for a time through the communication hole 20 to be equalized in pressure and well mixed to give a homogeneous gas mixture.

[0157] A part of thick gas mixture well homogenized in the blending station 70 will flow upwards and enter the expanded canal 75 through the constricted canal 72 shown in FIG. 17b. The expanded canal 75 disposed above the constricted canal 72 also constitutes the gas passage 73. Since the constricted canal 72 is slanted in fore-and-aft direction and towards the center of expanded canal, the well-mixed thick gas mixture will instantly spread throughout this canal 75. Subsequently, the gas mixture flowing up along the wall of principal part 5 will uniformly flow through the inter-dam canals 46a each defined between the adjacent two unit dams 46, so as to be jetted out uniformly from the auxiliary burner ports 63 overlying the inter-dam canals 46a.

[0158] Although air content is merely about 40% of theoretical value to render the gas mixture entering the passage 73 extremely rich in fuel gas, the fuel gas will however be mixed well with the ambient air within the apparatus 1 of the embodiment. This feature results from the sufficient decrease in cross-sectional area of the passage in blending station 70 and also from the constricted canal 72 which the mixture has to flow through before entering the expanded canal 75 (space 71).

[0159] The upper end region of communication hole 20 is surrounded by the entrance portion of constricted canal 72 such that said region is quite hollow. However, middle and exit portions of the canal 72 are divided into right-hand and left-hand halves by the presence of tie wall portions 19 disposed in said canal. Effective cross-sectional areas of those halves of canal 72 depend almost solely on the cross-sectional area of respective middle portions of said halves. On the other hand, precise ratio in cross-sectional area of the right half to the left half depends on preciseness of the pressing process to form such a constricted canal 72.

[0160] This canal 72 consists of a groove 45 formed by pressing a metal plate when preparing the side plates 10 and 11. The inner surface of the middle region of such a groove 45 is of the highest precision in dimension among all the regions and portions formed in each plate 10 and 11.

[0161] It is noted here that the constricted canal 72 formed in the side plates 10 and 11 does connect the upper space 71 to lower space 68 in fluid communication as shown in FIG. 17b, as if it were a bridge spanned between these spaces. On the other hand, the plates 10 and 11 are in contact with the tie walls 19 of principal part 5 at a zone, and an upper border of this zone is the inclined side 43c of bulged thick gas passage 43.

[0162] A lower border of such a zone is the other inclined side 43d lying in parallel with the first mentioned side 43c.

[0163] The constricted canal 72 in this embodiment is therefore formed almost at right angles with these sides 43c and 43d, for realizing preciseness in its pressed shape and dimension.

[0164] The thick gas mixture prepared in the blending station 70 of apparatus 1 will then be divided into accurate halves, that is right-hand and left-hand tributaries, to flow in parallel with each other through the middle and downstream regions of the constricted canal 72. Inclination of constituent parts of this slanted canal 72 scarcely varies among them so that said tributaries will not fluctuate in their angle jetted into expanded canal 75 of gas passage 73. Thus, such a canal 72 contributes to production of a well-balanced pair of right and left auxiliary flames of a highly homogeneous gas mixture delivered from the blending station. By virtue of such an inclination of constricted canal 72, each array of auxiliary burner ports 63 will receive the gas mixture uniformly over its full length, thereby affording an improved inflammability of steadier auxiliary flames free from any variation in the force thereof.

[0165] Auxiliary flames are now less likely to be fanned by the air flowing into this apparatus 1, thanks to uniform distribution of the gas mixture to all the regions of auxiliary burner ports 63. Easier inflammation, smoother propagation and surer distinguishing of those flames are ensured, preventing in-complete combustion and flame oscillation even when operation of this apparatus is in any transitional state.

[0166] The major part of gas mixture spread all over the expanded canal 75 (space 71) in thick gas passage 73 is spouted out from auxiliary burner ports 63 overlying said canal 75. The balance of such a gas mixture will however be directed to the burner port assembly 3, through the communicating openings 33 and 35 penetrating the protuberances 31 and flat basal portions 32 formed in principal part 5. FIGS. 18a to 18c are now referred to, for the purpose of a more detailed description of this feature.

[0167]

FIG. 18

a
is the cross section taken along the line A-A in FIG. 15 to show the communicating openings 35 in principal part 5. These openings 35 are, as discussed above, elongated holes that are formed in the upper flat portions (‘protuberances’ if seen from the inside) 32 of the principal plates 7 and 8. The upper and larger recesses 56b of the outer wall segments 52a and 52f constituting the burner port assembly 3 do face the respective elongated openings 35, that are positioned below the band (i.e., outermost segment) 58. More particularly, those communicating openings 35 are located to respectively face the exposed side openings 62b as the regions of said recesses 56b.

[0168] The height ‘h’ of band 58 is much smaller than height ‘H’ of those corrugated burner port wall segments 52a and 52f. Thus, each band 58 covers only the upper halves of upper recesses 56a and 56b, leaving the remainder thereof 62a and 62b exposed to the outside as free openings 62a and 62b. Therefore, communicating openings 35 in the principal part's 5 plates 7 and 8 do face the larger ones 62b of such exposed openings in the burner port assembly 3.

[0169] As described above, the communicating openings 35 are formed in regions protruding inwards such that these regions contact the burner port assembly's 3 outer wall. Therefore, a sideways tributary diverted through said opening 35 from the vertical course of thick gas mixture will directly enter the corresponding larger opening 62b so as to be jetted from collateral burner port 61b.

[0170] Sideways tributaries through the other communicating openings 33 will take a route different from that which the tributaries through the former openings 35. As seen in FIG. 18b, that is the cross section taken along the line B-B in FIG. 15, the other communicating openings 33 in principal part 5 are round holes formed in the protuberances 31 thereof. These openings 33 face the smaller upper recesses 56a formed in the outer wall segments of burner port assembly 3. Also, these round openings 33 underlie each band 58, and particularly face the smaller opened regions 62a of said upper recesses 56a.

[0171] It is however noted that, in contrast with the larger openings 35, these smaller openings 33 are formed in the recessed regions (seen from inside) 31. Consequently, there is a certain gap between each smaller opening 33 and the side face of burner port assembly 3, nevertheless the smaller opening 62a being pointed to such a smaller communicating opening. As a result, a fine tributary from each smaller opening 33 is not likely to wholly enter the corresponding opening 62a to be jetted from collateral burner port 61b, but a considerable part or the remainder of this tributary will be spouted into the intermediate burner port 78. The corresponding one of communicating openings 74 connecting the inside of e7ach main burner port 53 to the outside thereof in fluid communication will function to flow a small amount of thin gas mixture sideways into the intermediate burner port 78. In this way, the remainder of said tributary will be diluted to an intermediate level of gas concentration.

[0172] In this connection, FIG. 18c as the cross section taken along line C-C in FIG. 15 may be referred to here. It will be apparent there that the communicating openings 74 causing the inside of each main burner port 53 to communicate with the outside are formed in the outer burner port wall segments 52a and 52f. The openings 74 are in a direct communication with the intermediate burner ports 78. The thin gas coming through these openings 74 sideways from the main burner port 53 will be intermixed with the thick gas in the intermediate burner ports 78. This thick gas comes through the other communicating openings 33 sideways from the spaces 63 as auxiliary burner ports 63, so that such a mutual intermixing of the gasses is effected within said intermediate burner ports 78 and jetted from the burner ports 78.

[0173] Now returning to the description of the blending station 70 (see FIG. 16), a part of the thick gas mixture well homogenized in this station 70 composed of the spaces 67 and 68 will flow out through the constricted canal 72 as detailed above. The remainder of such a thick gas mixture will flow into the space 68 (as a region of thick gas passage 73) surrounding the venturi 23 (as a part of thin gas passage 22). Consequently, the said remainder of thick gas mixture will flow into venturi 23 through the supplementary gas openings 29 thereof. The thus flowing into the thin gas passage 22 is to have entered the principal part 5 of the burner body.

[0174] It will be understood that due to presence of such a throttled region in the thin gas passage 22 where those supplementary openings 29 are formed, the thin gas mixture increases. its velocity at this region to thereby produce a negative pressure. On the other hand, the space 68, a part of thick gas passage, filled with thick gas mixture and surrounding the venturi 23 is of a normal pressure, so that the internal negative pressure appearing in venturi 23 allows a part of the external gas mixture to be sucked into venturi. The thick gas passage 73 formed around the vanturi 23 is sealed with ribs 14. Any part of thick gas mixture can however not leak in between the principal and supplementary parts of the burner body. Thus, the thick gas mixture is sucked into the venturi 23 through its openings 29 at any predetermined desirable rate. The thick gas mixture fine streams collide at a right angle with the air stream flowing through the thin gas passage 22, so as to be blended well with air to produce a thin gas mixture.

[0175] This thin gas mixture will then advance to the thin gas mixing chamber 25 and sharply turn its flow direction, while being mixed and agitated further. The thin gas mixture subsequently flowing through the communication channel 26 will arrive at the burner port holder 27 to finally enter the burner port assembly 3. The major part of the thin gas mixture thus fed to this assembly 3 will jetted out from the main burner ports 53 to generate fire flames. The remainder of this mixture having entered said assembly 3 will transfer to the intermediate burner ports 78 through the communicating opening 74 of burner port wall segments 52a and 52f. Such a remainder is intermixed with the thick gas mixture that is flowing into the burner ports 78 through the openings 33 in the described manner, before jetted out these burner ports.

[0176] It will now be apparent that the thick and thin gas mixtures having taken the described respective routes will be blown out from the main burner ports 53, collateral burner ports 61a and 61b, auxiliary burner ports 63 and intermediate burner ports 78. The igniter 81 overlying the apparatus 1 will produce electric sparks between it and the tie portions 59 so as to inflame these gas mixture tributaries to generate fire flames. Comparatively large (main) flames of thin gas will arise from the main burner ports 53, and smaller (auxiliary) flames of thick gas will arise from the auxiliary burner ports 63 disposed beside the main burner ports 53. Also, additional smaller (collateral) flames of thick gas (coming through openings 33 and 35) will arise from the collateral burner ports 61a and 61b disposed beside the auxiliary burner ports 63. Further (intermediate) flames of the intermediate concentration gas will arise from intermediate burner ports 78, between the each main flame and the adjacent collateral flame, and also between the adjacent auxiliary flames.

[0177] The major part of thick gas fed to the auxiliary burner ports 63 will be thoroughly burnt to ensure complete combustion, whereby smaller but steadier auxiliary flames are produced in proximity of the main flames of thin gas from the main burner ports 53. The minor part of thick gas fed to the collateral auxiliary burner ports 61a and 61b will also be thoroughly burnt to ensure complete combustion, whereby additional and steadier collateral flames are produced in proximity of the main burner ports 53. Further the intermediate concentration gas will produce the intermediate flames from the intermediate burner ports 78. It is a surprising feature of the present combustion apparatus 1 that the basal portions of main flames being produced with thin gas at the main burner ports 53 do desirably receive a sufficient amount of heat from all the neighboring smaller flames from the auxiliary, collateral and intermediate burner ports 78. Thus, those main flames are now stabilized well to resolve the problems of pulsating combustion and noise-generating combustion.

[0178] Main burner ports 53, collateral burner ports 61a and 61b, auxiliary burner ports 63 and intermediate burner ports 78 cooperate with each other to almost completely burn the fuel gas fed to the apparatus 1. Generation of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and the like materials is diminished in this combustion apparatus, lest the environment should be contaminated with such toxic or hazardous materials. Efficiency of heat is also improved herein, and thus any desired and calculated quantity of heat energy can now be produced accurately, thanks to extremely reduced amount of unconsumed raw gas discharged from this apparatus. The combustion apparatus of the invention, which does no longer emit the toxic gas or raw gas, will protect ambient people from any bad smell, the irritation of their eyes or the like unpleasant feeling.

[0179] Flame stabilizer 60 formed in the apparatus 1 as protuberances from the burner port wall segments 52a and 52f will contribute to an increased heat capacity of the main burner ports 53 defined with these segments. If a user operates to lower the force of fire flames, letting them to make approaches to the main burner ports, the increased heat capacity thereof will prevent super-heat of said burner ports. Any serious or violent operation of the combustion apparatus 1 of the invention will not cause any thermal deformation thereof, and thus the ‘turndown ratio’ (TDR) can now be made higher as compared with the prior art apparatuses.

[0180] Since superheat of the main burner ports 53 does not take place, despite the flames' approaches thereto, it is now possible to render the combustion apparatus 1 more compact and smaller in size.

[0181] Tie portions 59, provided at the nodes 54 present between main burner ports 53 as shown in FIG. 11, are used as the targets for sparks from the ignition plug 81. Thus, fuel gas mixture will surely inflamed, even if any unintentional and wrong relationship in position is involved between the igniter 91 and the apparatus 1.

[0182] Alternative locations of the tie portions 59 disposed at the nodes 54 in the described embodiment are upper end areas of the principal and supplementary parts 5 and 6, the proximity of main burner ports 53, collateral burner ports 61a and 61b, auxiliary burner ports 63 or the like flame jetting portions. Further and preferably, additional tie portions 59 may also be incorporated in the apparatus, because the igniter 81 at any slightly incorrect position will still be able to throw sparks to the primary tie portions 59 and/or such additional tie portions.

[0183] As described above, the ribs 14 are made by simultaneously caulking both the fragments 25a of thin gas mixing chamber 25 and the recessed fragments 40b, after having stacked the principal part 5 on supplementary part 6. Thus, it is an important feature that the thick gas passage 73 is stopped at its region downstream of the venturi 23 by means of such a rib 14. This rib 14 will not permit any amount of the gas mixture to leak in between those parts 5 and 6, but force it only into the supplementary gas openings 29. Therefore, gas concentration of the mixture being emitted from the main burner ports 53 will never fluctuate from time to time. By virtue of this feature, combustion of the gas mixture stands stable all time long of operation of the apparatus.

[0184] It is possible to provide the apparatus 1 with further ribs 14 such as 90a and 90b, in addition to the rib 14 that is disposed downstreamly of the venturi 23 as shown in FIG. 7. Each additional rib 90a and 90b may be formed by pressing the portion of tie walls 19a of the part 5 towards and together with the other portion of intermediate contact fragments 45a of the other part 6. In this case, the thick gas mixture flowing through the oblique groove 45 will more surely be inhibited from leaking outwards in between the parts 5 and 6, so as to reliably supply the gas passage 73 with the mixture at a designed accurate rate. Fuel concentration in the gas mixtures forwarded to the respective burner ports 53, 61, 63 and 78 will be rendered more stable, thereby enabling much steadier combustion.

[0185] Some complementary descriptions will now be given as to the rib 14, for the sake of better understanding thereof. The four constituent plates 7, 8, 10 and 11 are prepared each by pressing a metal plate to have therein protruding and depressed regions, which are however difficult to be of accurate shape and dimension. Some undesirable interstices are prone to be produced between the adjacent pressed regions. If some amount of gas mixture enters such interstices between the principal and supplementary parts 5 and 6, then fuel concentration will fluctuate in the gas mixtures being jetted from the burner ports and combustion will become unstable. In order to prevent any unwanted leakage into those interstices, the rib 14 in this embodiment is formed in the area ‘X’ indicated in FIG. 19 so as to be disposed near the venturi 23 and downstreamly of gas mixture flow.

[0186] Thin gas mixing fragments 25a (as the depressed regions of plate 7 and 8) and the recessed fragments 40b (as the depressed regions of plate 10 and 11) are laid one on another to define the area ‘X’. This area ‘X’ defines a downstream region of venturi 23. At this venturi 23, the thin gas passage 22 (principal passage) for the main burner ports 53 is diverged from the thick gas passage 73 (supplementary passage) for auxiliary burner ports 63. The area ‘X’ intervenes between the blending station 70 and another area ‘Y’ (where the thin and thick gas mixtures coexist) also shown in FIG. 19.

[0187] At the another area ‘Y’, each of the main plates 7 and 8 has its communicating fragment 26a and burner port holding fragment 27a, both being laid on the corresponding plate 10 or 11 at its bulged gas passage fragment 43b. Such another area ‘Y’ is thus located at the downstream side of the first mentioned area ‘X’ and the venturi 23, with respect to the flow of gas mixtures.

[0188] Supplementary gas-feeding openings 29 formed in venturi 23 allow a part of the fuel gas to enter the thin gas passage 22 at a designed flow rate. This rate decides the ratio in fuel concentration of the thin gas mixture to the thick gas mixture flowing through expanded canal 75 of the other passage 73. In view of this fact, the rib 14 at area ‘X’ is intended to prevent gas leakage in between the parts 5 and 6 downstreamly of the blending station 70. A precise rate of the fuel gas into the thin passage 22 will thus afford a constant ratio of fuel concentration for all the burner ports to stabilize combustion.

[0189] It is further noted that in the present embodiment the rib 14 substantially completely surrounding the thin gas passage 22 is located at the most upstream region of the area ‘X’.

[0190] The rib 14 located nearest the blending station 70 will diminish variation in effective volume of this station 70.

[0191] Further, the rib 14 encircling the passage 22 will surely inhibit gas leakage therefrom.

[0192] However in the this invention, the rib may alternatively be disposed at a point ‘P’ nearest the downstream end of the area ‘X’, or at another point ‘Q’ that is a middle point of this area.

[0193] It will now be apparent that such a rib 14 disposed in the area ‘X’ is useful to avoid gas leakage from between the thin gas mixing fragments 25a and recessed fragments 40b laid thereon. However, attention may be paid to a further area ‘N’, in which the constituent parts 5 and 6 are also disposed close to each other and only the thick gas mixture exists. This area ‘N’ defined between the blending station 70 and another area ‘Y’ shown in FIG. 19 may include an additional rib or ribs. The purpose of incorporation of such additional ribs is to ensure fluid tightness between the parts 5 and gas, so as to afford a more constant ratio in fuel concentration of one stream to the others, ensuring much steadier combustion.

[0194] The groove 45 formed in the further area ‘N’ and spanned between the blending station 70 and the last mentioned area ‘Y’ serves to connect the former to the latter in fluid communication. Flat portions of those parts 5 and 6 are in close contact with each other in the secondly mentioned area ‘N’. Although the spot welding of these portions may somewhat be useful to make airtight the groove 45 against the neighboring regions, it is more preferable to form additional ribs 90a and 90b similar to the first mentioned rib 14, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0195] It is to be noted in this connection that fuel concentration of the thin and thick gas mixtures respectively flowing through the passages 22 and 73 (its expanded canal 75) depends on the overall feed rate of the fuel gas at the fuel intake, on one hand. The fuel concentration will depend also on the flow rates of gas mixtures flowing through their passages, on the other hand. Therefore, not only the gas mixture inflow to the thin gas passage 22, but also the other inflow to the thick gas passage 73, has to be controlled as accurately as possible.

[0196] To meet this requirement, the principal part 5 must airtightly contact the supplementary part 6 in the area ‘N’ in order to feed the gas mixture into the expanded canal 75 at such an accurate rate. If there is present a gap, large or small, between those parts, then a part of fuel gas outflow from the station 70 to canal 45 will escape into the gap, which cause fluctuation of the concentration of thin gas. The ribs 90a and 90b formed beside the groove 45 within the area ‘N’ will prevent such an escape of fuel gas into the gap, to thereby supply a stable gas mixture flow of constant concentration to the canal 75. Owing to the structural features described above, all the burner ports 53, 61, 63 and 78 can receive steady tributaries of constant fuel concentration to ensure stable combustion.

[0197] The combustion apparatus of the described embodiment is a mere example of the present invention. Therefore, it may be modified in any manner as illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22 to comprise certain lugs 85 and/or 86. This apparatus is almost the same in structure as the apparatus provided in the first embodiment, except for these lugs 85 and 86 that improve the thin gas passage 22. Preferably, a number of the lugs 85 facing the centerline of this passage 22 may be disposed on the wall portion at the thin gas mixing chamber (viz., flow passage deflector) 25 where the gas mixture stream will sharply change its flow direction.

[0198] It is supposed that the thin gas mixture from the upstream region of said passage 22 will collide with the sharply curved inner wall surface of the mixing chamber 25, to thereby making a backlash and/or generating a huge eddy (see FIG. 23a). In contrast with such a natural condition of flow, those small lugs 85 will generate around them a number of extremely fine eddies. Thus, neither backlash nor large eddy will be generated in the gas mixture stream, but it flows smoothly along the curved wall without emitting any noise, while being equalized in pressure.

[0199] The thin gas mixing chamber 25 continues to the communication channel 26, via a throttle 87 (see FIG. 21). At this throttle 87, the cross-sectional area of gas mixture passage will restore its dimension, after having reduced it at first as shown in FIG. 23c. It is supposed that the gas mixture flow delivered from the mixing chamber 25 and having passed the throttle 87 at an accelerated flow speed will have its outer annular stratum tending to remove away from the inner periphery of the expanded region, thereby hardly generating huge eddies. If however a number of the lugs 85 similar to those shown in FIG. 23b are formed on said inner periphery as shown in FIG. 23d, then those small lugs 85 will generate around them a number of extremely fine eddies. Any huge eddy will no longer be generated in the air or gas mixture just passing through the throttle 87, but they flow smoothly along the peripheral wall without emitting any noise, while becoming uniform in pressure.

[0200]

FIGS. 22

a
and 22b show a differently modified example of the principal part 5, wherein a number of or several lugs 86 are formed on the inner periphery of an upstream region of venturi 23. This region of the thin gas passage 22 is located near and downstreamly of the air intake 16 for receiving air or thin gas, but upstreamly of the supplementary gas-feeding openings 29 formed in said venturi 23. Portions of air or the thin gas will impinge on those lugs 86 to thereby generate fine eddies close to the inner periphery, and flow down further to be intermixed with the thick gas mixture from the feeding openings 29. Similarly to the throttle 87 shown in FIG. 23d, the air or thin gas stream will thereafter pass through the succeeding expanded region of passage, also together with the fine eddies and along the peripheral wall of this region. Any huge eddy will no longer be generated in the air or gas mixture just passing through the portion which the cross-sectional area expands in the downstreamly of venturi 23, but they flow smoothly along the internal surface.

[0201] Thanks to such lugs 86 near the air intake 16, any huge eddy will no longer be generated in the air or gas mixture flowing through the venturi 23. Subsequently, they will continue to flow smoothly in a laminar state along the peripheral wall without emitting any noise, while becoming uniform in pressure to stabilize the flames.

[0202] The lugs 85 and 86, that are short columnar protrusions facing the centerline of thin gas mixture passage 22, will be formed by pressing the metal plates 7 and 8. Each lug may have a diameter of about 2 to 8 mm, and sheight of 1 mm or less.

[0203] The lugs 86 are disposed upstreamy of the supplementary gas-feeding openings 29 in the case shown in FIGS. 22a and 22b, though they may be formed near the protuberance 31 or downstreamly of them 29.

[0204] The lugs 86 are exemplified as solid columnar protrusions located upstremaly of the gas-feeding supplementary openings 29. However, they may alternatively be round openings each having a rim burred inwards toward said center line of passage 22 as shown in FIGS. 24a and 24b. Portions of air or the thin gas will impinge on those burred rims of openings 29, in this case, to thereby generate fine eddies close to the inner periphery, similarly to the principal part 5 shown in FIGS. 22a and 22b. They will flow down further to be intermixed with the thick gas mixture from the feeding openings 29. Also in this case, the air or thin gas stream will thereafter pass through the succeeding expanded region of passage, also together with the fine eddies and along the peripheral wall of this region, without emitting any noise, while becoming uniform in pressure.

[0205] Although the burred openings 29 shown in FIGS. 24a and 24b substitute for the lugs 86 shown in FIGS. 22a and 22b, such burred openings 29 may be employed in addition to the lugs 86. In the preceding modifications shown in FIGS. 21 to 24b, lugs are formed in a region of the thin gas passage 22 or in the supplementary gas-feeding openings 29 opened therein. However, those lugs or the like may be provided in the thick gas mixture passage 73 in the present invention.

[0206] In the apparatus 1 described above, the constricted canal 72 is opened to face the center of expanded canal 75 of the thick gas mixture passage 73 so as to uniformly distribute the thick gas towards all over each array of auxiliary burner ports 63. FIGS. 25a and 25b as well as FIGS. 26a and 26b show alternative examples 100 and 110 of combustion apparatus of the invention. Each of them 100 and 110 are of generally of the same structure as the first described apparatus 1, except for a deflector 95 or 96 that is disposed above the constricted canal 72 and thus downstreamly of the thick gas mixture flow. In this case, each supplementary plate 10 and 11 has a portion deformed to provide such a deflector 95 or 96 adjacent to the outlet of said canal 72.

[0207] Such a deflector will be useful to detour any difficulty which the pressing of metal plates or the designing of constituent parts would sometimes encounter in forming the inclined constricted canal 72 facing the center of expanded canal 75. It may also be possible to employ such a deflector 95 or 96 in addition to the inclined constricted canal 72 for the thick gas as in the embodiments first described above. In this case, a much more uniform distribution of concentration of the fuel gas will be achieved in the gas mixture being jetted from the auxiliary burner ports, thus stabilizing the flames produced thereby.

[0208] In every case discussed above, the angle of constricted canal 72 or the angle of a gas mixture jet therefrom is adjusted to afford a uniform and optimal jet of thick gas from all the unit auxiliary burner ports 63. The present invention is not delimited to such a mode, but may be modified in a fashion shown in FIG. 27 to give an apparatus 120. In this embodiment, gaps each present between two neighboring unit dams 46 is varied orderly along an array thereof so as to give a series of inter-dam canals 46a. The shorter the distance from inter-dam canal to the exit of constricted canal 72, the narrower will be the gap to decrease cross-sectional area thereof and to thereby increase friction against the corresponding tributary of gas mixture flow.

[0209] According to this structure of the apparatus, the inter-dam canals 46a more remote from the constricted canal 72 are less resistant to the flow of tributaries than the other inter-dam canals 46a. Respective tributaries can flow through the respective inter-dam canals 46a almost at the same rate. Thus, the fuel gas will be distributed substantially uniformly to all the inter-dam canals, improving inflammability of fuel gas mixture as a whole to be simultaneously burnt at the auxiliary burner ports and stability of main flames assisted with auxiliary flames.

[0210] For the combustion apparatus 120 of this embodiment, adjustment of the cross-sectional area of each inter-dam canal 46a is done taking into account the direction in which the gas mixture is jetted from the exit of constricted canal 72. This principle is also useful to other types of combustion apparatus in which the constricted canal 72 is replaced by certain openings as branched canals. For example, the other type apparatus may comprise the upper and lower space 71 and 67 (see FIG. 17b) separated by a partition. This partition is composed of outward protuberances formed on the outer face of each principal plate 7 and 8, wherein several openings as the branched canals will be formed in and through the partition. In this way, the structure including such branched canals can be designed easily to supply through and beyond said space 71 the respective auxiliary burner ports with the gas mixture substantially at the same rate.

[0211]
FIG. 28 shows a combustion apparatus 130 in a further embodiment, in which the thick gas mixture as indicated in this figure.

[0212] Similarly to the apparatus 120 shown in FIG. 27, also the constricted canal 72 in this apparatus 130 does extend vertically. However it will be seen in FIG. 28 that neither deflectors 95 or 96 nor inter-dam canals 46a of varied cross-sectional areas are employed, unlike the other apparatuses 100 and 110 summarized above.

[0213] Constricted canal 72 of this apparatus 130 has its centerline, whose extrapolation intersects with the center of one of the dams 46. In other words, such an extrapolation extends amid between the two adjacent 46a and 46a. Such an arrangement of constricted canal 72 and inter-dam canals 46a is employed herein, lest the gas mixture from this canal 72 should directly and straightly enter any of the inter-dam canals.

[0214] An upward outflow from the constricted canal 72 will selectively impinge only on the said one dam 46. This outflow is then deflected sideways and in opposite directions toward the respective inter-dam canals 46a, so as to feed them the mixture generally at the same rate. Also in this case, the gas mixture will be distributed evenly to the auxiliary burner ports 63, over the full length of its array.

[0215] The combustion apparatus of the invention may be modified in still another manner. For example, the apparatus 140 shown in FIGS. 29 and 30 comprises the air intake 16 and the fuel intake 66 that are arranged also vertically but are reversed upside down. Accordingly, configuration of the passages for thin and thick gas mixtures in this apparatus 140 differs a little from those passages built in the foregoing apparatuses 1 and so on. However, the pattern of their flow routes is almost identical to those that have been described above. The fuel gas from the fuel nozzle 80 will enter in part the venturi 23 through its supplementary fuel-feeding openings 29, as shown at the arrows in FIG. 31. Inside this venturi 23 as a region of the thin gas passage 22, the part of fuel gas having entered it will be intermixed with the ambient air from the air intake 16, and then jetted from the main burner ports 53.

[0216] The other part of gas mixture having not been diverged into the thin gas passage 22 but having passed by the venturi 23 will advance upwards and forwards through the constricted canal 72 and enter the expanded canal 75, as shown in FIG. 32. A part, usually a major part, of the gas mixture thus having entered the thick gas passage 73 is blown out of the auxiliary burner ports 63 as in the foregoing apparatuses 1 and so on. The other part, usually a minor part, of this thick gas mixture having entered the said passage 73 will enter and be jetted off the collateral burner port 61a and 61b, also as in the foregoing apparatuses 1, etc. On the other hand, jetted from the intermediate burner ports 78 is an intermixture of the portion of thin gas (for main burner ports 53) and the portion of thick gas (for auxiliary burner ports 63). In this way, the main flames being generated at the main burner ports 53 in this apparatus 140 will be stabilized by the other fire flames.

[0217] Similarly to the foregoing apparatuses 1, etc., the thick gas passage 73 in this apparatus 140 has a region surrounding a part of the thin gas passage 22. Supplementary openings 29 are formed in this part of the latter passage 22 so that a part of fuel gas from the fuel intake 66 will enter it so as to be blended with ambient air from the air intake 66. Also in this apparatus 140, fuel concentration is controlled orderly to be constant for each of the gas mixtures fed to the burner ports 53, 61, 63 and 78, with the fire flames generated thereat being stabilized.

[0218] The combustion apparatus of the invention may be modified in a still another manner. For example, a further type of apparatus 150 shown in FIGS. 33 and 35 somewhat differs from the foregoing ones 1, etc. in respect of its auxiliary burner ports 63 and its burner body's supplementary part 6 forming these burner ports. Other structural elements of this combustion apparatus 150 are similar to those that have been described above. In detail, any round recesses 47a and any rectangular recesses 47b are not formed in plates 10 and 11 of this apparatus 150. Instead, a corrugated flame stabilizer 151 intervenes between the principal part 5 and each plate of the supplementary part 6. Thus, a space in which the auxiliary burner ports 63 are disposed in the foregoing embodiments and examples are now divided by the stabilizer 151 into a number of stabilizing burner ports 152 arranged in a zigzag pattern.

[0219] These stabilizing burner ports 152 are employed here in place of auxiliary burner ports 63, without fear of adversely affecting but rather raising the rigidity of this apparatus 150, thus enhancing durability and stability of its operation. The number of such stabilizing burner ports 152 may considerably be greater than that of auxiliary burner ports. They 152 can be arranged either at any constant pitch, or at varying intervals if so desired. In this manner, relatively smaller but much steadier unit auxiliary flames will be provided to further stabilize the main fire flames.

[0220] In summary, a region of the thick gas passage in this invention surrounds a section of the thin gas passage having supplementary fuel-feeding openings formed in this section. A part of fuel gas thus transferring from the former passage into the latter one is mixed with air therein to produce a homogeneous gas mixture. This gas mixture flows to the main burner ports and generates thereat a well-stabilized main fire flame, remarkably reducing the amount of incomplete combustion byproducts.

[0221] It is noted that the blending station in the apparatus of the invention has a cross-sectional area gradually decreasing away from the fuel inlet and towards the downstream end of thick gas passage. Therefore, the fuel gas will be mixed well with air to produce a homogenous gas mixture to be directed to said downstream end. Ratio in fuel content of the thick gas mixture to the thin gas mixture will now remain constant, thereby avoiding any inhomogeneous mixing of the air with the fuel gas and preventing any uneven combustion from occurring in the main and auxiliary flames.

[0222] It also is noted that the blending station has a cross-sectional area tapered off at first towards the downstream end thereof and then increasing again away to be flared to expand itself, to thereby forming a throttle. In the tapered region of the station, a sufficient blending of the fuel gas with the sucked ambient air, whilst in the expanded region the mixture will become uniform in pressure. The thick gas mixture thus rendered homogenous in composition and uniform in pressure will further travel towards the arrays of burner ports, and on the other hand a minor part of this mixture will be intermixed with a part of thin gas at one of said burner port arrays.

[0223] It is noted further that the mixing-accelerator is incorporated in the blending station to facilitate the fuel gas to be blended quickly and smoothly with the air. The resultant homogeneous mixture will be fed mainly to the downstream regions of thick gas passage, and in part and later to the thin gas passage, also contributing to prevention of uneven combustion due to any insufficient degree of mixing.

[0224] It is noted still further that the branching station is disposed down-streamly of the throttle of said blending station, so that a part of the well homogenized thick gas mixture will be diverged at this branching station into the thin gas passage. Thus, ratio in fuel concentration of the thick gas (towards the main burner ports) to the thin gas (towards the auxiliary burner ports) is stabilized such that any uneven combustion occurs neither in main fire flames nor in auxiliary flames.

[0225] It is to be noted that the convex or concave portions, such as relatively small lugs or recesses, are preferably formed in the inner periphery of the thin and/or thick gas passages. Said portions are effective to prevent any huge eddies or any unpleasant noise from being produced or emitted when the air or fuel gas flows, and also to render more uniform the gas mixtures in their internal pressure distribution before delivered to down-stream regions of their passages.

[0226] It also is to be noted that the constricted canal preferably disposed dowstreamly of the blending station and upstreamly of the burner port assembly does contribute to further mixing of fuel gas with air, prior to arrival at this assembly. Thus, an extremely homogeneous gas mixture is fed to the auxiliary burner ports to give very stable fire flames.

[0227] Preferably, the direction of said constricted canal or a jet therefrom does intersect with the center of expanded canal of thick gas passage, so that the auxiliary burner ports can quickly form stable auxiliary flames all over their length. Inflammability and stability of main flames of the thin gas jetted from the main burner ports are now improved, remarkably reducing exhaust of incompletely combusted fuel gas.

[0228] In an also preferable example, two metal plates to form between them regions of the gas mixture passage are pressed and forced into an interference-fit engagement with each other, whereby leakage of any of the gas mixtures and an intermixing thereof are prevented so that concentration and jet rate of each gas mixture is made uniform to stabilize combustion.

[0229] In summary, supplementary fire flames generated at and from the collateral burner ports will stabilize the fire flames being jetted from the main burner ports, thereby affording almost complete combustion of the fuel gas being supplied to the combustion apparatus. During operation of this apparatus, an amount of raw gas not burnt and a quantity of carbon monoxide and the like toxic substances are diminished, thus contributing to the protection of environment.

[0230] Heat capacity of the main burner ports is increased thanks to the outermost bands each disposed close to and outside the outer wall segment forming the main burner port arrays. Even if flames would become much closer to the main burner ports depending on certain operating conditions or under some circumstances, there will never take place any sharp rise in temperature of said burner ports, thus protecting them from thermal deformation. Now, a much higher ‘turndown ratio’ (TDR) can be adopted in the apparatus of the present invention.

[0231] The ears of wall segments, and/or the tie portions connecting them to define the fuel gas jetting main burner ports, are formed to protrude up above the other portions thereof. Such protruded ears or tie portions are used as the targets for electric sparks, thus making easier and surer the inflammation of said fuel gas mixtures.

Number	Date	Country
15199/2002	Jan 2002	JP
33431/2002	Feb 2002	JP
50131/2002	Feb 2002	JP
70983/2002	Mar 2002	JP
71096/2002	Mar 2002	JP
71100/2002	Mar 2002	JP
71101/2002	Mar 2002	JP

Combustion apparatus

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CPC

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Priority Claims (7)