GAS BURNER ATTACHMENT

Abstract

Apparatus for increasing burning efficiency including a bottom shell having a plate defining a first opening for receiving a fuel source and a side wall extending in an upward direction. The side wall has a first side wall end coupled to the plate and a second side wall end spaced from the first side wall end in the upward direction. Additionally, the apparatus includes a top shell having inner and outer walls defining a cavity for receiving the second side wall end of the side wall of the bottom shell. The inner wall has a first inner end and a second inner end and the outer wall has a first outer end and a second outer end. The first inner end is coupled to the first outer end and the second inner end is spaced from the second outer end to receive at least the second side wall end.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparatuses and systems for improving the efficiency of burning a fuel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a typical burner, molecules of fuel (liquid and/or gas) are mixed with molecules of atmospheric air, one of which is oxygen (02), and combusted to produce heat. Gas burners may generally be used to produce heat for cooking, heating, and other similar processes. Traditional gas burners lose a considerable amount of heat to the surrounding environment. Such heat losses can translate to higher fuel costs. Additionally, inefficient combustion can result in higher concentrations of undesirable products, such as carbon monoxide (CO). These undesirable emissions can be toxic, give rise to respiratory problems, and contribute to global warming, all of which may trigger regulatory action by various agencies. As a result, in part, of heightened health and global warming concerns, apparatuses exhibiting improved burning efficiencies are desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the invention are directed to apparatuses and systems for improving the efficiency of burning a fuel.

According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning a fuel includes a bottom shell having a plate defining a first opening for receiving a fuel source and a side wall extending from the plate in an upward direction. The side wall has a first side wall end that is coupled to the plate and a second side wall end spaced from the first side wall end in the upward direction. Additionally, the apparatus includes a top shell supported by the bottom shell. The top shell includes an inner wall and an outer wall defining a cavity for receiving at least the second side wall end of the side wall of the bottom shell. The inner wall has a first inner end and a second inner end and the outer wall has a first outer end and a second outer end. The first inner end is coupled to the first outer end and the second inner end is spaced from the second outer end to receive at least the second side wall end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, with like elements having the same reference numerals. It is emphasized that according to common practice the various features of the drawings are not drawn to scale unless otherwise indicated. On the contrary, the dimension of the various features may be expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawings are the following figures:

FIG. 1A is semi-transparent perspective view of an apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuels according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a semi-transparent perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1A with annotations indicating prospective air flow;

FIG. 1C is an exploded view of the apparatus of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of another apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuels in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of yet another apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuel according to an aspect of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a further apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuel that is configured to be attached to a gas combustion chimney in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 5A is a partial cross-sectional view of yet a further apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuel that is configured for coupling to a welding nozzle according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 5A, with the inner wall of the top shell being partially transparent; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of yet another apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuel in accordance with aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventors conducted extensive studies of the physiochemical processes relating to the combustion of fuels in order to improve the efficiency and economy of combusting hydrocarbon fuels. The inventors recognized that improvements in the combustion efficiency of gas burners and other similar equipment can be achieved through the preliminary preparation of the combustible mixture as well as the formation and maintenance of the resulting flame. For example, improvements in combustion efficiency may be obtained via the energy of additional oxidation.

For example:

C+O═CO+26.4 kcal/mol

C+O₂═CO₂+94.0 kcal/mol

That is, the inventors recognized that if carbon monoxide is further reacted to carbon dioxide, an additional 67.6 kcal/mol may be obtained from the combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel. As an additional advantage, comparatively safe CO₂ is produced instead of dangerous CO.

Aspects of the invention relate to apparatuses for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuels, such as natural gas. The efficiency of burning gaseous fuels is increased by optimizing the airflow into and out of a gas burner device, such that efficient burning and heat transfer more readily occurs. Desirably, the invention decreases heating time and reduces the amount of harmful carbon monoxide that is produced, while increasing the amount of relatively less harmful carbon dioxide that is emitted. The apparatuses disclosed herein may be attached and/or coupled to gas burners, stoves, portable gas stoves, gas-fired burners and other similar pieces of equipment to improve the efficiency of burning fuels. For example, the apparatuses may be used in boiler rooms, factories, residential homes, commercial restaurants, and the like where combustion is used as a source of heat. Suitable fuels include, but are not limited to, liquid and/or gaseous fuels, such as hydrocarbons, petroleum oil and its derivatives, natural gas, propane, gasoline, alcohols, ethanol mixtures, cooking oils, etc.

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict an apparatus 100 for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuels according to aspects of the invention. As a general overview, apparatus 100 includes a top shell 101 and a bottom shell 102.

The bottom shell 102 includes a plate 103 defining a first opening 104 for receiving a fuel source and a side wall 105 extending from the plate 103 in an upward direction. The plate 103 may be adapted for attachment to a burner or a platform affixed to the burner, for example. The side wall 105 has a first side wall end 106 coupled to the plate 103 and a second side wall end 107 spaced from the first side wall end 106 in a substantially upward direction or an upward direction. In one embodiment, the side wall 105 extends in an upward direction, such that side wall 105 is perpendicular to plate 103. Although bottom shell 102 is illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 18 as including a side wall 105 that is distinct from the plate 103, in another embodiment of the invention, side wall 105 and plate 103 of the bottom shell 102 are formed of the same unitary material.

The top shell 101 includes an inner wall 108 and an outer wall 109 defining a cavity 110 configured to receive at least the second side wall end 107 of the bottom shell 102. The inner wall 108 has a first inner end 111 that is coupled to the first outer end 113 of outer wall 109 and a second inner end 112 that extends in a substantially downward or downward direction from the first inner end 111. Similar to inner wall 108, outer wall 109 has a second outer end 114 that also extends in a downward or substantially downward direction from the first outer end 113. The second inner end 112 and the second outer end 114 are spaced apart to define a cavity that is configured to receive at least the side wall 115 and the passageway 122, which is further discussed below.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-6, the second inner end 112 defines a plurality of apertures 115 configured for permitting airflow. Although the plurality of apertures 115 are depicted in FIGS. 1A-6 as having a circular or cylindrical shape, the plurality of apertures 115 may have a shape that is square, rectangular, or any other geometric or non-geometric shape. For example, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 includes an inner wall 108 having a plurality of apertures 115 having an elliptical shape. Additionally and/or alternatively, the outer wall 109 or side wall 105 may also define a plurality of apertures 115.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner wall 108 of the top shell 101 is configured to have a de Laval nozzle shape. The de Laval nozzle shape of the inner wall 108 of the top shell 101 accelerates the movement of expelled exhaust gases to approximately twice that of the normal rate of the natural draft of air. Specifically, the inner wall 108 of the top shell 101 is configured such that an expelled exhaust gas has a linear velocity according to the formula:

$v_e=\sqrt{\frac{TR}{M}·\frac{2\gamma }{\gamma -1}·\left[1-{\left(\frac{p_c}{p}\right)}^{\frac{\gamma -1}{\gamma }}\right]}$

where v_e is an exhaust velocity at a nozzle exit, T is an absolute temperature of an inlet gas, R is the universal gas law constant, M is a gas molecular mass,

$\gamma =\frac{c_p}{c_v}$

is an isentropic expansion factor, c_p is a specific heat of the gas at a constant pressure, c_v is a specific heat of the gas at a constant volume, p_c is an absolute pressure of the expelled exhaust gas at the nozzle exit, and p is an absolute pressure of the inlet gas.

Additionally and/or alternatively, the inner wall 108, the outer wall 109, and/or the side wall 105 may have a catalyst coating layer formed of, e.g., Platinum (Pt), Rhenium (Re), Palladium (Pd), Copper (Cu), Iron (FE), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), and Cobalt (Co). The catalyst coating may be selected from the group consisting of Pt, Re, and Pd. In one embodiment, the inner wall 108, the outer wall 109, and the side wall 105 have a thin catalyst coating layer. The catalyst coating layer may have a thickness of 50 microns or less, preferably 40 microns or less, preferably 30 microns or less, or preferably 20 microns or less. The catalyst coating layer may have a minimal thickness suitable for activating the fuel for combustion. For example, the catalyst coating layer may have a thickness that is 1 micron or more, preferably 5 microns or more, preferably 10 microns or more, or preferably 15 microns or more. In one embodiment, the catalyst coating layer has a thickness in the range of 15 to 20 microns.

The top shell 101 may be coupled and/or attached to the bottom shell 102 by mechanical means, such as fasteners, welding, etc. or by adhesives that are capable of withstanding the temperatures produced by the combustion of the fuel. In one embodiment, the top shell 101 is releasably coupled and/or attached to the bottom shell 102. Upon coupling the top shell 101 to the bottom shell 102, the top shell 101 may be supported by the inner wall 101 contacting the plate 103 of the bottom shell 102. For example, the side wall 105 may have a length that is shorter than a length of at least one of the inner wall 108 and the outer wall 109, such that the cavity 110 between the inner wall 108 and the outer wall 109 receives at least the second side wall end 107 without the second side wall end 107 of side wall 105 contacting the inner wall 108, the outer wall 109, and/or the top shell 101, more generally.

The top shell 101 and the bottom shell 102 may be coupled together to define a passageway 122 configured to receive airflow. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the passageway 122 includes a first section 116 extending between the outer wall 109 of the top shell 101 and the side wall 105 of the bottom shell 102 and a second section 117 extending between the inner wall 108 of the top shell 101 and the side wall 105 of the bottom shell 102. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, passageway 122 may be configured such that air flows first through the first section 116, then through second section 117, and subsequently through the plurality of apertures 115 before contacting the fuel source. The first section 116 of passageway 122 may be configured to increase the temperature of the air by 5° C. to 30° C. or by about 5° C. to 30° C. The second section 117 of passageway 122 may be configured to increase the temperature of the air by 10° C. to 40° C. or by about 10° C. to 40° C. Although passageway 122 is illustrated in FIG. 1B as having only a first section 116 and a second section 117, passageway 122 may be configured to have additional sections by including, e.g., an additional side wall extending from the plate 103 that is proximal to the outer wall 109 of top shell 101.

The top shell 101 and the bottom shell 102 may be formed of materials that facilitate heat transfer, such that airflow through the passageway 22 is heated prior to combustion. Suitable materials for the top shell 101 and the bottom shell 102 of apparatus 100 include, but are not limited to, metals and metal alloys formed of copper, aluminum, iron, nickel, zinc, carbon, etc., as well as ceramics adapted for heat transfer, such as aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, etc. In one embodiment, the plate 103 and the side wall 105 of the bottom shell 102 are formed of a single material selected from the group consisting of iron, steel, copper, bronze, brass, titanium, or alloys thereof. In another embodiment, the inner wall 108 and the outer wall 109 are formed of a single material selected from the group consisting of iron, steel, copper, bronze, brass, titanium, or alloys thereof.

FIG. 4 depicts another non-limiting embodiment of an apparatus 400 for improving combustion efficiency. Apparatus 400 includes features that are similar to those disclosed above with respect to apparatus 100. Additional details regarding apparatus 400 are omitted in the following discussions and FIG. 4, where unnecessary due to the prior discussion of similar elements in order to avoid duplication.

Apparatus 400 is configured for attachment to a gas combustion chimney. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the side wall 105 and inner wall 108 of the top shell 101 may be adapted for direct attachment to a gas combustion chimney. For example, the side wall 105 may be attached directly to the gas combustion chimney without a bottom shell plate.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict a further non-limiting embodiment of an apparatus 500 for improving combustion efficiency. Apparatus 500 also includes features that are similar to those discussed above with respect to apparatus 100 and apparatus 400 with details regarding those features omitted in order to avoid duplication.

Apparatus 500 is adapted for attachment and/or coupling to the end of a gas welder configured for welding and/or melting a metal material. The inner wall 508 is configured to have a shape conforming to or approximately conforming to a Laval nozzle. The Laval nozzle shape of inner wall 508 increases the velocity of the fuel and heated air.

Example

The following example is a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, included herein to demonstrate the advantageous utility obtained from aspects of the invention.

An assembled test system was utilized to test the performance of a gas burner in conjunction with an apparatus for improving combustion efficiency. Using two identical gas burners connected to the same propane source, a fixed amount of water was heated from uniform ambient conditions to a temperature of 50° C. Combustion efficiency was determined by measuring the time it took to heat the water using a gas burner without the apparatus for improving combustion efficiency (i.e. baseline condition) to the time it took to heat the water to substantially the same temperature using a gas burner in conjunction with the apparatus for improving combustion efficiency.

In order to facilitate a consistent environment between experimental runs, a glass flask, acting as the heating system, was wrapped in insulation to limit heat losses. In addition, a mechanical stirrer was used to ensure uniform mixing. The water used for the experimental test runs was obtained from a large water feedstock reservoir that was filled with tap water and allowed to reach thermal equilibrium. Temperatures were determined via a thermocouple, and the time for heating the water to a specified temperature (i.e., the heating time) was measured using a stopwatch. Finally, the gas burners were maintained at a uniform flow setting.

Table 1, provided below, shows the results of the tests that ran under baseline conditions (i.e. a gas burner without the apparatus for improving combustion efficiency) and the results of the tests using the gas burner in conjunction with the apparatus for improving combustion efficiency. Table 1 demonstrates that the average heating time decreased by approximately 21%. Specifically, the average heating time decreased from 103.26 seconds under baseline conditions to 81.6 seconds with the use of the apparatus for improving combustion efficiency.

TABLE 1
Heating Time for 400 mL of Water (25° C. to 50° C.)
	Gas Burning Attachment (s)	Baseline (s)
	78.94	99.56
	80.96	106.18
	85.14	105.11
	81.58	103.58
	82.37	102.78
	80.12	100.43
	82.08	105.19
Average Heating Time	81.60	103.26
Heating Time Reduction	0.209786533

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalence of the claims and without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. A apparatus for increasing the efficiency of burning gaseous fuels, comprising: a bottom shell including a plate defining a first opening for receiving a fuel source and a side wall extending from the plate in an upward direction, the side wall having a first side wall end that is coupled to the plate and a second side wall end spaced from the first side wall end in the upward direction,a top shell supported by the bottom shell and including an inner wall and an outer wall defining a cavity for receiving at least the second side wall end of the side wall of the bottom shell, the inner wall having a first inner end and a second inner end and the outer wall having a first outer end and a second outer end, the first inner end coupled to the first outer end and the second inner end spaced from the second outer end to receive at least the second side wall end.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner wall, the outer wall, and the side wall includes a plurality of apertures configured for permitting air flow.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second inner end contacts the plate of the bottom shell and the inner wall defines the plurality of apertures.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the top shell and the bottom shell form a passageway extending therebetween, the passageway including a first section extending between the outer wall of the top shell and the side wall of the bottom shell and a second section extending between the inner wall of the top shell and the side wall of the bottom shell.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the passageway is configured such that the first section is in fluid communication with the second section.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of apertures is in fluid communication with at least one of the first opening of the bottom shell and the passageway.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the side wall of the bottom shell has a concave configuration along the upward direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the side wall has a length that is shorter than a length of at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner wall and the outer wall of the top shell are formed of a single material.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plate and the side wall of the bottom shell are formed of a single material.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the single material comprises steel, copper, bronze, brass, titanium, or a combination thereof.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the single material comprises steel, copper, bronze, brass, titanium, or a combination thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner wall, the outer wall, and the side wall has a catalyst coating.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the inner wall and the outer wall of the top shell has a catalyst coating.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the side wall of the bottom shell has a catalyst coating.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the inner wall, the outer wall, and the side wall have a catalyst coating.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the catalyst coating is selected from the group consisting of platinum and palladium.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner wall of the top shell is configured to have a de Laval nozzle shape.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the inner wall of the top shell is configured such that an expelled exhaust gas has a linear velocity according to the formula:

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to be attached to a gas combustion chimney.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to be attached to a gas burner for at least welding, melting, or a combination thereof.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to be attached to at least one of an oil burner and kerosene burner.