Aug. 30, 1938. w, OFELDT 2,128,264
BURNER Filed July 18, 1936.
y M 'NTOR. WW,
' ATTORNEY.
Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFlCE Homestead Valve Manufacturing Company,
Coraopolis, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,405
10 Claims.
This invention relates to burners generally and more particularly to burners which are provided with means for preheating or volatilizing fluid fuel and the method of operating the same.
This invention may be conveniently applied to heaters that require uniform distribution of the burning gases and accurate timing of combustion within the combustion chamber. Heaters that may advantageously employ these features are found in the coil heater art for Water heaters, spray or atomized heaters and the like, some of which are disclosed in my Letters Patent No. 1,925,643, No. 1,970,971, and applications for Letters Patent Serial No. 36,290, filed August 15, 1935 and Serial No. 88,106, filed June 30, 1936, and others referred to therein.
In coil heaters the form of the coils and the manner in which they are placed within the combustion chamber determine the bafiiing characteristics for distributing and guiding the flame. To vary the control of the flame hitherto it has been necessary to reform or rearrange the coils or parts which are being heated. As a practical consideration it is usually necessary to construct a new heater for this purpose, which adds expense.
The principal object of this invention is the provision of a new and improved deflector for controlling the distribution and timing the combustion of the flame.
Another object is the provision of improved means for preheating or vaporizing a fluid fuel prior to discharging it against the deflector, thereby permitting accurate control thereof.
This invention also contemplates a novel jet and priming device for initially starting combustion.
Other objects appear hereafter.
In the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated a practical embodiment of the principles of my invention:
Fig. l is a plan view of the burner assembly comprising my invention.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the burner shown in Fig, 1.
Referring to the drawing, l represents the base of a combustion chamber or outer casing having anaperture 2 through which theburner assembly 3 is arranged to extend into the combustion chamber. The burner assembly comprises the flame guidingring casting 4 having oppositely disposed outwardly extending arms 5. Adjacent their outer ends the arms 5 are provided with theholes 6 for receiving thebolts 1, arranged to secure the burner assembly to the base I by the nuts 8. 9 represents spacer members around the bolts 'l between the base! and the arms 5 for maintaining spaced relation between these parts to reduce heat conductivity therebetween.
The ring casting is provided with aligned slots 5 ll! in the same plane as the outwardly extending arms 5. These slots are arranged to receive the outer ends of the deflector member supporting arms H. Where the arms 5 are joined to the ring 5 I provide thebosses 12. These bosses are drilled to receive the bolts l3 which pass through the outer ends of the deflector supporting arms I l for securing the same to thering casting 4 as by the nuts IA.
The arms 5 may be strengthened by means of the webs l5 which extend between the bosses l2 and the arms 5. These strengthening webs also aid in providing radiating surfaces for cooling the ring casting. To this end thering casting 4 may be provided with the radially disposed radiating 20 fins, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 at IS.
The deflector supporting arms ll extend radially from the flame deflecting member I! and are provided with the V-shaped depending flanges i8 which strengthen said arms and prevent turbulence of the flame as it passes therearound. The deflecting member I! is preferably hollow. The lower portion IQ of the deflector is preferably spherical and theupper portion 20 cylindrical. Thus combustible gases impinged on the under surface thereof will be spread uniformly therearound. The spherical surface also dispenses with the necessity of accurately adjusting the center of the impinging gases to strike the center of the deflector. Thus slight misalignment of the burner nozzle caused by assembly or by relative expansion of the parts due to different materials or due to different temperatures will not impair the proper function of the deflector. I am thus enabled to avoid the difficulties arising from the use of conical or pointed deflectors. I
One arm l l is provided with aboss 2! which is drilled to receive and hold one end of the tube forming thefuel preheating coil 22. The fuel being fed to the heating coil is arranged to pass from the fuel supply up through thevertical portion 23 of the coil. Near to the top of thevertical portion 23 thefirst coil turn 24 is formed. The uppermost position of thecoil 22 occurs at substantially the first half of thecoil turn 24 as indicated at 25. The coil then descends and is wound around thecylindrical portion 20 of the deflector ll. Thelast turn 26 of the coil is directed toward theboss 2!. The tube is then,
' formed to pass down through the boss as shown The tubing extends below thering casting 4 as shown at 28 and is arranged to extend radially inwardly toward the center of the deflector I1. 29 represents a nozzle secured to the end of the tube and provided with theport 30 arranged to direct the fuel against the center of the spherical surface [9 of the deflector [1.
The deflector I! is provided with the radially projectinglugs 31 32 and 33 arranged to support the lower side of thecoil 22 as it winds down around the deflector.
It will be noted from Fig. 1 that thecoil turn 24 extends out in the direct path of the burning gases and is subjected to considerable heat. As,- suming that oil under pressure is used for fuel,- it will flow from the source of supply up through thetube 23 through theflame guiding ring 4 to the coil turn 24 and therearound to thehighest point 25. During this time it will have been heated sufficiently to volatilize. The volatilized fuel then passes around the balance of theturn 24 and through the coil, thetube 28 to thenozzle 29, from whence it is expelled out the opening 39 of the jet. The volatilized fuel becomes superheated as it passes through thecoil 22. This promotes quick and efficient combustion.
The highly heated fuel impinging against the spherical surface and being deflected therearound has been found not to support combustion until it reaches the deflector arms I! and thelugs 3i and 33, as the flame propagation is not as fast as the velocity of the gas over the spherical surface. By placing the lugs orears 34 on the spherical surface of the deflector I am enabled to control the timing of the initial flame combustion. These small lugs on the spherical surface create a vortex in the flow of the fuel forming a turbulent action therein which causes ignition of the fuel at the tips of the lugs. Thus the position of the lugs on-the spherical surface I9 determines the time at which combustion of the fuel is started.
As the fuel strikes the spherical surface it is distributed uniformly therearound and is guided up through thering 4 past thefuel heating coil 22. As the fuel supply continues to flow through thecoil 22 it becomes heated, vaporizes and is discharged from the nozzle. The deflector I! and thecoil 22 become quite hot, which aid in maintaining the heating cycle.
35 represents a priming pan which may be conveniently supported from the burner structure by means of the arm 3'6 secured at its free end underthe nut M on the bolt l3 which holds the deflector to thering casting 4. The priming pan may be provided with fuel and a wicking, such as waste, which when ignited heats the nozzle and the lower portion of the fuel pipe and the fuel therein. This continues until the burner flame heats the fuel in thecoil 22 sufficiently to permit continuous operation thereof.
A notch 3'! is formed in the bottom edge of the depending flange [8 adjacent the deflector l1. This notch provides a break in the lower edge of each flange and permits that portion of the combustible gases and the flame that is adjacent the deflector IT to pass up along both sides of the depending flanges i8 and the arms II. If the lower edges of these flanges were permitted to extend horizontally to the deflector a portion of the gases and the flame would roll therealong toward theflame guiding ring 4 and be deflected downwardly, creating a rotary turbulence that would have a detrimental effect on the burning fuel.
Thus by abruptly changing the contour of the flanges l8 adjacent the deflector I! so that it extends upwardly toward the deflector, that portion of the fuel and flame passing therearound is carried by its own velocity to a point above the lower edge of the flange and therefore travels undisturbed to the combustion zone.
1. In an oil burner, the combination of a flame guiding ring, a deflector positioned concentrically within said ring and having an under arcuate surface, means for supporting said deflector from said ring and for positioning the lowermost portion of the arcuate surface of the deflector slightly below the lower perimetral edge of said ring, a preheating fuel coil mounted on said deflector in spaced relation with the inner wall of said ring, a burner positioned in spaced relation beneath said deflector and connected to said coil, and means on the under arcuate surface of the deflector disposed above the lower perimetral edge of said ring for timing the initial flame combustion of the fuel issuing from the burner.
2. In an oil burner assembly, the combination of a burner, a baffle having a convex under surface disposed above the burner for distributing the combustible gases issuing therefrom, a fuel supply coil wound in a helix about the baffle and having its lower end connected to the burner, lugs on the perimetral surface of the baffle under supporting the coil, and means below said lugs for reducing the velocity of a portion of the combustible gases to maintain initial flame combustion thereof between said lugs and said means.
bustion thereof between said coil and said means.;;
4. In an oil burner assembly, a unitary structure comprising a deflector arranged to distribute combustible gases, a preheating fuel coil surrounding the deflector and supported thereby,
a burner positioned beneath the deflector and;-
supported by the lower end of the coil, and means on said deflector below said coil for reducing the velocity of a portion of the combustible fuel to maintain initial flame combustion thereof between said coil and said means.
5. A deflector for use with a burner which coma prises a body portion having an under arcuate portion arranged to be positioned in the path of the'combustible gases issuing from the burner to distribute the same, an arm for supporting said body portion, the under side of said arm extending upwardly adjacent the said body portion to prevent the flame from extending along said arm.
6. A deflector arranged to be positioned over a burner which comprises a cylindrical body portion having an under arcuate surface for distributing the combustible gases issuing from the burner, an arm having a depending flange of downwardly converging cross section for supporting the deflector, the lower edge of said flange extending upwardly to said body portion to prevent the flame from extending along the bottom of said flange.
7. In an oil burner, the combination of a fuel jet, a deflector against the surface of which the-.'
combustible gases of the fuel impinge, the said surface being substantially semispherical, and means disposed on said surface to control the combustion timing of a portion of the flame of burning fuel by reducing the velocity of a part of the combustible gases to a point wherethepropagation is maintained immediately above said means.
8. A deflector member to be disposed above an oil burner and having a convex lower surface against which the combustible gases of the fuel impinge, and means on said deflector disposed above the apex thereof for reducing the velocity of a part of the combustible gases to maintain initial flame combustion of the fuel at a point in the immediate region above said means.
9. A deflector member to be disposed above an oil burner and having a convex lower surface against which the combustible gases of the fuel impinge, and a plurality of spaced projections arranged about the perimetral surface of the deflector member above the apex thereof for reducing the velocity of a portion of the combustible gases to maintain initial flame combustion of the fuel at a point in the immediate region above said projections.
10. A deflector member to be disposed above an oil burner and having a convex lower surface against which the combustible gases of the fuel impinge, and a plurality of spaced projections on the convex surface of the deflector member above the apex thereof for reducing the velocity of a part of the combustible gases to maintain initial flame combustion of the fuel at a point in the immediate region above said projections, said projections being at all times below the zone of combustion.
FRANK W. OFELDT.