U.S. patent application number 11/133575 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-22 for high output heating device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Thermic Investments S.A.. Invention is credited to Cyris, Rudy.
Application Number | 20050279344 11/133575 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32309542 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050279344 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cyris, Rudy |
December 22, 2005 |
High output heating device
Abstract
The invention concerns a multiple-fuel heating apparatus
wherein: the combustion chamber (1) forms the main support
structure of the heating apparatus and is made of sheet metal bent
and welded (2) so as to be completely sealed, optionally except at
the joint with said door; the elements (20) forming the outer cover
are fixed to the combustion chamber, the fixing elements not
passing through the chamber and said elements not being necessarily
fixed together.
Inventors: |
Cyris, Rudy; (Couvin,
BE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MERCHANT & GOULD PC
P.O. BOX 2903
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402-0903
US
|
Assignee: |
Thermic Investments S.A.
Luxembourg
LU
|
Family ID: |
32309542 |
Appl. No.: |
11/133575 |
Filed: |
May 19, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/193 ;
126/200; 126/502; 126/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24B 1/02 20130101; F24B
5/025 20130101; F24B 1/028 20130101; F24B 13/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/193 ;
126/200; 126/077; 126/502 |
International
Class: |
F24B 001/187; F24C
001/14; F24C 015/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 20, 2002 |
EP |
02447226.8 |
Claims
1. Multi-fuel heating device comprising: a combustion chamber (1)
making up the main carrier structure of said device, made of folded
and weldable sheet metal (2), preferably steel, obtained by the
welded assembly of a rear wall, two lateral walls, a lower wall and
an upper wall, said chamber having predetermined standard
dimensions depending on the nominal power required, a device for
the inlet of cold external air comprising a first damper or valve
(15) which may be open in a variety of positions intermediate
between a totally closed position and a totally open position, at
least one outlet device (30) for the burnt gases connected to said
chamber, a front access door (3), possibly provided with a window
(9), connected to the combustion chamber, the combustion chamber
(1) thus being almost sealed, i.e. sealed except at the level of
said device for cold air inlet, of said outlet device for the burnt
gases and possibly of the door joint, characterised in that said
damper or valve (15) can be activated by a motor (16) itself
controlled by a cordless remote control (17), said remotely
controllable device for air inlet co-operating with the quasi-seal
of the chamber in order to allow almost instantaneous remote
control of the flame by the user.
2. Heating device according to claim 1, wherein the reaction time
of the flame to the control is of a few seconds.
3. Device according to claim 1, further comprising elements (20)
such as plates made of cast iron, ceramic, enamel or firestone,
said elements (20) forming an outer hood fixed to the combustion
chamber, without the fixation means passing through the chamber,
i.e. without breaking the seal, and without said elements (20)
necessarily being fixed to each other.
4. Heating device according to claim 3, wherein the elements of the
hood (20) are fixed to the combustion chamber by screws, rivets,
glue or putty.
5. Heating device according to claim 1, wherein the cordless remote
control (17) is an infrared or ultrasound remote control.
6. Heating device according to claim 1, wherein the opening or
closing of the first damper (15) is controlled by a timer.
7. Heating device according to claim 1 wherein the opening or
closing of the first damper (15) is carried out at a pre-programmed
value by a presence detector in a volume, preferably an infrared
sensor.
8. Heating device according to claim 1, comprising a heating duct
(6) for the external air in contact with the combustion chamber
(1), before it enters the latter, said duct terminating in a neck
(7) and opening into the upper part (10) of the chamber near its
front face (9).
9. Heating device according to claim 1, further comprising a duct
(6') provided with a second damper or valve (18) to guide secondary
air from the outside towards the chamber (1), said damper (18)
being controllable by the user.
10. Heating device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control
(17) is provided with a thermostat and/or a digital programmer, and
possibly a display means, preferably with liquid or
electroluminescent crystals.
11. Heating device according to claim 3, wherein the combustion
chamber has protrusions (4', 4") that allow external covering
elements (20) to be attached to the device such as plates, feet or
cooking plates made of cast iron, ceramic, enamel or firestone.
12. Heating device according to claim 1, comprising a heating
device using gas of the type with a stack or vent-hole, using
liquid fuel, in particular by evaporation under pressure or with
gasification under atmospheric pressure, using wood, coal or
another solid fuel.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a new concept for
high-output, multi-fuel, domestic, heating device comprising a
sealed (or almost sealed) heating body whose operation can be
remotely controlled.
[0002] Sealed heating body should be understood as a heating body
whose only communication with the outside consists of an inlet for
primary cold air and an outlet for burnt gases.
TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND AND STATE OF THE ART
[0003] In recent years, major efforts have been undertaken to
create "modular" domestic heating devices that have the same shape,
design or covering irrespective of the fuel used or of the nominal
power required. These different devices are characterised by a
combustion chamber (or a heating body) of specific dimensions for a
solid, liquid or gaseous fuel or for a specified power level. Thus,
the rear wall of the combustion chamber may comprise an
intermediate part with an outlet opening adapted to each predefined
situation (see patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,535 and EP-B-0 883
782).
[0004] This type of design has in particular allowed the
mass-production manufacturers to achieve productivity gains and
rationalisation of intermediate parts stockholding.
[0005] Another trend observed is that of bringing to the domestic
stove and heater sector the benefits of technological innovations
that allow to increase the comfort of use and the user-friendliness
of these devices. Hence, the Applicant also proposed a heating
device with a double casing for the circulation of air, having on
its front face a plate blocking the free space between the two
casings and provided with sized apertures for air inlet and outlet
so as to simultaneously optimise both the temperature and the speed
of the outgoing flow of air (patent application EP-A-1 111
307).
[0006] At the present time, heating devices such as stoves comprise
the hybrid assembly of a combustion chamber, possibly rationalised
as mentioned above, that can for instance be made of sheet steel,
with structural parts and/or a decorative covering comprising for
example elements made of cast iron, ceramic or even firestone such
as oleaginous stone (steatite, "soapstone"). The fixing of the
parts is achieved by complex and inefficient techniques making use
of tie-rods, throats and putty. This complexity is justified by the
need to guarantee the best possible seal of the combustion chamber
in order to obtain the minimum desired output. Indeed, the
combustion chamber can be considered as a closed prismatic shape
only open on its front face comprising a door, possibly letting
flames be seen through a window, and/or on its upper face to allow
the placing of a cooking plate.
[0007] Apart from the loss of productivity, this method of assembly
has drawbacks associated with the use of putty. In fact, when the
putty dries, it may shrink or present micro-cracks, which lets air
enter the chamber, thus adversely affecting the output of the
device. The presence of putty makes it difficult to obtain the
required seal in accordance with the various standards in force in
different countries (e.g.: EPA standards in the US).
[0008] Moreover, during transportation of the device after
manufacture, flows of putty may appear on visible surfaces, which
requires the intervention of expensive after-sales service.
[0009] Lastly, there are numerous licensing standards for the
introduction of the above-mentioned heating devices to the market,
the technical requirements generally varying from one country to
another (American, French, DIN+, European, Norwegian etc.
standards). It is thus often necessary to make successive
modifications to a given device with a view to meet licensing
regulations in several countries (regulation of the combustion-air
opening, device for guiding the hot air to the flame, etc.).
[0010] Document DE-A-30 09 251 describes a heating device for solid
fuel whose combustion chamber is defined by stainless steel sheets
in the form of concave flanges, which are fixed to the outer walls
so as to form channels allowing to lead the secondary air into said
chamber, through inlet air openings made in its upper part. The
flanges are arranged at the back and on both sides of the chamber.
The joint at the front is formed by a grate. Slits for air inlet
made at the bottom of the flanges allow part of the primary air to
be diverted as secondary air. The outer walls making up the main
carrier structure of the stove, and the flanges are provided with
rims that allow to apply the sheets one over the other in a
peripheral area in order to form a lining where these are to be
fixed by welding or screwing. The assembly of the various walls
thus proves difficult and the seal of the combustion chamber is not
guaranteed. The secondary air supply may be manually or
automatically controlled.
[0011] Document WO-A-99 64789 describes a heating device for solid
fuel comprising a control means, associated with sensors and
automatically controlled for instance by a motor, at the level of
three types of air inlet: primary, secondary and tertiary. The
device is provided with a programmable control unit for selective
control of the regulation means so as to optimise the combustion in
different operating conditions, in particular during the ignition
phase, "high" and "low" running, re-ignition and extinction phases.
The primary air is guided to the furnace at the bottom of the
combustion chamber. The secondary air is guided by a channel
adjacent to the chamber where it is heated over the furnace, along
the window, so as to reduce soot deposition. Lastly, the tertiary
air is guided to the centre of the chamber by another channel so as
to ensure the complete combustion of the unburnt gases. The
apertures of these air inlets are preferably regulated by a valve
or a damper controlled by an actuator such as a step motor,
controlled by the programmable unit.
[0012] The control unit may be connected to a clock or to a
thermostat. The control parameter on which regulation is based is
the combustion temperature. The different operating conditions are
displayed on a control display unit also showing indicator lights
and push-buttons that allow the user to select the operating
conditions.
[0013] The reaction times to the air-inlet controls in terms of
reached combustion temperature are of the order of several minutes
at least.
AIMS OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The present invention aims to provide a solution which
dispenses with the drawbacks of the state of the art.
[0015] In particular, the invention aims to provide a heating
device designed to allow the achievement of major productivity
gains during the mass-assembly process.
[0016] In addition, the invention aims to provide a heating device
whose combustion chamber is almost perfectly sealed.
[0017] The invention moreover aims to propose a domestic heating
device that ensures to the user the comfort of remotely controlling
its operation conditions with precision and automatically.
[0018] Finally, the invention aims to propose a domestic heating
device that has a high degree of flexibility so as to pass
licensing tests in various countries.
MAIN CHARACTERISTIC ELEMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0019] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a
multi-fuel heating device comprising:
[0020] a combustion chamber made of weldable sheet metal,
preferably steel, obtained by the assembly of a rear wall, two
lateral walls, a lower wall and an upper wall, said chamber having
predetermined standard dimensions depending on the nominal power
required,
[0021] at least one outlet device for the burnt gases connected to
said chamber,
[0022] an outer hood fixed to said chamber, comprising elements
such as plates made of cast iron, ceramic, enamel or firestone,
[0023] a front access door, possibly provided with a window,
connected to the combustion chamber,
[0024] characterised in that:
[0025] the combustion chamber forms the main carrier structure of
the heating device and is made of sheet metal that is folded and
welded so as to be totally sealed, except possibly at the level of
the joint with said door,
[0026] said elements forming the outer hood are fixed to the
combustion chamber without the fixation means passing through the
chamber and without said elements necessarily needing to be fixed
to each other.
[0027] The invention aims at any heating device using gas of the
type with a stack or vent-hole using liquid fuel, in particular by
evaporation under pressure or with gasification under atmospheric
pressure, using wood, coal or other solid fuel.
[0028] As a particular advantage, the outer hood is formed by the
combustion chamber itself. The sealed feature of the combustion
chamber of the device according to the invention allows to achieve
a very high output, of the order of even 80% for heating with wood,
which is a considerable advantage to those skilled in the art
and/or to the user (reduced consumption).
[0029] Preferably, the elements of the hood are fixed to the
combustion chamber with screws, rivets, glue or putty.
[0030] The heating device according to the invention also comprises
a first damper or valve for regulating the entry of cold external
air into the chamber, that can be open at a position intermediate
between a totally closed position and a totally open position,
activated by a remotely controlled motor, the remote control being
a cordless remote control, preferably infrared or ultrasound. This
possibility of remotely controlling the heating device according to
the invention is not a simple, obvious application by those skilled
in the art of techniques known elsewhere. Its interest is a direct
result of the almost perfect seal of the chamber and of its very
high output. Indeed, it is only under these conditions that rapid,
effective and reproducible control of the combustion is possible.
The reaction time to the remote control is in fact only a few
seconds.
[0031] As an advantage, the above-mentioned remote control is
provided with a thermostat and/or a digital programmer, and
possibly a display means, preferably with liquid or
electroluminescent crystals.
[0032] The opening or closing of the first damper is advantageously
controlled by a timer, the opening or closing of the first damper
may also be operated at a pre-programmed value by means of a
presence detector in a volume, preferably by an infrared
sensor.
[0033] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
heating device comprises a heating duct for the external air in
contact with the combustion chamber, before entering the latter,
said duct terminating in a neck and opening into the upper part of
the chamber near its front face.
[0034] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention,
the heating device also comprises a duct provided with a second
damper or valve for bringing the secondary air from the outside
towards the chamber, said damper being controllable by the user.
This additional air supply advantageously allows to improve the
elimination of the solid particle residues in the smoke, at low
operating levels (slow).
[0035] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a
combustion chamber intended to be incorporated into a multi-fuel
heating device, forming the main carrier structure of the heating
device, only open on its front face and made of folded and welded
sheet metal.
[0036] Advantageously, this combustion chamber has protrusions that
allow to fix external covering elements of the device such as
plates, feet or cooking plates made of cast iron, ceramic, enamel
or firestone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0037] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the combustion chamber of
the heating device according to the present invention.
[0038] FIG. 2 schematically shows the air circuit of a heating
device according to a first embodiment of the present
invention.
[0039] FIG. 3 schematically shows the air circuit of a heating
device according to a second embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0040] As described in FIG. 1, the present invention proposes a
combustion chamber 1 made of folded and welded sheet steel 2.
Alternatively, a different weldable metal could be used. In this
way, a combustion chamber is made in a prismatic shape, constructed
in accordance with the principle of the "thermos". The only
aperture provided toward the area to be heated is that allowing the
placement of a door 3, for instance also in steel or in decorative
cast iron, on the front face.
[0041] The principle of a closed combustion chamber according to
the invention is a great advantage in as much that the latter may
be made in an almost perfectly sealed manner. Slight losses of seal
may in fact inevitably occur at the door joint. Therefore, an
exceptionally high output is obtained (of the order of 80%).
Moreover, the stove or the heating device may comprise only said
combustion chamber and have compact dimensions, solely depending on
the nominal power desired.
[0042] Advantageously, the heating device described above can be
extended by structural elements upwards 4' or downwards 4", for
instance. The protrusions downwards 4" may allow the fixation of
feet. These elements may in general allow to attach decorative
parts 20, such as for instance plates made of cast iron, enamel or
ceramic. The fixation means are all fixation means known to those
skilled in the art, such as screws, glue, putty, rivets, etc.
According to the invention, it is not necessary for the decorative
elements to be fixed or assembled to each other, which avoids the
losses of productivity associated with such generally complicated
fixing or assembly. The fixation of decorative elements 20 to the
steel combustion chamber are designed so as to respect the seal of
the chamber. Therefore, there will not in any event be fixings
perforating the wall of the combustion chamber.
[0043] The combustion chamber according to the invention will of
course benefit from the advantageous features described in the
American patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,535, such as for instance an
interchangeable rear face depending on the fuel and/or the power.
This rear face will advantageously include an air inlet opening and
an opening for the outlet of the burnt gases. The latter opening 30
may also be provided in the upper face of the chamber. The fuel
used may be solid (wood, coal), liquid (diesel) or gaseous (natural
gas, propane). A grate or a valve is provided at the bottom of the
chamber in order to generate a small additional air inlet allowing
to help with start-up ("ignition booster") which is optional for
wood but indispensable for coal.
[0044] As an advantage, the combustion chamber also has a wall 5
that allows a heating duct 6 to be created for the incoming air, as
schematically shown in FIG. 2. At the outlet 7 from this duct,
which has a neck so as to create a venturi effect and to give the
heated air increased speed (acceleration), the latter is injected
into the chamber itself, at the level of its upper part 10, along
the door and more precisely along the window 9 inserted in the
latter, if there is one. It is not necessary for the air entering
the chamber to be "cold": it is the difference between the
temperature of this heated air and the temperature reigning in the
chamber which causes the suction movement of the air in the chamber
(as does the draw of the stack). This difference in temperature
simply has to be sufficient.
[0045] According to the preferred embodiment described here, the
temperature of the heated air when it enters the chamber is about
300.degree. C.
[0046] A first part of the heated air, moving at a certain speed,
flows down the window to the bottom of the chamber 11 and feeds the
combustion by acting as primary air. A second part of the heated
air allows volatile unburnt or partly burnt materials to be ignited
in the upper part 10 of the chamber, thus acting as secondary air.
The fact of heating the air before it enters the combustion chamber
prevents the chamber from cooling down and thus hinders the
creation of unburnt volatile materials.
[0047] An important advantage of the invention comprises the seal
of the combustion chamber. As a result, an extremely precise
control of the operating conditions can be carried out. For
instance, a damper or valve for the air inlet 15 situated at the
back of the chamber can be automatically controlled. It is fixed to
a remotely controlled, motorised device 16, preferably by infrared
or ultrasound 17 means. Thus, the user may adjust the combustion
operation without getting out of his seat, for example, depending
on the desired heat level or appearance. The remote control 17
allows, by means of a push-button, to adopt an intermediate
operation level between a maximum setting corresponding to the
maximum opening of the air inlet damper and a minimum setting
corresponding to the minimum opening of said damper. The reaction
of the combustion to the remote control is very rapid, even
instantaneous, thanks to the excellent seal of the chamber. The
user may thus advantageously use the cordless remote control to
watch the instantaneous (or almost instantaneous) response to the
command of the combustion, namely a change in the appearance of the
flame. In that respect, it would be neither of great use nor
convenient to use a control located on the heating device, some
distance being necessary for this view. Moreover, this type of
heating device allows continuous heating (>10 hours with
wood).
[0048] In an alternative embodiment, the setting or turning off can
also be provided for at set hours, controlled by a programmer/timer
or even the lighting of the stove by the detection with infrared or
other of people within a given volume.
[0049] Thus, at maximum operation, there is an excess of
(sub-stoichiometric) combustion air with the presence of blue
flames. At the other extreme, at minimum operation, the system is
in sub-stoichiometric conditions with the presence of yellow-orange
flames, of a more or less "feeble" appearance. The shortage of air
in the latter case is such that there are no longer enough flames
at the bottom of the chamber, yellow flames still being present at
the top of the chamber, as well as small flames that "trickle down"
along the vertical edges of the window. The latter are of course
fed by the very slight inlets of air at the level of the front
door.
[0050] When the air supply is completely cut off, the air already
present in the heating duct loses its speed and forms a "plug." The
lack of air in the chamber also causes a build-up in unburnt or
partially burnt gases. The configuration of the heating duct, in
particular its thickness, has been studied so as to avoid any
explosion in the chamber when the air supply from the outside is
suddenly restored. In fact, in this case, the obstructing plug is
gradually eliminated and the flames reappear only gradually in the
combustion chamber (5 to 10 seconds after the opening of the
valve).
[0051] In order to further improve the combustion cleanliness
during slow operation and to eliminate the last residues of solid
particles in the smoke, the combustion chamber according to the
invention may be provided with an additional duct 6' for secondary
air adduction (FIG. 3). This duct 6' will ideally be provided with
a control device 18 for the flow of air allowed into the combustion
chamber that can be operated from the outside by the user. Said
device 18 can of course be in a completely closed position during
medium or high level operation.
[0052] At high levels of combustion, the temperature reached inside
the sealed combustion chamber and the high temperature of the
primary and secondary air allow a maximum amount of the solid
particles in the smoke to be burnt. In this case, the quantity of
secondary air supplied by the existing air valve 15 is
sufficient.
[0053] At lower levels of combustion (slow), the temperature inside
the sealed combustion chamber is lower and the quantity of
secondary air passing through the air valve is reduced, given that
this air inlet is itself reduced so as to achieve slow operation.
Although this type of operation nevertheless allows the fire to
burn clean thanks to the seal of the combustion chamber and to the
large pre-heating surface for the incoming air, it is thus possible
to improve it by adduction of an additional amount of secondary air
only, as shown in FIG. 3.
[0054] As regards the licensing tests to be performed for this
device, there will be advantageously provided, mutatis mutandis, an
adequate opening range of the damper or valve 15 as well as set
positions for the latter (with or without stop notches)
corresponding to the different running levels to be tested so as to
satisfy the different requirements of the various standards in
force. Another advantage of the invention will of course also
reside in the possibility of controlling these tests by means of
the above-mentioned remote control 17.
* * * * *