Adjustable heated gas-guiding system

A shield assembly forms a loop for guiding heated gases from a heat source along a peripheral wall of the container and may include a plurality of guide panels collectively in an array of connected guide panels. The guide panels may be pivotally connected to adjacent guide panels to pivot with respect to each other to pivot with respect to each other. The guide panels may have a base plate with an inner surface for orienting toward the container, and may also have at least one vane extending inwardly from the base plate to a free end of the vane positionable adjacent to the peripheral wall of the container. The vane may be positioned at an oblique angle to the pivot axis. The shield assembly may also include a linking structure configured to link endmost guide panels of the array of connected guide panels.

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates to heated gas guides and more particularly pertains to a new adjustable heated gas-guiding system for facilitating heat transfer to a container.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a shield assembly forming a loop positionable about a container to guide heated gases from a heat source along a peripheral wall of the container. The shield assembly may comprise a plurality of guide panels collectively in an array of connected guide panels forming at least a portion of the loop, with the guide panels being pivotally connected to adjacent guide panels to pivot with respect to each other such that the guide panels are pivotable with respect to each other about a pivot axis. Each of the guide panels may comprise a base plate having an inner surface for orienting toward the container and an outer surface for orienting away from the container, and at least one vane extending inwardly from the base plate to a free end of the vane positionable adjacent to the peripheral wall of the container. The vane may be positioned at an oblique angle to the pivot axis. The shield assembly may also include a linking structure configured to link endmost guide panels of the array of connected guide panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular toFIGS. 1 through 9thereof, a new adjustable heated gas-guiding system embodying the principles and concepts of the disclosed subject matter will be described.

The applicant has recognized that systems for heating the contents of a container tend to be most efficient when the heated gases generated by the heat source tend to flow adjacent to the surface of the container as much as possible to enhance the convection heating of the container, and in turn the container contents. The applicant has also recognized that the conventional shape of a container with a flat bottom may tend to cause the heated gases contacting the flat bottom surface to move generally horizontally outwardly from the bottom in a flow that does not necessarily closely follow the sides of the container, which typically extend substantially perpendicular to the flat bottom. This divergence of the flow of heated gases from the sides of the container limits the heating of the container and contents by the heat source, resulting in less heating of the container contents and potentially greater consumption of fuel.

The applicant has devised a system and an assembly which helps to guide the heated gases along at least a portion of the sides of the container to enhance the transfer of heat from the gases to the container, and thereby the contents of the container, such as a liquid, in a more efficient manner. Moreover, the assembly may extend the path along which the heated gases travel across the surfaces of the container to further enhance heat transfer.

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a system10which may include a container12having a bottom wall14and a peripheral wall16which extends upwardly from the bottom wall to an upper opening18through which the interior of the container is accessed. The peripheral wall16may have an outside surface20which is typically but not necessarily cylindrical in shape. The system10may also include a heat source22which is positionable below the container such that heated gases rising from the heat source contact the bottom wall14. Illustratively, and in some embodiments preferably, the heat source22comprises a burner which is configured to burn a combustible fuel to generate the heated combustion gases.

In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a shield assembly26alone or in combination with other elements of the system10. The shield assembly may be configured to guide heat or heated gases rising from the heat source along a portion of the peripheral wall16of the container to facilitate contact and heat transfer from the gases to the outside surface20of the container. The shield assembly26may form a loop28for positioning about the container12, and, in at least some embodiments, the circumference of the loop28is adjustable to conform to containers having different peripheral wall sizes and configurations.

In greater detail, the shield assembly may include a plurality of guide panels30,31for positioning about the container to collectively form a perimeter wall32about at least a portion of the container to help guide heated gases from the heat source and thereby help concentrate heat from the heat source on the container. The plurality of guide panels30,31may be positionable in an array of connected guide panels, and in some embodiments the array of guide panels may form a substantially cylindrical configuration while in other embodiments the array of guide panels could form a cubic configuration. The array of connected guide panels may form at least a portion of the loop28about the container. Each of the guide panels may be pivotally connected to at least one adjacent guide panel in the array to be able to pivot with respect to each other about a pivot axis34.

Illustratively, each of the guide panels may comprise a base plate38which may has an inner surface40for orienting toward the container12and an outer surface41for orienting away from the container. The base plate38of adjacent guide panels in the array may form the perimeter wall32of the shield assembly. The base plate38may have an upper edge44and the lower edge45, and opposite side edges46,47extending between the upper44and lower45edges. The base plate may have a base axis48which extends from the lower edge to the upper edge and may be oriented substantially parallel to the side edges. The base axis48may be positioned substantially equidistant between the opposite side edges46,47. In some embodiments, the base axis may divide the base plate into two plate portions50,51, and the inner surfaces40of the plate portions may be oriented in planes that are oblique to each other such that the inner surfaces of the plate portions form a convex collective surface. During use of the shield assembly, the base axis may be substantially vertically oriented.

Each guide panel may also include at least one vane52for guiding gas flow passing between the base plate and a container positioned within the loop28. The vein52may extend from the base plate38inwardly from the plate toward the container when the shield assembly is positioned about the container. The vane52may extend inwardly from the inner surface40of the base plate and terminate at a free end. In some embodiments, a pair of vanes52,53may be positioned on the base plate, and may be positioned on one of the plate portions50,51of the plate with a first one of the vanes being located relatively closer to the upper edge of the base plate and a second one of the vanes being located relatively closer to the lower edge. In the illustrative embodiments, some of the guide panels may have two pairs of vanes52,53,54and55. Optionally, the pair of vanes on a guide panel may be formed by a piece of sheet material attached to the inner surface of the plate with sections of the piece being bent outwardly away from the inner surface in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the inner surface. Other suitable structures for forming the vanes may also be employed.

Each of the vanes52may be positioned in a plane that is oriented at an oblique angle to the base axis48, and may be oblique to the pivot axis34as well. The vanes may be oriented at similar or identical oblique angles to produce a flow direction in heated gases passing between the vanes that tends to swirl in a helix about the outside surface of the container. Thus, a first vane on one plate portion may be positioned slightly higher on the plate than a first vane on the other plate portion, and to some degree the first vane on one plate portion may form an upward continuation of the first vane on the other plate portion. The patterns of position and orientation of the vanes may be duplicated on many or all of the guide panels forming the loop.

The shield assembly26may also include a hinge structure60which connects adjacent guide panels of the array together, and generally permits a degree of pivotal movement of the panels with respect to each other. Illustratively, the hinge structure60may include hinge tabs62,63formed on adjacent guide panels, and the hinge tabs may be located on the guide panels so that they may be positioned in an alternating and optionally interlocked manner which permits pivot movement of the plates with respect to each other. The hinge tabs may form a pin passage64which extends along the pivot axis for the corresponding base plate. A hinge pin66may engage the hinge tabs62,63of the adjacent guide panels to connect the guide panels together in a pivotal manner. The hinge pin66may pass through the pin passages64of the hinge tabs of the adjacent guide panels.

Further, the shield assembly26may include a linking structure70which is configured to link the endmost guide panels of the array of connected guide panels together in an adjustable manner permitting adjustment of the size of the gap between the endmost guide panels to thereby permit adjustment of the effective circumferential length of the loop28to a size suitable for various sizes of containers.

An exemplary linking structure70may include at least one link72which spans between the endmost guide panels and which has opposite end portions74,75that each engage one of the endmost guide panels. Illustratively, each of the end portions74,75of the link may be formed into a hook76,77, and each of the endmost guide panels may have a hook aperture78formed therein to be engaged by one of the hooks. In the illustrative embodiment, a pair of links72,73are employed and are spaced from each other in a substantially vertical direction and each of the links engages each of the endmost guide panels via respective hooks and hook apertures. Each of the links72,73may include two link portions80,82and each of the link portions may have one of the end portions74,75and the hook78formed on the end portion. The linking structure70may further include a length adjustment element86which is configured to adjust an effective length of the link to thereby adjust a distance between the endmost guide panels to which the link is connected. The length adjustment element86may engage each of the link portions of the length at an adjustable location on the link portion to thereby adjust the effective length of the link. Illustratively, the links and length adjustment element may be formed of components typically utilized in a worm gear clamp, sometimes referred to as a hose clamp.

The linking structure thus provides a convenient means for adjusting the circumferential length of the shield assembly to accommodate containers of different circumferential sizes, and may permit the application of a degree of tension to the loop28to help hold the shield assembly in position with respect to the container. Optionally, larger adjustments of the circumferential length of the shield assembly may be accomplished by adding or removing guide panels from the array, and utilizing guide panels of different widths, such as is illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 8of the drawings.

It should be appreciated that in the foregoing description and appended claims, that the terms “substantially” and “approximately,” when used to modify another term, mean “for the most part” or “being largely but not wholly or completely that which is specified” by the modified term.

It should also be appreciated from the foregoing description that, except when mutually exclusive, the features of the various embodiments described herein may be combined with features of other embodiments as desired while remaining within the intended scope of the disclosure.

In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated.