Gas burners for gas fires

The present invention discloses a gas burner for a solid fuel effect gas fire. The burner comprises an integrally formed metal casing defining a gas/air mix chamber. A gas/air mix supply pipe connects with the chamber and a number of burner bores are provided in a wall of the casing. Simulated solid fuel elements can then be located above or on the said wall of the casing so as to not close said burner bores. Age will not affect the performance of the burner as can happen in prior art burners where the casing is formed by an open trough closed by a ceramic plaque where gas/air mix bores extend through the ceramic plaque which is moulded with a number of simulated fuel elements on its upper surface, and sealed by mastic or filler to the rim of the trough which mastic deteriorates with age.

The present invention relates to a gas burner for use in a gas fire. 
In particular the present invention relates to a gas burner for use in a 
solid fuel effect gas fire. Certain known gas burners for use in a solid 
fuel effect gas fire comprises a metal trough or tray which has a 
gas/primary air mix supply pipe extending through a side wall of the 
trough and extending to the central region of the trough or tray. The open 
top of the trough of the tray is closed by a ceramic plaque which is 
formed with a number of simulated solid fuel elements moulded in its upper 
surface and with a multiplicity of gas/primary air mix bores extending 
therethrough. The ceramic plaque is sealed to the edge of the trough or 
tray by a suitable mastic or filler so that gas/primary air mix passes 
solely through said bores, the mix burning with complete combustion 
slightly above the upper surface of the ceramic plaque. Whilst this burner 
construction is perfectly satisfactory when new and accurately 
manufactured, the mastic or filler does tend to age, become brittle and 
crack, allowing gas/primary air mix to escape via an undesired route. Thus 
repairs have to be effected after a period of use. 
The aim of the present invention is to provide a gas burner for a solid 
fuel effect gas fire which avoids the above problem and provides for an 
indefinite period of service. 
According to the present invention there is provided a gas burner for a 
solid fuel effect gas fire, the burner comprising an integrally formed 
metal casing defining a gas/air mix chamber, a gas/air mix supply pipe 
connecting with said chamber and a number of bores being provided in part 
of the casing. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the 
metal casing is formed as a rectangular trough, the open top of which is 
closed by a metal plate welded to the rim of said open top. Alternatively 
the metal plate and rim may be pressed together. A number of 
lozenge-shaped regions of the metal plate are each provided with a series 
of bores which communicate with the chamber defined by said casing, and a 
gas/air mix pipe extends through the base of the trough into the central 
region of the chamber. Thus there is never any possibility of the fabric 
of the burner chamber deteriorating as in the above prior art 
construction. For realism a ceramic plaque moulded with corresponding 
lozenge-shaped apertures and with the shapes of simulated solid fuel 
elements may be mounted on said metal plate, the flames from the burner 
extending through said lozenge-shaped apertures to embrace the simulated 
solid fuel elements. To accurately locate the ceramic plaque of said metal 
plate so that the lozenge-shaped regions are directly beneath the 
lozenge-shaped apertures in the plaque the metal plate is then preferably 
provided with locating means in the form of a pair of recesses into which 
correctly positioned depending projections on the plaque, can engage. 
Alternatively upwardly extending projections may be provided on the metal 
plate and recesses in the plaque. 
To provide for an even distribution of the gas/air mix throughout the said 
chamber and thus an even distribution to the gas/air mix bores, one or 
more baffles can be provided within the chamber to deflect the path of 
gas/air mix issuing from the gas/air mix supply pipe. In one altenative 
embodiment of the present invention a single rectangular baffle is located 
on the chamber above the open-end of the gas/air mix supply pipe. Gas/air 
mix flow is thus divided by the baffle and passes around each side edge of 
the baffle to, for example, a rectangular region of gas/air mix bores 
provided adjacent to said baffle side edges. 
in a solid fuel effect gas fire it is usual to provide three gas burners 
across the width of the fuel bed. Whilst three separate burners 
constructed according to the present invention may be installed in a fire, 
it is envisaged that the three burners may be integrally formed together. 
With this latter construction the three troughs for the three burners are 
pressed out of a single sheet of metal and the corresponding three metal 
plates are also formed from a single sheet of metal, each metal plate 
region having its required series of gas/air mix bores. The moulded metal 
sheets are then welded or peened together to form the integral three 
burner assembly, gas/air mix supply pipes feeding each burner chamber 
through the base of each trough. 
To add further realism to the solid fuel effect burner of the present 
invention, a branch pipe leads off from the neat gas supply to the gas/air 
mix supply pipe of the burner, to open at a position adjacent to the 
specific bore regions of the said metal plate. This branch pipe supply of 
neat gas provides for the wispy flames seen in a real solid fuel fire. 
Preferably the branch pipe is Y-shaped at its outlet and to provide two 
outlets i.e. to provide two wispy flames-added realism. 
In the integral three burner assembly described hereinabove half of a 
branch pipe for each burner can be integrally formed in both sheets of 
metal whilst pressing the metal sheet regions and said troughs; the 
respective branch pipes being completely formed when said sheets of metal 
are secured together. Preferably these branch pipes open on each side of 
the burners. 
Preferably the individual burners and the three burner assembly described 
hereabove are designed so as to lie under approximately only the front 
half of the usually inclined simulated solid fuel bed. In this way the 
burner flames are produced in the front half of the fire and are drawn to 
the rear of the fire by the fire draught, the flames engulfing the 
simulated solid fuel elements to the rear of the fuel bed in the same 
manner as a real fire. 
The simulated fuel bed may lie directly on the metal plates of said burners 
so as to not block any of said bores. Alternatively the simulated fuel bed 
may be supported in the fire at a location spaced from, though above, said 
burners.

A preferred embodiment of a burner 1 constructed according to the present 
invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings. 
The burner 1 basically comprises a generally rectangular trough 3 pressed 
out of a sheet of metal, the trough 3 having a wide rim 5 and a gas/air 
mix supply pipe 7 projecting sealingly through the base 9 of the trough 3, 
into the centre region of the trough 3. As seen in FIG. 2 a generally 
rectangular metal sheet 11 is welded sealingly to the trough rim 5, four 
lozenge-shaped regions 13 being formed in said metal sheet 11, each with a 
multiplicity of gas/air mix burner bores 15. Alternatively the said metal 
sheet 11 can be otherwise sealingly secured to the rim 5 and any number of 
lozenge-shaped burner bore regions, or other burner bore region 
configurations, can be substituted. 
When installed in a gas fire a ceramic plaque 17 is located on top of the 
metal sheet 11. The ceramic plaque 17 is moulded with a number of 
simulated solid fuel elements 19 on its upper surface and with a number of 
lozenge-shaped apertures 21 corresponding to the lozenge-shaped burner 
bore regions 13 in the metal sheet 11. To easily and accurately locate the 
ceramic plaque 17 on the metal sheet 11 two depressions 23 are provided on 
the metal sheet 11 and two depending projections (not shown) formed on the 
ceramaic plaque 17 located in these depressions 23 to locate the apertures 
21 over the burner bore regions 13. 
To add further realism to the above described burner in an installation, a 
T-connector 25 is provided on the neat gas supply line 27, the connector 
feeding gas to the gas/air mix supply pipe 7 and to a branch pipe 29 which 
opens adjacent to the side of the ceramic plaque 17 to allow neat gas to 
burn and produce the wispy flames evident in a real solid fuel fire. 
Whilst individual gas burners 1 as described hereabove can be used side by 
side in a gas fire, an integrally formed gas burner assembly 30 as 
illustrated in FIG. 4 can be substituted. This gas burner assembly 30, as 
illustrated, comprises three burners according to the present invention. 
The burner assembly 30 is manufactured in two parts. One part is pressed 
from a single sheet of metal 31 to form the integrally interconnected 
troughs 3 and the lower half of the branch pipes 29, whilst the other part 
also pressed from a single sheet of metal 33, forms the said metal sheet 
regions for each burner with the upper half of the branch pipes 29. The 
burner assembly 30 is completed by sealingly welding the two pressed 
sheets together or otherwise sealing the said sheets together and by 
sealingly securing a gas/air mix supply pipe 7 in a hole in the base of 
each trough 3. In use the neat gas is fed to the branch pipes 29 viw 
common ports 35. 
The individual burners 1 or the burner assembly 30 are installed in a solid 
fuel effect fire as illustrated in FIG. 5, so as to lie under the front 
half of the simulated solid fuel bed 37. In this way the burner flames as 
well as the neat gas flames from the branch pipe(s) 29, are produced in 
the front region of the simulated fuel bed 37 and are drawn rearwardly by 
the draught of the fire to engulf the simulated solid fuel elements to the 
rear of the bed, in a similar manner to a real solid fuel fire. 
Another embodiment of burner constructed according to the present invention 
is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings, and the 
reference numerals used in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 will be used in FIGS. 6 and 7 
to identify equivalent parts. The burner 1 of FIGS. 6 and 7 comprises a 
generally rectangular trough 3 pressed out of sheet metal, the trough 3 
having a wide rim 5 and a gas/air mix supply pipe 7 projecting sealingly 
through the base of the trough. As seen in FIG. 6, the main difference 
from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, lies in the provision of a 
rectangular baffle plate 39 which rests on the wide rim 5 and has two 
elongate apertures 41 formed in a generally square recessed central 
section 43 of the baffle plate 39. In use, gas/air mix issuing from the 
pipe 7 into the chamber defined by the trough beneath the baffle plate 39, 
is divided by the baffle plate 39 so that substantially equal portions of 
the gas/air mix flow passes through such apertures, and is thus fed to a 
region 13 of gas/air mix bores 15 in a metal sheet 11 which is secured 
over the baffle plate 39 by the edges 45 of the rim 5 being peened-over. 
Further, to enhance the mixing of air and gas in the supply pipe 7 be 
measuring the speed and turbulence of flow, a venturi 47 is formed in the 
wall of pipe 7. Also to aid realism a Y-shaped outlet adaptor 49 is 
secured on the outlet of branch pipe 29 so that two wispy flames are thus 
formed. Whilst simulated solid fuel elements (not shown) can be accurately 
positioned acutally on the metal sheet 11 securing the locating means 23, 
it is preferred if such fuel elements are supported by suitable means e.g. 
the sides and rear of the fire itself, spaced above the burner 1 and 
branch pipe 29 so that the flames lick around said simulated fuel 
elements. 
The present invention thus provides a simple gas burner which will have a 
longer service free life as compared to similar prior art burners.