GAS POWERED BURNER WITH PERFORATED CERAMIC ELEMENTS

Abstract: The invention relates to a gas powered burner with perforated ceramic elements which are adjustable in their planes and/or essentially perpendicular to their planes. The burner can be adjusted so as to emit uniform infra-red radiation with good precision within the wavelength band, irrespective of how the burner is angled or located.

Description: Gas powered burner with perforated ceramic elements The invention concerns a gas powered burner, emitting substantially IR-radiation, with perforated ceramic elements which are adjustable in and/or perpendicular to their planes. IR-technology is used nowadays in many different areas. Common weaknesses of existing gas powered constructions are: 1. Sensitivity to position. Existing constructions function adequately as long as they are horizontally mounted (radiating upwards or downwards) . In vertical arrangements, due to the heat rising, the burner is warmer at the top than at the bottom, whereby the infra-red radiation becomes non-uniform. This results in it being impossible to set the desired wavelength on the infra-red emitter. 2. Difficulties to obtain an even high intensity at the same time as being able to adapt the wavelength in the infra-red spectrum to differing areas of application. 3. Inadequate efficiency. When the gas pressure and thereby the through-flow speed for the gas increases, the flames try to separate from the burner with the result that the heat emission to the infra-red radiating element reduces. The result is that convection heat increases and the infra-red radiation decreases. With the invention, a gas powered burner has been achieved for emitting infra-red radiation. Due to the possibilities of adjustment of the infra-red radiating burner element, the burner is relatively insensitive to placement or position. The burner element is intended to emit radiation within the infra-red spectrum, containing energy of sufficient intensity for industrial use such as for instance heating up solid or liquid material, drying of organic or inorganic material as well as hardening of, for example, paints or glue in so-called infra-red chambers or the like. The invention can also advantageously be used for grills for grilling of food products since it can be placed vertically and thereby can give an odour-free cooking of the raw products requiring most heat. The construction of the burner according to the present invention is intended for all types of flammable gas. It is built up from two or more perforated plates or fire proof ceramic material. By displacing the two plates closest to the back part and which lie in contact with each other, symmetrical or asymmetrical hole patterns and hole geometries can be set up. This permits the gases which flow through the plates to be able to be directed in different directions. In addition to this, the construction allows the hole width to be able to be adjusted uniformly or asymmetrically in a continual throttling of the gas supply from one edge to the other. The construction of the burner permits the combustion chambers in and between the perforated ceramic plates, in principal, to be adjusted during operation. This means that the drawbacks, which results in i.a. uneven combustion and difficulties to keep all the emitted radiation within the desired wave-length in the infra-red spectrum, which occur when known gas powered infra-red radiators are placed vertically, can be removed via adjustment with this invention. By placing one or more ceramic plates, perforated with holes, outside and at a suitable distance from the inner plate combination, a combustion chamber is achieved. This combustion chamber can be closed or provided with throttle valves for supply air. Should one use supply air to the chamber, automatic ignition and cut-out should be placed here. The supply air can occur passively or actively by the use of fans. It is mainly this outer plate or plate combination which constitutes the infra-red radiating element in the burner. By using two or more plates it is possible to achieve slanted or curved through-bore geometries. This means that the length of the through-bore which is created increases in relation to perpendicular holes whilst using the same thickness of burner element. This in turn implies that the heat absorbing surface on the infra-red radiating element increase with respect to if it was perforated by holes arranged are right angles. This relationship increases the efficiency. The clay material included in the ceramic elements can be chosen such that the infra-red wavelength band is emitted at different temperatures. By a careful choice of ceramic material, the intensity within each wavelength can be controlled. The ceramic burner elements can be manufactured in plane or curved shapes and can be pressed or cast in different sizes. A vertically placed gas powered infra-red radiator, as previously mentioned, always tends to be warmer at the top than at the bottom. To counteract this, the gas outlet can be directed downwardly and/or throttled successively from the lower outlet to the upper. In this manner a uniformity in the combustion and thereby the temperature can be maintained over the burner elements whole surface independently of the placing and the position of the burner. Additional, perforated plates can be added, the ceramic composition and the structure of which can be varied. The burners according to the present invention are couplable together to large infra-red radiation units which, due to the burners' adjustability, can be constructed in many diff rent ways. The burners can be put together in a laying or standing circle or respectively a half-circle shape and can even form complete radiation walls where each separate burner, independently of the placing in the group, can be optimized with regard to the wavelength and intensity emitted. The invention can be illustrated by the burners being placed in a grill for grilling of food products, the resultant grill being particularly simple to maintain and which gives a very good grilling result for many different types of raw products. The characteristics of the burner according to the invention are defined in the appended claims. The invention shall now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a vertical section through a part of the burner according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows the burner in Fig. 1 in an exploded view seen from the front. Fig. 3 shows the burner according to the invention from the side, coupled together according to one embodiment and Fig. 4 shows another embodiment. Fig. 5 shows the hole width decreasing with height by displacement of two perforated plates. Fig. 6 shows a variation of the burner with five perforated plates. The construction is, of course, not limited to the embodiments which are shown and described, but can be varied in many ways within the scope of the following claims. This concerns not only the number of burners 1 but also their relative location, along with the number of perforated ceramic plates 3, 3a, 3b included in each burner 1 and their appearance regarding the shape of the holes 2, 2a, 2b. The main component of the arrangement is a gas powered burner 1, the basic form of which includes plates 3 of ceramic material perforated by holes 2. The shown embodiment comprises three plates 3, 3a and 3b, each provided with holes 2, 2a, 2b. A conduit A is attached to the burner 1 to provide a supply of gas. After being ignited, the gas warms up the perforated plates 3, 3a, 3b to red-hot temperature, whereby infra-red radiation is transmitted, said radiation being of a comparatively high frequency and thereby effective. The holes 2, 2a, 2b can be round, three-, four-, five-, or six-sided or can have another shape for forming a pattern. Each of the plates 3, 3a, 3b is displaceable in its plane. In this way the ceramic lattice work of the three plates 3, 3a, 3b obtains holes with different opening widths in different regions. Thus the amount of gas flowing through the lattice work can be regulated to achieve the optimum effect. As far as possible, the combustion should occur inside the lattice work. In order to prevent the combustion from reducing to an undesirably low level due to insufficient oxygen, the plates can conveniently be moved apart. Fig. 1 shows the plate 3b moved a little from the plate 3a for forming an air-gap 5 between these plates. In this way the oxygen supply to the combustion zone can be regulated and at the same time it can be ensured that the combustion occurs entirely inside the lattice work so that the energy content of the gas is absorbed to a maximum by the plates 3, 3a, 3b. The plates which lie in contact with the combustion area will hereby start to become red-hot and the outermost plate 3b emits energy in the form of infra-red radiation. The wavelength and the intensity are dependent on the energy supplied and the choice of materials for the burner elements. The wasted energy which flows out into the air is hereby negligible and the burner 1 thus functions very economically. In order to avoid that the combustion zone, due to unfavourable adjustment of the plates 3, 3a, 3b, moving into the space behind the plates, this space is suitably filled up with any mineral wool, filter material 6 or the like. This material firstly prevents an explosive type combustion of the gas, but at the same time provides a uniform distribution of the gas over the rear side of the lattice work. Due to the fact that the plates are relatively adjustable, the burner 1 can be attached upright and meat juices from food products will therefore never contact the burners' surface, but instead they will travel down towards to the bottom plate. In this way no smell occurs. The ignition of the gas can occur in a conventional manner using matches or fire lighters but it can also occur using a more sophisticated technique, such as for example a piezo-electric manner. An automatic ignition system of this type can conveniently be placed in the intermediate space between the flow-limiting plate combination and the heat radiating plate/plates combination. A combustion monitoring cut-out can also be placed in this intermediate space. Fig. 3 shows a combination of three burners placed close to each other and with a gas conduit 4 connected to each one of the burners.

Claims: Claims 1. Gas powered burner with ceramic heating element emitting radiation substantially within the infra-red spectrum, with the possibility of vary radiation, temperature and intensity, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the heating element (1) includes at last two ceramic plates (3) perforated with through-holes (2) , said plates being mutually adjustable in their planes and/or essentially at right angles to their planes. 2. Gas powered burner according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the ceramic plates are placed in a frame (7) preferably of metal, which in terms of the surface is somewhat larger than the plates which are included in the heating element. The distance (8) between the outer periphery of the plates and the inner periphery of the frame has, on all sides, a size-determined relationship with regard to the width of the through-holes in the plates, which size is limited to create an accessible space, for displacement or turning of the plates, which space shall correspond at least to the width of the largest hole in the plates. 3. Gas powered burner according to claims 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the through-holes (2) in the plates, which holes can be round, three-, four-, five-, or six-sided or of another shape, obtain a variable constriction within the boundaries of the frame between the plates, during the plates respective displacement or rotation inside the said construction via throttling, thus regulating the gas through-flow in different regions. The degree of throttling as well as the regulation pattern are dependent on the burner's desired power and position respectively. 4. Gas powered burner according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the plates included in the burner element, with respect to the frame's depth, are placed groupwise with at least one substantially flow-controlling plate combination (3, 3a) placed closest to the back part. Additionally an outer, substantially radiation- emitting plate (3b) or plate combustion (3b, 3c) or (3b, 3c, 3d) can be placed at a distance from the plate combination (3, 3a) in order to form an air gap or combustion chamber (5) . 5. Gas powered burner according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that upon relative displacement of the plates, through-holes in the heating element are formed having varying geometry in their longitudinal section, such as S-shaped, Y-shaped, C-shaped or other more complicated shapes, such as through-holes with a 3-dimensional geometry. The available energy absorbing surface area for a given thickness of element is, due to the construction, larger than for a straight, seen in longitudinal section, through-bore. 6. Gas powered burner according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the frame (7) is provided with openings (9) to allow the supply of oxygen to one or more combustion chambers (5) and, at the same time, allow the possibility of adjusting the make-up air so as to ensure that the combustion occurs fully inside the burner element so that the energy content of the gas is absorbed to the maximum by the plates (3) . 7. Gas powered burner according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the space in the burner's back part (10) which is not taken up by the injector nozzle or the like, is filled with mineral wool, filter material (6) or similar for avoiding explosive-type combustion of gas in the back part due to leakage or faulty installation etc. If the gas input occurs from the rear of the back part, the long or the short sides, then the filter material also serves to evenly distribute the gas over the portion of the burner element which is connected to the back part. 8. Gas powered burner according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the frame (7) of the structure, for containing the plates (3a-e) , is larger than the outer perimeter of the back part (10) , with the result that the heat emission from the plates (3) to the metal frame is limited, whereby the adjustment operation for the plates is easier to carry out. 9. Gas powered burner according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that automatic ignition and ignition cut-out are located close to and in front of the plates (3, 3a) and if three or four plates are included in the burner, in the air gap between the plates (3a) and (3b) . 10. Gas powered burner according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the space between the outer periphery of the plates and the inner periphery of the frame is filled with a resilient, insulating fireproof material.

Inventors: STALHANE CARL HENRICK, STALHANE-BJOERNBERG MARIA, STAALHANE, CARL, HENRICK, STAALHANE-BJOERNBERG, MARIA, BIRGITTA, ELISABET
Applicants: STAALHANE BJOERNBERG MARIA, STAALHANE HENRIK, STAALHANE, CARL, HENRICK, STAALHANE-BJOERNBERG, MARIA, BIRGITTA, ELISABET
Application year: 1992
Main classification: F23D13
IPC codes: F23D14