Abstract:
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the extraction of heat and smoke from a fuel burn in a firebox. The design is for the firebox exhaust area to be wrapped with its own hot exhaust gases, for smoke extraction, and then, for heat extraction, have all of the outer surface of a stove, fireplace or furnace exposed to said hot exhaust gases. Such a wrap-around design burns smoke from said exhaust gases, holds a high temperature in the firebox area, for good combustion, and increases the efficiency of heat extraction by using all of the outer surface of the stove, fireplace or furnace as a high temperature heat exchanger.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This is a division of application Ser. No. 07/076,041 filed 7-21-87, now patent No. 4,831,941, and a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/284,372 filed 12-14-88, now abandoned. 
     There is a need to increase the efficiency of capturing more heat produced by the fuel burn in a stove, fireplace, or furnace. Such an increase is always welcome, as it saves fuel and thereby reduces our winter heating costs. There is also a need for the reduction of air pollution from the fuel burn exhaust gases as such contributes to the cause of severe damage to health, wild life and vegetation. This invention relates to the improvement of both the heat extraction and the smoke extraction from fuel burn exhaust gases. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of this invention is to provide an inexpensive trouble free method of increasing the efficiency of extracting heat with a stove, fireplace or furnace, to improve the performance of said fuel burn, and to drastically reduce the smoke and pollutant materials from the fuel burn exhaust. As the manufacture of wood heaters now comes under Federal Regulation as to emmission limits, this invention contributes greatly to this solution. 
     Various other features of the method and apparatus of the present invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth hereinafter. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     Referring now to the drawings, the apparatus is shown installed on a stove, free-standing fireplace, drum stove, incinerator, an attachment for the exhaust of an internal-combustion engine, such as a diesel engine, and as an attachment to a furnace or stove. 
     FIG. 1 is a cut-away view of the apparatus installed on a wood or coal stove, showing its wrap-around features of the firebox exhaust area. 
     FIG. 2 is a cut-away veiw of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, and having arrows that represent the flow of the exhaust gases. 
     FIG. 3 is a view of the stove firebox prior to installing the apparatus. 
     FIG. 4 is a view of the apparatus showing how it wraps around said stove firebox exhaust area. 
     FIG. 5 is a view of the outer cover of the stove, the firebox, and the wrap-around apparatus. 
     FIG. 6 is a cut-away view of the stove with the wrap-around insulated apparatus and the stove cover with arrows representing the exhaust gases from a wood fire and their flow pattern. 
     FIG. 7 is a view of the stove front for FIG. 6. 
     FIG. 8 is a cut-away view of a free-standing fireplace unit showing the relationship of the firebox area and the wrap-around apparatus both positioned inside the fireplace unit. 
     FIG. 9 is a view of the fireplace cover and exhaust. 
     FIG. 10 is a view of the fireplace front for FIG. 8. 
     FIG. 11 is a cut-away view of the fireplace containing a wood fire and illustrate with arrows the flow of the exhaust gases. 
     FIG. 12 is a view of the fireplace front for FIG. 11. 
     FIG. 13 is a view of a drum used as a stove. 
     FIG. 14 is a view of the wrap-around insulated apparatus. 
     FIGS. 15 and 16 are views of the outside cover for said drum stove. 
     FIG. 17 is a cut-away view of FIG. 13 with FIG. 14 installed. 
     FIG. 18 is a base enclosure for FIG. 17. 
     FIG. 19 is a base enclosure for FIG. 16. 
     FIG. 20 is a view of the door casing. 
     FIG. 21 is a view of the outer door unit. 
     FIG. 22 is a cut-away view of FIGS. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 installed together showing the wrap-around features and flow patterns of the exhaust gases. 
     FIG. 23 is an outer view of the drum stove. 
     FIG. 24 is a cut-away view of an incinerator showing its insulated wrap-around apparatus and its insulated outside cover. 
     FIG. 25 is a cut-away view of the wrap-around apparatus and its use on an internal-combustion engine exhaust with arrows showing the exhaust flow pattern. 
     FIG. 26 is an outside view of FIG. 25. 
     FIG. 27 is a cut-away view of the apparatus attached to the exhaust of a furnace or stove when the only objective is a smokeless burn. 
     FIG. 28 is a cut-away view of the apparatus used to extract both heat and smoke. 
     FIG. 29 is an outside view of FIG. 27 or 28. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 7, there are illustrations showing cut-away views of the apparatus installed on the outside of the firebox of a wood or coal stove. The stove firebox 40, with a front panel containing servicing doors and controls, has an exhaust 49 in or near its top (FIGS. 1, and 3), for its exhaust gases to exit said firebox. The wrap-around, cabinet type, insulated open base enclosure 41 is held in place by spacers 47 and by being attached to the firebox front panel and is sized to allow air space to exist between its sides and top and the firebox. The insulated enclosure serves as a baffle directing the hot exhaust gases, exiting the firebox, to blanket the entire upper outside portion of said firebox exhaust area in a wrap-around fashion, thus creating and maintaining such high temperatures in said firebox exhaust area that smoke particles are burned before they can exit said area. The insulation of enclosure 41 contributes to maintaining this high temperature and the burning of smoke particles. The cover 42 encases said firebox and its wrap-around enclosure and has a chimney connection in or near its top. As said hot gases pass from under the open base enclosure 41 (FIGS. 2 and 6), they are at the bottom of the stove and against the inside of the outside cover 42 of the stove, and as the hot gases rise to the stove exhaust chimney 48, all of the stove cover 42 becomes a hot heat exchanger surface, thereby giving the stove a high efficiency rating for heat extraction. At least one door 43, located in the upper part of the wrap-around enclosure 41, when opened, furnishes a more direct by-pass route to the chimney for the exhaust gases to travel when a fire is first ignited in said stove. As the fire increases and the stove becomes hot, the door 43 should be closed. Handles 44 are used to control door 43. Clean-out doors 45 (FIGS. 1 and 7) serve as means of cleaning the enclosed wall area created by the design. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 12, there are illustrations showing various cut-away views of the apparatus installed on the inside of the firebox of a free-standing fireplace. FIG. 8 shows a view of the fireplace liner 50 positioned inside said firebox showing the smoke exhaust 59 in the top center. The wrap-around, cabinet type, insulated enclosure 51 has an open base and is shown positioned as a cap over firebox 50 and held in place by spacer posts 57. The base and outer walls 52, with the exhaust chimney connector 56 above (FIG. 9) are shown holding firebox 50 with wrap-around enclosure 51 attached, and with each to be connected to the fireplace front (FIG. 10). FIG. 11 shows a cut-away view of the free-standing fireplace with a wood fire burning and illustrates with arrows the flow pattern of the hot exhaust gases as they exit the firebox area 50 and are guided by the wrap-around enclosure 51 to blanket the upper outside of the firebox area, thereby causing high temperatures and the burning of existing smoke particles plus improving the combustion efficiency of the burn. As the hot exhaust gases pass from under the open base enclosure 51, they are at the bottom of the fireplace and against the inside of the outer cover 52 of the fireplace and as said hot gases rise to the fireplace exhaust chimney 58, all of the outside cover of the free-standing fireplace becomes a hot heat exchanger surface, thereby giving said fireplace a high efficiency rating for heat extraction. At least one door 53, located near the upper part of enclosure 51 can be opened by handle 54 (FIG. 12) when needed for draft to serve as a short by-pass route for exhaust gases to reach the chimney when a fire is first ignited in the fireplace. As the fire increases and the fireplace becomes hot, door 53 should be closed. Clean out doors 55 for said area are shown in FIG. 12 on the door panel section of the fireplace. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 13 through 23, there are illustrations and cut-away views of a drum type stove. FIG. 13 shows an inverted drum 60 containing a grate and has an exhaust 69 in its top center and contains four spacer posts 67. FIG. 14 shows a slightly larger inverted drum 61 that contains a layer of insulation. FIG. 15 shows a still larger inverted drum that contains an exhaust in its top center for chimney pipe 68. FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrates how drums 60, 61 and 62 are telescoped together and held in place by spacer posts 67. FIGS. 18 and 19 show bottom enclosure panels for drums 60 and 62. FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrates the casing and servicing door for the drum stove. FIG. 22 is a cut-away view of the drums and their telescoped positions and illustrates with arrows the flow pattern of the hot exhaust gases as they exit the firebox area located in drum 60, and are directed by the wrap-around insulated enclosure drum 61 to blanket the upper outside of the firebox area 60, thereby causing high temperatures and the burning of existing smoke particles, plus improving the combustion efficiency of the burn. As the hot exhaust gases pass from under the insulated cap drum 61, they are at the inside bottom of drum 62 and as said hot gases rise to the exhaust chimney 68, all of the outside cover of drum 62 becomes a high temperature heat exchanger, thereby becoming a high efficiency heat extractor. The opening of by-pass door 63, shown in FIG. 17 on cap drum 61, serves as a means of increasing draft, when needed. FIG. 23 illustrates the drum stove. 
     FIG. 24 illustrates a cut-away view of how the apparatus can be used as an incinerator and how it can be sized to the desired need and shows that the insulation is also applied to the outside cover 72, as a smokeless burn is the only desired achievement. 
     FIG. 25 shows a cut-away view of how this invention could be applied to a smokey exhaust of an internal combustion engine, such as a diesel engine, and illustrates with arrows how the flow of exhaust gases would pass through said apparatus. The apparatus would be attached to the engine exhaust at or near the engine, which, being enclosed in insulation, would hold high temperatures, thus burning smokey particles before they could exhaust from said apparatus. FIG. 26 is an outside view of FIG. 25. 
     FIG. 27 shows a cut-away illustration of how this invention could be designed as a portable unit and applied to a smokey exhaust of a furnace or stove, where a smokeless burn is the only desired objective. Inner pipe 80 is attached to the furnace or stove exhaust and is telescoped into larger insulated cap pipe 81, which is telescoped into cover pipe 82 with said cover 82 having its top connected to chimney pipe 88 and is surrounded also with a layer of insulation, thus as hot exhaust gases travel through each of the three telescoped pipes, and wraps itself with its own heat, smoke particles are burned before they are exhausted into the chimney. 
     FIG. 28 shows a cut-away illustration of how this invention could be applied to a smokey exhaust of a furnace or stove, where the desire is to extract both heat and smoke. Insulation is only used on the cap pipe 81 which wraps around the exhaust pipe 80 and extracts smoke while cover pipe 82 is not insulated and is used as a heat exchanger, thus extracting heat. FIG. 29 is an outside view of the portable apparatus. 
     It is to be understood that the foregoing drawings and discription of the invention is to be taken as a preferred embodiment and that various other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure, however all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.