Patent Publication Number: US-6905331-B2

Title: Gas burner with laminate catalytic device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   1. Field of Invention 
   The present invention is related to a gas burner and, more particularly, to a gas burner with a laminate catalytic device. 
   2. Related Prior Art 
   A conventional gas burner includes a nozzle for spraying gas and an igniter for ignition of the gas sprayed through the nozzle. However, only a small portion of the gas is burnt. To improve ignition of the gas, the conventional gas burner has been improved by addition of a catalytic device onto the nozzle. Thus, about 80% of the gas sprayed through the nozzle and the catalytic device is burnt. However, still 20% of the gas sprayed through the nozzle and the catalytic device is wasted. 
   The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   It is an objective of the present invention to provide an efficient gas burner. 
   It is another objective of the present invention to provide a gas burner with a laminate catalytic device. 
   According to the present invention, a gas burner includes a laminate catalytic device mounted thereon. The gas burner includes a nozzle and an igniter installed in the nozzle. The laminate catalytic device is mounted on the nozzle. The laminate catalytic device includes three separated catalytic nets. The gas burner includes two separators for separating the catalytic nets from one another. The separators are in the form of a ring. Each of the catalytic nets helps burn 80% of gas flowing through it. The gas burner includes a shell for retaining the laminate catalytic device on the nozzle. The shell is in the form of a tube in order to receive the laminate catalytic device and the nozzle. The gas burner includes a bolt inserted in an aperture defined in the shell and an aperture defined in the nozzle, thus securing the shell to the nozzle and retaining the laminate catalytic device in position. 
   Other objectives and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be described through detailed illustration of embodiments referring to the attached drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a gas burner with a laminate catalytic device according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the laminate catalytic device shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle, an igniter and the laminate catalytic device shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nozzle, the igniter and the laminate catalytic device shown in FIG.  3 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1  shows a conventional gas burner  10  equipped with a novel laminate catalytic device  20  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , the gas burner  10  includes a nozzle  11  installed at an end of a pipe  12  leading to a gas reservoir (not shown) received therein, an igniter  13  installed in the nozzle  11  and a trigger  14  mounted thereon. When the trigger  14  is operated, gas is transmitted from the gas reservoir through the pipe  12  to the nozzle  11  through which the gas is sprayed and then the igniter  13  is activated. Thus, the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11  is burnt. The gas burner  10  will not be described in detail for being conventional. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the laminate catalytic device  20  includes three catalytic nets  21 ,  22  and  23  separated from one another by means of two separators  24 . The separators  24  are in the form of a ring. Each of the catalytic nets  21 - 23  helps burn 80% of gas flowing through it. The laminate catalytic device  20  is mounted on the nozzle  11 . 
   A shell  30  is used to retain the laminate catalytic device  20  on the nozzle  11 . The shell  30  is in the form of a tube in order to receive the laminate catalytic device  20  and the nozzle  11 . A bolt  32  can be inserted in an aperture  31  defined in the shell  30  and an aperture  15  defined in the nozzle  11 , thus securing the shell  30  to the nozzle  11  and retaining the laminate catalytic device  20  in position. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the first catalytic net  21  helps burn 80% of the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11 . Thus, 20% of the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11  flows to the second catalytic net  22 . The second catalytic net  22  helps burn 80% of the gas flowing through it, i.e., 16% (20%*80%) of the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11 . Thus, 4% (100%-80%-16%) of the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11  flows to the third catalytic net  23 . The third catalytic net  23  helps burn 80% of the gas flowing through it, i.e., 3.2% (4%*80%) of the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11 . Thus, 99.2% (80%+16%+3.2%) of the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11  is burnt due to the laminate catalytic device  20 . That is, only 0.8% of the gas sprayed through the nozzle  11  leaves the laminate catalytic device  20  without being burnt. 
   The present invention has been described through detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive many variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined in the attached claims.