Patent ID: 8490617

Claim:
A catalytic heater comprised of: one or more fuel reservoirs; a fuel inlet from which a fuel is able to be discharged comprising (a) one or more fuel supply pipes connected to the one or more fuel reservoirs and (b) one or more porous tubes having one or more exit openings and connected to the one or more pipes a catalytic bed comprising porous catalytic walls having an inner surface and an outer surface with the inner surface defining a cavity, wherein the inner surface surrounds the one or more exit openings of the one or more porous tubes; wherein the outer surface of the porous catalytic wall is in diffusive contact with an oxidizer gas and the inner surface of the porous catalytic wall is in diffusive contact with the fuel in order to achieve catalytic combustion with fuel discharged from the one or more porous tubes and the catalytic combustion of the oxidizer with fuel occurs on the porous catalytic walls between oxidizer molecules diffusing from outside the porous catalytic walls and a plasma within the cavity diffusing towards the catalytic walls, wherein the plasma is formed from vaporized fuel released via the one or more porous tubes, such that the combustion generates heat; wherein the one or more exit openings of the one or more porous tubes is in substantial fluid contact with the cavity; wherein (a) at least a portion of the fuel inlet is in thermal contact with a source of heat and (b) at least a portion of the fuel inlet comprises a diameter and length configured to provide for a restriction and wherein such thermal contact and restriction provide that fuel will vaporize and by greater volume effect reduce fuel flow delivery rate through the tubes and thereby effect temperature-dependent, self-regulation of fuel flow delivery rate from the porous tube into the cavity.