Patent ID: 7316229

Claim:
A method for heating a pickle bath liquid contained within an open top tank in which metal parts are prepared for galvanizing, comprising: supporting a liquid heater housing with a major portion of the liquid heater housing being immersed in the pickle bath liquid, said liquid heater housing defining a diversion panel and an internal heating chamber having a pickle bath liquid level therein coincident with the liquid level of the open top tank, a pickle bath liquid inlet opening at a lower portion of the liquid heater housing for transfer of pickle bath liquid from the open top tank and into said internal heating chamber and a liquid and gas outlet opening at an upper portion of the liquid heater housing for transfer of heated pickle bath liquid from the internal heating chamber into the open top tank and for liberation of combustion gas from the liquid heater housing and a burner assembly supported by said liquid heater housing having a burner located above the pickle bath liquid level and having a burner tube being supported within the internal heating chamber and having and a combustion gas discharge opening in communication with the internal heating chamber and being oriented to direct combustion gas from said burner tube laterally toward said diversion panel; supplying combustible gas and air to said burner; developing a combustible gas/air mixture within said burner; igniting the combustible gas/air mixture within said burner and generating a flame within said burner and burner tube, said flame causing substantially complete combustion of the combustible gas/air mixture within the burner and burner tube and developing a hot combustion gas; conducting the hot combustion gas through said burner tube and discharging the combustion gas laterally from said combustion gas discharge opening into the liquid within the internal heating chamber and toward said diversion panel and developing liquid turbulence within said heating chamber; and causing thermal convection and combustion gas induced movement of liquid from the open top tank through said lower inlet opening of said liquid heater housing into the internal heating chamber and from the internal heating chamber through said upper outlet opening of said liquid heater housing into the open top tank.