GB1386001A - Catalytic heaters - Google Patents

Abstract

1386001 Catalytic heaters SOC ANON FRANCAISE DU FERODO 2 Feb 1972 [4 Feb 1971] 4988/72 Heading F4T A catalytic heater for combustion of gas has a catalytic wall 38, Fig. 5, at a front surface of a layer 31 of yieldable, porous material whose opposite, rear surface is engaged by a panel structure defining with said layer a plurality of adjacent, elongate channels 34 laterally separated from one another and extending substantially parallel to said rear surface, each channel 34 communicating with a respective tubular duct 27 1 , 27 2 , and a gas supply pipe 11 connected to said ducts. The panel structure has a panel 23 formed with trapezoidal depressions fitting in complementary corrugations of a plate 18, 19 which has end walls between which the layer 31 is housed. The depressions define said channels 34 with layer 31 and said ducts 27 with said corrugations. Ducts 27 connect with pipe 11 via holes 22 in welds 21 and with channels 34 via rows of holes 28, Fig. 1, the holes in the row of one channel being staggered relative to adjacent rows. Holes 28 in each row may be equal sized and equispaced, or they may be equal sized and spaced closer together the further they are from the hole 22, or they may be equispaced and increase in size with distance from the hole 22. A second supply pipe 12 communicating with all ducts 27 may be provided. Gas may alternatively be supplied to channels 34 by respective branch pipes (131), Figs. 6 to 8 (not shown), each having a plurality of outlet apertures (132) and held against layer 31, the pipes (131) extending laterally from a common pipe (133). Alternatively a common pipe (145), Fig. 9 (not shown), may have a plurality of laterally extending branch pipes (146) with open ends located in respective channels 34. A heater such as the embodiment of Figs. 6-8 may be provided with a three-way valve (161), Figs. 10 to 12 (not shown) allowing variation of the number of channels 34 to which gas is supplied. Valve (161) may also be used as a throttle valve or as a separate throttle valve may be supplied. Gas supply may be automatically controlled by a thermosensitive element. The wall 38 comprises asbestos cloth and the layer 31 may be of fibrous material.