GB2158935A

GB2158935A - Gas burners

Info

Publication number: GB2158935A
Application number: GB08509585A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Vaughan Beament
Original assignee: Furigas UK Ltd
Current assignee: Furigas UK Ltd
Priority date: 1984-04-13
Filing date: 1985-04-15
Publication date: 1985-11-20
Also published as: GB8509585D0; GB2158935B

Abstract

An atmospheric gas burner for a live fuel effect fire comprises a main burner 10 (Fig. 1, in plan) to heat imitation fuel, such as imitation logs or coal, and an auxiliary burner 12 to produce flames to enhance the live fuel effect, the main burner having a plurality of gas receiving chambers each of which can be fed with gas independently. The chambers supply outlets 9. The auxiliary burner (Fig. 2, in elevation) has two pipes 30,32 each supplying two inclined jets 33 or 34. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An atmospheric gas burner The invention relates to an atmospheric gas burner and is particularly but not exclusively concerned with a burner for a live fuel effect (LFE) gas fire.

The LFE fire is becoming increasingly popular as an attractive domestic room heater but hitherto a problem has arisen over flame control. Existing LFE fires are basically ON or OFF with a certain amount of flame control in between. The amount of flame control has not been found entirely satisfactory and one object of the present invention is to provide a wider range of control for an LFE fire.

A known type of burner suitable for LFE fires comprises a main burner which primarily heats imitation fuel and an auxiliary burner which produces flames to provide a live fuel effect and is hereafter called an atmospheric gas burner of the kind described.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an atmospheric gas burner of the kind described in which said main burner defines a plurality of gas receiving chambers each of which can be fed with gas independently.

Such an arrangement provides greater control of the main burner in that one only or a selected number of said chambers can be supplied with gas.

The main burner may be of a duplex or triplex type or may include any other suitable number of chambers.

In one embodiment the main burner comprises a hollow body having gas outlet means defined in a wall thereof and a tubular member within said body engaging said wall in a substantially gas tight manner, said hollow body and tubular member defining respective chambers which, in use are fed independently with gas and said tubular member being formed with an outlet opening for gas adjacent said gas outlet means.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an atmospheric gas burner comprising a hollow body having gas outlet means defined in a wall thereof and a tubular member within said body engaging the wall in a substantially gas tight manner, said hollow body and tubular member defining respective chambers which, in use, are fed independently with gas and said tubular member being formed with an outlet opening for gas adjacent said gas outlet means.

Preferably the wall defining said gas outlet means is arcuate in cross-section and the tubular member has a surface of complementary arcuate cross-section which engages said wall of the hollow body. In such a case the tubular member may be cylindrical.

The tubular member may be held in engagement with said wall of the hollow body by a support which extends between said tubular member and an internal surface of said hollow body. In such a case the internal surface may comprise a surface opposite the wall which defines the outlet means. Preferably the said internal surface comprises the surface of a plate which forms a base of the hollow body and which is secured to the remainder of the hollow body by deformation of the material from which the hollow body is formed. Preferably the support means is held under compression so as to urge the tubular member against said wall of the hollow body.

The outlet opening in said tubular member preferably comprises a slot which extends beneath a plurality of gas outlet ports in said wall of the hollow body.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an auxiliary burner for use in an atmospheric gas burner of the kind described comprising at least two tubes which, in use, are fed independently with gas, said tubes being spaced apart and carrying respective burner jets, gas outlets being formed in said tubes for feeding gas to said burner jets.

Such an auxiliary burner may be used in an atmospheric gas burner according to said one aspect of the invention or in combination with an atmospheric gas burner according to said other aspect of the invention.

Preferably the tubes are deformed so that a burner carrying portion of one tube is coaxial with a burner carrying portion of another said tube.

In a preferred embodiment two said tubes are provided and each tube may carry two burner jets. In such a case the two burner jets on one tube may lie inboard of the two burner jets on the other tube.

When incorporated in an atmospheric gas burner of the kind described or an atmospheric gas burner in accordance with said one aspect or said other aspect of the invention, the auxiliary burner may be supported by spaced apart projecting plates on the main burner. The tubes preferably locate in apertures in one of the plates and recesses in the other of the plates. The tubes may be held in said recesses by means of a detachable member such as a pin locatable beneath retainer fingers on said other plate. The plates are preferably mounted on ends of the main burner.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of an atmospheric gas burner in accordance with the invention, Fig. 2 is an elevation of the burner shown in Fig. 1, Figs. 3 and 4 are end elevations of the burner in Figs. 1 and 2 looking in the direction of arrows Ill, IV respectively in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a cross section of the burner on the line VI-VI in Fig. 4.

The burner illustrated comprises a main burner 10 and an auxiliary burner 12.

The main burner 10 comprises a hollow body preferably formed by bending a sheet of stainless steel to provide a top surface 1 3 of arcuate cross section formed with a row of outlet ports 9 and side walls 14 which are folded over along their lower edges to hold in place a channel cross-section base plate 1 5 (Fig. 3). The folding of the metal provides a substantially gas-tight seal. End walls 16, 1 7 are sealingly located in swages 1 8 on the body 11. A tube 1 9 of circular cross-section is positioned inside the body 11.The external curvature of the tube is substantially complementary to the internal curvature of the top surface 1 3 and the tube is urged in a substantially gas tight manner against the inside of surface 1 3 by means of an L shaped support 20 on the base 1 5. The bending of the metal side walls 11 to secure the base 1 5 causes the support 20 to urge the tube 1 9 against surface 13, the support thereby being under compression in the body 11. The ends of the tube 19 are occupied by dished circular blanking members 22, 23.

The upper surface of the tube 1 9 is formed with a longitudinal slot 24 which lies directly beneath the outlets 9.

The body 11 defines a first chamber 25 to which gas is fed by a first infeed duct 26 mounted sealingly in an aperture in plate 1 7.

The tube 1 9 defines a second chamber 27 to which gas is fed by a second infeed duct 28 which extends sealingly between apertures in plate 1 7 and blanking member 23. Gas can be fed by conventional means to either of the ducts 26, 28 or to both. In that manner gas can be directed to outlets 9 within the regions of A or B in Fig. 5 or to the outlets within regions A and B simultaneously. If desired this "Duplex" arrangement could be replaced by a "Triplex" arrangement or an arrangement providing even more gas receiving chambers in the main burner. Gas fed to the right hand end of chamber 25 travels to the left hand end through spaces S between the support 20 and tube 19.

The auxiliary burner 1 2 comprises tubes 30, 32 each of which carries two gas outlet jets 33, 34. The tubes are flattened at their left-hand ends and bend in zig-zag fashion.

The flattened extremities of each tube 30, 32 locate in respective apertures 35, 36 formed in a flange 37 of a mounting plate 38 on the main burner. The right-hand ends of the tubes 30, 32 are formed with opposed indents 39 which enable the tubes to locate in respective recesses 40 in a flange 42 of a mounting plate 43 on the main burner 10. The tubes 30, 32 are retained in the recesses 40 by a pin 44 which locates beneath fingers 45 on the flange 42. A further mounting plate 46 on the main burner locates two in-line connectors (not shown) in recesses 47 for connecting the tubes 30, 32 to a gas supply.

The tubes 30, 32 are shaped as shown to provide respective sections 50, 52 which are coaxial with each other. The jets 33, 34 are thereby positioned at the same height and are inclined at a suitable angle relative to the main burner. Gas is fed to one of the tubes 30, 32 so that gas (which enters the jets through radial holes in the tubes) can then be fed to jets 33 or 34, or gas is fed to both tubes 30, 32 so that gas is fed to all the jets, as required. The infeed to the tubes 30, 32 will normally be controlled so that when gas is fed to the chamber 25 only in the main burner, gas will be fed to jets 34 only of the auxiliary burner, when gas is fed to chamber 27 only in the main burner gas will be fed to jets 33 only of the auxiliary burner and when gas is fed to chambers 25, 27 simultaneously, gas will be fed to jets 33 and 34 simutaneously.

It will be appreciated that the novel auxiliary burner of the invention can be used with a known type of main burner. Also the novel main burner of the present invention could be used independently of an auxiliary burner or with an auxiliary burner of known kind.

Air enters the ducts 26, 28 with the gas in known manner and air enters the jets 33, 34 through apertures 53 in the jets.

, Whilst the present invention is primarily for use in an LFE fire where the auxiliary jets provide the live flame effect it could be used in other applications where an auxiliary flame is required.

Claims

1. An atmospheric gas burner for a live fuel effect fire comprising -a main burner adapted to heat imitation fuel, -an auxiliary burner adapted to produce flames to provide a live fuel effect, -the main burner defining a plurality of gas receiving chambers each of which can be fed with gas independently.

2. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 2 which is of the duplex type with two gas receiving chambers.

3. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the main burner comprises a hollow body having gas outlet means defined in a wall thereof and a tubular member within said body engaging said wall in a substantially gas tight manner, said hol low body and tubular member defining respective chambers which, in use, are fed independently with gas and said tubular mem ber being formed with an outlet opening for gas adjacent said gas outlet means.

4. A main burner for use in an atmospheric gas burner for a live fuel effect fire comprising a hollow body having gas outlet means de fined in a wall thereof, and a tubular member within said body engaging a wall in a substantially gas-tight manner, said hollow body and tubular member defining respective chambers which, in use, are fed independently with gas and said tubular member being formed with an outlet opening for gas adjacent said gas outlet means.

5. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 4 in which the wall defining said gas outlet means is arcuate in cross-section and the tubular member has a surface of complementary arcuate cross-section which engages said wall of the hollow body.

6. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 5 in which the tubular member is cylindrical.

7. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in any of Claims 4 to 6 in which the tubular member is held in engagement with said wall of the hollow body by a support which extends between said tubular member and an internal surface of said hollow body.

8. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 7 in which the internal surface is a surface opposite to the wall whcih defines the outlet means.

9. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 7 or Claim 8 in which the internal surface comprises the surface of a plate which in use forms a base of the hollow body, and the plate being secured to the remainder of the hollow body by deformation of the material from which the hollow body is formed.

1 0. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in any of Claims 7 to 10 in which the support means is held under compression so as to urge the tubular member against said wall of the hollow body.

11. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in any of Claims 3 to 10 in which the outlet opening comprises a slot which extends beneath a plurality of gas outlet parts in said wall of the hollow body.

1 2. An auxiliary burner for use in an atmospheric burner of the kind described in any preceding claim comprising at least two tubes which, in use, are fed independently with gas, said tubes being spaced apart and carrying respective burner jets, gas outlets being formed in said tubes for feeding gas to said burner jets.

1 3. An auxiliary burner for use with a main burner to provide a gas burner for a live fuel effect fire, the auxiliary burner comprising at least two tubes which, in use, are fed independently with gas, said tubes being spaced apart and carrying respective burner jets, gas outlets being formed in said tubes for feeding gas to said burner jets.

14. An auxiliary burner as claimed in Claims 1 2 or 1 3 in which the tubes are deformed so that a burner-carrying portion of one tube is coaxial with a burner-carrying portion of another said tube.

1 5. An auxiliary burner as claimed in Claim 1 2 or Claim 1 3 in which two said tubes are provided, each tube carrying two burner jets.

1 6. An auxiliary burner as claimed in Claim 14 in which the two burner jets on one tube lie between the two burner jets on the other tube.

1 7. An atmospheric gas burner including an auxiliary burner as claimed in any of Claims 12to 16.

1 8. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in any of Claims 1-11 which includes an auxiliary burner as claimed in any of Claims 12to 16.

1 9. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 1 7 or 18 in which the auxiliary burner is supported by spaced apart projecting plates on the main burner.

20. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 1 7 in which the auxiliary burner is supported by spaced apart projecting plates on the main burner and in which the tubes locate in apertures in one of the plates and recesses in the other of the plates.

21. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 20 in which the tubes are held in the recesses by a detachable member.

22. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 21 in which the detachable member is a pin locatable beneath retainer fingers on said other of the plates.

23. An atmospheric gas burner as claimed in any of Claims 1 9 to 22 in which the plates are mounted on ends of the main burner.

24. An atmospheric gas burner for a live fuel effect fire constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

25. An auxiliary gas burner for use in an atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 24.

26. A main burner for use in an atmospheric gas burner as claimed in Claim 24.

27. An auxiliary gas burner constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

28. A main gas burner constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.