GB2206604A

GB2206604A - Firelighters

Info

Publication number: GB2206604A
Application number: GB08715989A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alban Timmons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-07-07
Filing date: 1987-07-07
Publication date: 1989-01-11
Also published as: GB8715989D0

Abstract

The invention proposes a firelighter comprising preferably 30 to 70% by weight of a solid fuel component, such as straw, woodflour and/or peat, preferably from 15 to 30% by weight of an oxidizing agent, such as a nitrate of an alkali metal salt, and preferably from 15 to 30% by weight of a readily ignitable binder, such as a naphthalene and/or a wax. The firelighter may also include a non-ignitable binder, such as sodium silicate, and a combustion catalyst, such as copper salts or nitrate. The firelighters avoid the use of materials such as kerosine and urea formaldehyde and thereby the well known problems associated with such materials.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO FIRELIGHTERS This invention relates to firelighters, and, more particularly, to so called "domestic" firelighters used extensively to start open fires, boilers, barbecues and the like solid fuel burning devices.

Domestic firelighters are well known in the art and have progressed from simple sticks of wood through paraffin and the like ignitable oils-soaked materials to the present day relatively sophisticated firelighters which have a generally rectangular block form and a white clean apearance.

Such presnt' day firelighters generally include kerosene and urea formaldehyde resin. The use of ura formaldehyde at the manufacturing location can cause discomfort to the plant operators and the adjacent environment, the process which involves mixing of the ingredients to form an emulsion which is then allowed to set in moulds as the urea formaldehyde polymerizes requires relatively rigid controlled conditions and in splitting the cast blocks the opening of the cellular structure allows kerosene to leak from the blocks. mO overcome this problem the blocks must be packaged for marketing and storage in airtight containers, generally heat sealed plastics packagings. ::hen the sealed package is breached at the site of use the kerosene not only creates an unpleasant smell in the immediate location but can leak onto the hand of the user, to the discomfort of the user.

Further, if the breached container is stored for any length of time kerosene will continue to leak from the breached package, with resultant loss of efficiency of the firelighters.

L furth--r problem with conventional firelighters resides in the fact tat ti e nature of the flame and the temperature of combustion is typical of a light hydrocarbon ashen used as a luminant or illuminant. f;ost heat escapes with the flame to be lost in the chimney and the formation of carbon soot can be observed on most ocsssions, indicative of low and inefficient use of the fuels in the lighter.

The present invention seeks to provide combin & ion for a firelighter which is cheap to manufacture, avoids all the unpleasant features of the conventional kerosene and urea formaldehyde firelighters and which is extremely efficient in use.

According to the present invention there is provided a firelighter comprising, in combination, a solid fuel or fuels in divided form, an oxidizing agent and a readily ignitable binder.

The solid fuel may conveniently comprise straw or wood flour, peat, or any other readily ignitable solid fuel capable of being reduced to a divided form and may include such materials as bagasse.

The oxidizing agent may conveniently comprise any known oxidizing agent capable of reacting below the combustion temperature for the solid fuel. Preferably the oxidizing agent comprises a nitrate of an alkali metal salt, more preferably ammonium nitrate or calcium nitrate and most preferably sodium nitrate or Chilean nitrate. The oxidizing agent may of course comprise combinations of said nitrates.

The readily ignitable binder may conveniently comprise any known readily combustable binding agent and the selection of said combustable binding agent and the actual amount of such agent used will be dependant upon the pressure to be imparted to the combination to form the combination into a desired form.

Preferably the readily ignitable binder comprises napthalene or a wax, more prefeably a high melting point paraffin wax.

Other binding agents nay be added to increase the physical strength of the desired form.

preferably also the combination includes 2 combustion catalyst, such as copper salts or copper nitrate, to assist in the initiation of combustion.

Preferably the solid fuel component comprises 3a. to more preferably between 40 and 6j, by weight of the total composition.

preferably the oxidizing agent comprises from 15 to 35'-, more preferably 20 to 3J,by weight of the total composition.

Freferably tie readily ignitable binder comprises ftom 15 to 35,, more preferably 20 to 30, by weight of the total composition.

The invention will no be described further by way of the following examples; 200gms. of straw flour, and 100 gms of sodium nitrate, were mixed together in a mixer and'60 gms of paraffin wax premixed with 40 gms of a non-ignitable binder (sodium silicate) were then added to the mixer and mixed until the ingredients were such stantially uniformly distributed throughout the mixture. The mixture was then pressed-in a band press to produce a Plurality of firelighters each of one inch cube.

EXALE 1 A single firelighter was used to light coal in an open grate.

EXAMPLE 2 A single firelighter was used to light coke in a domestic boiler.

EXAMPLE 3 single firelighter was used to ignite charcoal on an open barbacue.

In all three examples the firelighter successfully initiated combustion of the fuel, the firelighter burned with little flame but on ignition rapidly developed a hot glowing aspect indicative of high heat radiation which was maintained for some considerable time after the adjacent solids fuel had been ignited to such condition that combustion would be sustained.

The firelighter , made to the composition proposed by the present invention, is a relatively odour free and clean combination which has a substantial shelf life and thereby, does not require packaging in an airtight container. The process by which the firelighters are m & ufactured is very simple, the capital costs for manufacturing the firelighters is relatively low -and the firelighters themselves can be produced on virtually any press or pelletizing apparatus.

Claims

CLAIM$

1. A firelighter comprising, in combination, a solid. fuel or fuels in divided form, an oxidizing agent and a readily ignitable binder.

2. A firelighter according to Claim 1 in hitch the solid fuel comprises straw, woodflour and/or peat.

3, A firelighter according to Claims 1 or 2 in which the solid fuel comprises or includes bagasse.

!+. A firelighter according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the oxidizing agent is selected to react at temperatures below the combustion temperature for the solid fuel.

5. A firelighter as claimed in any preceding claim in which the oxidizing agent comprises a nitrate of an alkali metal salt.

6. A firelighter as claimed in any preceding claim in wiiich the oxidizing agent comprises ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, sodium nitrate or combination of said nitrates.

7. A firelighter as claimed in any preceding claim in which the binder comprises naphthalene and/or a wax.

8. A firelighter as claimed in Claim 7 in which the bindercomprises a high melting point paraffin wax.

9. A firelighter as claimed in any preceding clairn including a combustion catalyst.

10. A firelighter us claimed in Claim 9 in which the combustion catalyst comprises copper salts and'or copper nitrate.

11. A firelighter as claimed in any preceding claim including a non-ignitable binder.

12. A firelighter as claimed in claim 11 in which the nonignitable binder comprises sodium silicate.

13. A firelighter as claimed in any preceding claim in which the solid fuel comprises between 30% to 70% by weight of the total composition.

14. A firelighter as claimed in claim 13 in which the solid fuel component comprises from 402 to 60% by weight of the total composition.

15. A firelighWer as claimed iwl any preceding claim in wbich the oxidizing agent comprises from 15% to 35% by weight of the total compositisrl.

16. A firelighter as claimed in claim 15 in which the oxidizing agent comprises from 20% to 30% by weight of the total composition.

17. A firelighter as claimed in any preceding claIm in which the readily ignitable binder comprises from 15% to 35% by weight of the total composition.

18. A firelighter as claimed in Claim 17 in which the readily ignitable binder comprises from 20vie to 30% by weight of the total composition.

19. A firelighter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the examples.