US2736369A - Auto-rotative combustion heater - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1956 L 2,736,369

AUTO-ROTATIVE COMBUSTION HEATER Filed June 22, 1953 INVENTOR. Maw/54. b. 444

IITOEWEPS United States Patent 2,736,369 AUTO-ROTATIV E COMBUSTION HEATER James A. Hall, Santa Clara, Calif. Application June 22, 1953, Serial No. 363,301

2 Claims. (Cl. 158-4) The present invention relates to heating apparatus, and pertains more particularly to a heater for burning liquid fuel which uses a portion of the energy generated by the combustion of the fuel for turning a rotor which operates the device.

Much of the mechanized equipment which is stored and used out of doors in the colder parts of the world, such as the Arctic and subarctic zones, requires preheating before it can be placed in operation. Varioustypes of heating equipment for this and other purposes have been devised for heating such mechanism preparatory to starting it. In addition to the heating equipment itself, however, it usually is necessary to have available electric current and an electrically energized blower or a blower driven by an auxiliary gasoline engine in order to induce a flow of heated air or other fluid to desired areas of the mechanism.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an oil burning heater which will use a portion of the energy of combustion of the fuel to drive a rotor which in turn is used to drive the fuel feed mechanism and to distribute the heated exhaust gases.

The invention also provides a simple heating unit having a single rotary element which is propelled by the substantially tangential exit of the gases of combustion from the combustion chamber and which is provided with means for drawing in air of combustion at the opposite end of the combustion chamber from the outlet.

It also is an object of the invention to provide an oil burning heater which will burn fuel oil efficiently and which will employ a portion of the energy generated by the combustion of the fuel to drive the rotor and also the accessory mechanism for operating the burner.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a longitudinal, sectional, somewhat diagrammatic view of a heater embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a lefthand end elevational view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a righthand end elevational view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, a heater A consists generally of a cylindrical housing B and a rotor C. The housing B is supported on standards and 11, mounted on a supporting base structure 12. An end closure plate 13 is mounted in sealing relation transversely across the lefthand end of the housing B as shown in Fig. 1 and is secured in p04 sition thereon by cap screws 14. A ball bearing 15 is mounted in a seat provided therefor centrally of the end plate 13 and a rotor shaft 18 is journaled in this bearing and in a second bearing 19 mounted coaxially therewith on a platform 20 provided on the base 12. The rotor shaft 18 is screwed into a threaded axial opening in the rotor C. A gear train 21 provides driving 2,736,369 Patented Feb. 1956 ice flexible couplings 24, 25 and 26 with a fuel pump 28 a magneto 29 and a governor 30. These units are housed in an enclosure 31 mounted by a hinge 32 on the base platform 20.

A sealing ring 33 of a conventional type is mounted axially inwardly of the bearing 15, and a second sealing gasket 34 is provided around the rotor shaft 18 and is interposed between the housing end closure plate 13 and the lefthand end of the rotor C.

The rotor C comprises a spirally ported discharge head portion 37 of generally truncated conical shape with a cylindrical portion 38. The portion 38 has a freely rotatable fit within the lefthand end of the rotor housing B as shown in Fig. l.

A plurality of symmetrically arranged spiral exhaust passages 39 are provided in the rotor portion 37. The intake ends 40 of these passages are at the righthand end of the rotor portion 37 and are directed substantially axially thereof as shown in Fig. 1, while their discharge ends are arranged peripherally of the cylindrical portion 38 and are directed substantially tangentially thereof as shown in Fig. 2.

An exhaust collector ring 41 is provided circumferentially around an annular slotted exhaust discharge passage 42 in the housing B to receive the exhaust gases discharged from the spiral exhaust passages 39 and to conduct these gases circumferentially around the collector ring 41 to exhaust outlets 43 and 44.

Connected coaxially to the righthand end of the rotor portion 37 as shown in Fig. 1 is a cylindrical combustion chamber 47 having a plurality of air intake openings 48 arranged in two circumferential rows around the righthand end portion thereof. An outwardly flaring skirt 49 of generally truncated conical configuration is provided coaxially of the cylindrical combustion chamber to enclose the perforated righthand portion thereof. The righthand terminal edge 50 of this enclosing skirt portion as shown in Fig. l is positioned to rotate closely adjacent a domed impeller and air intake housing 51 which is secured by cap screws 52, to the righthandend of the rotor housing B.

An impeller 53 comprises a head portion 54 secured as by welding to the righthand end of the cylindrical combustion chamber 47. A hollow rotor support shaft 55 is formed integrally with the head portion 54 and is co-axial with the lefthand rotor shaft 18 and with the combustion chamber 47. A pluralityof impeller vanes 57 are secured peripherally about the head portion 54 and to a ring 58 spaced to the right from the head portion 54 and co-axial therewith.

The domed impeller and air intake housing 51 has a cylindrical air intake chamber 59 formed integrally and co-axially therewith, as shown in Fig. l. A plurality of longitudinally extending slotted air intake openings 60 are provided peripherally of the air intake chamber 59. A ball bearing 61 is mounted in a seat provided therefor in the righthand end of the air intake chamber 59 and this bearing is co-axial with the other rotor support bear-' ings mentioned previously herein. An annular outer flange 62a of a spider 62 extends radially inwardly from the outer or righthand end of the domed impeller housing portion 51a. The hub 63 of the spider 62 provides an additional bearing for the tubular rotor shaft 55. A dust cap 64 is mounted to shield the ball bearing 61. A train of gears 67 is mounted in a housing 68 enclosing a portion of the outer or righthand end of the air intake chamber 59. This gear train 67 provides driving connection between the tubular rotor shaft 55 and the shaft 69 of an electric motor 70 for pre-rotation for the heater greases rotor B prior to the attainment of an auto-rotative con dition thereof. a

A fuel inlet pipe 71 is mounted non-rotatively axially within the tubular rotor shaft 55 and isprovided on its inner or lefthandentrance tothe shaft 55twith a rotary gas tight seal 72. ,A nozzle 73 is mounted on the pipe 71 within the combustion chamber 47 to discharge a Zpray of liquid fuel interiorly of the combustion cham- An ignition electrode 74 is mounted on the fuel inlet pipe 71 withits sparking points 75 located within the zone of fuel discharge of the nozzle 73. Insulated conductors (not shown) for, conducting high tension current to the electrode .74 are mounted in a conventional manner in a casing 77."alongside the fuel inlet pipe 71 and within the bore of the hollow rotor shaft 55. These conductors to therelectrode 74 may be encased in a conventional insulating casing 77 (Fig. 1) and connected to thehigh tension magnetoi30 to provide the necessary interrupted high voltage current to produce a spark across the, ignition-points 75. I

Uponrotation of the rotor C by the electric motor 76 to initiate combustion in the chamber 47, the impeller 53 draws air through the intake slots 6% and discharges this air centrifugally into the domed impeller casing portion 51a. Thence the air is directed by the curved wall of the impeller casing portion 51a into the converging chamber '73 between the perforated righthand portion of the combustion chamber 47 as shown'in Fig. l and the truncated conical skirt 49. The convergence of the walls of the chamber 78 causes the air from the impeller to flow radially inwardly through the holes 48 into the combustion chamber 47. When the rotor attains sufiicient rotative speed to provide a suitable flow of air through the combustion chamber and outwardly through the exhaust outlets 43 and 44, fuel under pressure from the pump 28 is admitted by opening the fuel valve 79 to the nozzle 73. As the fuel is sprayed from the nozzle 73 it is ignited by the spark across the points 75 of the ignition electrode 74 produced by the rotation of the magneto 30. The gases of'combustion pass from the combustion chamber outwardly through the spiral passages 39 wherein the rotation of the rotor during prerotation tends to create a negative pressure by conventional impeller action. Since combustion of the fuel-air mixture greatly increases its volume, the discharge of this increased amount of gas from the substantially tangentially disposed outer ends of the spiral passages 39 tends to drive the rotor C in accordance with well known principles of action and reaction. It will be noted in Figs. 1 and 2 that the passages 39 taper toward their discharge ends which is for the purpose of increasing the velocity of the gases as they approach the discharge and of the passages in accordance with well known gaseous flow principles.

The high velocity tangential discharge of the gases of combustion from the outer ends of the passages 39 producesa torque on the rotor C which causes it to continue its rotation. By controlling the amount of fuel and air admitted to the combustion chamber 47, the volume of hot exhaust gases discharged through the passages 39 may be controlled within close limits. For this purpose the-governor 29 may be adjusted in a well known manner to control the fuel flow from the pump 28 as required.

From the exhaust discharge outlets 43 and 44, the hot exhaust gases may be conveyed by suitable hoses or ducts (notshown) to a zone of application such as a chilled airplane,. tank or automobile engine.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the'present invention, it will. be understood however, that various changes and modifications may be made in .the detailsthereof without departingrfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim: p

l. A self propelled continuous flame 7 internal combustion heater comprisin'ga housing, a rotor mounted for rotation within said housing, one end of said rotor having a relatively small combustion chamber therein, a discharge h'eeltl of larger diameter than said combustion chamber mounted on the other end of said rotor, a plurality of exhaust passages insaid discharge head opening at one end thereof into the combustion chamber adjacent the axis thereof and opening at the other end thereof to discharge peripherally about the rotor head, the discharge ends of said passages being directed at an acute angle in apredetermine'd rotative direction, said housing having an annular discharge passage formed therein surrounding the discharge ends of said exhaust passages, an impeller mounted co-axially on the rotor at the opposite end thereof from said discharge passages, a tapered skirt of truncated conical shape mounted co-axially on the combustion chamber end of the rotor to surround the combustion chamber and provide a forwardly tapering air inlet passage, the combustion chamber walls interiorly of said skirt having a plurality of air inlet holes therein, said housing having an air intake portion surrounding said impeller and formed to direct air discharged by the impeller into and through the tapered air inlet passage and through the air inlet holes into the combustion chamber, a fuel nozzle mounted to discharge a spray of fuel into the incoming air within said combustion chamber, spark means mounted in the zone of fuel discharge from said nozzle, and means for energizing said spark means to ignite the fuel-air mixture within the combustion chamber.

2. A self propelled, continuous flame internal combustion heater comprising a housing, a rotor mounted for rotation within said housing, said rotor having a combustion chamber formed in one end thereof, a discharge head mounted on the other end of said rotor, said head having a plurality of exhaust passages formed therein to open from the combustionchamber and an opening at the other end thereof to discharge peripherally about the rotor head, the Walls of the discharge ends of said passages being directed at an acute angle in a predeter mined rotative direction, an impeller mounted co-axially on the rotor at the opposite end thereof from said discharge passages, a skirt mounted co-axially on the combustion chamber end of the rotor to surround the combustion chamber to provide an air inlet passage, the combustion chamber walls interiorly of said jacket'having a plurality of air inlet holes therein, an air intake housing surrounding said impeller and formed to direct air discharged by the impeller into and through the air inlet passage and through the air inlet holes into the combustion chamber, a fuel nozzle mounted to discharge a spray of fuel into the incoming air within said cornbustion chamber, and ignition means mounted in the zone of fuel discharge from said nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS

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