WO1999034147A1 - Igniter using liquid fuel - Google Patents

Abstract

An igniter using a liquid fuel, capable of securing the combustion characteristics which meet what is demanded by an igniter, by sucking the liquid fuel by a combustion wick, burning the liquid fuel at a free end portion of the wick and restricting a saturation flame length while securing an initial flame length and a later increase in the flame length, wherein inner cotton (3) impregnated with a liquid fuel comprising mainly alcohol is stored in a bottom portion of a fuel tank (2) with an upper space (2a) formed in the same fuel tank (2), a part of a surface of the combustion wick (6) in which a suction portion (62) contacts the inner cotton (3) to suck the liquid fuel by a capillary phenomenon and burn the same at a combustion portion (61) is exposed to the upper space (2a), whereby the fuel supply capacity is restricted.

Description

 g moon —Itoda Igniter using liquid fuel

The present invention relates to an igniter, such as a lighter for a smoking article, provided with a combustion wick that uses a liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol and sucks and burns the liquid fuel from a fuel tank by utilizing a capillary phenomenon. It relates to the structure of the combustion core part ₃

 Background art

In general, the fuel for burning appliances such as lighters for smoking equipment, igniters, torches, and lighting equipment includes alcohol fuel such as ethyl alcohol, petroleum benzene-based benzene fuel including gasoline, butane gas, and propane gas. Liquefied gas fuel is used ₌

 The performance, ease of use, and design structure of each burner differ depending on the type of fuel used, and each burner has its own characteristics.

 For example, in the case of a benzene fuel using a mixture of petroleum benzene hydrocarbon compounds, the fuel is a mixture of compounds having different boiling points, and the benzene component having a low boiling point volatilizes in the early stage of use when ignited to a combustion appliance, and is sequentially. The same applies to gasoline, which shifts volatile components to higher boiling hydrocarbons, changing the fuel composition remaining in the combustion equipment according to the combustion time, and thereby causing a change in flame length. In addition, benzene and gasoline have high volatility, and the combustion equipment that uses them requires a sealed structure that reduces volatilization from the fuel storage unit and the combustion wick. The fuel is volatilized and lost, the refueling frequency is high and cumbersome, and benzine and gasoline have a peculiar smell and may not be preferred.

In the case of liquefied gas fuel, the gas pressure is high in the operating temperature range of the combustion equipment, and the container for storing the fuel must have a pressure-resistant structure. In addition, the flame length changes in response to the above-mentioned fluctuations in the gas pressure. In particular, the gas pressure has the characteristic that it changes logarithmically with temperature, and there is a problem that the flame length greatly changes with temperature. In order to reduce the change, special design measures to compensate the temperature of the fuel supply mechanism of the combustion equipment are required, and the structure becomes complicated. It also becomes disadvantageous in terms of cost.

 On the other hand, in the case of alcohol fuel, liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol such as lower monohydric alcohol such as ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, and propyl alcohol is liquid at room temperature, has a relatively low vapor pressure, and is used for fuel storage. A pressure-resistant container is not required, and the fuel tank and the combustion wick need to be hermetically sealed so that alcohol does not evaporate. This is advantageous in terms of simplification of the structure of combustion equipment and cost.

 In addition, in a combustion device using a liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol, as a means for supplying the liquid fuel from the fuel storage section to the combustion section, generally, the continuous pores are formed by utilizing the surface tension of the liquid fuel. Alternatively, a combustion wick is used, which sucks up the gaps of bundled fine fibers by capillary action and burns at the tip.

 Specifically, the above-mentioned combustion wick is made of a string-like twisted fiber, a bundle of glass fibers, or a combination of both, in which the glass fiber is wrapped with a cotton yarn to absorb the fuel, and a metal is used so that it cannot be unraveled. Using a wire wound with a thin wire, the lower wicking part functions as a fuel wicker and burns at the upper burning part.

 However, in the case of an igniter such as a lighter for a smoking article that uses a combustion wick as described above, the initial flame length after ignition, the change in flame length, and the saturation flame depend on the material, dimensions and shape of the combustion wick. Since the lengths are different, it is necessary to configure the igniter to meet the required characteristics.

 For this reason, as the combustion wick, a cord-like material obtained by twisting fibers, a bundle of glass fibers, or a material using both of the above-mentioned conventional techniques is used, and furthermore, the combustion core In order to stabilize the combustion, it is conceivable to use ceramic fiber squeezed into a thick plate, extruded into a rod, or floated. Further, it is also possible to use a heat-resistant fiber material made of glass fiber or bonbon fiber alone or a mixture thereof, and processed into an appropriate shape as a combustion core.

When these combustion wicks are used for igniters such as lighters for smoking equipment, a suction part for supplying the liquid fuel in the fuel tank to the combustion part, and a tip combustion part for burning the fuel sucked in contact with this part A combustion wick that is made of a different material; and a suction part and a tip combustion part that are integrally formed using the material. An integral combustion wick can be employed.

 Then, when an igniter such as a lighter for a smoking article using a liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol is manufactured, when the combustion wick is ignited, the fuel contained in the combustion portion of the combustion wick is discharged from the surface of the combustion portion. Volatilizes, starts burning and forms flame. The length of this flame is defined as the initial flame length.

 Next, the combustion heats the burned portion of the wick, increasing the volatilization of fuel from the surface and increasing the flame length. However, the temperature rise due to the combustion of the fuel on the surface of the wick becomes equilibrium with the progress of the combustion and stops, and the elongation of the flame length also saturates and stops, reaching the saturated flame length. As the fuel contained in the combustion portion of the combustion wick burns off from its surface, the fuel diffuses from the inside of the combustion wick to the surface, and the fuel in the fuel tank passes through the wicking portion of the combustion wick. It is sucked and replenished.

 If the fuel is consumed from the surface of the wick, the fuel is supplied from the inside of the wick, and the fuel is sucked and supplied from the fuel tank, the combustion continues in an equilibrium state and the flame length is stabilized. If the consumption of fuel from the surface of the combustion wick is not accompanied by the supply of fuel from the inside of the combustion wick, the flame length changes from the initial flame length, and an equilibrium state is established according to the fuel supply or the fire is extinguished.

 By the way, in an igniter such as a smoking article lighter, the initial flame length immediately after ignition is as long as it appears, and in practical use this value is at least about 20 and then the flame length is reduced to 25 mm. It is necessary to satisfy the combustion conditions of as short as possible, within about 1 second for practical use, and 7 O mm or less for practical use so that the saturated flame length after ignition time does not become too long. preferable.

 In view of this requirement, preferably, from the purpose of use, the flame length immediately after ignition is as long as possible and suitable for use as an igniter. It is desirable that the length of the saturated flame be as short as possible and that the length of the saturated flame be as short as possible.

 The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an igniter that uses a liquid fuel so that a combustion state suitable for a purpose of use can be obtained.

 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The igniter using the liquid fuel according to the present invention that has solved the above-mentioned problems mainly uses alcohol. A fuel wick contained in a fuel tank, the wick contacting the wick with the wick to suck up the liquid fuel by capillary action and burn at a tip burning portion; and A wick holder that holds the tip of the combustion wick, an ignition member that ignites the tip combustion part of the combustion wick, and a volatilization-preventing closure cap that opens and closes the tip combustion part of the combustion wick. A batting is accommodated in a bottom portion, an upper space is formed in a fuel tank above the batting, and a partial surface of the combustion wick is exposed to the upper space of the fuel tank.

 The combustion wick may be configured such that a wicking portion and a tip burning portion that are in contact with the batting are formed of different materials, so that the burning portion side material is exposed to an upper space of the fuel tank. At this time, it is possible to provide an opening in a portion of the wick holder inside the fuel tank, and to expose a part of the combustion portion side material of the combustion wick to the upper space through the opening. Further, in the inside of the fuel tank in the wick holder, a gap leading to the upper space of the fuel tank can be provided around the material on the combustion portion side of the held wick, and can be exposed to the upper space.

 Further, it is preferable that the combustion wick has a lower suction fuel supply capacity of the liquid fuel in a suction portion below the liquid fuel than a suction combustion capability of the liquid fuel in a tip combustion portion. Specifically, it is possible to provide the combustion core with a small cross-sectional area at a contact portion with the batting. Further, the combustion wick may be provided below the tip combustion portion at least in a portion exposed to the upper space of the fuel tank so that the liquid fuel suction / raising ability differs between the central portion and the outer peripheral portion. Yeah.

 The suction supply capacity of the liquid fuel from the suction portion to the tip combustion portion in the combustion wick is

It is set to 2.5 to 5.3 mg / sec, more preferably to 3.5 to 4.4 mgZsec.

When the combustion wick of an igniter such as a smoking article lighter using liquid fuel as described above is ignited, immediately after ignition, the fuel contained in the combustion portion of the combustion wick volatilizes from the surface of the combustion portion. And burn. When combustion starts, the temperature of the combustion portion of the combustion wick rises, the amount of fuel vaporized rapidly increases, and the fuel contained in the combustion portion of the combustion wick is consumed, and as a result, the batting in the fuel tank is reduced. The impregnated fuel is sucked up through the capillary at the suction part of the combustion wick that comes in contact with the batting, and supplied to the tip combustion part. This time The igniter, such as a smoker lighter, must be designed so that the flame length immediately after ignition and the flame length at the beginning of ignition match the intended use. In order to satisfy both of these characteristics, the material, dimensions and shape of the combustion part at the tip of the combustion core must be specified.

 As for the material, a large amount of liquid fuel is retained, sufficient replenishment is required for the combustion of liquid fuel, and heat resistance is required. In order to meet this purpose, heat-resistant fiber materials such as ceramic fiber, glass fiber, carbon fiber, etc. are singly or mixed together, or a small amount of binder or hardener is added to a thick plate. What was dried and solidified was cut into the required size and shape, or a small amount of binder and a hardening agent was added and extruded into a rod, extruded, dried and solidified, or the fiber was processed into a felt shape Cut and molded into the required shape for use. Such a combustion wick can be formed so as to have micropores also on its side surface, and a part of the surface of the combustion wick is fixed to be exposed to a space in the fuel tank. If a sufficient space is provided around the exposed portion of the combustion wick inside, a suitable flame length can be obtained after ignition of the combustion wick by the size and shape of the protruding portion of the combustion wick from the wick holder immediately after ignition and at the initial stage. For the subsequent continuation of combustion, the amount of fuel supplied from the fuel tank to the combustion portion of the wick can be regulated, and the saturated flame length can be controlled.

 In other words, when fuel is supplied from the fuel tank in proportion to the fuel consumption of the combustion part of the wick, the maximum saturated flame length is maintained. On the other hand, if the fuel supply to the combustion portion of the combustion wick is smaller than this, combustion continues with a flame length commensurate with the fuel supply amount, or if the fuel supply is further reduced, the flame length increases over time. It will decrease, and it will not be possible to continue burning.

 In the present invention, by utilizing this phenomenon, the amount of fuel supplied from the fuel tank to the front end combustion portion of the combustion wick is regulated by exposing a part of the surface to the upper space in the fuel tank, thereby achieving a saturated flame. It controls the length. As the igniter such as a smoking article lighter, the dimensions of the tip of the combustion wick are determined by the material constituting the combustion wick so that the flame length immediately after ignition and the flame length can be extended to the required flame length early after that. The fuel consumption is also determined by that part.

The combustion wick in the present invention as described above is one in which the fuel suction portion and the tip combustion portion are integrally formed of the same material, or a material in which the fuel suction portion and the combustion portion are different. And are formed by connecting both.

 When the surface of the combustion part of the wick is exposed to the upper space in the fuel tank, the air comes into the surface layer at the part of the surface that comes into contact with air, and this surface layer has a resistance to suck up liquid fuel. It became clear that the suction capacity of the surface layer was lower than the fuel suction capacity inside the combustion wick, and the fuel supply capacity was lower than when the entire combustion wick surface was in contact with the batting. Therefore, when the combustion core is made of different materials for the combustion part and the suction part, the material part on the combustion part side is exposed to the upper space of the fuel tank. By exposing the portion above the contact area with the batting to the upper space, the saturated flame length could be regulated.

 In addition to the above, the saturation flame length could be set low by using a material with a low liquid fuel suction capacity as the material of the combustion wick. At that time, if the material of the combustion wick was different between the tip combustion part and the wicking part, the saturated flame length could be set low by selecting a material with low liquid fuel wicking capacity for the wicking part. . Similarly, for a combustion wick having an integral structure or a separate structure, the saturated flame length could be reduced by designing the cross-sectional shape of the suction portion small. The relationship between the material of the wick and the suction capacity will be described in detail in Experimental Example 1 below.

 In addition, the wicking portion of the combustion wick has a two-layer structure consisting of an outer peripheral portion and a central portion. By changing the material of both, the initial flame length and the initial flame extension can be reduced by the size of the combustion portion at the tip of the combustion wick. By setting the shape, it was possible to lower the saturated flame length thereafter.

 Examples of the liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol include, for example, a lower monohydric alcohol such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol or propyl alcohol, and a saturated hydrocarbon such as hexane or heptane for coloring the flame. A mixture is used.

According to the above-described igniter, a batting containing a liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol is accommodated in the bottom of the fuel tank, and an upper space is formed in the fuel tank above the batting. The liquid fuel is sucked up by capillary action and comes into contact with the fuel, and a part of the surface of the combustion wick, which is burned at the tip combustion part, is exposed to the upper space of the fuel tank. The air enters and regulates the fuel supply capacity, so that the form of the tip burning portion of the combustion wick is ignited and the combustion is started. While securing the initial flame length that has started and the elongation characteristics therefrom, the subsequent fuel supply is low and the increase in the saturated flame length can be suppressed, and the desired combustion as a igniter such as a lighter for smoking equipment as a whole The characteristics can be ensured by a simple structure.

 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a smoking article writer as an example of an igniter according to the first embodiment of the present invention,

 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a combustion core portion of the igniter according to the second embodiment, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a combustion core portion of the igniter of the third embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a combustion core portion of an igniter according to the fifth embodiment, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a combustion core portion of an igniter according to a fifth embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an ignition diagram of the sixth embodiment. Fig. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between fuel consumption and saturated flame length in Experimental Example 1, and Fig. 8 compares the suction capacity of each combustion core material in Experimental Example 2. Fig. 9 is a graph showing the combustion characteristics of an integrated wick made of various materials in Experimental Example 2.

 Figure 10 is a graph showing the combustion characteristics due to the change in the diameter of the combustion core suction part in Experimental Example 3.

 Fig. 11 is a graph showing the combustion characteristics according to the change in the exposure length of the combustion core combustion part in Experimental Example 4.

 FIG. 12 is a graph showing the combustion characteristics depending on the change of the exposure position in Experimental Example 5, and FIG. 13 is a graph showing the combustion characteristics of the combustion wick in the third embodiment.

 BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of an igniter using a liquid fuel according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

 <First embodiment>

₃ writer one 1 showing a schematic sectional structure of the smoking article for writer one as an example of ignitor using liquid fuel in FIG. 1 has a bottomed cylindrical fuel tank 2, the inside of the fuel tank 2 Is filled with a filling 3 made of fibrous material that impregnates and holds the liquid fuel. An upper lid 4 is fixed to the upper part of the fuel cell, and a fuel storage unit 5 for storing liquid fuel is formed. The filling 3 is filled in the bottom of the fuel tank 2 to form an upper space 2a.

For example, the fuel tank 2 is a molded article made of polypropylene and has an inner volume of 5 cm ³ . The batting 3 is made by pushing a 6-denier polypropylene fiber into the fuel tank 2 at a density of 0.05 g Zcm ³ , and the batting 3 is mixed with ethyl alcohol 95 wt / o, n-hexane 5 4 g of liquid fuel mixed with wt% is impregnated and stored.

 Further, a metal core holder 17 is fixedly inserted through the upper lid 4 vertically into the fuel tank 2. A rod-shaped combustion core 6 is mounted on the core holder 17 in the vertical direction. Combustion wick 6 is formed separately from different materials in the combustion part 61 at the tip and the suction part 62 below, so that the lower end of the combustion part 61 and the upper end of the suction part 62 are in contact with each other. It is installed in a state.

 The combustion portion 61 of the combustion wick 6 is formed of ceramic fiber, protrudes from the upper end of the wick holder 17 by a predetermined amount, and has a lower end lower than the lower end of the wick holder 17 in the fuel tank 2. It is held in a state where it protrudes. On the other hand, the wicking portion 62 of the combustion wick 6 is formed of acrylic fiber, and the lower portion is inserted into the batting 3 to come into contact with the batting 3 to cause the liquid fuel impregnated in the batting 3 to undergo capillary action. The upper end protrudes from the upper surface of the batting 3 and contacts the lower end of the combustion portion 61 in the upper space 2a to supply the sucked liquid fuel to the combustion portion 61. Then, the tip of the wick protruding above the wick holder 7 of the combustion portion 61 of the wick 6 is ignited to generate flame and burn.

For example, the combustion part 61 is formed by adding a small amount of an organic binder and a curing agent to a ceramic fiber obtained by fiberizing a raw material mainly composed of alumina and silica having a thickness of 2.8 μπι to reduce the packing density of the fiber. 0.16 g Zcm ³ is formed into a plate shape, cut and cut into a 3 咖 X 4 banded rectangular bar with a length of 15 tnm. Is inserted into the wick holder 17 with a diameter of 4.0 mm, an outer diameter of 5.0 mm ø, and a length of 7.0 mm. ₂ The upper end of this combustion part 6 1 is the upper end of the wick holder 17. From the lower end of the core holder 1 with an exposed length A of 3 mm. Thus, the outer peripheral portion is exposed in the upper space 2 a of the fuel tank 2.

Further, the wicking portion 62 is formed by adding a binder and a curing agent to acrylic fibers having a fiber thickness of 3 deniers, bundling them, and solidifying them in a rod shape. The porosity after the fixing molding is 60%. It has an outer diameter of 3.4 mm and a length of 37 mm.揷入length in the batting 3 is ₃ O tiun, ΰ the upper seven匪突out portion than the contact portion between the filling 3 is exposed to the upper portion space 2 a

 In addition, an ignition member 10 is disposed on the upper lid 4 so as to face the tip of the combustion portion 61, and the ignition member 10 ignites vertically in a bracket 11 fixed to the upper lid 4. A stone 12 is inserted, and a rotating file 13 is provided on the upper lid of the bracket 11. The tip of the igniter 12 is pressed around the rotating file 13 by the urging force of the stone pressing spring 14. It is provided so that sparks fly toward the combustion wick 6 by the rotating operation of the rotating file 13.

 A volatilization-preventing closure cap 16 is provided to cover the combustion portion 61 together with the projection of the core holder 7 so as to be openable and closable. The closure cap 16 is provided at one end of the upper surface of the upper lid 4 in the fuel tank 2. It is pivotally supported by a pin 17. The inner surface of the closing cap 16 is provided with an inner lid 16a that surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the core holder 17 and covers and seals the tip of the combustion portion 61. Further, an O-ring 19 is horizontally attached to the outer peripheral root portion of the core holder 17, and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the inner lid 16a to improve the airtightness. Note that a top plate 18 is provided on the upper surface of the upper lid 4. The gap formed between the circular inner peripheral surface of the core holder 17 and the rectangular outer peripheral surface of the combustion portion 61 is a through hole that communicates the upper space 2a in the fuel tank 2 with the outside. Functions as a stoma.

 Using the smoking article lighter 1 shown in Fig. 1 as described above, the change in flame length when burning continuously from ignition was measured.The flame length immediately after ignition was 28 mm, and the flame gradually increased from there. The flame length increased and the flame length became 43 strokes about 30 seconds after ignition, and then the flame length did not change and became equilibrium (see Fig. 11)-In this way, securing the initial flame length and saturation flame The flame length change characteristics that satisfy the required combustion conditions as a smoking article lighter were obtained.

Combustion part as above 6 1 Exposure length of fuel tank '2 to upper space 2a of flame 2 and flame The relationship with the length change characteristic will be described in detail in Experimental Example 4 described later.

<Second embodiment>

 In this embodiment, a portion of a combustion wick is schematically shown in FIG. 2, and the combustion wick 6 in the example of FIG. 1 is integrally formed with a suction portion thereof using the same ceramic fiber as that of the combustion portion 61. is there.

 The length of the integral wick 6 is 52 mm, and the length of the exposed portion of the wick 6 in the upper space 2 a of the fuel tank 2 is about 10 mm.

Even writer one in the embodiment of the present embodiment, characteristics that combustion and suction first ₃ combustion characteristics similar to the writer one is obtained in the embodiment of yet, Material integral wick 6 of FIG. 1 The combustion characteristics will be described later in Experimental Example 2.

<Third embodiment>

 This example is shown in FIG. 3 and is an example in which the shapes of the combustion wick 6 and the wick holder 7 are different from those of the above embodiment. The other parts are formed in the same manner as in the writer of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

 First, the combustion wick 6 is made of a different material for the combustion portion 6 1 and the wicking portion 6 2, and the wicking portion 6 2 has different materials at the center portion 6 2 a and the outer peripheral portion 6 2 b 2 It is installed in a heavy structure. The combustion portion 61 is made of the same ceramic fiber as in the first embodiment, has a cross section of 3 ram × 4 mm and a length of 12 mm.

 The suction portion 62 has a central portion 62a formed of acryl fibers in the same manner as described above, and an outer peripheral portion 62b is formed of a sintered polyethylene powder. The central part 62a is formed of acrylic fiber having a fiber thickness of 3 denier and has an outer diameter of 2.5. The outer peripheral portion 62b is formed by sintering polyethylene powder (particle diameter: 70 to 200 mesh) at 170 ° C for 10 minutes, and its outer diameter is 4.0 mm0. The length is 37 mm;

On the other hand, the core holder 7 is formed such that the upper inner diameter is larger and the lower inner diameter is smaller than this. Specifically, the outer diameter is 5.0 hidden φ and the length is 10 mm with respect to the combustion wick 6 having the above dimensions, and the inner diameter is 7 mm from the upper end surface. Is formed at 4.0 o.d. and the length of the three strokes from the lower end to the lower end is 3.5 mm 0. Then, with respect to the core holder 7 as described above, the double-structured suction portion 62 is inserted and fixed from below into the lower inner diameter portion of the lower portion, and the lower end portion of the combustion portion 61 is inserted from above. The upper end of the burning portion 61 protrudes from the upper end surface of the core holder 17 with a projection length of 5 strokes, and the protruding portion is ignited. Burned. Also, the surface of the outer peripheral portion 62 b of the suction portion 62 below the lower end of the core holder 17 is exposed to the upper space 2 a of the fuel tank 2. In the wicking portion 62, the central portion 62a made of acryl fibers has a large liquid fuel sucking ability, the outer peripheral portion 62b made of a polyethylene sintered body has a low sucking capability, and the outer peripheral portion 62 2b is exposed to the upper space 2a, so that the suction capacity is reduced, and the overall suction capacity is lower than that of the first embodiment.

 When the change in flame length after ignition was measured using the above lighter, as shown in Fig. 13, the flame length immediately after ignition was 27 marauders, and the flame length gradually increased from there. Within seconds, the flame length became a marauder, after which the flame length remained unchanged and equilibrated.

<Fourth embodiment>

 This example is shown in FIG. 4 and shows still another embodiment of the combustion wick 6. The other parts are formed in the same manner as the writer of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

 The combustion wick 6 of this example is made of a different material for the combustion portion 6 1 and the wicking portion 6 2, and the wicking portion 6 2 has a thinner portion in contact with the batting 3 at the lower portion and a smaller cross-sectional area. It is provided as follows. By reducing this cross-sectional area, the amount of liquid fuel supplied from the batting 3 by the wicking portion 62 along with the exposure to the upper space 2a is regulated, and the amount of liquid fuel supplied to the combustion portion 61 is reduced. It is configured to suppress the saturated flame length. Specifically, the wicking portion 62 of the combustion core 6 is formed by bundling acrylic fibers, and has an overall length of 37 mm and an outer diameter of 3.4 mm from the upper end portion of 3.4 nm. mm 0, a length of 32 mm from the lower end is provided at an outer diameter of 1.2 mm ø, and this thin portion is inserted into a batting 3 of 30 mm length and fixed.

Further, the shape of the core holder 17 is the same as that of the third embodiment, the inner diameter of the upper part is large, and the inner diameter of the lower part is small. The lower end and the upper end of the suction portion 62 are inserted and fixed so that their respective end surfaces are in contact with each other.

 Then, the upper end of the combustion portion 61 protrudes from the upper end surface of the lead holder 17 by a projection length of 5 mm, and the protruding portion is ignited and burned. Further, the surface of the wicking portion 62 at a portion below the core holder 7 and above the batting 3 is exposed to the upper space 2a.

 When the change in flame length after ignition was measured using the above writer, the flame length immediately after ignition was 24 hidden, and the flame length gradually increased from there. He became a marauder, and after that the flame length gradually became shorter, and after 120 seconds the flame length became 28 mm (see Figure 10).

 The relationship between the change in the outer diameter B of the suction portion 62 and the saturated flame length was determined in Experimental Example 3.

 <Fifth embodiment>

 This example is shown in FIG. 5, and shows still another embodiment of the core holder 17. The other parts are formed in the same manner as the writer of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

 First, the combustion core 6 is made of a different material for the combustion part 61 and the suction part 62. The combustion part 61 is made of ceramic fiber, has a cross-sectional shape of 3 mm X 4 mm and a length of 11 mm. The wicking portion 62 is made of acrylic fiber, has an outer diameter of 3.4 mm and a length of 37 mm, and is inserted into a batting 3 having a length of 30 mm.

 On the other hand, in the core holder 17, an opening 7a is formed at an intermediate portion thereof to open to the upper space 2a of the fuel tank 2 in the lateral direction. The outer diameter of the core holder 17 is 5.0 rigid 0 and the length is 10 mm, and its inner diameter is 4.0 hidden 0 from the upper end surface to below 4.0 and 0 below. A length of 4 mm to the end face is formed with an inner diameter of 3.0 mm φ: Furthermore, a round opening 7 a having a diameter of 3.0 30 and a center of a position of 4.5 mm from the upper end are formed by two holes. Power stations are provided.

Then, with respect to the core holder 17 as described above, the sucking portion 62 is inserted and fixed to a portion having a small inner diameter at a lower portion with a length of 5 mm from below, and a lower end portion of the combustion portion 61 from above. The upper end of the combustion portion 61 protrudes from the upper end surface of the core holder 17 by a projection length of 5 mm. The projecting portion is ignited and burned, and a part of the burning portion 61 is exposed to the upper space 2a of the fuel tank 2 via the opening 7a. In addition, a suction part 62 is exposed to the upper space 2a below the core holder 7.

 When the change in flame length after ignition was measured using the above writer, the flame length immediately after ignition was 3 O mm, and the flame length gradually increased from there. After awakening, the flame length did not change and became equilibrium (see Figure 12).

Sixth embodiment>

 This example is shown in FIG. 6, and shows still another embodiment of the lead holder 17. The other parts are formed in the same manner as the writer of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

 First, the combustion core 6 is made of a different material for the combustion part 61 and the suction part 62. The combustion part 61 is made of ceramic fiber, has a cross-sectional shape of 3 mm X 4 mm and a length of 12 mm. The wicking section 62 is similarly constructed of acrylic fiber, is formed with an outer diameter of 3.4 and a length of 37 mm and is inserted into a 30 thigh length batting.

 On the other hand, the core holder 17 is formed such that the lower portion inside the fuel tank is formed large, and a gap 7 b opening to the upper space 2 a of the fuel tank 2 is formed. The outer diameter of the core holder 17 is 5.0 mm from the upper end, the inner diameter is 4.0 瞧 0, and the inner diameter is 4.0 は 0. Marauder φ, inner diameter is 5.4 mm (i). In addition, a 1 mm X 1 瞧 X 1 芯 core holding part 7 c is attached to four places on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end part, and the lower part is open and the other part is open for ventilation except for this core holding part 7 c It is.

 Then, the combustion part 61 is inserted into the core holder 17 as described above so that the protruding length becomes 5 mm from the upper part, and the lower end part of the combustion part 61 is enlarged in inner diameter of the core holder 7. It protrudes from the gap 7 b of the part by a length of 3 exposed portions. Further, the upper end of the suction portion 62 is inserted into the lower end of the core holder 17 by a length of 2 mm, the upper end contacts the lower end of the combustion portion 61, and the outer peripheral portion is It is fixed by the core holding portion 7c. The protruding portion of the combustion portion 61 is ignited and burned, and the lower end portion and the suction portion 62 of the combustion portion 61 are exposed to the upper space 2 a of the fuel tank 2.

When the change in flame length after ignition was measured using the above writer, the flame length immediately after ignition was measured. The flame length gradually increased from there, and after about 30 seconds from the ignition, the flame length became 45, and after that the flame length did not change and became equilibrium.

<Experimental example 1>

 In this experiment, the relationship between the saturated flame length and the fuel supply was determined.

Wick used is a material obtained by cutting the 3 mm thick plate material obtained by forming ceramic fibers into packing density 2 0 O mgZcm ³ Fiber one size 2. 8 mu m to 4 mm wide and burning section, as shown in FIG. 1 For the wicking part connected to the lower end of the igniter, select a material that has a sufficient suction capacity for liquid fuel and a supply capacity greater than the fuel consumption accompanying combustion in the combustion part. It is provided to withstand combustion experiments. The ignition was performed by changing the length of the protruding part of the combustion part from the core holder, and the saturated flame length after ignition and the fuel consumption per unit time were measured from the weight change. Figure 7 shows the relationship between the saturated flame length and fuel consumption.

From the above results, when the saturated flame length is 3 O mm, the fuel supply amount is 2.5 mg / sec, and when the saturated flame length is 4 O mm, the fuel supply amount is 3.5 mg / sec. fuel supply amount when placing flame length and 5 0 hidden is 4. 4 mg / sec _N fuel supply amount when the saturated flame length 6 0 mm is 5. 3 _m gZse _C, and the smoking article for writer one In this case, the above range, that is, the saturated flame length is preferably 30 to 60 mm, and the fuel supply amount corresponding thereto is 2.5 to 5.3 mg / sec. ~ 50 orchids, corresponding to a fuel supply of 3.5-4.4 mg / sec.

When the above-mentioned fuel supply amount is required for the suction part of the combustion wick, its material is determined by the suction capacity of the liquid fuel and its cross-sectional area. In the case of the above cigarette lighter, if the cross-section of the wicking part is circular due to the design structure, a diameter of 2 to 5 o 隱 is appropriate, and the cross-sectional area is 3 to 20 瞧² . The saturation flame length can be determined by setting the material and structure in consideration of the suction capacity of the wicking part of the core.

Also, in this experiment, sufficient fuel was supplied from the lower fuel suction portion to the fuel consumption in the combustion portion of the combustion wick, but the fuel supply from this suction portion was reduced by the fuel in the combustion portion. If it is lower than the consumption, the initial flame length immediately after ignition and the subsequent growth of the flame are determined by the protrusion length of the burning part, but the saturated flame length is determined by the amount of fuel supplied to the subsequent burning part, that is, the fuel consumption. It has been found that the saturated flame length is commensurate. this Using the event, the initial flame length and the saturated flame length of the wick were able to be set as desired.

<Experimental example 2>

 In this experiment, as in the second embodiment (FIG. 2), a combustion core made of the same material for the combustion part and the suction part was used, and a liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol of this material was used. The relationship between the suction capacity and the saturated flame length after ignition was obtained.

The following Table 1 to ₃ wicking ability showing the measurement results of saturated flame length and the material and its wicking ability and fuel retention of the wick used in this experiment, as the liquid fuel to the Echiru alcohol 95% hexane 5% The mixture is colored, the combustion wick is set up vertically, and the lower end is immersed in liquid fuel at a height of 5 faces, and the suction time until the liquid fuel sucking height reaches 1 O mm, 30 mm, 50 concealment Was measured. In addition, the maximum fuel holding amount (saturation holding amount) held in the same size combustion core was measured.

 The value of the saturated retention amount is related to the initial flame length after ignition of the combustion wick and the initial flame elongation. Depends on fuel supply.

 【table 1】

また、 図 8に各材質の燃焼芯について下端を液体燃料に浸漬してよりの経過時 間と吸い上げ高さとの関係を示す。 図 9は上記各燃焼芯の着火後の炎長の変化を 測定した結果である。

Fig. 8 shows the relationship between the elapsed time after immersing the lower end of the wick of each material in liquid fuel and the suction height. Figure 9 shows the results of measuring the change in flame length after ignition of each combustion wick.

 From the above results, it is possible to shorten the saturated flame length by using a material with low suction capacity as the combustion core. However, the porous material (polyethylene core) obtained by sintering polyethylene powder in Fig. 8 can be used. ), The suction time up to 50 mm is 174 seconds. In this case, the amount of retained fuel is low, and as shown in Fig. 9, it is difficult to obtain the initial flame length, and at the same time, the suction capacity is low. It is difficult to continue combustion. Therefore, if the initial flame length is set to about 25 to 30 mm, the saturated flame length is about 4 Omm. In order to achieve this, it is appropriate to select a fuel wick with a suction time of up to 100 seconds up to a fuel wick height of 50 mm. Therefore, it is appropriate to select and set the suction time up to 50 buns in the range of 20 to 100 seconds, assuming that the wick used is about 4 mm0.

<Experimental example 3>

 In this experiment, the lighter provided with the combustion wick and the wick holder in the fourth embodiment (FIG. 4) was used, and the diameter B of the suction portion was 0.85 mm <i) to 3.4. Fig. 10 shows the measured combustion characteristics when the temperature was changed in the range of 瞧 0.

 First, with respect to the change in the diameter of the suction part, the suction capacity of the liquid fuel in the suction part was measured by the same measurement method as in Experimental Example 2, and the relationship with the time to reach the suction height of 5 Omm was examined. However, when the material is the same, it is constant regardless of the diameter of the suction part. The change in the diameter of the suction part changes the fuel supply to the combustion part, and the saturated flame length changes accordingly.

 Since the wicking part made of acrylic fiber has a high wicking ability, it is possible to supply fuel in proportion to the fuel consumption in the burning part if there is a certain cross-sectional area. The saturated flame length does not change with the increase of the flame length. To regulate the saturated flame length, the diameter must be smaller than this.

From the above points, it is possible to appropriately design the fuel supply amount to the combustion part by changing the material and thickness of the suction part with respect to the fuel consumption in the combustion part of the combustion wick, and to set the saturated flame length to the desired value. To play <Experimental example 4>

In this experiment, in the writer of the first embodiment (FIG. 1), the change of the exposure length A in which the lower end of the combustion portion of the combustion wick is exposed to the upper space of the fuel tank and the saturation flame length were examined. in which the obtained relation ₃ the results are shown in Figure 1 1 ₌

 When the exposure length A was set to 0, the saturated flame length was about 55 mm. In contrast, the above exposure length A is 3 mn! In the case of 11 O mm, the saturated flame length could be reduced to about 45 mm.

This wick is for the burning portions that cut the 3 mm thick plate material obtained by forming the ceramic fibers of the fiber one size 2. 8 mu m in packing density 2 0 0 mg / cm ³ in the width 4 mm, its When the surface is exposed to the upper space of the fuel tank and comes into contact with air, air is taken into the surface layer, and the resistance to suction of liquid fuel becomes higher than that of the inner layer. This is due to the reduced liquid fuel suction area.

 In the above, by exposing the surface of the combustion part of the combustion wick to the upper space of the fuel tank, the suction capacity of the liquid fuel on the surface layer that sucked air is reduced, and the supply amount of the liquid fuel to the combustion part is reduced. The change of the exposure length A of 3 mm or more has almost no effect on the saturated flame length.

 <Experimental example 5>

 This experiment compared the exposure in the combustion part and the exposure in the suction part when exposing the surface part of the combustion wick to the upper space of the fuel tank.

 In this experiment, the lighter in the fifth embodiment (Fig. 5) was used, and the material of the combustion part was exposed at the opening of the core holder or the force of the material of the suction part was exposed. I did it.

 As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the effect of suppressing the saturated flame length is higher when exposing the material of the burning portion. This is because the suction capacity of the material of the combustion part is originally lower than that of the material of the suction part, and the saturated flame length is reduced due to the remarkable influence of the surface exposure.

The fiber diameters of the glass fiber and the ceramic fiber are represented by numerical values, which show average representative dimensions. On the other hand, the actual dimensions have a distribution, and the displayed values are representative expressions. Thick and thinner types are mixed.

Claims

The scope of the claims (1) A fuel wick that contains liquid fuel mainly composed of alcohol in a batting accommodated in a fuel tank, and the batting and the wicking part come into contact with each other to suck up the liquid fuel by capillary action and burn at a tip burning part. A wick holder for holding a wick at the top of the fuel tank; an ignition member for igniting a tip burning portion of the wick; and a volatilization preventing closure for opening and closing the tip burning portion of the wick. In an igniter using liquid fuel with a cap,  In the fuel tank, the batting is accommodated in a bottom portion of the fuel tank, and an upper space is formed above the batting,  An igniter using a liquid fuel, characterized in that a part of the surface of the combustion wick is exposed to an upper space of the fuel tank.  (2) The combustion wick is formed of different materials at a wicking portion and a tip combustion portion that come into contact with the batting, and a combustion portion side material is exposed in an upper space of the fuel tank. The igniter according to 1.  (3) The opening according to claim 2, wherein an opening is provided in an inner portion of the fuel tank in the wick holder, and a part of the combustion portion side material of the wick is exposed to the upper space through the opening. Igniter.  (4) In the inside of the fuel tank of the wick holder, a gap communicating with the upper space of the fuel tank is provided around the combustion portion side material of the held wick, and is exposed to the upper space. The igniter according to claim 2, wherein  (5) The wick has a wicking supply capability of a liquid fuel in a wicking portion below the wicking combustion capability set to be lower than a wicking combustion capability of a liquid fuel in a tip combustion portion. Or the igniter according to 2.  (6) The igniter according to claim 5, wherein the combustion wick has a reduced cross-sectional area at a contact portion with the batting. (7) The combustion wick is characterized in that at least a portion exposed to the upper space of the fuel tank below the front end combustion portion is provided so that a liquid fuel suction capacity differs between a central portion and an outer peripheral portion. 6. The igniter according to claim 5, wherein: (8) The capacity for sucking and supplying liquid fuel from the wicking portion to the tip combustion portion of the combustion wick is set to 2.5 to 5.3 mg / sec. The igniter described in Crab.  (9) The capacity of the wick for supplying liquid fuel from the wicking portion to the tip combustion portion in the combustion wick is set to 3.5 to 4, 4 mg / sec. An igniter according to any of the above.