Combustion – Flame holder and fuel tank assembly
Patent
1982-11-19
1985-01-29
Scott, Samuel
Combustion
Flame holder and fuel tank assembly
138 41, 138 43, 138 45, 2395331, 239570, F23D 1304
Patent
active
044963092
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a liquid gas-operated lighter, particularly pocket lighter, comprising a closable valve at the opening of a valve bore which valve is in communication with a burner tip, a fuel tank and a non-adjustable control device for the flame height arranged between tank and valve bore. The control device is provided with a fuel-permeable proportioning disk of porous material which, on its side facing the fuel tank, is tightly pressed in its border region against a surface which is ring-shaped, preferable circular ring-shaped, by means of a structural component having a passage for the fuel.
A method for manufacturing a lighter of the above-mentioned type represents a further subject matter of the invention and includes a computer-controlled or microcomputer-controlled measurement as an integral method step.
In the lighters heretofore known, manufacturing inconsistencies occur which cause within a production series significant deviations of the flow rate of the fuel from the desired rate. Moreover, it had to be accepted in the past that the influence of the gas vapor pressure has a proportional, or even more than proportional, effect on the flame height when the temperature increases. Since the manufacturing inconsistencies of the porportioning disk material and the temperature influence are compounded, the user is frequently startled by an unexpectedly high flame. This represents a substantial safety problem because a startle reaction of the user might cause accidents. Therefore, a majority of the disposable lighters offered on the world market at very low prices have a mechanism which permit the owner to control the flame height. As a result, the manufacturing costs are substantially increased, and the safety problem is still not solved because the necessity of reducing the flame height is recognized only after the startle reaction. Therefore, various countries are considering introducing legal limitations for pocket lighters, according to which maximum flame heights may not be exceeded. Therefore, in the mass production of lighters without flame regulating devices, an important problem resides in controlling the flame height in such a manner that the flame height does not deviate more than +/-10% as compared to a desired value under equal temperature conditions. However, due to the temperature dependency of the vapor pressure, the amount of gas discharged inevitably increases and, thus, the flame height increases with rising temperature, wherein the flame height must meet the legal requirements even in the case of the maximum vapor pressure to be expected during practical use.
For example, assuming a normal flame with a height of 25 mm at 25.degree. C. and 2.5 bars pressure, a temperature increase to 50.degree. C. results in the known lighters in an increase of the pressure to 5 bars in the case isobutane gas is used. This, as well as an additional, non-linear, increased permeability of the proportioning disk caused by thermal expansion, leads to an increase of the flame height to 50 to 70 mm. If the observed change of the flame height at a desired temperature change is defined the flame index, and if the index value 1 is assigned to an increase of the flame from 25 to 50 mm when the temperature rises from 25.degree. to 50.degree. C., a flame height increase from 25 to 70 mm would correspond to a flame index of 1.8.
Experience has shown that in known small lighters the aging in the unused state additionally leads to an irreversible change of the originally adjusted flame characteristic. This is particularly true when the lighters are subjected to changing or extreme ambient conditions, and when the bracing elements for the proportioning disk consist of materials having different thermal expansions.
Also, a flickering of the flames can be frequently observed. This is particularly true for pocket lighters which are subjected to very different temperatures and are frequently in a completely undefined carrying position immediately prior to being used.
Some of these deficiencies are not as disa
REFERENCES:
patent: 2675205 (1954-04-01), Fortin
patent: 3326242 (1967-06-01), Parkison
patent: 3592237 (1971-07-01), Borschers
patent: 3697002 (1972-10-01), Parkison
patent: 3766946 (1973-10-01), Corarg
patent: 3860385 (1975-01-01), Nakanishi
patent: 4060202 (1977-11-01), Neyret
Flanigan Allen J.
Scott Samuel
LandOfFree
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