Combustion – Combustion bursts or flare-ups in pulses or serial pattern
Patent
1992-02-07
1993-09-07
Yeung, James C.
Combustion
Combustion bursts or flare-ups in pulses or serial pattern
122 24, 126350R, 126360R, F23C 1104
Patent
active
052422941
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates generally to an improved design for a pulsating combustor, and its method of operation. More particularly, this invention is directed to a pulsating combustor design which can be used as the heat source in a highly efficient water heater or boiler.
PRIOR ART
A significant prior patent is my own U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,149, issued Nov. 7, 1989, and entitled "Fluid Heater Using Pulsating Combustion".
While the design in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,149 is capable of a high rate of heat transfer through the walls to a cooling medium such as water, the shape of the item in the issued U.S. patent is not conducive to compactness of size for a water heater.
Other attempts to utilize a pulsating combustor to heat water have encountered problems in muffling the sound of the unit. More particularly, the prior art combustors have generally taken the shape of a "bottle" with an elongated neck portion (the tailpipe), and with combustion taking part in the main portion of the "bottle". Unfortunately, it is found with this prior art design that the tailpipe has to be overly long in order to provide a sufficiently large heat transfer surface. With a long tailpipe, however, the frequency of the pulsating combustion is generally in the low range, typically around 50 cps. A low-pitched noise of this kind is very difficult to damp out, and as a result water heaters or boilers which utilize this pulsating combustor design tend to be very noisy.
Finally, there is a need for a pulsating combustor design in which the combustion is particularly stable, and not easily destroyed by the imposition of clashing frequencies from the outside.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS INVENTION
It is an object of one aspect of this invention to provide a pulsating combustor in which the stability of the pulsation is improved.
It is an object of a further aspect of this invention to provide a pulsating combustor capable of use as a water boiler or heater and which operates on a relatively high frequency that is easily muffled.
It is an object of a final aspect of this invention to provide a compact design for a water heater or boiler which produces high rates of heat transfer to the water.
Accordingly, this invention provides a pulsating combustor comprising:
annular combustion chamber having substantially a hollow cylindrical form and defined between an inner substantially cylindrical wall, an outer substantially cylindrical wall surrounding said inner Wall, and an end wall bridging between the inner and outer walls,
a tailpipe portion having substantially a hollow cylindrical form and including an inner substantially cylindrical wall and an outer, substantially cylindrical wall the radial distance separating the walls of the tailpipe being less than the radial distance separating the walls of the combustion chamber,
a bridging portion communicating the combustion chamber with the space between the walls of the tailpipe portion, the bridging portion having outer and inner wall portions which are convergent when seen in radial axial section,
all of said walls being of a material and thickness which allow heat transfer across the walls,
fuel intake pipe means for introducing fuel into the combustion chamber,
air intake means for introducing combustion air into the combustion chamber,
ignition means for initiating pulsating combustion within the combustion chamber, and
exhaust means for removing exhaust gases from said tailpipe portion,
and water jacket means for passing water against the outside of the outer walls of said chamber and tailpipe portion and against the inside of the inner walls of said chamber and tailpipe portion, wherein said water jacket means passes cold water initially inside said inner walls in a longitudinal direction with respect to the pulsating combustor, and then in a helical path around the outside of said outer walls, and in which all of the walls in contact with water are made of a material selected from the group; copper, brass, stainless steel.
Further, this invention provides a method of operating a puls
REFERENCES:
patent: 2635420 (1953-04-01), Jonker
patent: 4569310 (1986-02-01), Davis
patent: 4639208 (1987-01-01), Inui et al.
patent: 4846149 (1989-07-01), Chato
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