Liquid fuel cell

Abstract

A liquid fuel cell that includes a canister having a fuel reservoir and a burner assembly mounted upon the canister. The burner assembly contains a wick holding aperture that opens into the fuel reservoir and a wick that is made up of continuous fiber strands mounted in the tube. The wick is doubled over to create a crown that is vertically disposed above the top of the wick holding aperture and the two ends of the wick are arranged to pass down through the wick burner into the fuel reservoir. A number of fiber strands are severed in the crown region to create a small island of bristles which greatly enhances the wick's ability to be rapidly and efficiently ignited.

1 . A liquid fuel cell that includes: 
 a canister having a reservoir for holding a quantity of liquid fuel;    a burner mounted upon said canister, said burner having a wick holding aperture that opens into said reservoir;    a wick mounted in said wick holding aperture, said wick holding aperture being formed by a series of continuous strands that extend from one end of the wick to the other end of the wick;    said wick being doubled over to form a U-shaped crown that extends above the top of said wick holding aperture and the ends of the wick passing downwardly through said wick holding aperture into the reservoir whereby liquid fuel is supplied to the crown via capillary action; and    wherein a series of adjacent strands in the crown of the wick are severed to create a region of bristles to enhance the wick's ability to be rapidly and efficiently lighted.    
   
   
       2 . The fuel cell of  claim 1 , wherein said fuel has a relatively high flash point.  
   
   
       3 . The fuel cell of  claim 2 , wherein the flash point of said fuel is about 200° F. or greater.  
   
   
       4 . The fuel cell of  claim 2 , wherein the flash point of said fuel is above 300° F.  
   
   
       5 . A method of shortening the ignition time of a liquid fuel cell having a burner and a reservoir for holding a quantity of liquid fuel, said method including the steps of: 
 providing a wick fabricated of continuous strands of wicking material that extend from one end of the wick to the other end of the wick;    doubling over said wick to establish a U-shaped crown within the mid-region of the wick;    mounting the wick within a wick holding aperture in said burner so that the crown of the wick extends above the top of the wick holding aperture and the ends of the wick pass downwardly through the wick holding aperture into said fuel reservoir; and    modifying said wick by creating a plurality of bristles within a region of said crown by severing a number of strands within said region.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said bristles are created by touching a plurality of strands in the crown of the wick with a heated wire.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said bristles are created by slicing a plurality of adjacent strands within the crown with a cutting instrument.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5  that includes the further step of filling the cell reservoir with a quantity of liquid fuel that has a relatively high flash point.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said reservoir is filled with a fuel having a flash point above 200° F.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said reservoir is filled with a fuel having a flash point above 300° F.