Multi-Cone Fuel Burner Apparatus For Multi-Tube Heat Exchanger

Abstract

Installed in a fuel-fired heating appliance is a specially designed burner assembly operative to receive and combust a pre-mixed flow of fuel and air to create therefrom a spaced apart plurality of flames which are aligned with and flow directly into the inlets of a corresponding spaced plurality of heat exchanger tubes. The flames create within the tubes hot combustion gases that transfer combustion heat to a supply fluid flowed externally across the tubes. The burners are of a hollow perforate metal construction, are mounted on and forwardly project from a support structure toward the tube inlets, and have rearwardly facing open inlet ends that receive the pre-mixed flow of fuel and air. In one illustrated embodiment thereof, the burners have conical configurations, and in another illustrated embodiment have generally dome-shaped configurations. Via a flame carryover structure, a single igniter is utilized to ignite all of the burners.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Fuel-fired heating apparatus comprising:
 a housing having an interior, a rear inlet end, and a front outlet end;   a plurality of heat exchanger tubes having spaced apart inlets communicating with the interior of the housing at the front outlet end of the housing, and outlets;   a burner assembly supported within the housing and including:
 a support structure disposed rearwardly of the heat exchanger tube inlets and having a spaced plurality of openings extending forwardly therethrough, 
 a spaced plurality of hollow, perforate fuel burners carried by the support structure, the fuel burners projecting forwardly from the support structure in alignment with the heat exchanger tube inlets and having rear inlets respectively communicating with the plurality of support structure openings; and 
   combustion apparatus operative to sequentially (1) flow a fuel/air pre-mixture from a source thereof forwardly through the support structure openings into the interiors of the fuel burners, (2) combust the fuel/air pre-mixture received within the fuel burners to create separate, spaced apart, forwardly directed burner flames respectively aligned with and received within the heat exchanger tube inlets to create hot combustion gases within the heat exchanger tubes for heating a supply fluid flowed externally across the heat exchanger tubes, and then (3) flow cooled combustion gases outwardly from the outlets of the heat exchanger tubes.   
     
     
         2 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the fuel-fired heating apparatus is an air heating furnace. 
 
     
     
         3 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 each of the fuel burners has a generally cone-shaped configuration with a forwardly directed apex portion. 
 
     
     
         4 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 each of the fuel burners has a generally dome-shaped configuration. 
 
     
     
         5 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 each of the fuel burners is of a metal mesh material. 
 
     
     
         6 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the housing has an interior flange portion, and 
 the support structure is secured to the interior flange portion. 
 
     
     
         7 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the support structure includes:
 a support plate through which the openings forwardly extend, the openings receiving rear inlet portions of the fuel burners, the support plate having front and rear sides, 
 a perforate backing member positioned against the rear side of the support plate, and 
 a mounting frame connected to a peripheral portion of the support plate and retaining the perforated backing member on the support plate. 
 
     
     
         8 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the combustion apparatus includes:
 a draft inducer fan operative to draw the cooled combustion gases outwardly from the outlets of the heat exchanger tubes. 
 
     
     
         9 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the combustion apparatus includes:
 an igniter operative to ignite one of the fuel burners, and 
 flame carryover apparatus operative to spread the flame from the ignited burner to at least one unignited fuel burner. 
 
     
     
         10 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 9  wherein:
 the support structure includes a support plate through which the openings forwardly extend, the openings receiving rear inlet portions of the fuel burners, and 
 the flame carryover apparatus includes slots formed in the support plate and interdigitated with the openings, and a mesh material disposed in the slots, interconnecting the fuel burners, and operative to spread a flame from an ignited fuel burner to an unignited fuel burner. 
 
     
     
         11 . The fuel-fired heating apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising:
 a perforated diffuser plate, positioned rearwardly of the burner assembly, through the perforations of which the fuel/air pre-mixture flows before entering the support structure openings. 
 
     
     
         12 . A pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly comprising:
 a support structure having a spaced plurality of openings extending forwardly therethrough;   a spaced plurality of hollow, perforated fuel burners having open inlet ends carried by the support structure and respectively communicated with the plurality of support structure openings to receive within the fuel burner interiors fan-created flows of pre-mixed fuel and air, and outlet ends spaced forwardly apart from the support structure; and   combustion apparatus operative to ignite flows of pre-mixed fuel and air received within the interiors of the fuel burners to create spaced apart individual flames forwardly emanating from the fuel burners.   
     
     
         13 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 12  wherein:
 the pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly is configured for use in a fuel-fired air heating furnace. 
 
     
     
         14 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 12  wherein:
 each of the fuel burners has a generally cone-shaped configuration with a forwardly directed apex portion. 
 
     
     
         15 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 12  wherein:
 each of the fuel burners has a generally dome-shaped configuration. 
 
     
     
         16 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 12  wherein:
 each of the fuel burners is of a metal mesh material. 
 
     
     
         17 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 12  wherein the combustion apparatus includes:
 an igniter operative to ignite one of the fuel burners, and 
 flame carryover apparatus operative to spread the flame from the ignited burner to at least one unignited fuel burner. 
 
     
     
         18 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 17  wherein:
 the support structure includes a support plate through which the openings forwardly extend, the openings receiving rear inlet portions of the fuel burners, and 
 the flame carryover apparatus includes slots formed in the support plate and interdigitated with the openings, and a mesh material disposed in the slots, interconnecting the fuel burners, and operative to spread a flame from an ignited fuel burner to an unignited fuel burner. 
 
     
     
         19 . A pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly comprising:
 a support plate having a spaced plurality of openings extending therethrough between front and rear sides thereof, the support plate further having slots formed therethrough, the slots being interdigitated with and intercommunicating the plurality of support plate openings;   a spaced plurality of hollow, metal mesh fuel burners having open inlet ends respectively mounted within the plurality of support plate openings to receive fan-created flows of pre-mixed fuel and air, and outlet ends spaced forwardly apart from the support plate;   a perforated backing member positioned against the rear side of the support plate over the support plate openings;   a mounting frame secured to a peripheral portion of the rear side of the support plate and retaining the perforated backing member thereon;   an igniter associated with the support plate and operative to ignite a pre-mixture of fuel and air within one of the fuel burners; and   a mesh material disposed within the slots and intercommunicating the fuel burners, the mesh material being operative to carry the flame from an ignited fuel burner to an unignited fuel burner.   
     
     
         20 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 19  wherein:
 the fuel burners have generally conical configurations. 
 
     
     
         21 . The pre-mixed fuel/air burner assembly of  claim 19  wherein:
 the fuel burners have generally dome-shaped configurations.