EP4592598A1

EP4592598A1 - Pellet stove

Info

Publication number: EP4592598A1
Application number: EP25152684.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sigismondo Canzian
Original assignee: Cs Thermos Srl
Current assignee: Cs Thermos Srl
Priority date: 2024-01-24
Filing date: 2025-01-17
Publication date: 2025-07-30

Abstract

A pellet stove (100) configured to heat a fluid present in an indoor environment, such as a building or structure (1), comprising a base (11), wherein is placed a thermally insulated container (12), inside of which are present a device for loading and releasing the pellets, a burner (23), one or more electrical resistors (26) and a heat exchanger (25). The container (12) has externally one or more doors (13) for loading the pellets and/or for access to the interior and a set of wheels or rollers (16) to enable the pellet stove (100) to be transported by hand. The container (12) is installed in an external room adjacent to the interior room and has
- an inlet duct (170) for the introduction of air from the external environment into the stove (100),
- an inlet duct (171), placed in communication with the indoor room, from which air is taken and introduced into the stove (100),
- an outlet duct (172), placed in communication with the interior room, from which air is drawn from the stove (100) and fed into the interior room
- an exhaust duct (173) for the exhaust fumes of the pellet stove (100).

Description

The present invention generally concerns a heating device and, in particular, relates to a solid fuel stove (specifically pellets) of a transportable type, installable outdoors.

Field of invention

The invention fits into the technical field of heating devices and heat generators, in particular in the technical field of heating devices using solid fuel and, in particular, pellets.

Prior art

The pellet stove object of the invention allows, as in the prior art, the heating of rooms or structures and is equipped with a burner capable of burning different types of solid fuels, such as traditional pellets, wood pellets and/or waste from agricultural processing, i.e. organic substances known as 'biomass'.
Examples of biomass as solid fuel usable in the pellet stove according to the invention may be whole and crushed olive stones (waste from olive oil processing), pelleted vine pruning (waste from grape cultivation), cherry stones (waste from cherry processing), almond/hazelnut/pinut shells (waste from the processing of almonds/pinuts), maize (e.g. dried to 13% and used mixed with wood pellets), miscanthus pellets, agripellets (made from cereal waste products mixed with wood or prunings) or industrial pellets (made from twigs and bark).
Such examples of biomass fuels are called 'energy pellets' because they have a very good combustion efficiency and are available at a reasonable price.
In addition, there are still many types of wood pellets on the market with very different characteristics and calorific values, but these very often clog up traditional stoves as they produce an ash compound with a high silicon content, which is extremely difficult to dispose of. In this regard, one of the aims of the invention is to realise a pellet heating device that can be easily cleaned by users, even without requiring external operators.
In addition, all known pellet and pellet-fuelled heating devices are installed inside the buildings and structures that they are to heat; this leads to significant limitations including:

the reduction of usable space within the structure;
the obligation of having to carry out cleaning and maintenance operations inside the structure with the consequence of creating dirt and inconvenience;
the presence of a device that performs combustion inside the structure with problems related to safety and air pollution;
the need to comply with the regulations in force regarding the watertightness of the stove and/or the construction of the relative chimney.

Another major disadvantage of known pellet heating devices is that they are not intended to be transported from room to room or from inside to outside the building.
This disadvantage therefore prevents the pellet heating device from being removed when it is no longer needed, such as during the summer season, or from being used in temporary structures built for exhibitions, emergency situations, celebrations.
The inability to move also consequently limits the variety and diversity of structures on which known pellet heating devices can be installed.
Another disadvantage of known pellet heating devices is the fact that they are not thermally and/or weather-insulated, as they are designed to be placed inside buildings or otherwise in enclosed structures.
Finally, a final disadvantage of known pellet heating devices is the fact that they are generally difficult to install and maintain, thus also requiring considerable installation costs to be paid by users.

Aim of the invention

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a pellet heating device capable of solving the above-mentioned drawbacks and criticalities.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a pellet heating device capable of heating any fluid, such as air or water, for heating a environment and capable of carrying out combustion of the pellets outside the room where it is installed.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a pellet heating device which can be easily transported from one environment to another and from an indoor environment to an outdoor environment and vice versa.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a pellet heating device equipped with possible accessories, such as an automatic brazier cleaning system, a double auger pellet loading system, a ducting kit, a room air purification filter and/or a flue gas exhaust pipe support element.
Another aim of the present invention is to realise a pellet heating device which can be installed on new or existing buildings.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a pellet heating device which is easy and inexpensive to install and maintain, even without the presence of qualified installers and maintenance personnel.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a pellet heating device with an easy opening for easy and quick cleaning of the grate and all internal parts, avoiding soiling inside the environment to be heated.
Another aim of the present invention is to realise a pellet heating device which can be programmed by display or remotely.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a pellet heating device which can be installed outdoors and used for heating any type of structure and/or building, such as dwellings, construction sites, terraces, tents or tensile structures, emergency structures, public buildings, shops, temporary set-ups, etc.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a pellet heating device which is thermally and weather insulated.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a pellet heating device of a safe, economical and well-functioning type, by virtue of the advantages achieved, as well as complying with the regulations in force relating to transportable type outdoor heating devices.
These and other aims are achieved by a pellet heating device according to the attached independent claim.
Further detailed technical characteristics can be found in the attached dependent claims.

Brief description of the figures

The present invention will now be described, by way of example but not limitation, according to some preferred embodiments thereof, and with the aid of the appended figures, in which:

figure 1A is a front view of a first embodiment form of the pellet stove according to the invention;
figure 1B is a rear view of the pellet stove of figure 1A;
figure 1C is a perspective view of the pellet stove 1A;
figures 2A and 2B are two perspective views of a second embodiment of the pellet stove according to the invention;
figure 3 illustrates the path of the air to be heated and the combustion air inside a pellet stove according to the invention;
figure 4 illustrates an opening mode for cleaning the inner compartments of the pellet stove according to the invention;
figure 5A is a rear view of a further embodiment of the pellet stove according to the invention;
figure 5B is a perspective view of the pellet stove of figure 5A;
figures 6 and 7 show further perspective views of a further embodiment of the pellet stove according to the invention;
figures 8A, 8B and 8C show possible installations of the pellet stove according to the invention outside different types of structures and/or buildings.

Detailed description

With reference to the above-mentioned figures, a preferred embodiment of a heating device, such as a pellet stove, according to the invention is shown.
The heating device object of the invention is indicated by the numerical reference 100 and is installed outside a environment to be heated, whether a fixed building or a temporary structure, as required.
The pellet heating device or stove 100 is used to heat a fluid (such as air and/or water) present in the environment.
The heating device or pellet stove 100 comprises a base 11, on which is placed a container or casing 12, which contains all the elements and operating components of the pellet stove 100.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, as visible in figures 1A, 1B and 1C, the container or casing 12 has a first compartment 121 and a second compartment 122, pivoted between them so as to allow easy opening of the pellet stove 100 and easy access to the internal components.
Alternatively, the container or casing 12 of the pellet stove 100 is of the monobloc type, as shown in figures 2A and 2B.
Advantageously, in both the compartmentalised and the monobloc versions, the container or casing 12 has one or more doors 13 which allow a user or operator to load the pellets and access the elements arranged within it.
Advantageously, the container or casing 12 and in particular the compartments 121 and 122 have hinges 14 that allow the doors 13 to be moved in closing and opening.
With reference to the embodiment shown in figures 1A, 1B, 1C, the first compartment 121 is fixed to the base 11 while the second compartment 122 can rotate on an edge and, in particular, in correspondence with at least two hinges 141 of the first compartment 121 (fig. 4).
In order to allow such rotation, the second compartment 122 is not fixed to the base 11 but is slightly raised thereon so as to avoid any form of friction or obstruction.
Rotation by a certain angle of the second compartment 122 with respect to the first compartment 121, or vice versa, allows the structure to be opened and easy access to the interior of the container 12, in correspondence with the burner and the pellet adduction duct, so that the interior of the stove 100 can be easily and quickly cleaned during maintenance operations.
In the case of a monobloc type of container 12, access to the interior can be provided by opening one or more doors 13.
Advantageously, in the various versions of the pellet stove 100, hooks 15 are also used, which prevent unintentional opening of the flaps 13 or accidental access to them; other hooks 15 may be used for additional flaps or to improve the closure of existing flaps, and such hooks 15 may be used to block the rotation of the second compartment 122 on the first compartment 121, switching from a closed configuration (when the second compartment 122 cannot rotate) to an open configuration (when the second compartment 122 is allowed to rotate).
Advantageously, at the base 11 of the pellet stove 100 are attached a plurality of handling devices 16, such as wheels or rollers, to allow convenient transportation of the container 12 by hand.
Again advantageously, an anti-tip handling device 161 is fixed to a wall of the second compartment 122 to facilitate rotation thereof and prevent it from tipping over.
Preferably, the anti-tip handling device 161 is arranged on the rear wall or the wall of the second compartment 122 in which the hinges 141 are provided.
Being able to easily move the device 100 allows it to be connected to different structures 1, to be safely stored and/or to be transported independently without the need for special vehicles and operators, etc.
The pellet stove 100 is also provided with pipes or ducts for air and smoke inlet and outlet, which are inserted inside holes present in the container or casing 12 and, in particular, in the first and/or second compartment 121, 122.
In particular, in the embodiments shown in the figures, the pellet stove 100 presents:

a duct or inlet pipe 170 for the passage of combustion air coming from the external environment and which is fed into the pellet stove 100;
an duct or inlet pipe 171, placed in communication with an interior environment, from which air is drawn, which is then fed into the pellet stove 100 to be heated;
a duct or outlet pipe 172, placed in communication with an interior environment, from which hot air is drawn from the combustion chamber of the stove 100, which is fed into the interior environment of the structure 1 to be heated;
a duct or outlet pipe 173 for the outlet of the exhaust fumes of the stove 100.

Within the pellet stove 100, there is also a pellet loading and release device, a burner 23 and a heat exchanger 25.
Advantageously, the pellet loading device comprises a pellet hopper 20 for containing the pellets, one or two conveying motorised loading screw and a blown or aspirated burner 23.
Advantageously, the hopper 20 can be accessed through the opening of the door 13 located on the upper wall of the container or casing 12.
The pellet loading device also includes at least one first motorised loading screw 21 for transporting the solid fuel from the hopper 20 to the burner 23.
In other embodiments, it is possible to use at least a second motorised loading screw 22, which receives the solid fuel from the first motorised loading screw 21 and deposits it in the burner 23; in the case where only one motorised loading screw 21 is present, the solid fuel reaches the burner 23 from the motorised loading screw 21 by means of a chute.
Advantageously, the use of a second motorised loading screw 22 to load the solid fuel not only ensures greater safety, but also allows for greater cleanliness of the stove 100; in fact, the second motorised loading screw 22 pushes the solid fuel which, in turn, pushes away the ash produced by combustion.
Advantageously, the motorised loading screws are motorised and can be configured to load predetermined doses of pellets from the hopper 20; in fact, by varying the speed and frequency of their movement, it is possible to measure the amount of solid fuel to be supplied to the burner 23 in a given unit of time.
Ignition of the pellets occurs by means of one or more ignition resistors 26, which heat the air to a temperature sufficient to trigger ignition of the solid fuel in the burner 23.
Advantageously, the pellet stove 100 provides an automatic burner cleaning system 23.
Advantageously, depending on the requirements and needs, the pipes or ducts 171, 172, 173 may have different shapes and sizes and may be connected to additional fittings, flues, accessory devices, etc.
In other designs, the number and position of the pipes may vary according to requirements and needs.
As shown in the enclosed fig. 3, the combustion air from outside via tube 170 passes through the heat exchanger 25 and is fed into the interior room to be heated via pipe 172, while the exhaust fumes are expelled via pipe 173. In addition, via pipe 171, air is drawn from the interior environment 1 and the same is further heated by passing it outside the heat exchanger 25 and feeding it back inside the interior environment 1.
In other words, the pellet stove 100 is equipped with an air recirculation system which provides for:

the intake into the indoor environment 1 of air coming from outside and heated by means of the heat exchanger 25;
the intake from the indoor environment 1 of air having a temperature lower than the temperature of the air introduced into the indoor environment 1 after passing through the heat exchanger 25, and the further passage outside of the heat exchanger 25 before the introduction of said air again into the indoor environment 1 by means of the pipe 172.

In more detail, air is brought inside the pellet stove 100, is heated by the heat exchanger 25 and introduced into the interior room 1, while a further amount of air, coming from the interior room 1, is subsequently reintroduced into the stove 100 and further heated.
Advantageously, it is thus possible to optimise the heating process, since the air which is fed into the stove 100 and which is to be heated will be at a higher temperature than the combustion air coming from outside.
As mentioned, the pipe 173 allows the fumes to be expelled outside the stove 100; since the stove 100 is installed outside the rooms and only the pipes 171, 172 are in communication with the internal environment of a structure or building 1, no pipe is required for the emission of fumes from the inside to the outside.
It is also possible to use a fume extractor, which is capable of sucking in the fumes exiting the pipe 173 and which is connected to the pipe 173; as an alternative to the fume extractor, it is possible to use a fan 27 which drives the fumes into the exit pipe 173.
With reference to figures 5A and 5B, according to a further embodiment of the pellet stove 100, a small table 19 is fixed to the container or casing 12, which is heated by the exhaust fumes passing through the pipe 173.
More in detail, the heated table 19 receives the hot air from the fumes passing through the pipe 173 and heats itself by also being able to emit at least part of said hot air from one or more holes 191 present on the sides of the same table 19.
Advantageously, the heated table 19 is particularly suitable in those situations where the pellet stove 100 is used to heat a structure 1 that is not completely enclosed, such as a tent or gazebo, or in those cases where it is arranged outside a commercial structure 1, such as a bar or restaurant.
According to further embodiments of the stove 100, the pipes 171 and 172 can be arranged coaxially, so that the pipe 172 can feed hot air into the structure 1 to be heated, while the part between the outside of the pipe 172 and the inside of the pipe 171 can send air from the same structure 1 to the inside of the device 100 to be heated (fig. 6).
This embodiment allows a single hole to be made in the wall of the structure 1 to be heated.
Alternatively, the pipes 171, 172 can assume particular geometries for a correct passage in the partition wall between the external environment and the internal environment and for a correct installation (fig. 7).
Figures 8A, 8B and 8C show a number of examples of installation of one or more pellet stoves 100, which are installed outdoors and which are suitable for heating the indoor environment of any structure 1, such as a dwelling, a tent or tensile structure, a shop, a bar or any other type of fixed or mobile, covered or semi-covered structure.
Advantageously, the pellet stove 100 can also be configured to be programmed remotely, by means of a mobile device, or via a display on the container or casing 12.
The programming of stove 100 allows all the traditional functions of heating devices that require programming, setting, changing settings, etc. to be performed.
Finally, in an advantageous manner, container 12 allows stove 100 to be thermally insulated so that no heat is lost to the environment.
Equally advantageously, the stove 100, being designed to be positioned outdoors, is also totally insulated from rain, wind and any other atmospheric event.
Again advantageously, stove 100 can be manufactured in various powers and sizes and can have different shapes from those shown in the figures; in particular, it can have the typical shape of a traditional stove ( that is, a monobloc shaped according to a single parallelepiped). From the description provided, the characteristics of the pellet stove object of the invention are clear, as are its advantages. In particular, the outdoor positioning of the stove 100, according to the present invention, allows combustion to take place outside a closed environment and, therefore, in a safer and more environmentally friendly manner.
Finally, it is clear that numerous other variations may be made to the stove in question, without departing from the principles of novelty inherent in the inventive idea, just as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the invention, the materials, shapes and sizes of the illustrated details may be any according to need and the same may be substituted with equivalent ones.
Where the features and techniques mentioned in any of the claims are followed by reference marks, those reference marks have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and, accordingly, those reference marks have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by those reference marks.

Claims

Pellet stove (100) configured to heat a fluid present in an indoor environment, such as a building or structure (1), and comprising a base (11), on which is placed a thermally insulated container or casing (12), inside which there is a device for loading and releasing the pellets, a burner (23) of the blown or aspirated type, one or more electrical resistors (26) for igniting the pellets in the burner (23) and a heat exchanger (25), wherein said container (12) externally presents one or more doors (13) for loading the pellets and/or for accessing the interior of said container (12), to said base (11) being fixed a series of handling devices (16), such as wheels or rollers, to allow the pellet stove (100) to be transported by hand, characterised by the fact that said container (12) is installed in an external environment adjacent to said interior environment and presents:
- a first pipe or inlet duct (170) for the passing of air from the external environment into the pellet stove (100) and passing through said heat exchanger (25) of the pellet stove (100),

- a second pipe or inlet duct (171), placed in communication with the interior environment, from which air is drawn and introduced into the pellet stove (100) by passing it through said heat exchanger (25) outside,

- a first outlet pipe or duct (172), placed in communication with the interior environment, from which air is drawn from said heat exchanger (25) of the pellet stove (100) and fed into the interior environment,

- an exhaust pipe or duct (173) for the exhaust fumes of said pellet stove (100).
Pellet stove (100) according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that said container or casing (12) is of the monobloc type or presents a first compartment (121) and a second compartment (122) pivoted together in correspondence with respective hinges (141) and apt to rotate angularly with respect to each other to allow easy access to the interior of said container (12).
Pellet stove (100) according to claim 1, characterised in that said container or casing (12) presents a first compartment (121) and a second compartment (122) pivoted together in correspondence with respective hinges (141) and apt to rotate angularly with respect to each other in order to allow easy access to the interior of said container (12), wherein an anti-tip handling device (161) is fixed to a wall of said second compartment (122).
Pellet stove (100) according to claim 1, characterised in that said pellet loading device comprises a hopper (20) for containing the pellets and at least one first motorised loading screw (21) for transporting the pellets from the hopper (20) to the burner (23).
Pellet stove (100) according to claim 4, characterised by the fact that a second motorised loading screw (22) is used to receive the pellets from said at least one first motorised loading screw (21) and to deposit them in the burner (23).
Pellet stove (100) according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that on said exhaust pipe or duct (173) for the exit of exhaust fumes is connected a fume extractor device or a fan (27) for driving the fumes out.
Pellet stove (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said container (12) is fixed to a table (19), which is heated by the exhaust fumes passing through said exhaust pipe or duct (173).
Pellet stove (100) according to claim 7, characterised in that said table (19) emits at least part of the exhaust fumes passing inside said exhaust pipe or duct (173) from one or more holes (191) present on the sides of said table (19).
Pellet stove (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said second inlet pipe or duct (171) and said first outlet pipe or duct (172) are coaxially arranged with each other and are in communication with said interior environment by means of a single opening realised on a partition wall between said structure (1) and the interior environment.
Pellet stove (100) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by the fact that said pellet stove (100) is configured to be programmed and/or set remotely by means of a mobile device or is configured to be programmed and/or set directly by means of a display present on said container (12).