US3187741A

US3187741A - Incandescent gas fires

Info

Publication number: US3187741A
Application number: US238353A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oatley Arthur Frederick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-19
Filing date: 1962-11-19
Publication date: 1965-06-08
Anticipated expiration: 1982-06-08

Description

June 8, 1965 Filed Nov. 19, 1962 A. F. OATLEY INCANDESCENT GAS FIRES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 8, 1965 A. F. OATLEY INCANDESCENT GAS FIRES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 19, 1962 United States Patent 3,187,741 DICANDESCENT GAS FIRES Arthur Frederick Oatley, Wilton Lodge, Wergs Road, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, England Filed Nov. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 238,353 3 Claims. (Cl. 126-92) The present invention relates to an incandescent gas fire provided with an air heater, for warming convection air. An object of the present invention is to provide such a fire with an air heater heated by the backs of the radiants and which includes a front Wall against which the radiants rest and which is apertured opposite the backs of the radiants.

Radiation from the backs of the radiants can pass through the apertures to heat air in the heater while convection air currents are prevented from close contact with the backs of the radiants and so cooling them to an extent which would impair their radiation efliciency.

The air heater may have a corrugated partition the corrugations of which with the front wall define substantially upright front passages into which the aperture open.

The corrugations may extend from the front wall across an air space behind the front wall towards a wall at the rear of the space with which the partition defines substantially upright rear passages.

The front wall opposite the upper part of the backs of the radiants may not be apertured but have heat transmitting portions of reduced thickness.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a gas fire according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a section on line 2--2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

This gas fire is arranged to be fitted in a fire-place opening and has a casing which includes a frame portion 4 for the fire proper and an outer portion 5 which is dimensioned to fit closely the fire-place opening, so as to close the opening. The frame portion 4 is formed as a casting and includes an upright rear wall 6 having extending horizontally forwards from its lower edge an integral flange 7. The flange 7 supports a gas burner tube 8 having a double row of upwardly directed gas jets 9 extending along its length. Above the burner jets 5 radiants 10 are supported side by side by a carrier 11 secured to the burner tube 8. The carrier 11 is of substantially L-section, the longer limb being arranged horizontally above the jets 9 to support the radiants 10 and the shorter limb extending vertically downwards in front of the jets and secured to the burner. Openings 12 are provided through the longer horizontal limb of the carrier 11 above the jets.

Above the radiants 1t) and forming part of the frame portion 4 a simple convector heat exchanger 13 is provided which is heated by products of combustion from the burner jets. These products of combustion are made to circulate all around the heat exchanger by means of a baffie plate 14 before leaving through twin flue outlets 15. In this way a good deal of the heat in the products is imparted to the heat exchanger before they enter the flue outlets 15.

At the rear of the frame portion an air duct 16 is formed, which is open at each end and extends from the bottom edge of the rear wall 6 upwards behind the rear wall and the heat exchanger 13 and is curved forwards over the heat exchanger towards the front of the fire. Side walls of the duct are formed by rearwardly extending flanges 17 formed integrally with the cast frame portion and a back wall of the duct is formed at its lower 3,187,741 Patented June 8, 1965 portion by a sheet metal plate 18 secured to the side flanges 17 opposite the rear wall 6 and at its upper portion by a curved sheet metal plate 19 connected to the lower plate 18 and also secured to the side flanges 17, opposite the heat exchanger.

The rear wall 6 has an opening 26 corresponding substantially in shape to, but slightly larger in area than, the backs of the radiants 10 which are supported so that their backs are disposed in this opening 20. On the rear surface of the rear wall 6, in the air duct 16 and in register with the opening 20, a convection air heater 21 is mounted. The air heater 21 may be permanently fixed to the rear wall or, alternatively, it may be removably mounted. The air heater 21 has a front wall 22 formed as a metal casting, which is secured to the rear wall 6 and corresponds substantially in shape and area to the opening 20 and thus consequently to the shape and area of the radiant backs. Secured to the front wall 22 there is a corrugated partition 23 the corrugations of which extend from the front wall 22 across the air duct towards the lower back plate 18 of the duct, so that between the front wall and the corrugations of the partition 22 a series of open-ended upright passages 24 are defined and a series of open-ended upright channels 25 are defined between the lower back plate 18 of the duct and the partition. The corrugations of the partition are preferably, as shown in FIGURE 3, straight-sided so that the cross-sectional shape of the passages and channels is substantially triangular.

The radiants are made from a refractory material and are of the block type with closed back and side walls and bars in the front wall above a combustion chamber in one piece with the radiant proper. The radiants are arranged so that they rest flush against the front surface of the front wall 22 of the air heater. Because the backs of the radiants are closed, products of combustion are prevented from coming into contact with the air heater.

In the lower portion of the front wall 22 of the air heater, circular apertures 26 are provided so that radiation from the backs of the radiants can pass through these apertures 26 to heat the passages and channels, while convection air currents are prevented from close contact with the backs of the radiants and so cooling them to an extent which would impair their radiation efl'iciency. The apertures 26 are arranged so that they open into the upright passages 24 of the air heater. The partition 23, because of its corrugated form, provides an extended surface to receive heat radiated by the radiant backs directly through the apertures 26 and through the front wall itself to the passages 24 and heat the air in the channels 25 behind the partition. In the inside surface of the upper portion of the front wall 22 recesses 27 are formed which provide areas of reduced wall thickness so as to facilitate heat transmittance through the front wall to the passages 24.

Air to be heated in the air heater is drawn from the room through an inlet grille 28 in the front wall of the outer portion 5 of the fire casing, below the level of the burner jets. This air enters the bottom end of the air duct and flows upwards by convection into the lower ends of the passages 24 and the channels 25. The air is heated as it flows upwards to the upper ends of the passages and channels. After leaving the passages and channels the heated air continues flowing upwards in the duct and is directed back into the room again through an outlet grille 29 at the upper end of the front wall of the outer portion of the casing. To reduce loss of heat in the duct the

back plates

18 and 19 of the duct may have a reflecting finish on their inside surfaces.

Not all the air entering the casing passes through the air duct and air heater, some of the air passes between the closed back of the casing and the back wall of the air duct and is heated only slightlytby heat emitted by the air heater and back wall of the duct. The slightly heated air flows upwards betweenthe casing back and the back wall of the air duct, over the forwardly curved upper end portion of the air duct and out into the room against through the outlet grille 29 togetherwith the air heated in the air duct by the air heater.

I claim: 7

1. An incandescent gas fire having a casing including a frame portion, a gas burner tube mounted on the frame portion and having a row of jets, closed-back hollow radiants mounted side-by-side above the row of jets, there being openings in the bases of the radiants into'the hollow interior of the radiants in register with the jets, an air inlet through the lower part of the casing, an air outlet through the upper part of the casing, a duct within the casing behind the radiant leading from the air inlet to the air outlet, an apertured plate behind the radiants forming a part of the front wall of the duct and a vertically corrugated partition against the apertured plate and 20 dividing the plate laterally from the remainder of the duct.

2. An incandescent gas fire according to claim 1 wherein the corrugated partition defines with the apertured plate and the duct front and rear channels adapted for the upward passage of air by convection.

3. An incandescent gas fire having a casing including a frame portion, a gas burner tube mounted on the frame portion and having a row of jets, closed-back hollow radiants mounted side-by-side above the row of jets, there being openings in the base of the radiants into the hollow interior of the radiants inregister with the jets, an air inlet through the lower, part ofthe casing, an air outlet through the upper part of the casing, a duct within the casing behind the radiant leading from the air inlet to the air outlet, a heat conducting and radiating plate behind, and in contact with the backs of, the radiants and forming a part of the front wall of-the duct and a vertically corrugated partition against the plate and defining with the plate and the duct front and rear channels adapted for the upward passage of air by convection.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 465,911 12/91 Ballard 126-87 1,559,217 10/25 Yokel l26--92 1,611,983 12/26 Andrews 126-92 FOREIGN PATENTS 106,361 5/17 Great Britain.

25 JAMES w. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

FREDERICK KETTERER, Examiner.

Claims

1. AN INCANDESCENT GAS FIRE HAVING A CASING INCLUDING A FRAME PORTION, A GAS BURNER TUBE MOUNTED ON THE FRAME PORTION AND HAVING A ROW OF JETS, CLOSED-BACK HOLLOW RADIANTS MOUNTED SIDE-BY-SIDE ABOVE THE ROW OF JETS, THERE BEING OPENINGS IN THE BASES OF THE RADIANTS INTO THE HOLLOW INTERIOR OF THE RADIANTS IN REGISTER WITH THE JETS, AN AIR INLET THROUGH THE LOWER PART OF THE CASING, AN AIR OUTLET THROUGH THE UPPER PART OF THE CASING, A DUCT WITHIN THE CASING BEHIND THE RADIANT LEADING FROM THE AIR INLET TO THE AIR OUTLET, AN APERTURED PLATE BEHIND THE RADIANTS FORMING A PART OF THE FRONT WALL OF THE DUCT AND A VERTICALLY CORRUGATED PARTITION AGAINST THE APERTURED PLATE AND DIVIDING THE PLATE LATERALLY FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE DUCT.