US3168131A

US3168131A - Fuel burner nozzle

Info

Publication number: US3168131A
Application number: US115236A
Authority: US
Inventors: Daniel D Gross
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-06-06
Filing date: 1961-06-06
Publication date: 1965-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 1982-02-02

Description

F 2, 1965 D. D. GROSS 3,168,131

FUEL BURNER NOZZLE Filed June 6, 1961 INVENTOR. DANIEL D. GROSS ATTORNEY United States Patent ()fifice flbbjiii Patented. Feb. 2, 1965 3,163,131 FUEL BURNER NQZZLE Daniel D. Gross, 7 Sparrow Lane, Levittown, N.Y.,

assignor of one-sixth each to Milton L. Tolmach, East Willis.on, N.Y., Gwenne Dominick, Brooklyn, Nfifl,

and Al Levey, New Rochelle, NDY.

Filed June 6, 1961, Ser. No. 115,236 6 lairns. (ill. 158--76) This invention relates to fuel burners and more particularly to nozzles for fuel burners.

The desideraturn of this invention is to provide a nozzle for use in fuel burners that will increase the admixture or combining of fuel and air in such manner as to enhance the combustion thereof, resulting in an increase in the areaand heat of the flame.

In prior known fuel burner systems, not specifically limited to oil burners, there has been a well recognized problem of properly atomizing or dispersing the fuel and mixing the same with the proper quantity of air to achieve the maximum combustion of the mixture. Numerous devices have been tried in attempting to solve this prob lem. Certain of these included the mechanical pulverization of the fuel prior to its combustion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, yet extremely efiicient fuel burner nozzle by which fuel and air may be properly mixed in 'very fine quantities to enhance the combustability of the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fuel burner nozzle in which the fuel is directed into a mixing chamber, subjected to a lower or negative pressure with respect to the air about the chamber to more completely divide and separate the molecules of the fuel, and permitting the same to mix and combine with a sufficient amount of air to facilitate its enhanced combustion.

To this end, a feature of this invention resides in the details of structure of the fuel burner nozzle that serve to create a lower or negative air pressure gradient in the mixer chamber with respect to the air pressure moving downstream of the chamber, thereby applying a force on the fuel particles that tend to finely separate and cause the same to admix or combine with a proper amount of air to enhance its combustion.

Other and further objects of this invention reside in the structures and arrangements hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view taken substantially along lines 1-1 of FIG. 2 and illustrating the fuel burner nozzle constructed in accordance with the teaching of the invention,

FIG. 2 is an end view taken in the direction of lines 22 of FIG. 1 with portions thereof partially cut away,

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the details of the fuel burner nozzle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,

PEG. 4 is a side view, partially in section, of a modified fuel burner nozzle constructed in accordance with the teaching of the invention, and

FIG. 5 is a cross section of FIG. 4 taken along lines Referring now to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the fuel burner nozzle thereshown is generally identified by the numeral all. It is adapted to be attached as a unit to the fuel supply nozzle 12 of any well known fuel burner having a supply of fuel as oil or gas. Such fuel burner apparatuses generally include a blower mechanism for creating a draft about the nozzle 12. that is connected with the supply of fuel of the burner. So that a clearer explanation may be had of the instant invention, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a blower in the form of a propeller-shaped member 14 for supplying a stream of air moving under pressure about and longitudinally along the fuel burner nozzle 10. Hence, the fuel burner nozzle of the instant invention is adapted to be positioned in the path of the fast moving stream of air pressure.

The fuel burner nozzle 10 comprises a body member 16, the outer surface of which may be said to be frustocomically shaped, tapering inward in the direction downstream of the movin air stream created by the operation of the blower 14. The body member 16 is contoured at 13 to congruously receive the usual fuel supply nozzle 12 of the fuel burner apparatus to which the instant ininvention is adapted to be attached. For this reason, therefore, the interior of the hollowed contour 18 is threaded at Ztl and is adapted to be screwed about and into secure engagement with the supply nozzle 12. The nozzle 12 is normally provided with a conduit 22 that is connected with a supply of combustible fuel (not shown). In like manner, the interior of the body member 16 is provided with a fuel inlet 24 that becomes aligned with the conduit 22 when the threads 29 of the nozzle 10 are snugly and securely engaged with those of the conventional supply nozzle 12.

Defined within the body member 16 is a mixer chamber 2d. The mixer chamber 26 is shaped in the form of a cone with the fuel inlet opening 24 being at the top or narrowed end thereof while the wall of the chamber tapers outward and opens at its base at the downstream narrowed end of the body member 16. In practice, it has been found that the included angle of the conical wall of the chamber 26 may be varied depending upon the size of the fuel burner to which it is attached and to the volume of fuel to be burned during a given period. However, unusually good results have been obtained when such included angle has been in the order of 60.

The chamber 26 is provided with at least one but usually a plurality of air passageways 28, the ends of which terminate in the chamber in relatively spaced circumferential relationship about the wall thereof. The air passageways 28 extend through the body member 16 and supply the mixer chamber 25 with air to be combined with the combustible fuel entering the chamber by way of the fuel inlet 24. In the present construction, the air passageways 28 extend along the length of the body member 16 and open at a shoulder 30 thereof.

Positioned on the shoulder 30 is a shutter element 32, the interior opening or" which fits about the narrowed neck 34 of the body member. The shutter element 32 seats on the surface of the shoulder 39 for rotation relative thereto in a manner presently to be described. Being adjustably movable on the shoulder 30 of the body member 16, the shutter element 32 functions as a valve and is provided with a plurality of metering openings 36 defined in its annularly shaped body. The openings 36 are adapted to be aligned with the open ends of the air passageways 28 that terminate at the shoulder 30. Thus, by relative movement of the shutter element 32, a fine and careful metering of the extent or amount of air that may pass through the passageways 28 into the chamber 26 can be accomplished. Defined in diametrically opposite portions of the body of the shutter element 32 are curved elongated slots 38 that are adapted to receive therethrough a respective one of a plurality of screws ll) that serve to connect the same with the body member 16 and with a deflector or shielding means 42.

The deflector or shielding means 42 is an annularly shaped member that is provided with a plurality of countersunk holes 44 each of which is adapted to receive a respective one of the screws 40. Each one of a pair of spacer sleeves 46 is positioned about the shanks of a respective one of the screws 40 to properly space the shielding means 42 from the shutter element 32 while permitting the same to be secured in position resting against the upper ledge 4-8 of the body member 16. A

assembly of the fuel burner nozzle is complete.

pair of tapped holes 50 are provided in the shoulder 30 of the body member 16 to receive a respective one of the threaded ends of the screws 40.

When the shielding means 42 and shutter element 32 are secured in spaced relationship by the spacer sleeves 46 to the body member 16 by Way of the screws 40, the If it is desired to fully open or partially close the extent of the upper ends of the air passageways 28 in order to adjustably control and vary the amount of air that will pass therethrough into the chamber 26, it is merely necessary first, to slightly loosen the screws 40 from their holes 50 thereby permitting adjustment of the shutter element 32. After the proper adjustment of the element 32, the screws 40 are again tightened down into their tapped holes 50 to securely lock and prevent movement of the shielding means 42 and the shutter element 32 relative to the body member 16.

The shielding means 42 is larger in size than that of the body member 16. Because the body member 16 is here shown in conical form, the shielding means 42 has a circular outer periphery. As the description proceeds, however, it will be recognized that it is merely necessary that the shielding means be larger in size or so shaped with respect to the body member 16 that the open upstream ends of the air passageways 28 be shielded from communication with the high pressure of the surrounding airstream. It is the function of the shielding means to deflect the air stream created by the blower 14 from direct communication with and movementinto the air passageways 28 thereby serving to shield the air passageways 28 from the full force or pressure of the moving air stream.

In practice, the blower 14 operates to create an air stream that moves under pressure along the length of the fuel burner nozzle 10. As the air moves downstream, its path is deflected from direct movement into the air passageways 28 and thus the air passageways are shielded from communicating the full and direct pressure of the moving air stream into the chamber 26. However, the deflector 42 does deflect the air sufficiently to create small eddy currents of air that accumulate and quickly lose their momentum therebeh-ind. Subsequently, the air languishing dormantly between the deflector 42 and shutter 32 is caused to move into the passageways 28 and the chamber 26 by virtue of a suction that is created in the chamber 26 and passageways 28. It will be recognized that as the air moves downstream from the blower 14, along the conical shape of the body member 16 in the direction of the arrows 52, it creates a suction in the chamber 26 that draws into the chamber the air dormantly trapped in the area between the shielding means 42 and the shutter element 32. 7

Thus, there is created a gradient of air pressure between the mouth or open end of the chamber 26 and the interior of such chamber. This gradient of air pressure is lower or negative in the chamber 26 with respect to the air pressure at the open end or mouth of the chamber. Although the resultant reaction that this negative pressure created in the chamber 26 performs is not fully ascertainable, tests and observations indicate that the lower or negative pressure created in the chamber has a tendency to create a vacuum that acts on the incoming fuel to tear apart and separate the molecules of the fuel as it enters the chamber at the'inlet 24. This causes the separated molecules of fuel to disperse and mix or combine evenly in a fine array with the air entering the chamber at the air passageways 28.

Because the suction and draft created in the direction downstream of the body member 16 at the mouth of chamber 26 is so great, the flame 54 fairly leaps out of the mouth of the chamber 26. Its intense flame, fanned by the air stream, is of such great extent that it covers substantially the whole of the mouth of the mixer chamber and is torn therebeyond. This separation of the flame 4 54 from the chamber 26and body 16 completely prevents the flame from heating any part of the nozzle 16 while the air stream moving over the body continually prevents a back heating of the body by the flame.

The circumferential spacing and location of the air passageways 28 about the wall of the chamber 26 and downstream of the fuel inlet 24 permits the proper infusion, mixture and combination of air with the particles of fuel immediately after the fuel has been finely dispersed. The fuel becomes finely dispersed before it reaches the air passageways 28 since the vacuum or negative pressure gradient is greatest in the rear of the fuel inlet 24 of the chamber 26. However, continued dispersion of the fuel particles, even after mixture with the air is accomplished as the same is sucked and caused to move outward of the conically flaring mouth of the chamber by virtue of the high pressure created by the air stream of the blower 14 in the area 52.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 functions in substantially the same manner as that previously described with respect to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Hence, in order to avoid a redundant and repetitive explanation, the details of the modified embodiment are numbered in the series but with the same tens and units numerals as those contained in FIGS. 1 to 3.

The fuel burner 100 of FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises a body member 116, the outer surface of which is cylindrically shaped. The body member 116 is provided with a widened neck 134 that is threaded at 120 to receive the usual or conventional fuel supply nozzle 112 of any fuel burning apparatus. The fuel supply nozzle 112 seats within a congruously contoured portion 118 so that its supply conduit 122 is aligned with a fuel inlet 124 that opens into a mixer chamber 126. The mixer chamber 126 is defined within the cylindrically shaped body member 116 and is generally also cylindrical in shape.

- A plurality of air passageways 128 extend through the body member 116 and provide a communication of substantially dormantly atmospheric air to the interior of the chamber 126 in a direction downstream or longitudinally spaced from the fuel inlet 124. The extent or size of the air passageways 128 or the amount of air that the same may communicate to the chamber 126 is capable of be ing metered or varied by a ring-shaped rotatably adjustable shutter element 132 that functions as a valve and is positioned about the body member 116. The shutter element 132 is provided with a plurality of metering openings 136 that are adapted to be aligned with respective ones of the passageways 128 and for movement relative thereto by the rotation of the shutter element 132 to vary the amount of air that will move through the same. Guided rotation of the shutter element 132 and subsequent securement of the same from accidental rotation is afforded by the screws 140 passing through the elongated slots 138.

In order to deflect the full force or pressure of the air stream moving down lengthwise along the fuel burner nozzle 100 and to shield the passageways 128 from receiving and then communicating the force of such air stream to the chamber 126, there is provided a deflector or shielding means 142. As in the prior embodiment 10, the shielding means 142 is of larger peripheral extent than the air receiving end-s of the passageways 128 thereby effectively shielding such passageways from the forces or pres sure of the air stream. This results in creating a higher air pressure or gradient about and at the open end or mouth of the chamber 126 than that created within the chamber 126.

The deflector or shielding means 142 thus permits the creation of a pressure gradient between the interior of the chamber 126 and at the mouth thereof. The function that is accomplished as a result of this construction has been observed to be similar to that described with respect to the embodiment 10 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The longitudinal spacing between the air passageways 128 and the fuel inlet 124 permits sufficient lapse of time for the proper diffusion, even separation and dispersal of the molecules of the fuel before the name mixes with the relatively slow moving low pressure air entering the chamber 126 by way of the air passageways 128.

The constructions of embodiments and 100 thus enable more complete separation or atomization of the fuel particles, a fine and even dispersal of such particles in the mixing chamber, and a complete and effective admixing and combination of the fine fuel particles with the air moving into the chamber at a relatively slow speed. It has been observed that each

air passageway

28 and 128 has, in effect, become an individual burning nozzle and which, because of the gradient or differences in air pressures to which the

chamber

26 or 126 is subjected, flames as at 54 in embodiment 10, a point well beyond the mouth of the chamber. As a consequence, the

nozzle bodies

16 and 116 are unaffected by the flame and are constantly cool.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to several preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated and in their operations may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a fuel burner having means for producing a stream of air, a nozzle, said nozzle comprising a body positioned in said stream of air and having a chamber with an opening at one end positioned downstream of and in a direction away from said air stream producing means, the air stream moving about the outside of said nozzle body toward and about said opening and therebeyond, fuel inlet means in direct communication with said chamber and spaced from said opening, air passage means defined in said body between said opening and said air stream producing means and converging toward said chamber to communicate air into said chamber from said stream of air to a portion of said chamber in the space between said fuel inlet means and said opening of said chamber, means fixed with respect to said nozzle between said air stream producing means and said air passage means in the direct path of the air stream to shield said air passage means from the direct movement of air from the air stream whereby air moving through said air passage means and into said chamber is at a pressure less than the pressure of the stream of air moving about said body and said opening.

2. In a fuel burner having means for producing an air stream, a nozzle, said nozzle comprising a body having a plurality of outer surfaces in the path of movement of said air stream, a chamber defined in said body and having an opening therein positioned downstream of and in a direction away from said air stream producing means, the air stream moving about said outer surfaces toward and about said opening and therebeyond, fuel supply means to supply fuel directly into said chamber spaced from said opening, a plurality of air passageways having inlets defined in one of said plurality of outer surfaces between said opening and said air stream producing means, said air passageways being arranged in converging relationship to supply air into said chamber in the space between said fuel supply means and said opening of said chamber, and another of said outer surfaces on said nozzle being larger than said one outer surface and being in the direct path of said air stream between said air stream producing means and said inlets to shield said inlets from the direct path of movement of the air stream whereby the air stream is diverted from direct movement into said air passageways so that air communicated to '6 said chamber through said air passageways is at a pressure less than the pressure of the air stream moving about and beyond the opening of said chamber.

3. In a fuelburner having means for producing an air stream, a nozzle, said nozzle comprising a body having a plurality of spaced surfaces in the path of movement of said air stream, a chamber in said body having an opening, means to supply fuel directly into said chamber and spaced from said opening, a plurality of restricted air passageways each exhausting air into said chamber and having an inlet defined in one of said spaced surfaces, said plurality of air passageways being arranged in converging relationship with each other to supply air into said chamber in the space between said fuel supply means and said opening of said chamber at a pressure less than the pressure of the air stream moving about said body and beyond said opening of said chamber, means on said nozzle to vary the size of said air passageway inlets, another of said spaced surfaces being on said nozzle be tween said air stream producing means and said inlets of said air passageway, said other of said spaced surfaces being larger than said one surface whereby said inlets of said air passageways are protected from the direct movement of the air stream thereinto.

4. In a fuel burner having means to produce an air stream, a nozzle comprising a body in said air stream and tapering inward in a direction downstream of said air stream, a conically shaped chamber in said body tapering outward and being open at one end thereof in a direction away from and downstream of said air stream, the air stream moving about the outside of said nozzle body toward and about said opening and therebeyond, fuel inlet means in direct communication with said chamber at the narrow end thereof, a plurality of air passages of uniform diameter relatively spaced from each other and defined in a circle in a portion of said body, said air passages extending through said body in communication with said air stream and having their outlets arranged in said chamber in converging relationship to provide air communication between said air stream moving about said body to said chamber between said fuel inlet and open end, and means immovably fixed on said nozzle to shield said air passages from the direct movement of air of said air stream thereinto, said shield means being larger than said portion of said body in which said air passages are defined.

5. In a fuel burner nozzle as in claim 4, and means on said nozzle to vary the amount of air moving through said air passages and into said chamber.

6. In a fuel burner having means for producing a moving air stream, a nozzle, said nozzle comprising a body in the path of the moving air stream, a chamber in said body having an opening in an end thereof in a direction opposite said air stream producing means downstream of said moving air stream and, fuel inlet means in said chamber spaced from said opening thereof, said body having an outer peripheral surface in the path of movement of said air stream, the air stream moving about the outer peripheral surface of said body toward and about said opening and therebeyond, air passage means defined in said body having inlets opening at said outer peripheral surface between said opening and said air stream producing means, said air passage means being arranged to converge therefrom and to open into said chamber to supply air to the space between said fuel inlet and said opening of said chamber, and shielding means fixed with respect to said body between said air passage inlets and said air stream producing means whereby the air stream moving toward said chamber opening moves about said shielding means and is shielded thereby from direct movement into said inlets as the air stream moves about said outer peripheral surface and past said chamber opening so that air supplied from said air stream through said air passage means to said chamber space has a pressure that is negative with 7 8 'respect to the vpressure of the air stream moving about 1,921,937 A 8/ 33 Marshall 158-45 and beyondsaid opening. 2,111,432 3/38 Macchi 158--1.5 X J 2,390,056 12/45 Cleaver et a1. 1581.5 References Cited by the Examiner 2,981,320 4/61 Reed 1581.5

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 878,590 2/08 York et a1. 1581.5 210,834' 8/60 Austria. 1,172,755 2/ 16 Wilson 1581.5 1,247,656 10/60 France, 1,374,683 4/21 Reid 158 1.5 57 5 3 2 Peabody 15 1 5 10 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. 1,751,236 3/30 Gontard 1581- FREDERICK L. MATTESON, IR., PERCY L. PAT- 1,828,326 10/31 Lanser 1158-15 RICK, MEYER PERLIN, Examiners.

Claims

1. IN A FUEL BURNER HAVING MEANS FOR PRODUCING A STREAM OF AIR, A NOZZLE COMPRISING A BODY POSITIONED IN SAID STREAM OF AIR AND HAVING A CHAMBER WITH AN OPENING AT ONE END POSITIONED DOWNSTREAM OF AND IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID AIR STREAM PRODUCING MEANS, THE AIR STREAM MOVING ABOUT THE OUTSIDE OF SAID NOZZLE BODY TOWARD AND ABOUT SAID OPENING AND THEREBEYOND, FUEL INLET MEANS IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHAMBER AND SPACED FROM SAID OPENING, AIR PASSAGE MEANS DEFINED IN SAID BODY BETWEEN SAID OPENING AND SAID AIR STREAM PRODUCING MEANS FOR CONVERGING TOWARD SAID CHAMBER TO COMMUNICATE AIR INTO SAID CHAMBER FROM SAID STREAM OF AIR TO A PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID FUEL INLET MEANS AND SAID OPENING OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FIXED WITH RESPECT TO SAID NOZZLE BETWEEN SAID AIR STREAM PRODUCING MEANS AND SAID AIR PASSAGE MEANS IN THE DIRECT PATH OF THE AIR STREAM TO SHIELD SAID AIR PASSAGE MEANS FROM THE DIRECT MOVEMENT OF AIR FROM THE AIR STREAM WHEREBY AIR MOVING THROUGH SAID AIR PASSAGE MEANS AND INTO SAID CHAMBER IS AT A PRESSURE LESS THAN THE PRESSURE OF THE STREAM OF AIR MOVING ABOUT SAID BODY AND SAID OPENING.