US3764255A

US3764255A - Vaporizing fuel oil burner

Info

Publication number: US3764255A
Application number: US00162076A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Hagel; R Tromel
Original assignee: Rockwell International Corp
Current assignee: Boeing North American Inc
Priority date: 1971-07-13
Filing date: 1971-07-13
Publication date: 1973-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 1990-10-09

Abstract

A small pilot flame adjaent a fuel oil atomizer burns a portion of the liquid fuel sprayed from the atomizer thereby inducing sufficient air through air aspiration ports in a housing to maintain the flame within the housing, the resultant heat generated thereby serves to vaporize the remaining fuel oil droplets, the vaporized fuel oil then being directed out of the housing for subsequent burning in a primary combustion chamber downstream of the pilot flame.

Description

Oct. 9, 1973 United States Patent [1 1 Hagel et a1.

6/1961 Milliken.........i

[ VAPORIZING FUEL OIL BURNER 431/237 Farrell 431/237 S r 0 ML m .6 a Gs m mm c WIN. a d u 89 H 34 W 99 He 11 iL NW m a 3 8 y 0 We 1 n 7 r 1 m0 J, n 2 PA Calif.; Richard H. Tromel, Troy,

Rockwell International Corporation,

5 k a 0 d n a S U m T mu II l e g o a H. a A m m a n .M s n M m "L .2 e m m t m .m v w m A n a 7 7 I [57] ABSTRACT A small pi1ot flame adjaent a fuel oil atomizer burns a [22] Filed: July 13, 1971 Appl. No.: 162,076

portion of the liquid fuel sprayed from the atomizer porized g for subsequent buming in a primary combustion chamber downstream of the pilot flame.

thereby inducing sufficient air through air aspiration ports in a housing to maintain the flame within the housing, the resultant heat generated thereby serves to vaporize the remaining fuel oil droplets, the va fuel oil then being directed out of the housin 64 7 EH4 12 m l 4M3D 2 1 ,5 F "B mmv 4 a .5 niv unuz mmm4 "0H3 mnu2 mmml n "1 mnhfi "Cl M3 "M8 s a d Std 1 UIF .11.] 2 00 555 [[1 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1971 3,620,657 Robinson............................ 431/116 17 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PAIENIW 9W5 3.764.255

sum 10F 2 INVENTORS. JERROLD A. HAGEL RICHARD H. TROMEL BY/Wam AGENT 1 VAPORIZING FUEL OIL BURNER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Efficient vaporization or gasification of a liquid fuel such as fuel oil prior to combustion is important to obtain good, non-polluting combustion in warm air oil furances.

The prior art discloses oil-burning systems that rely on high temperatures and, to a degree, on the heat of the walls of the combustion chamber to boil and gasify fuel oil for more efficient burning.

Basically, two types of fuel oil burning systems make up the state of the art. Better than 90 percent of the fuel oil burners in domestic use to date utilize a high pressure nozzle that injects fuel through a relatively small aperture in the nozzle. High pressure (e.g., about 100 pounds) forces fuel oil out of the nozzle and no air is brought in with the fuel oil. Air is pumped intothe combustion chamber through a separate entrance. The combustion chamber, however, must be very hot to accomplish the foregoing vaporization process because of the relatively large droplet size of the fuel being injected from the fuel oil dispenser. Temperatures in the range of from 1,500 to 2,000" F within the combustion chamber are necessary in order to vaporize fuel oil dispensed by this device. It is essential that special heatresisting materials be utilized to fabricate the combustion chamber due to the high temperatures to which the chamber walls are subjected. In addition, large burning droplets impinging on the walls cause erosion problems.

A small percentage of domestic dwellings have fuel oil-furnaces that incorporate the other type of fuel oil burning system, namely, an air atomization, low pressure fuel oil burner system. This device siphons fuel oil from a tube into a combustion chamber by circumferentially flowing air under pressure around the end orifice or nozzle of the tube. A comparatively large opening is necessary in the nozzle to allow air under relatively low pressure to siphon or draw the fuel oil into the combustion chamber for subsequent burning.

The air atomization fuel oil burner just described requires a minimum of one pound of air for every pound of fuel dispersed therefrom. Consequently, large droplet sizes of fuel oil are siphoned from the fuel oil supply tube requiring a great deal of heat to vaporize and ignite the fuel. While the average droplet size of the air atomization system is smaller than the high pressure system, they still are relatively large when compared to the system utilized in the present invention. Additionally, because of the type of fuel oil dispersing device utilized in the prior art, it is difficult to vaporize the fuel oil in a fuel-rich environment, consequently an inadequate and wasteful combustion process takes place which generates layers of carbon deposits on the combustion chamber walls, as well as smoke, soot, and other pollutants. These poorly combusted exhaust products eventually enter the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution.

Other types of fuel oil burners are disclosed in the pressure system injects large droplets requiring high temperatures to consume the droplets while the air atomization device requires at least one pound of air for every pound of fuel oil expelled which, as heretofore described, also necessitates a relatively high temperature to vaporize and consume the fuel oil.

U. S. Pats. Nos. 3,421,692 and 3,421,699 to Babington et al. basically disclose a means to atomize liquid by depositing a liquid film on and over a hollow curved surface or sphere and breaking up the resultant highly stressed thin film of liquid by directing a stream of air under pressure through the plenum defined by the sphere and out through a small aperture or apertures therein. A multiplicity of very fine droplets in a relatively narrow size range are directed from the sphere. The Babington et al atomizer has the advantage of providing a very fine droplet spray pattern which, in itself, enhances the burning properties of, for example, liquid fuel oil being ejected from the surface of the sphere. However, when fuel oil is used as the ignitable liquid, it is still in a liquid state after it is ejected into a combustion chamber and must be vaporized before it can be efficiently ignited. U. S. Pat. No. 3,425,058 to Babington discloses a fuel burner that burns atomized fuel directed into a combustion chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method to vaporize the miniscule droplets formed by an atomizer so that the vaporized fuel may be subsequently consumed in a primary combustion chamber downstream of the vaporizing means.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to enhance vaporization of atomized fuel oil by providing air aspiration ports in a housing and a pilot flame within the housing that burns a portion of the fuel droplets sprayed from the atomizer, the heat within the housing serving to vaporize the remaining unburned fuel oil droplets for subsequent burning in a primary combustion chamber.

' A fuel atomizer such as the one disclosed by Babington et al is utilized which sprays a fine mist of fuel droplets into a housing. The housing is basically a vapor distributor which is connected to a primary gas burner element containing a multiplicity of ports which open into a primary combustion chamber. Immediately downstream of the fuel atomizer is one or more air aspiration ports positioned in the housing. The ports may'be adjustable, and are designed to admit ambient air into the interior of the vapor distribution housing. Electrodes or other ignition sources are positioned within the vapor distribution housing upstream of the air distribution ports to intercept the atomized fuel and to ignite and maintain ignition of a small pilot flame, as hereafter explained. The pilot flame heats up the inside chamber of the fuel-rich vapor distributor housing, which, in turn, induces or accelerates air through aspiration ports formed in the housing which encourages mixing and vaporization of unburned fuel droplets with the incoming air. The heat generated by the pilot flame is designed to vaporize the remaining unburned fuel droplets which are continually injected into the vapor distributor by the fuel atomizer. The pilot flame consumes only a small percentage of the total fuel droplet input from the atomizer, a sufficient amount to provide heat to vaporize the rest of the droplets. The'vaporized fuel-air mixture is then directed down the vapor distributor housing and into the burner element, the element defining a multiplicity of slot-like ports leading into a primary combustion chamber. The gasified fuel oil is subsequently ignited in the main combustion chamber by an ignition source such as a second pair of electrodes, thus the system provides heat in much the same manner as burning natural gas. The oil burner then produces a clean and well distributed flame.

The small pilot flame necessary to vaporize the incoming fuel droplets operates in a temperature range low enough so that exotic or expensive materials are unnecessary in fabricating the vapor distributor housing. The temperature ranges in the housing are in the neighborhood of 600 to 900 F, which is adequate to vaporize liquid fuel oil droplets when the Babington et al atomizer is utilized. As heretofore described, conventional oil burners generate much higher temperatures to vaporize fuel oil, hence more expensive and heavier materials are required to withstand the stresses induced by the burner.

Accordingly, an advantage over the prior art is the elimination of exotic, heavy and expensive .heatresisting materials that are necessary to fabricate conventional oil burners.

Another advantage is the ability to vaporize fuel oil completely so that it acts as a natural gas, providing a very clean, essentially non-polluting type of flame.

Still another advantage is the ability of the apparatus of the present invention to retrofit within conventional warm air gas furnaces, thereby taking advantage of the unique aspect of the fuel oil vaporizing principles herein described.

The above noted objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood upon a study of the following detailed description in conjunction with the detailed drawing in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical furnace with the side and front panels removed and a portion of the inner panel cut away to illustrate how the various components cooperate with one another;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational cutaway view of the fuel oil burner illustrating the-various components within the burner housing;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2, illustrating the multiplicity of apertures along the top surface of the fuel burner element; and

FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in perspective, partially cut away, iilustrating the various components therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, the fuel oil furnace generally designated as 2, consists of a housing 3 having a base communicating with the atmosphere through an aperture therein and a support platform 4 which is raised above the base of the furnace. The platform 4 supports a recirculating fuel lift pump generally designated as 5. The fuel lift pump may be of the type disclosed and claimed in commonly assigned application Ser. No. 888,245, filed Dec. 29, l969, entitled Liquid Supply Pump, by Velie et al. The fuel lift pump contains, on its uppermost surface, an air pump 6 which is driven by a motor contained within the fuel pump 5. A fuel oil feed line enters the fuel lift pump from a fuel oil tank located exteriorly of the furnace (not shown). Platform 4 also supports a furnace control module 27 which has, leading into it, a system electrical control harness and an ignition wire leading to two pairs of electrodes. A bulk head or panel 11 supports a horizontal fuel oil burner generally designated as 21. The burner 21 comprises a housing 22, which has leading into the end 1 of the housing, a fuel inlet 38 which is connected to a conduit 8 exiting from the fuel recirculation lift pump 5. Immediately below the fuel inlet 38 is an air inlet 39 which is connected to conduit 7 leading from air pump 6. Extending from the bottom of the housing 22 is a fuel drain 42 which is connected to conduit 9. Conduit 9 connects to the fuel lift pump 5, thereby returning the unused fuel oil to the fuel lift pump for recirculation thereby. Connected to housing 22 are, for example, three

horizontal burner elements

30, 31, and 32, shown partially in dotted line, extending into three rectangularly-shaped, heat transferring, combustion chambers 15. Each of the elements have, along their upper surfaces, a plurality of apertures 34 communicating with the housing 22. The horizontal fuel elements protrude into each of the combustion chambers 15 through openings 16 provided in the lower front of the combustion chambers. Across the top of the individual fuel elements is a pilot flame vapor distributor tube 13, the interior of which communicates with the interior of each of the

horizontal burner elements

30, 31, and 32. Thus, vaporized fuel is admitted to the interior of pilot tube 13 and exits through a multiplicity of apertures 14. Extending through bulkhead or panel 11 is a pair of electrodes 12, the tips of which extend above the pilot vapor distributor tube 13, thereby providing a source of ignition for the vaporized fuel escaping through apertures 14, the resultant flame thus propagates towards each of the

horizontal elements

30, 31, and 32 thereby igniting the vaporized fuel oil escaping through apertures 34. Another pair of electrodes 44 extend or cantilever into housing 22 thereby intercepting the spray pattern of fuel oil droplets from the atomizer thus providing a source of ignition for a pilot flame whose operation will be described in detail below. Between the electrodes 44 and the atomizer is one or more apertures 28 in the housing so as to admit ambient air into the interior of the housing to enhance the fuel vaporization process.

Fresh air is conventionally admitted to the interior of the oil-fired furnace through an air filter screen 17 which is intermediate the base of the furnace and the fresh air blower 18. Fresh air is forced by the blower into the interior of the furnace 3 and out past the individual combustion chambers 15 so as to exchange heat from the combustion chambers to the fresh air. The fresh air is warmed and is directed out through duct 19 to be distributed therefrom to the interior of, for example, a home dwelling. Each of the individual combustion chambers 15 are in communication with each other through a common manifold at the top of the chambers which leads into a single flue exhaust pipe 20 through which the combustion products are directed to the atmosphere.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the horizontal fuel oil burner element generally designated as 21 is comprised of a housing 22 connected to bulkhead or panel 11, thus supporting the fuel burner adjacent the combustion chamber sections 15. Within the housing 22 and sup ported by end wall 1 is the fuel oil conduit 38 which is positioned to a spherical atomizer element generally designated as 37. The atomizer element 37 is comprised of conduit 39 connected to end 1 of housing 22 and terminates within a hollow sphere 40, the sphere having a small slit or aperture 41 at its end. The atomizer utilized in the present invention is described in the aforementioned Babington et al patents. Extending through base 23 of housing 22 is a fuel drain conduit 42 which serves to direct fuel back to the fuel recirculation pump 5, as heretofore described. The base portion 23 of housing 22 serves as an overflow chamber 24 for the unatomized fuel. Upstream of the atomizer element 37 is a baffle plate 25. Baffle 25 has an aperture through its center to admit atomized fuel exiting from the surface of nozzle 40. Immediately upstream of baffle plate 25 is one or more apertures 28 radially extending around housing 22. Positioned circumferentially over the aperture 28 is an adjustable shroud 29 that can be translated in an axial direction to cover the apertures 28, thus controlling the amount of air being admitted to the interior of housing 22. Downstream of the shroud is a pair of electrodes connected to and cantilevered within housing 22. This portion of the housing defines a vapor distribution chamber 26, the chamber serving to direct the vaporized fuel oil therethrough. The burner housing 22, containing the vapor distribution chamber 26, branches off into three hollow

rodlike burner elements

30, 31, and 32. The burner element generally designated as 32 is shown which extends into the interior of primary combustion chamber through opening 16 within the combustion chamber. The burner 32 has along its top surface 22 a series of equidistantly spaced slots 34 oriented transverse to the axis of the rod which admit vaporized fuel oil into the interior of the combustion chamber 15. In communication with the interiors of

burner elements

30, 31, and 32 is a pilot vapor distributor conduit 13. Along the upper surface of the pilot tube 13 is a multiplicity of equally spaced apertures 14 which direct vaporized fuel out of conduit 13. Thus, when the electrodes 12, anchored to plate 11, are activated the pilot tube 13 serves to transfer flame to all of the burner elements 30 through 32 to ignite vaporized fuel oil exiting apertures 34 in the fuel elements as heretofore described.

Referring now to both FIGS. 1 and 2, the burner performs in the following manner. The fuel oil recirculation pump 5 starts fuel oil from the pump reservoir into conduit 8 leading to fuel inlet 38 while, at the same time, the air pump designated as 6, operating in cooperation with the fuel recirculation pump motor, starts to pump air through conduit 7 into air inlet 39. The fuel exits from the nozzle of conduit 38 spreading over the hollow shpere 40 and the air entering air inlet 39 escapes through aperture 41 in the sphere, thus ejecting miniscule fuel droplets into the vapor distribution chamber through the hole in baffle plate 25. The excess fuel oil runs over the sphere and is collected in reservoir 24 which admits liquid into drain pipe 42 leading to fuel drain line 9, subsequently recirculating the fuel oil back to recirculation pump 5. The atomized fuel droplets indicated as 46 are injected into the vapor distribution chamber 26, whereupon electrode 44 tires, igniting pilot flame 43. The electrodes 44 are continuously activated, thus providing a constant source of ignition for pilot flame 43. When the pilot flame is ignited, air is aspirated through aspiration holes 28 and the accelerating air 45 mixes with the unburned fuel droplets 46. A small aperture 49 in end plate 1 allows ambient air to enter the interior defined by chamber 24. During burner operation, a vacuum is partially created in this chamber by the atomizer, thus a possibility of a backfire exists within chamber 24. Aperture 49 relieves the vacuum in the chamber, thereby preventing this kind of problem. The combination of the heat generated by the pilot flame and the additional aspirated air vaporizes the remaining fuel droplets in the vapor distribution chamber 26. The vaporized mixture is then directed down the vapor distribution chamber 26 towards burner elements 30 through 32. The gasified fuel oil is then admitted to the interior of the horizontal burner rods and escapes from the rods through gas ports 34. The gas ports 34 can be more readily seen with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a fragmentary segment of the top surface 33 showing the elongated slots transverse to the axis of the rods which are ideal for distribution of gasified fuel oil into the combustion chamber. Part of the vaporized fuel oil is then admitted to the interior of pilot distribution tube 13. Activation of the pair of electrodes 12 ignites the escaping vapors and the flame then transverses the length of the pilot tube, thus igniting the vaporized fuel escaping each of the three horizontal burner elements. The heated interior of the vapor distribution chamber26 accelerates or aspirates air through openings 28 which enhances the vaporization process, the heated interior directs the vaporized fuel oil through the chamber and out through ports 34 in burner element 32.

While the burner device will operate with any conventional liquid fuel, it is preferred to employ fuel oil. Fuel oil is defined as any liqueflable petroleum product used for the generation of heat or power. The burner device will work equally well with a No. 1 grade of fuel oil which is relatively light, up to and including fuel oil designated as No. 4, which is relatively heavy. No. l and No. 2 fuel oils are liquid. The former is used in vaporizing or pot type burners and has a boiling range of about 400 to 625 F. No. 2 is less volatile and is used in domestic heaters not requiring a No. 1 grade of fuel oil. No. 4 is liquid at room temperature, but is very viscous. It is usually used in industrial furnaces with no preheating facilities.

In order to vaporize approximately percent of fuel oil droplets being atomized, a minimum temperature must be maintained within the vapor distribution chamber 26 of approximately 700 F. Therefore, an

ideal temperature within the vapor distribution chamber is approximately 800 F, a temperature well below the l,500-2,000 F range necessary to vaporize fuel oil in conventional burners.

As illustrative of a fuel oil burner device within the scope of the present invention, a burner housing of approximately l- /2 inches in diameter was employed in which the air aspiration ports 28 were between 1 and 2 square inches in area. The fuel oil burner was operated with a No. 2 grade fuel oil at a fuel oil flow rate to the fuel oil atomizer of from 0.25 to 0.70 gallon per hour and with the air being admitted to the interior of sphere 40 in the neighborhood of 0.5 to 0.6 pound per hour at 6 to 8 psig air inlet pressure. Using these operating conditions, the pilot flame burns between 5 and 8 percent of the fuel droplets ejected from the atomizer and provides a temperature within chamber 26 of between 700800 F which functions to vaporize approximately 100 percent of the atomized fuel droplets.

Since the Babington et al atomizer is relatively nonclogging and since the fuel oil flows over the outer sphere 40 and the air exiting aperture 41 breaks up the film of oil over the sphere, there can be very little chance of clogging the aperture due to the higher pressure within the interior of the sphere 40. Therefore, the atomizer fuel oil burner is relatively non-critical as to the grade of fuel oil burned.

Referring again to both FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that, as the fuel oil burner generally designated as 21 is fired, the interiors of each of the combustion chamber housings are heated by the burning of vaporized fuel oil, the main combustion being designated as 50 as shown in FIG. 2. The heated housings 15 then transfer heat to fresh air (FIG. 1) being pumped past the three flattened combustion chambers by fresh air blower 18, thereby admitting heated air into duct 19 which distributes the heated air in'a conventional manner. The combustion products traverse the interior of the combustion chamber 15 and exit through flue 20 to the atmosphere. It should be pointed out here that the vaporized fuel oil burns as a gas and thus very little pollutants are admitted to the atmosphere through flue 20. Lower overall combustion temperatures decrease nitrous oxide emissions into the atmosphere thus the present burner is relatively low in this type of air pollution.

The controls of the furnace are conventional in that the temperature of the furnace can be automatically controlled by providing automatic on-and-off devices to turn on and shut off the furnace dependent upon a temperature variant.

The horizontal fuel oil burner has been experimentally built and tested to retrofit within a conventional gas fired furnace, the gas fired furnace being either the alcove or the closet type of installation. Thus the fuel oil device can very easily be retrofitted within a natural gas furnace, the performance being equal to the gas fired furnace.

Obviously, various configurations can be adapted without straying from the scope of this invention. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates another fuel oil burner which is oriented vertically, the fuel oil burner element being a circular dish of the type similar to a gas burner element in a hot water heater. The fuel oil burner, generally designated as 7, comprises the housing '72 having a base portion 74 and a vapor distributor column 76. A fuel-air mixing chamber 77 is positioned upstream of the atomizer element generally designated as 90. One or more air aspiration holes 78 are provided within housing 72 which is immediately upstream of the spherical nozzle ball 96, having the conventional Babington et al type of air injection slit 98 at the apex of the ball. A pair of electrodes 114 extend into the center of the vapor distributor 76, thus providing a constant source of ignition for pilot flame 110. The device 70 operates in exactly the same manner as that which was described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, namely, fuel enters conduit 92 from the fuel lift recirculation pump (not shown). The fuel is distributed over the ball nozzle 96 and air is admitted through conduit 94 from the aforementioned combination fuel and air pump, thus the air exits through aperture 98, breaking up a film of fuel oil over the sphere, atomizing fuel oil into the vapor distribution chamber 77. Drain 102 recirculates the unused fuel oil back to the fuel lift recirculation pump, as heretofore described. The pilot flame is ignited by the electrodes heating housing 72 and serves to aspirate air through air aspiration ports 78. The aspirated air 112 mixes with the unvaporized miniscule fuel droplets in chamber 77 and the heat provided by the pilot flame gasifies and accelerates the now vaporized fuel 1 16 into vapor distribution chamber 82 at the end of housing 72. The chamber 82 directs the fuel oil vapor through ports 86 which are positioned equidistantly about the peripheral edge of the hollow disc-like burner element 84, the element being transverse to the axis of the vertically oriented housing. The plane of the hollow disc is normally oriented horizontally to facilitate, for example, hot water heaters, burner stoves, etc. The top of element 84 is preferably a flat plate 85 that resembles the top of a conventional gas burner element. The vaporized fuel oil 116 is ignited by a pair of electrodes 89 which are extended through the walls of a combustion chamber partially shown as 88, thereby igniting the fuel oil vapor.

Thus it can be seen that the fuel oil burner element, whether it be oriented horizontally or vertically, works equally well. Therefore, the process of the present invention can be universal in that it can be adapted to retrofit within any gas burner furnace, particularly one that is designed to provide warm air to the interior of a private dwelling or the like.

We claim:

1. A liquid fuel burner device comprising:

a liquid fuel atomizer;

a housing means for receiving and burning a portion of atomized fuel from said atomizer;

means for admitting air to the interior of said housan ignition means to ignite said portion of said atomized fuel and to thereby provide a pilot flame within said housing, said pilot flame serving to vaporize the unburned fuel from said atomizer;

burner element means for receiving said vaporized fuel and distributing said fuel exteriorly of said element; and

second ignition means for igniting the vaporized fuel which is distributed exteriorly of said burner element means.

2. The burner device of claim 1 further including a combustion chamber housing having a port therein for receiving said burner element means whereby said second ignition means ignites said vaporized fuel which is distributed exteriorly of said burner element means within the interior of said combustion chamber housmg.

3. The burner device of claim 2 further comprising air blower means positioned exteriorly of and adjacent to said combustion chamber housing, said blower directing air past the exterior walls of said combustion chamber thereby-transferring heat from the exterior combustion chamber walls to said air.

4. The burner device of claim 3 wherein said fuel atomizer is the type which utilizes air under pressure to atomize liquid fuel therefrom.

5. The burner device of claim 4 further including air pump means for supplying said air under pressure to said atomizer.

6. A fuel oil burner device of the type that includes a fuel oil atomizer means of the type which indludes a plenum including a curved apertured surface, means for supplying air under pressure to the interior of the plenum and means for supplying fuel to be burned to the curved surface of the plenum at a point spaced from the aperture therein whereby the fuel flows in the form of a highly stressed thin film thereover, the air emitting through the aperture in said surface atomizing fuel in a fog-like mist comprising:

a housing means having a first and second end for receiving and burning a portion of atomized fuel from said atomizer;

said housing having at least one air aspiration port downstream of said atomizer means;

a first ignition means in said housing downstream of said atomizer means and said air port, said ignition means being adapted to ignite a portion of the atomized fuel oil from said atomizer to provide a pilot flame within said housing, said pilot flame serving to vaporize the remaining fuel oil from said atomizer;

at least one hollow burner element means having one or more apertures in said element connected to said second end of said housing downstream of said first ignition means, and

a second ignition means adjacent said burner element means to ignite the vaporized fuel oil escaping through said apertures in said element.

.7. The burner device of claim 6 further including fuel oil collection means in said first end of said housing, said collection means serving to collect unatomized fuel oil.

8. The burner device of claim 7 further including fuel pump recirculation means and means to direct said unatomized fuel oil in said collection means to said fuel pump recirculation means.

9. The burner device of claim 8 further including air pump means, said air pump means serving to pump air to said atomizer means.

10. The burner device of claim 6 including a baffle plate having a hole therein positioned transverse to the axis of said housing, said atomizer means being contained within said first end of said housing, and being positioned between said first end and said baffle plate.

11. The burner device of claim 6 wherein said housing forms a vapor distribution chamber between said first ignition means and said burner element to direct said vaporized fuel oil therethrough.

12. The burner device of claim 11 wherein the temperature within said vapor distribution chamber is within the range of between 700 and 800 F.

13. The burner device of claim 6 wherein said burner element comprises three hollow rod members connected to said second end of said housing, said rod members having a plurality of equidistantly spaced slots transverse to the axis of said rod members.

14. The burner device of claim 13 wherein said rod members are joined to a hollow pilot tube member adjacent said second ignition means transverse to the axis of said rod members, said pilot tube being in flow communication with the interior of said rod members, said pilot tube having a plurality of equidistantly spaced apertures therein oriented along the surface of said pilot tube, said tube serving to transmit an ignition flame from said second ignition means to each of said rod burners.

15. The burner device of claim 6 further comprising at least one combustion chamber having an opening therein, said opening being positioned towards the bottom of said chamber, at least one of said burner element means extending into said chamber through said opening.

16. A fuel oil vaporizing device of the type that includes a fuel oil atomizer means supplied by fuel pump means that is adapted to connect to a furnace comprising:

a substantially horizontally oriented elongated housing having a first and second end;

a baffle plate having a hole therein and being positioned transverse to the axis of said housing, said atomizer means being contained within said first end of said housing and being positioned between said first end and said baffle plate;

said housing having at least one air aspiration port downstream of said baffle plate;

a first ignition means positioned interiorly of the housing downstream of said baffle plate and said air aspiration port, said ignition means being adapted to ignite a portion of the atomized fuel oil droplets sprayed through said hole in said baffle plate from said atomizer means to provide a pilot flame within said housing, said pilot flame serving to vaporize the remaining fuel oil droplets;

said housing forming a vapor distribution chamber downstream of said baffle plate through which said vaporized fuel oil is directed;

at least one hollow burner element means downstream of and connected to said vapor distribution chamber at said second end of said housing, having a plurality of equidistantly spaced slots transverse to the longitudinal axis of said burner element;

at least one combustion chamber housing having an opening therein, said opening being positioned towards the bottom of said housing, at least one of said burner element means extending into said chamber through said opening;

a second ignition means adjacent said burner element means to ignite the vaporized fuel oil escaping through said slots in said burner element into the interior of said combustion chamber housing; and

blower means positioned exteriorly of and adjacent to said combustion chamber, said blower means serving to direct air past the exterior walls of said combustion chamber thereby transferring heat from said walls to said air.

17. The burner device of claim 6 wherein said housing is oriented substantially vertically, said burner element connected to said vapor distribution chamber being a hollow disc shaped chamber, the plane of said disc being oriented substantially horizontally and transverse to the longitudinal axis of said housing, said hollow disc shaped chamber further including a plurality of vertically oriented slots equidistantly spaced around the peripheral edge of said disc shaped chamber.

Claims

1. A liquid fuel burner device comprising: a liquid fuel atomizer; a housing means for receiving and burning a portion of atomized fuel from said atomizer; means for admitting air to the interior of said housing; an ignition means to ignite said portion of said atomized fuel and to thereby provide a pilot flame within said housing, said pilot flame serving to vaporize the unburned fuel from said atomizer; burner element means for receiving said vaporized fuel and distributing said fuel exteriorly of said element; and second ignition means for igniting the vaporized fuel which is distributed exteriorly of said burner element means.

2. The burner device of claim 1 further including a combustion chamber housing having a port therein for receiving said burner element means whereby said second ignition means ignites saId vaporized fuel which is distributed exteriorly of said burner element means within the interior of said combustion chamber housing.

3. The burner device of claim 2 further comprising air blower means positioned exteriorly of and adjacent to said combustion chamber housing, said blower directing air past the exterior walls of said combustion chamber thereby transferring heat from the exterior combustion chamber walls to said air.

6. A fuel oil burner device of the type that includes a fuel oil atomizer means of the type which indludes a plenum including a curved apertured surface, means for supplying air under pressure to the interior of the plenum and means for supplying fuel to be burned to the curved surface of the plenum at a point spaced from the aperture therein whereby the fuel flows in the form of a highly stressed thin film thereover, the air emitting through the aperture in said surface atomizing fuel in a fog-like mist comprising: a housing means having a first and second end for receiving and burning a portion of atomized fuel from said atomizer; said housing having at least one air aspiration port downstream of said atomizer means; a first ignition means in said housing downstream of said atomizer means and said air port, said ignition means being adapted to ignite a portion of the atomized fuel oil from said atomizer to provide a pilot flame within said housing, said pilot flame serving to vaporize the remaining fuel oil from said atomizer; at least one hollow burner element means having one or more apertures in said element connected to said second end of said housing downstream of said first ignition means, and a second ignition means adjacent said burner element means to ignite the vaporized fuel oil escaping through said apertures in said element.

7. The burner device of claim 6 further including fuel oil collection means in said first end of said housing, said collection means serving to collect unatomized fuel oil.

12. The burner device of claim 11 wherein the temperature within said vapor distribution chamber is within the range of between 700* and 800* F.

16. A fuel oil vaporizing device of the type that includes a fuel oil atomizer means supplied by fuel pump means that is adapted to connect to a furnace comprising: a substantially horizontally oriented elongated housing having a first and second end; a baffle plate having a hole therein and being positioned transverse to the axis of said housing, said atomizer means being contained within said first end of said housing and being positioned between said first end and said baffle plate; said housing having at least one air aspiration port downstream of said baffle plate; a first ignition means positioned interiorly of the housing downstream of said baffle plate and said air aspiration port, said ignition means being adapted to ignite a portion of the atomized fuel oil droplets sprayed through said hole in said baffle plate from said atomizer means to provide a pilot flame within said housing, said pilot flame serving to vaporize the remaining fuel oil droplets; said housing forming a vapor distribution chamber downstream of said baffle plate through which said vaporized fuel oil is directed; at least one hollow burner element means downstream of and connected to said vapor distribution chamber at said second end of said housing, having a plurality of equidistantly spaced slots transverse to the longitudinal axis of said burner element; at least one combustion chamber housing having an opening therein, said opening being positioned towards the bottom of said housing, at least one of said burner element means extending into said chamber through said opening; a second ignition means adjacent said burner element means to ignite the vaporized fuel oil escaping through said slots in said burner element into the interior of said combustion chamber housing; and blower means positioned exteriorly of and adjacent to said combustion chamber, said blower means serving to direct air past the exterior walls of said combustion chamber thereby transferring heat from said walls to said air.