A gas-fired burner adapted for use on a liquid fuel. A method for essentially smokeless start-up and steady state operation of a gas-fired burner on a liquid fuel. The apparatus integrates a catalytic liquid fuel reformer with a flame burner designed for operation on a gaseous fuel of high Wobbe Index, e.g., natural gas. The method involves reacting a mixture of a liquid fuel and oxidant in a catalytic reformer to obtain a gaseous reformate having a low Wobbe Index; and thereafter combusting the gaseous reformate, optionally augmented with liquid co-fuel and oxidant, in the gas-fired burner under diffusion flame conditions. The invention allows commercial gas-fired appliances to be operated on a liquid fuel, thereby offering advantages in logistics and camp operations.

Cooking apparatus for cooking food by a barbecue grilling method, comprises an outer housing receiving an inner housing which defines a heating volume. A chamber for pressurised air is defined between the outer and inner housings. Apertures in the inner housing allow pressurised air to exit the chamber into the heating volume. At least one burner is located in the inner housing. A combustible fuel/air mixture is supplied to the burner and this is separate from the supply of pressurised air to the chamber. A cooking surface is placed across the top of the heating volume to support food to be cooked.

A burner includes a distal flame holder, first and second fuel nozzles, a fuel and oxidant source, and a mixing tube disposed upstream from the distal flame holder. Fuel emitted from the first fuel nozzle mixes with oxidant from the oxidant source to form a fuel and oxidant mixture to support combustion in the distal flame holder. A non-reactive fluid source such as recirculated flue gas provides a non-reactive fluid for dilution of the fuel and oxidant mixture to prevent flashback.

A heater structure includes a heater body including a burner connected to a valve switch. A pilot fire assembly is covered by a protective cover that has ventilation holes. A switch unit includes an ignition switch, a shut-down switch, an ignition operator, and a shut-down operator. The ignition operator and the shut-down operator are structured to provide a swingable arrangement. The ignition operator may be operated to contact and press the fuel gas valve rod and the ignition switch to open the valve switch for supply fuel gas to the burner and to activate an ignition circuit to cause successive shootings of an ignition pin of the pilot fire assembly to set a flame on the burner. The shut-down operator is operated to contact and press the shut-down switch, so as to cut off a signal of the thermocouple and thus cut off the supply of the fuel gas.

Provided is a water heater including a burner that receives a supply of combustion air from a fan, a heat exchanger having a heat transfer tube, and a combustion chamber case in which a combustion chamber of the burner is formed in the interior thereof and which is to be capable of guiding combustion gas generated by the burner to the heat exchanger. The water heater further includes a unit case that surrounds the combustion chamber case, and a region on the outside of the combustion chamber case within the unit case serves as an air pressure chamber having a higher pressure than the combustion chamber. Thus, combustion gas leakage to the outside can be prevented or suppressed appropriately by means of a simple configuration.

A fuel gas nozzle used in a microturbine includes a first chamber, a second chamber connected to the first chamber, a pilot fuel gas pipe, a main fuel gas pipe and an intake pipe. An intake zone and a mixing zone are respectively formed in the first chamber and the second chamber and are communicated with each other. The pilot fuel gas pipe is for introducing a first fuel gas into a downstream of the second chamber. The main fuel gas pipe is for introducing a second fuel gas into the mixing zone via the intake zone. The intake pipe is for introducing an air into the mixing zone. A centerline of the intake pipe is not intersected with a centerline of the second chamber, so as to induce a vortex flow field of the air flowing into the mixing zone for mixing the air and the second fuel gas.

A burner assembly having a blower housing, a blower to supply air to the burner assembly, a blast tube having a longitudinal axis, a fuel source to supply fuel to the burner assembly, a center tube that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and conveys air and fuel to a center tube burner end opening, a plurality of premix tubes, each of which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and conveys air and fuel to a premix tube burner end opening, a diffuser that is disposed in the center tube near the center tube burner end opening, a nozzle that is disposed in the center tube substantially perpendicular to the diffuser. The center tube air and fuel mixture is fuel rich and the premix tubes air and fuel mixture is fuel lean. A method for burning the center tube air and fuel mixture and the premix tubes mixtures.

A burner assembly having a blower housing, a blower to supply air to the burner assembly, a blast tube having a longitudinal axis, a fuel source to supply fuel to the burner assembly, a center tube that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and conveys air and fuel to a center tube burner end opening, a plurality of premix tubes, each of which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and conveys air and fuel to a premix tube burner end opening, a diffuser that is disposed in the center tube near the center tube burner end opening, a nozzle that is disposed in the center tube substantially perpendicular to the diffuser. The center tube air and fuel mixture is fuel rich and the premix tubes air and fuel mixture is fuel lean. A method for burning the center tube air and fuel mixture and the premix tubes mixtures.

Gas meter and center device are provided. Gas meter includes flow rate measurer that measures a flow rate of gas in time series. Center device receives and analyzes flow rate data from gas meter, and monitors states of use of gas appliances. Gas meter detects the start of operation of gas appliances, and transmits flow rate data during predetermined periods before and after the start of operation in accordance with a request from center device. Center device monitors the states of use of gas appliances based on the received flow rate data.

Gas meter and center device are provided. Gas meter includes flow rate measurer that measures a flow rate of gas in time series. Center device receives and analyzes flow rate data from gas meter, and monitors states of use of gas appliances. Gas meter detects the start of operation of gas appliances, and transmits flow rate data during predetermined periods before and after the start of operation in accordance with a request from center device. Center device monitors the states of use of gas appliances based on the received flow rate data.