A combustion chamber assembly unit for a fuel-operated vehicle heater includes a combustion chamber housing (14) elongated in a direction of a housing longitudinal axis (L), with a combustion chamber (16) radially outwardly bounded by a circumferential wall (18), and with a combustion chamber bottom (20) axially delimiting the combustion chamber (16). A combustion air feed volume (36) is provided that is open to the combustion chamber (16) via a plurality of passage openings (38). A cooling medium feed device (46) is provided for feeding a liquid cooling medium to the combustion air feed volume (36).

A vehicle heater includes a housing (10) with a circumferential wall (12), defining a combustion air flow space (14), having a fuel line passage opening (30), a combustion chamber assembly unit, and a fuel line (28). The fuel line has a connection end area (54) adjoining the combustion chamber assembly unit (18), an external connection end area (58), outside the circumferential wall and a line area (56) between the end areas and passing through the fuel line passage opening. A sealing formation (32) has a first sealing area (34), meshing with the fuel line passage opening, and a passage opening (52) through which the line area of the fuel line passes. The fuel line has a larger cross-sectional dimension in a throughput length area (60), passing through the passage opening, than in a section of the line area located between the throughput length area and the external connection area.

A vehicle heater combustion chamber assembly includes a housing area (14) with an ignition element mount (36) supporting an ignition element (34) and another housing area (16) defining a fluid flow space (26) with an access opening (32). The ignition element or/and an electric ignition element line (76) is moveable through the access opening. An elastically deformable closing element (40) closes the access opening and includes a meshing area (48), interacting with a housing area wall (42) surrounding the ignition element access opening and including an inner meshing area supported relative to an inner surface of the wall, which faces the fluid flow space. The closing element includes a closing element bottom (44) with an outer bottom surface (94) oriented outwardly, in the direction away from the fluid flow space. The outer bottom surface is offset in a direction of a closing element longitudinal axis towards the fluid flow space.

A vehicle heater housing (46) has an inlet area (49), an outlet area (51) and an air flow space (47) for air to be heated with a burner chamber assembly unit (30), to be fed with combustion air and fuel. A heat exchanger area (11), including a heat exchanger housing (12), is elongated in the direction of a housing longitudinal axis (L) with an outer side (24) around which air flowing in the air flow space flows. Heat transfer ribs are on a side of the heat exchanger housing. The heater housing has a housing circumferential wall (56) and an outlet front wall area (58). The heat transfer ribs have a longitudinal edge (64) extending along the housing circumferential wall and a radial edge extending along the outlet front wall area. A distance of the radial edge from the outlet front wall area changes from radially outwards to radially inwards.

A combustion chamber assembly unit for a fuel-operated vehicle heater includes a mixing chamber (20) extending in a direction of a combustion chamber assembly unit longitudinal axis (L) for generating an air/fuel mixture. A fuel feed device (38) feeds fuel to the mixing chamber (20) and a combustion air feed device feeds combustion air to the mixing chamber (20). A diffuser device (22) is arranged downstream in relation to the mixing chamber (20) in the direction of the combustion chamber assembly unit longitudinal axis (L). The fuel feed device (38) includes an evaporator device (36). The combustion air feed device (18) includes a swirling flow generation device (14). The swirling flow generation device (14) is arranged with the evaporator device (36) upstream in relation to the mixing chamber (20) in the direction of the combustion chamber assembly unit longitudinal axis (L).

A process for manufacturing a cast metal heat exchanger housing (12) for a vehicle heater having a pot-shape housing wall (14) extending in a direction of a housing longitudinal axis (L) and having a plurality of heat transfer ribs (22) extending on an outer side of the housing wall (14) in the area of a circumferential wall (16) and in the area of a bottom wall (18) of the housing wall (14) in the direction of the housing longitudinal axis (L). The process includes metal casting wherein a sprue cross-sectional area including at least some of the heat transfer ribs (22). The cast metal heat exchanger housing has an axial end face formed upon cutting off metallic material that is essentially at right angles to the housing longitudinal axis and extends into an area of at least some of the heat transfer ribs.

The invention relates to a portable heating system that in a first instance provides heat and in a second instance provides a source of electrical current from thermo electric modules where the produced electrical energy is intended to be forwarded to a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery serves as a current source for the portable heating system e.g. for driving the fuel pump and air fans. When the rechargeable battery is replenished with electrical energy a control is configured to switch the by the thermo electrical modules generated electrical energy to selected power consumers arranged with the portable heating system in order to facilitate the thermo electrical modules to keep the intended quality serving as a heat pump for transferring the produced heat from a burner to a transportation media for releasing the heat in the designated intended area.

A method to operate a fuel-operated vehicle heater comprising the lowering of a combustion air ratio λ between supplied combustion air and supplied fuel to a combustion chamber of the fuel-operated vehicle heater from a starting value λ.sub.start>1 to a range λ<λ.sub.start for a time period Δt.

A vehicle temperature control system, for electric motor-powered vehicles or hybrid vehicles, includes a heater (18), which can be operated electrically or/and with fuel, with a first heat exchanger device (16) for transferring heat provided in the heater (18) to a first heat carrier medium provided in a first heat carrier medium circuit (12). An operating material tank (20) holds a liquid operating material (24). A second heat exchanger device (26) provides heat transfer between the first heat carrier medium provided in the first heat carrier medium circuit (12) and energy storage material (36) contained in the operating material tank (20). A third heat exchanger device (38) provides heat transfer between the first heat carrier medium provided in the first heat carrier medium circuit (12) and a second heat carrier medium provided in a second heat carrier medium circuit (40).

A vehicle heater includes a burner assembly unit (12) with a combustion chamber (18) to be fed with combustion air (V) and fuel (B) and a flame tube (24). A heat exchanger assembly unit (14) includes an inner heat exchanger housing (28) with an inner circumferential wall (30) and an outer heat exchanger housing (34) with an outer circumferential wall (36). A heat transfer medium flow space (40) is between the inner and outer heat exchanger housings, which are elongated in a longitudinal axis (L) direction. A waste gas backflow space (44), between the inner circumferential wall (30) and the flame tube, opens towards an exhaust gas outlet. A catalytic converter device (52) is provided in the waste gas backflow space associated with an energizable heating unit (58), or/and insulation material (64) is provided on an outer side (62) facing away from the heat transfer medium flow space.