A digital gas cooking appliance is disclosed. The digital gas cooking appliance has the ability of self-initiating an automatic calibration process to determine an optimum valve position to be used for an electromechanical valve when igniting a gas cooking element by performing a plurality of ignition sequences for the gas cooking element at a plurality of respective valve positions of the electromechanical valve. During each of the plurality of ignition sequences, a respective ignition duration between a start of the respective ignition sequence when an igniter is active and the electromechanical valve is open, and a flame is detected by a flame detector, may be determined.

To grasp a state of a combustion apparatus based on a flame state of a burner, a discharge number measurement unit measures the number of discharges of a flame sensor per unit time, and a light emission information generation unit generates, as light emission information, information obtained based on a value obtained by dividing a total (accumulation) of the number of discharges per unit time measured by the discharge number measurement unit by a total measurement time, and a display unit displays the light emission information generated by the light emission information generation unit. Since the light emission information corresponds to a combustion amount, a change in a combustion state is capable of being grasped more finely by confirming a change in the light emission information displayed on the display unit, and a fine abnormality in a combustion apparatus is capable of being detected.

A method for the failsafe and lean ignition of a fuel gas-air mixture on a gas burner (6), which is mixed in a mixing device (4) arranged upstream of the gas burner (6). A control valve (2) along the fuel gas flow path has an actuator (21) and a throttle element (23), moved by the actuator (21), for the closed-loop control of a flow rate of the fuel gas flowing into the mixing device (4). A test is performed to determine whether the throttle element (23) is in the throttle reference position when the actuator (21) is in the actuator reference position. The throttle element (23) is moved in a flow rate-increasing manner starting at a start time (tD). The flow rate-increasing movement of the throttle element (23) is stopped as soon as at least one of multiple predetermined termination conditions occurs.

A pre-startup control method for a boiler or water heater includes: providing a controller operatively coupled to a boiler or water heater unit; performing a unit shutdown operation; enabling a pre-start up mode; at about a same time or in any order, moving an air fuel valve by a controller to a non-off position with a gas supply to the water heater or boiler turned off, wherein the controller turns on a blower at an operational level, and causes an ignitor to spark; and displaying parameters which allow an affirmation of a safe and reliable ignition prior to a gas turn on of the boiler or water heater unit. A flow balancing method and a programmed auto run method are also described.

A method of calibrating a furnace includes determining a first flame stabilization period for the furnace that avoids detachment of a flame from a burner within a burner box of the furnace, determining a second flame stabilization period that is longer than the first flame stabilization period and avoids emission of a combustion tone from the furnace, and configuring a controller of the same or another furnace to utilize a flame stabilization period that has a duration between the first and second flame stabilization periods. Each flame stabilization period commences upon ignition of a premixed mixture of air and fuel at the burner while an inducer fan operates within a first range of fan speeds, and terminates when the rotational speed of the inducer fan increases to a second range speeds that is greater than the entire first range.

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed of controls including circuit assemblies configured for determining igniter, inducer relay, and igniter relay faults. In exemplary embodiments, a control for a system includes an input configured to receive a control signal, an inducer relay, an igniter relay, and a circuit assembly. The circuit assembly is configured to be coupled to the inducer relay, the igniter relay, and an igniter of the system. The circuit assembly comprises a plurality of diodes and is configured to enable detection of and distinguishing between a failure of the igniter, a failure of the inducer relay, and a failure of the igniter relay as determined by a waveform of the control signal at the input of the control for a given one of a plurality of operational states of the control.

In a method for operating a combustor of an embodiment, before ignition in the combustor, a mixed gas containing oxygen is circulated through the combustor as a circulating gas. Then, in an operating time from the time of ignition in the combustor to the time of a rated load of a turbine, from the time of ignition until reaching stable combustion conditions allowing stable combustion, a combustion gas in which a controller controls a flow rate of a fuel supplied from a fuel supply part and a flow rate of an oxidant supplied from an oxidant supply part to maintain the same oxygen concentration as an oxygen concentration in the mixed gas is circulated as the circulating gas.

Method for starting a burner wherein a premixed gas comprising a combustible gas and air is supplied, wherein the combustible gas comprises at least 50% by volume of hydrogen. The method comprises the following steps: during a start-up phase: supplying premixed gas having a first lambda-value to the burner surface, wherein the first lambda-value is at least 1.85, and igniting the supplied premixed gas having the first lambda-value using an ignition source. During an operation phase after the premixed gas has been ignited: supplying premixed gas having a second lambda-value to the burner surface, wherein the first lambda-value is larger than the second lambda-value. Independent claims for a burner and a heating appliance are included.

A method of controlling water heater pilot flame ignition includes receiving, by a controller of a water heater, a user input and controlling a pilot gas valve to start a gas flow to a pilot burner in response to the user input. The method further includes, in response to the user input, controlling, by the controller, an igniter to generate an ignition spark for lighting a pilot flame. The method also includes controlling, by the controller, the pilot gas valve to maintain the gas flow to the pilot burner if the pilot flame is lit.

A cooking appliance includes: a gas cooking element; an igniter disposed adjacent to the gas cooking element to ignite the gas cooking element; a gas valve for regulating gas flow to the gas cooking element; a burner control mechanically coupled to the gas valve to vary the gas flow to the gas cooking element; a sensor for detecting the positioning of the burner control in an ignition range of positions; and a control circuit coupled to the igniter and the sensor and to activate the igniter in response to detected movement of the burner control into the ignition range of positions, the control circuit further configured to maintain activation of the igniter for a predetermined minimum length of time once activated.