A portable cooking device operable by electricity or by a rechargeable lithium Ion battery for use when electricity is or is not readily available.

A method for insulating a gas-fueled water heater includes providing a tank for storage of water for heating and a combustion chamber adjacent to the tank. The method includes providing a compressed foam barrier circumferentially around the tank. Further, the method includes positioning a covering around the tank from a top end to a bottom end, the covering extending over the compressed foam barrier. Moreover, the method includes decompressing the compressed foam barrier such that an outer diameter of the foam barrier expands up to and seals against the covering so as to separate an internal volume defined between an outer surface of the tank and the covering into a first section and a second section. Then, the method includes injecting a foam material into the first section so as to provide a foam barrier around at least a portion of an outer surface of the tank.

A biomass heating system for firing fuel in the form of pellets and/or wood chips is disclosed, comprising: a boiler with a combustion device; a heat exchanger with an inlet and an outlet; wherein the combustion device comprises a combustion chamber with a primary combustion zone and with a secondary combustion zone provided downstream thereof; the combustion device having a rotating grate on which the fuel can be burned; the secondary combustion zone of the combustion chamber being fluidically connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger and the primary combustion zone being laterally enclosed by a plurality of combustion chamber bricks.

A hot water appliance 10 comprises a water tank 12 provided with a water tank wall 14. The hot water appliance 10 further comprises a vacuum vessel 20 which encloses a vacuum space V. The water tank 12 is wholly included in the vacuum space, and the whole water tank wall 14 is bounded by vacuum. The vacuum vessel 20 is provided with a vacuum vessel wall 22 which consists of a number of vacuum vessel wall parts that are gastightly connected with each other by welding or soldering. Further, the hot water appliance 10 comprises at least one functional pipe 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 which extends through the water tank wall 14 and is gastightly connected with the water tank wall 14 at the location of a water tank wall connection 18. The functional pipe 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 also extends through the vacuum vessel wall 22 and is gastightly connected with the vacuum vessel wall 22 at the location of a vacuum vessel wall connection 24.

A delivery device for delivering stock material into a blast furnace includes a transition channel for the stock material, a chute for delivering the stock material, a first annular body, coaxial to and outside the transition channel, adapted to rotate about a first axis, and a second annular body, coaxial to and outside the first annular body, adapted to translate along the first axis with respect to said first annular body and/or to rotate about the first axis together with said first annular body. When the second body translates along the first axis, at least one fixed rack rotates at least one toothed wheel and a respective shaft about a second axis transversal to the first axis, thus causing a change in the inclination of the chute with respect to the first axis.

New forms of self-cleansing surfaces are provided. In some embodiments, a self-cleansing surface is provided, which is configured to be handled by a human user, as a user interface. The self-cleansing surface may comprise one or more surface device(s), with surface-covering pores configured to release a cleanser upon physical contact or actuation of the user interface, and configured to clean the self-cleansing surface. In some embodiments, the release is mediated by a physical trigger. In some embodiments, the surface device includes a control system that monitors surface handling with a sensor, and mediates the release with an actuator. The invention may be provided on or in any form of user interface that may be physically touched by a user. For example, in some embodiments, the invention may be provided on door handles or controls, appliance handles or controls, and any other user interfaces bearing a risk of carrying microbes.

A tank water heater assembly is provided including a tank water heater and a drain pan provided with a sensor holder for mounting a sensor. The sensor holder accommodates a leak detection sensor at predefined distance above an inner surface of a bottom wall of the drain pan. In this way the presence of harmless small amounts of water in the drain pan do not trigger an alarm. A transport assembly is presented for facilitating transportation of the tank water heater assembly to an installation site and subsequent installation. Finally, a method for installation of a tank water heater assembly is provided.

Device (1) for producing hot liquid, comprising:—a tank (2) of liquid, —a system (6) for heating the contents of the tank (2), —a heat exchanger (7) comprising a primary circuit (8) equipped with a fluid inlet (8A) and a fluid outlet (8B), a secondary circuit (9) equipped with a fluid inlet (9A) and a fluid outlet (9B) and a region (10) for exchanging heat energy between the primary circuit (8) and the secondary circuit (9), —a circuit (11) for circulation in a loop between the tank (2) and the primary circuit (8) of the heat exchanger (7), and —a pump (12) arranged on the circuit (11) for circulation in a loop. The device (1) comprises a valve (31) arranged on the circuit (11) for circulation in a loop between the tank (2) and the primary circuit (8) of the heat exchanger (7), a member (32) for moving the valve (31) between an open position and a closed position, a control unit (17) for controlling at least the pump (12) and the member (32) for moving the valve (31).

A portable solar shower is a showering device that can heat the water in a tank to a user defined temperature, with the help of a large solar panel. In order to accomplish that, the device includes a thermostat that displays multiple temperatures, a vacuum insulated water tank that helps maintain the temperature of the water at the user defined temperature level for long hours, and a retractable showerhead and shower pipe. Further, the device is mounted over an upper surface of a vehicle, thereby not compromising any luggage or trunk space of the vehicle. The portable solar shower further includes a power unit that provides power to water pumps and all the necessary circuitry within the device. Furthermore, the device includes an additional smaller solar panel that can provide energy to the power unit, thereby enabling the user to run the shower unit on natural renewable sources of energy.

A burner appliance is disclosed. The burner appliance includes a byproduct sensor in an exhaust flue and/or a barometric pressure sensor to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance. By calculating concentrations of combustion byproducts in the exhaust with the byproduct sensor, a controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. By calculating the environmental pressure at the burner with the barometric pressure sensor, the controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. The barometric-pressure data can also be used to adjust blower speed control bands, thereby calibrating the control bands based on environmental pressure. The environmental pressure can be indicative of altitude and/or weather conditions. Methods of operating said burner appliance are also disclosed.