BURNING APPARATUS HAVING BULK MATERIAL LAYER TO REDUCE PARTICULATE MATTER

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for, in particular low-emission, burning of (solid) fuels, in particular with visible fire, preferably a fireplace and/or stove and/or stove fireplace, comprising a section for receiving a bulk material, preferably an air turbulence chamber, which is designed for the purpose of guiding an air mass flow in at least one direction through the bulk material; and receiving the bulk material in such a way that the air mass flow experiences turbulence through the bulk material, the turbulence slowing down the air mass flow along the at least one direction, and making the air mass flow slowed down in this way available for burning of the (solid) fuel, in particular such that the burning is carried out with little particulate matter.

Claims

1. A device for burning of a fuel, comprising: a section for receiving a bulk material, which is designed for: guiding an air mass flow in at least one direction through the bulk material, and receiving the bulk material in such a way that the air mass flow experiences turbulence through the bulk material, the turbulence slowing down the air mass flow along the at least one direction, and making the air mass flow slowed down in this way available for burning of the fuel.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a section for installation of the device.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a section for receiving a fuel.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising: a section for light emission.

5. The device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: an apparatus for collecting ash.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising: a grid, which separates the section for receiving the bulk material from the section for receiving the fuel and/or is arranged within the section for the installation and/or the section for receiving the bulk material, in such a manner that the bulk material can be arranged on the grid and/or substantially within the section for receiving the bulk material.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the grid has at least one handle: with which the grid is movable at least partially and/or in sections, and/or which is connected to a vibrating rod in such a way that, when actuated, the bulk material is shaken in such a way that ash within the bulk material enters the apparatus for collecting ash.

8. The device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: an opening.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a number of vibrating rods which lie substantially parallel to one another and which are movable vertically by a predetermined extent, wherein the extent is predetermined by a groove in which the vibrating rods lie with their ends, and wherein at least one movement member is formed below the vibrating rods, which movement member is movable transversely with respect to a longitudinal direction of the vibrating rods in order to move the vibrating rods vertically.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the movement member is connected to a rack, which is movable back and forth along the vibrating rods by a drive of a pinion, which engages in the rack.

11. The device as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the movement of a grid or the movement of the vibrating rods causes the bulk material located thereon to be moved, and the movement of the bulk material causes the fuel located thereon to be ground, and the ground carbon can fall into an apparatus for collecting the ash.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the bulk material comprises a first number of a first bulk material of a first diameter and a first weight and a second number of a second bulk material of a different diameter and a different weight.

13. The device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that one or more temperature sensors is or are formed in the section for receiving the bulk material and/or in the section for receiving the fuel, said one or more temperature sensors detecting a temperature and being connected to a controller which determines a measured temperature value and, depending on the measured temperature value, processes whether a degassing process is completed, and the controller is designed to control a motor in order to trigger a back and forth movement of at least one movement member.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the device is for low-emission burning of the fuel with visible fire; the device comprises a fireplace, a stove or a stove fireplace; the section for receiving the bulk material comprises an air turbulence chamber; and making the air mass flow slowed down causes the burning to be carried out with little particulate matter.

15. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the section comprises a stand, which is arranged below the section for receiving the bulk material.

16. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the section comprises a combustion chamber, which is arranged above the section for receiving the bulk material.

17. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the section for light emission comprises a sight glass surrounding the visible fire, wherein the sight glass is arranged above the section for receiving the bulk material and/or above a section for receiving a fuel.

18. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the apparatus for collecting ash comprises a removable ash drawer, which is arranged within the section for the installation and/or is movable horizontally.

19. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the grid comprises rods.

20. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the opening is for generating the air mass flow, which is arranged below the section for receiving the fuel, and in the section for the installation.

Description

[0068] The present invention is explained in more detail below and with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein the same reference symbols are used for the same or similar assemblies.

[0069] FIG. 1 shows a device for low-emission burning of solid fuels, in particular wood.

[0070] FIG. 2 shows a top view of a device for low-emission burning of solid fuels.

[0071] FIG. 3 shows a development of FIGS. 1 and 2, including showing an alternative arrangement to FIG. 1 of the vibrating rods.

[0072] FIG. 4 shows a development of FIGS. 1 and 2, including showing an electric motor.

[0073] FIG. 1 shows a device 100 for low-emission burning of solid fuels, in particular wood.

[0074] The device 100 is arranged on a floor B and comprises a section 110 for the installation, a section 120 for receiving a bulk material, a section 130 for receiving a (solid) fuel, and a section 140 for emitting light.

[0075] The section 110 for the installation is arranged on the ground B and is in the form of a stand of the device 100.

[0076] The section 110 for the installation comprises a substantially horizontally arranged and, in particular horizontally, movable apparatus for collecting ash A, e.g. a drawer.

[0077] The section 110 for the installation further comprises a substantially horizontally arranged grid 114, on which the bulk material 200 is stored. The grid 114 is described in particular in FIG. 2. The drawer 112 is preferably arranged below the grid 114.

[0078] The section 110 for the installation furthermore also comprises an opening 116 for generating a (primary) air mass flow L, which draws substantially perpendicularly through the device 100 and serves to supply oxygen to the fire F.

[0079] The section 120 for receiving the bulk material 200 is arranged above and on the section 110 for installation, in particular in such a way that the bulk material 200 can be stored on the grid 114.

[0080] The section 120 for receiving the bulk material 200 is thus configured to receive the bulk material.

[0081] The bulk material is, for example, a spherical expanded clay or other fireproof and/or heat-resistant material.

[0082] The section 130 for receiving the (solid) fuel H is arranged above and on the section 120 for receiving the bulk material 200.

[0083] The section 130 for receiving the (solid) fuel H is therefore designed to receive the fuel H. For example, the fuel H, wood pellets, is arranged directly on the bulk material 200 or on a further grid, which is arranged above the bulk material 200.

[0084] In addition, the section 130 for receiving the (solid) fuel H preferably has a height which is lower than the fire F generated by the fuel H, in particular in such a way that the fire F extends beyond section 130 for receiving the (solid) fuel H.

[0085] The section for light emission 140 is manufactured, for example, from glass and arranged above the section 130 for receiving the (solid) fuel H, in particular in such a way that the fire F is guided vertically and visibly in sections.

[0086] For the operation of the device 100, the device 100 is firstly loaded with a bulk material 200 and then with a fuel H. The fuel H is preferably arranged on the bulk material 200.

[0087] The fuel H is ignited after being loaded, e.g. by a burner or a lighter, e.g. wax taper, waxed wood shavings or the like, arranged in the combustion chamber.

[0088] The burning of the fuel H then generates a fire F or flames extending upward out of the device 100.

[0089] The fire F is supplied with oxygen by means of the air mass flow L.

[0090] The air mass flow L draws through the opening 116 into the device 100 and from there, owing to the convection, through the fire F substantially vertically upward, specifically substantially perpendicularly through the bulk material 200.

[0091] The bulk material 200 then creates turbulence of the air mass flow L, which leads to a slowing down (vL2<vL1) or evening out of the air mass flow L.

[0092] This evening out leads to an improved, in particular more uniform, combustion of the fuel H, which minimizes the emissions and in particular the particulate matter of the combustion.

[0093] In the region of the transition of the sections 130 and 140, it is also possible to form openings (bores) in the side walls such that air, e.g. as a secondary air flow, can enter the interior from the outside in the direction of the incident flame. Such a further air flow can further improve the flame formation, in particular the combustion, in order to further reduce the particulate matter content and in particular also to produce the flame F in the center of the section 140, which increases the attractiveness of the flame image.

[0094] FIG. 2 shows a top view of a device 100 for low-emission burning of solid fuels, in particular as shown in FIG. 1.

[0095] The grid 114 is arranged between the section 110 for the installation and the section 120 for receiving the bulk material, in particular as shown in FIG. 1.

[0096] The grid 114 is substantially formed from a plurality of parallel rods 114, which are arranged substantially horizontally in the device 100.

[0097] In addition, the grid 114 has at least two handles 114.

[0098] The handles 114 are each arranged on a vibrating rod 114, with which the bulk material 200 can be set in motion or vibration in such a way that ash produced by the burning of the fuel can fall through the bulk material 200.

[0099] The vibrating rods 114 are, for example, formed from a tube and a rod 114 located therein and from the outside preferably resemble the other rods 114. The rod 114 located in the tube can be moved to and fro by means of the handle 114, in particular to order to move or to shake the bulk material 200.

[0100] Finally, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show a development of the invention mentioned according to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0101] FIG. 3 shows an alternative arrangement to FIG. 1, wherein an alternative resides substantially in the type of movement of the vibrating rods 114. These vibrating rods 114 lie individually, on both sides in a vertically aligned movement groove, and therefore they have a limited vertical movement range 115, and the individual vibrating rod 114 can be moved and/or rotated only in this movement range 115.

[0102] At least one movement member 117 is arranged below the vibrating rods 114; in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, there are two movement members 117 arranged next to each other for the vertical movement of the vibrating rods. If said movement members 117 move, they push up the respective vibrating rods 114 located above them. The movement members 117 are each connected via a rack 118 to a motor-driven pinion 119. This pinion 119 itself is connectable to an electric motor 121 or else manual drive; FIG. 4 shows an electric motor 121 but, as mentioned, a manual drive via a hand crank would be just as readily possible.

[0103] Instead of the motor drive 121 of the movement members 117 that is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is also possiblenot shownto connect a movement member 117 only to a longitudinally guided bar, wherein this bar is then displaceable in its longitudinal direction between two end positions and thus displaces the movement member 117 transversely with respect to the vibrating rods 114, in order to then push up the vibrating rods one after another. In such a case, the bar on which the movement member 117 is arranged has a handle, as shown in FIG. 1, in order thus to move the movement member 117 to and fro manually between its maximum positions and thus to also move or to shake the bulk material 200.

[0104] In FIGS. 3 and 4, the movement member 119 is in the form of a sphere, but it may also have a different geometry, for example, it may be in the form of a hemisphere or a tetrahedron or the like; it has only to be capable, as it moves to and fro, of vertically displacing the vibrating rods 114 lying above it.

[0105] With the motorized drive 121, the rack 118 and thus the movement member 117 fused thereto can be moved to and fro between two end positions, and therefore the vibrating rods 114 are gradually pushed upward and then fall down again due to gravity, as a result of which then also the bulk material 200 (the bulk material layer), i.e. the heat-resistant spheres, are moved in the air vortex chamber and the components lying thereon, e.g. carbon components, are then also picked up by the bulk material 200, by the movement of said bulk material 200, and ground into small pieces, so that the finely ground material can then fall into the apparatus for collecting the ash, in particular the ash drawer 112.

[0106] The bulk material 200 thus consists of heat-resistant spheres, e.g. of expanded clay, and, by the actuation or movement of the vibrating rods 114, can thus also be used as a grinding mechanism for the completely degassed solid fuels, i.e. carbon, and when the device 100 has the electromotive drive 121, which moves the racks 118, and thus the movement members 117, to and fro between their end positions at recurring intervals, the grinding function of the grinding mechanism can also be realized by an automatic controller 122.

[0107] One or more temperature sensors (not shown) in the region of the section 120 and/or in the range of the section 130 and/or 140 can also be used to precisely determine whether the degassing process of the fuel H has already been completed and, if so, this is correspondingly measured by the respective temperature sensor and, if its value is supplied to the controller 122 and processed and a predetermined threshold value is present, the motor 121 is then automatically started and the gearwheel and the rack 118 are correspondingly moved.

[0108] The carbon lying above the bulk material 200, i.e. the heat-resistant spheres made, e.g., of expanded clay, is thereby shaken out of the balls by the sphere layer and crushed (ground) against the spheres themselves into fine carbon crystals/components.

[0109] Said carbon crystals (or carbon powder) then trickle into the collecting container 112 arranged underneath. The carbon is extinguished there and can then be collected in order to continue using it, for example, as vegetable carbon in horticulture, landscaping, or in agriculture or the like.

[0110] The figures show a rectangular or square burner in cross section; the invention also readily permits a cylindrical burning apparatus in which the fuel H, or the bulk material 200 is located in a chamber which is circular or oval-shaped in cross section.

[0111] In the example shown, the spheres in the drawing each have the same diameter, but it is also preferable to use first and second spheres with different diameters and also to use first and second spheres, which differ in weight.

[0112] It is particularly preferred that the larger (first) spheres are preferably lighter than the smaller (second) spheres.

[0113] This can be achieved by the material itself, for example by making the smaller spheres from metal and the larger spheres from a heat-resistant material such as expanded clay.

[0114] This then leads to what is referred to as the Brazil nut effect, that is, the larger spheres always move more at the top and the smaller spheres stay at the bottom. This has the advantage that the grinding operation is improved and the passage of air can be controlled in a more targeted way.

[0115] In the example shown, the distance of the rods 114 from one another lies preferably in the range of 1 to 10 mm, preferably 2 to 7 mm and the sphere diameter of the spheres used is in the range of 10 to 50 mm, preferably between 15 and 40 mm.

[0116] In the present invention, it is possible that primary air (VL1, VL2), which is introduced from below, is completely independent of secondary air, which is introduced from above into the burning apparatus, and controlled and regulated. In this case, the primary air flows past the spheres, i.e. the layer, out of the bulk material 200 or between the gaps thereof, and the customer (operator) can ultimately adjust the air mass flow L for the primary air individually through the opening 116, in particular can adjust it in respect of how long and/or how rapidly and how intensely the burning should take place; the customer or the operator of the device 100 according to the invention can thus control the access of the primary air (VL2, VL1), which has the advantage that the efficiency of the burning apparatus can also be improved.

[0117] The secondary air reaches the flame or fire F either from the side in the region of the sections 130/140 and/or from above; apparatuses for introducing said secondary air are not shown in the exemplary embodiment, but are known as such.

[0118] In tests, burning which is virtually free from particulate matter could be made possible by means of the device 100 according to the invention, which generates a very appealing flame pattern, wherein the height of the flame is also individually adjustable by the customer/operator by adjusting the primary air and, after the pyrolysis combustion (gas burning), the material for burning, which is burned to form carbon, is ground by the vibrating movement of the bulk material 200 in order therefore to be collected as fine carbon particles or carbon dust of a predetermined grain size in the collecting container 112 and to use this vegetable carbon thus obtained for a desired purpose, e.g. improvement/supplement of the garden soil and flower soil or as barbecue charcoal.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0119] 100 Device, in particular fireplace [0120] 110 Section for the installation, in particular stand [0121] 112 Apparatus for collecting ash, in particular ash drawer [0122] 114 Grid, in particular for supporting the bulk material [0123] 114 Rod, in particular of the grid [0124] 114 Vibrating rod, in particular of the grid [0125] 114 Handle, in particular of the vibrating rod [0126] 115 Vertical movement range of a vibrating rod [0127] 116 Opening, in particular for receiving the air mass flow [0128] 117 Movement member for the vertical movement of the vibrating rods [0129] 118 Rack [0130] 119 Pinion for the rack and pinion drive [0131] 120 Section for receiving a bulk material, in particular turbulence chamber [0132] 121 Motor [0133] 122 Controller [0134] 130 Section for receiving a (solid) fuel, in particular combustion chamber [0135] 140 Section for light emission, in particular sight glass [0136] 200 Bulk material, in particular expanded clay [0137] B Floor, e.g. flooring [0138] F Fire [0139] H (Solid) fuel [0140] L Air mass flow [0141] V Speed