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US 10,041,682 B1Granted
High efficiency solid fuel burning stove with optimized burning conditions and low level of emission
AssigneeUniversity of Maryland
InventorsTaylor Myers, Ryan Fisher, Stanislav I Stoliarov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solid fuel stove uses a dynamically controlled Combustion Fan and a Smart Controller system for automatic regulation of combustion conditions through the controlled forced air circulation based on sensors readings. The stove also uses emission reducing and efficiency boosting equipment such as a co-axial stack heat recovery sub-system and a self-cleaning particulate collector with enhanced particulates trapping capabilities.
Claims17
A high-efficiency low-emission stove, comprising:
- a main body configured with an internal compartment defined within said main body,
- a combustion chamber defined in said internal compartment and adapted for multi-phase combustion of a fuel loaded therein,
- a heat recovery member attached to said main body and configured to establish a fluid communication channel between said combustion chamber and the external environment,
- a combustion fan unit installed in operative coupling to said heat recovery member, said combustion fan unit being configured to provide forced air circulation through said internal compartment,
- a system of sensors installed in said internal compartment, and
- a controller system operatively coupled to said system of sensors and said combustion fan unit, said controller system being configured with a processor configured for processing readings acquired from said system of sensors, and for generating control signals for transmission to said combustion fan unit to affect the operation thereof in correspondence to said readings, thereby controlling the burning process in said combustion chamber, wherein said internal compartment further includes a preheat chamber defined therein in fluid communication with said combustion chambers and said heat recovery member, and an air distribution system installed in said combustion chamber in fluid communication with said preheat chamber, said air distribution system being configured for creating a predetermined pattern of distribution of the air forcibly injected in said combustion chamber from said preheat chamber, and
- wherein said multi-phase combustion of the fuel includes a primary combustion phase and a secondary combustion phase, said air distribution system including a plurality of manifolds disposed in said combustion chamber, and configured with primary manifolds extending in a lower portion of said combustion chamber to facilitate said primary combustion phase, and secondary manifolds extending in an upper portion of said combustion chamber to facilitate said secondary combustion phase.
4 more elements
A high-efficiency low-emission stove, comprising:
- a main body configured with an internal compartment defined within said main body,
- a combustion chamber defined in said internal compartment and adapted for multi-phase combustion of a fuel loaded therein,
- a heat recovery member attached to said main body and configured to establish a fluid communication channel between said combustion chamber and the external environment,
- a combustion fan unit installed in operative coupling to said heat recovery member, said combustion fan unit being configured to provide forced air circulation through said internal compartment,
- a system of sensors installed in said internal compartment, and
- a controller system operatively coupled to said system of sensors and said combustion fan unit, said controller system being configured with a processor configured for processing readings acquired from said system of sensors, and for generating control signals for transmission to said combustion fan unit to affect the operation thereof in correspondence to said readings, thereby controlling the burning process in said combustion chamber,
- wherein said processor unit of said controller system is configured with a combustion fan speed unit, wherein said combustion fan speed unit is configured to increase the speed of said combustion fan at a start-up mode of the stove system operation if time since the beginning of controller actuation is below a predetermined value.
4 more elements
A method for operating a stove system, comprising:
- (a) configuring a stove with a main body and defining an internal compartment within said main body;
- (b) forming a combustion chamber and a preheat chamber in said internal compartment, extending an internal wall between said combustion and preheat chambers, wherein said wall being formed with at least one opening for fluid communication between said combustion and preheat chambers;
- (c) configuring a heat recovery member with co-axially extending internal pipe and external pipe, operatively coupling an internal end of said internal pipe with said combustion chamber, and an internal end of said external pipe with said preheat chamber, and establishing a fluid communication between a surrounding atmosphere and said internal compartment through said heat recovery member, installing a catalyst unit in a passage between said combustion chamber and said internal pipe of said heat recovery member,
- establishing a catalyst protection loop including a valve installed at said at least one opening formed in said internal wall between said combustion and preheat chambers upstream and in close proximity to said catalyst unit, and a temperature sensor positioned in proximity to said catalyst unit;
- (d) installing a combustion fan in proximity to a passage between said preheat chamber and said external pipe of said heat recovery member;
- (e) installing a system of sensors in said combustion chamber and said heat recovery system;
- (f) operatively coupling a controller system configured with a processor unit to said system of sensors to acquire reading from at least one of said sensors;
- (g) processing, by said processor unit, said readings acquired from said at least one sensor, processing the catalyst temperature readings acquired from said temperature sensor, and issuing a control signal responsive to said readings;
- and
- (h) transmitting said control signal to said combustion fan, thereby affecting a forced air circulation through the oven system, thus facilitating substantially complete burning of a fuel in said combustion chamber, wherein said control signal includes a dilution air control signal to control said valve to regulate dilution air supply from said preheat chamber to said catalyst unit in said combustion chamber responsive to said catalyst temperature readings,
- wherein, if the catalyst temperature reading is lower than a predetermined maximum allowable catalyst temperature, said valve is closed, responsive to said dilution air control signal, and
- if the catalyst temperature reading exceeds said predetermined maximum allowable catalyst temperature, said valve is opened responsive to said dilution air control signal, thereby permitting the dilution air into said combustion chamber to cool down said catalyst unit.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.