Catalytic Heating System and Method for Heating a Beverage or Food

A catalytic heating system for heating a beverage or food, comprising:

• an upper shell;
• a container disposed within the upper shell, with the container for containing the beverage or food;
• a catalytic combustion assembly for heating the container, comprising:
• a chamber plate having a chamber plate top side and a chamber plate bottom side;
• an elongate sidewall enclosure integral with and contained within the chamber plate, with the elongate sidewall enclosure having at one end a fuel gas inlet opening through the chamber plate bottom side and having at an opposite end an exhaust outlet opening through the chamber plate bottom side, with the elongate sidewall enclosure not having any other openings, and with the elongate sidewall enclosure defining an enclosed catalytic combustion chamber;
• a catalytic reaction media disposed within the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber;
• a combustion starting element disposed within the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber;
• a fuel supply assembly mounted on a fuel supply platform, with the fuel supply assembly having a fuel and air mixing injector fluidly connected to the fuel gas inlet;
• a fuel canister sealably connected to the fuel supply platform and fluidly connected to the fuel supply assembly;
• a fuel gas contained within the fuel container;
• and
• a lower shell containing the catalytic combustion assembly, with the lower shelf releasably attached to the upper shell, and with the chamber plate top side adjacent to the bottom of the container, thereby forming the catalytic heating assembly for heating a beverage or food;
• and
• whereby the fuel and air mixing injector within tire catalytic combustion assembly can entrain the fuel gas with air and inject a fuel gas and entrained air mixture into the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber where the combustion starting element can ignite the fuel gas and entrained air mixture, and the catalytic reaction media can maintain a catalytic combustion process within the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber, and the catalytic combustion process can combust ail of the fuel gas and heat the container containing the beverage or food.

A method of heating a container, comprising:

• providing for a flow of a fuel gas, with the fuel gas having a stoichiometric ratio of about 15;
• increasing the velocity of the flow of the fuel gas;
• entraining the Sow of the fuel gas with air, thereby creating a flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture;
• maintaining an entrapment ratio of about 15 or above for the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture;
• constraining the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture to an enclosed curved path;
• contacting the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture with a catalytic reaction media;
• igniting the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture, thereby generating the catalytic combustion process;
• combusting all of the fuel gas during the catalytic combustion process;
• and
• conducting heat from the catalytic combustion process to the container.

A method of catalytic combustion, comprising:

• providing for a flow of a fuel gas;
• increasing the velocity of the flow of the fuel gas;
• entraining the flow of the fuel gas with air, thereby creating a flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture;
• maintaining an entrapment ratio of about 15 or above for the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture;
• constraining the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture to an enclosed curved path;
• contacting the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture with a catalytic reaction media;
• igniting the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture, thereby generating a catalytic combustion process;
• and
• combusting all of the fuel gas during the catalytic combustion process.