Universal pilot assembly

In a pilot flame assembly having a housing, a central passageway extending longitudinally through said housing, a pilot emitting end at one end of said central passageway, and a pair of spaced-apart shoulders which extend around the inside of the housing and into said central passageway, said shoulders being in the proximity of the pilot flame emitting end of said housing, the improvement comprising:

• a baffle assembly having a disk-like screen element substantially adjacent said shoulders closest said pilot flame emitting end, said disk-like screen element having a central opening therethrough, a plurality of spaced-apart openings in the vicinity of the periphery of the disk-like screen element forming a circular-like pattern, with an intermediate opening spaced between said central opening and one or more of said spaced-apart openings;
• an intermediate element adjacent said disk-like screen element, said intermediate element being substantially cylindrical and hollow in shape;
• an annular cavity recessed in the end of said intermediate element abutting said disk-like screen element, the outer wall of said annular cavity extending greater than the inner wall of said cavity such that only said outer wall is adjacent to said disk-like screen element, with a gap between said inner wall and said disk-like screen element;
• and
• a biasing element adjacent to and between said intermediate element and said shoulder farthest from said pilot flame emitting end so as to retain said outer wall in contact with said disk-like screen element and maintain substantially constant the gap between said inner wall and said disk-like screen element.

A pilot flame assembly suitable for generating a pilot flame for igniting the main flame of a furnace comprising:

• (a) a housing having a central passageway extending longitudinally through said housing, said central passageway having a pilot flame emitting end;
• (b) a first port accommodating a semiconductor flame detection means at an end of the central passageway opposite said pilot flame emitting end, the opening of said first port being in communication with the central passageway in a substantially coaxial relationship, said semiconductor flame detector means constructed for detection of the pilot flame or the main furnace flame by sensing the emitted radiation of said flames;
• (c) an inlet port for accommodating a fuel-air mixture, the opening of said inlet port communicating with said central passageway;
• (d) a baffle assembly within said passageway and coaxially disposed to said first port, said baffle assembly in proximity to the pilot flame emitting end, said baffle assembly having a disk-like screen element with a plurality of openings therethrough to accommodate an fuel-air mixture flowing through said central passageway, an intermediate element substantially hollow in construction and a biasing means for maintaining said intermediate element adjacent said disk-like screen element;
• (e) a second port accommodating a spark ignition means, the opening of said second port communicating with said central passageway;
• (f) a third port mating with means for viewing the pilot flame of said pilot assembly, said third port being disposed below said first port, the opening of said third port having an axis which is at an angle with respect to the axis of said central passageway.