Burner for combusting particulate fuels

A burner for combusting particulate fuel comprising:

• A. a combustion chamber having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing walls, a closed end and an open end, all having inner and outer surfaces, and a chimney positioned adjacent the closed end of the combustion chamber and communicating with the interior thereof;
• B. a plurality of supports within the combustion chamber, each support attached to an inner surface of a wall and projecting inwardly therefrom;
• C. a plurality of grates, each having a downwardly sloping surface facing said closed end of the combustion chamber and movably positioned upon a pair of supports so that portions of said supports extend beyond the fuel bed between the grate and the closed end, said grates positioned within the combustion chamber in stairstep fashion;
• D. a hopper to receive and contain fuel attached to the outer surface of the top of the combustion chamber and having a base defining an opening above the uppermost grate;
• E. a baffle plate extending downward from the hopper base toward the uppermost grate and shaped so that the fuel contained in the hopper is directed to the downwardly sloping surface of the uppermost grate and is distributed more to the portion of the grate adjacent the walls than the portion of the grate located midway between the walls;
• F. the top of the combustion chamber being provided with a slot located adjacent the hopper and between the hopper and the closed end;
• and
• G. a means for varying the size of the slot.

A burner for combusting particulate fuels comprising:

• A. a combustion chamber
• B. a plurality of grates positioned within the combustion chamber in stairstep fashion, each having a downwardly sloping surface,
• C. a plurality of bypass channels within the combustion chamber which support the grates and extend beyond the fuel bed,
• D. a baffle plate for directing the deposition of a fuel bed across the downwardly sloping portion of the grates, which baffle plate is positioned above the uppermost grate and is shaped so that the fuel is distributed more in line with the bypass channels than between them, and
• E. an exhaust means communicating with the interior of the combustion chamber.

A burner for combusting particulate fuels comprising:

• A. a combustion chamber
• B. a plurality of grates positioned within the combustion chamber in stairstep fashion, each having a downwardly sloping surface,
• C. a plurality of bypass channels within the combustion chamber which support the grates and extend beyond the fuel bed,
• D. a means for directing the deposition of a fuel bed across the downwardly sloping portion of the grates, and
• E. an exhaust means communicating with the interior of the combustion chamber.