Apparatus and method for treating the emission products of a wood burning stove

A combination wood burning stove and pollutant removal/heat exchange apparatus, wherein:

• a. said stove comprises:
• 1. a housing defining a burning chamber in which wood can be burned;
• 2. exhaust conduit means defining an exhaust passageway to carry emission products from the burning chamber, with said emission products containing at least part of the time, an excess of incompletely burned hydrocarbons which are liquid within a predetermined temperature range;
• 3. air intake control means to control inflow of air into said burning chamber as a means of controlling rate of combustion of the wood;
• b. said apparatus being arranged to provide for the emission products a flow through passageway communicating with the exhaust passageway of the exhaust conduit means, said apparatus comprising:
• 1. a support housing;
• 2. a first electrode mounted to the support housing and having a first collecting surface and a second heat exchange surface, said first electrode being positioned so that the emission products flowing through the apparatus flow adjacent to the first collecting surface;
• 3. a second electrode positioned relative to the first electrode so that the emission products flow between the first collecting surface and the second electrode;
• 4. voltage supply means operatively connected to the second electrode to charge the second electrode negatively to a predetermined voltage level relative to the first electrode to create corona discharge from the second electrode to cause material including at least a portion of incompletely burned hydrocarbons in the emission products to become deposited on the first collecting surface of the first electrode;
• 5. said apparatus being provided with heat exchange means to direct a heat exchange medium adjacent said second heat exchange surface so as to be in heat exchange relationship with the emission products passing adjacent to the first collecting surface of the first electrode, in a manner to extract heat from the emission products, to maintain temperature at said first electrode at a temperature level no higher than said predetermined temperature range at least part of the time, and to direct said heat exchange medium from the heat exchange means;
• 6. the first electrode being positioned so that the first collecting surface has a substantial vertical component of alignment, with a portion of the deposited material being removed by gravity flow from the first collecting surface.

A pollutant removal/heat exchange apparatus adapted to be used in conjunction with a wood burning stove which comprises:

• a. a housing defining a burning chamber in which a fuel product having the burning characteristics of wood can be burned;
• b. exhaust conduit means defining an exhaust passageway to carry emission products from the burning chamber, with said emission products containing at least part of the time, an excess of incompletely burned hydrocarbons which are liquid within a predetermined temperature range;
• c. air intake control means to control inflow of air into said burning chamber as a means of controlling rate of combustion of the wood;
• said apparatus being arranged to provide for the emission products a flow through passageway communicating with the exhaust passageway of the exhaust conduit means, said apparatus comprising:
• a. a support housing;
• b. a first electrode mounted to the support housing and having a first collecting surface and a second heat exchange surface, said first electrode being positioned so that the emission products flowing through the apparatus flow adjacent to the first collecting surface;
• c. a second electrode positioned relative to the first electrode so that the emission products flow between the first collecting surface and the second electrode;
• d. voltage supply means operatively connected to the second electrode to charge the second electrode negatively to a predetermined voltage level relative to the first electrode to create corona discharge from the second electrode to cause material including at least a portion of incompletely burned hydrocarbons in the emission products to become deposited on the first collecting surface of the first electrode;
• e. said apparatus being provided with heat exchange means to direct a heat exchange medium adjacent said second heat exchange surface so as to be in heat exchange relationship with the emission products passing adjacent to the first collecting surface of the first electrode, in a manner to extract heat from the emission products, to maintain temperature at said first electrode at a temperature level no higher than said predetermined temperature range at least part of the time, and to direct said heat exchange medium from the heat exchange means;
• f. the first electrode being adapted to be positioned so that the first collecting surface has a substantial vertical component of alignment, with a portion of the deposited material being removed by gravity flow from the first collecting surface;
• g. the first electrode being adapted to be positioned so that the first collecting surface has a substantial vertical component of alignment, with a portion of the deposited material being removed by gravity flow from the first collecting surface;
• h. said heat exchange means being arranged to maintain at least part of the time the temperature at the first electrode at a level below the boiling point of water, whereby at least a portion of moisture in the emission products is condensed and collects on the first surface of the first electrode as at least part of the deposited material to flow downwardly therefrom;
• and
• i. said apparatus further comprising tray means at a location vertically below said first electrode to collect the deposited material which moves downwardly from the first surface of the first electrode.

A pollutant removal/heat exchange apparatus adpated to be used in conjunction with a wood burning stove which comprises:

• a. a housing defining a burning chamber in which a fuel product having the burning characteristics of wood can be burned;
• b. exhaust conduit means defining an exhaust passageway to carry emission products from the burning chamber, with said emission products containing at least part of the time, an excess of incompletely burned hydrocarbons which are liquid within a predetermined temperature range;
• c. air intake control means to control inflow of air into said burning chamber as a means of controlling rate of combustion of the wood;
• said apparatus being arranged to provide for the emission products a flow through passageway communicating with the exhaust passageway of the exhaust conduit means, said apparatus comprising:
• a. a support housing;
• b. a first electrode mounted to the support housing and having a first collecting surface and a second heat exchange surface, said first electrode being positioned so that the emission products flowing through the apparatus flow adjacent to the first collecting surface;
• c. a second electrode positioned relative to the first electrode so that the emission products flow between the first collecting surface and the second electrode;
• d. voltage supply means operatively connected to the second electrode to charge the second electrode negatively to a predetermined voltage level relative to the first electrode to create corona discharge from the second electrode to cause material including at least a portion of incompletely burned hydrocarbons in the emission products to become deposited on the first collecting surface of the first electrode;
• e. said apparatus being provided with heat exchange means to direct a heat exchange medium adjacent said second heat exchange surface so as to be in heat exchange relationship with the emission products passing adjacent to the first collecting surface of the first electrode, in a manner to extract heat from the emission products, to maintain temperature at said first electrode at a temperature level no higher than said predetermined temperature range at least part of the time, and to direct said heat exchange medium from the heat exchange means;
• f. the first electrode being adapted to be positioned so that the first collecting surface has a substantial vertical component of alignment, with a portion of the deposited material being removed by gravity flow from the first collecting surface;
• g. said apparatus further comprising bypass means defining a bypass passageway to direct the emission products around said flow through passageway, said apparatus also comprising damper means selectively operable to direct emission products from the wood burning unit either through the electrostatic precipitator or through the bypass means.

A pollutant removal/heat exchange apparatus adapted to be used in conjunction with a wood burning stove which comprises:

• a. a housing defining a burning chamber in which a fuel product having the burning characteristics of wood can be burned;
• b. exhaust conduit means defining an exhaust passageway to carry emission products from the burning chamber, with said emission products containing at least part of the time, an excess of incompletely burned hydrocarbons which are liquid within a predetermined temperature range;
• c. air intake control means to control inflow of air into said burning chamber as a means of controlling rate of combustion of the wood;
• said apparatus being arranged to provide for the emission products a flow through passageway communicating with the exhaust passageway of the exhaust conduit means, said apparatus comprising:
• a. a support housing;
• b. a first electrode mounted to the support housing and having a first collecting surface and a second heat exchange surface, said first electrode being positioned so that the emission products flowing through the apparatus flow adjacent to the first collecting surface;
• c. a second electrode positioned relative to the first electrode so that the emission products flow between the first collecting surface and the second electrode;
• d. voltage supply means operatively connected to the second electrode to charge the second electrode negatively to a predetermined voltage level relative to the first electrode to create corona discharge from the second electrode to cause material including at least a portion of incompletely burned hydrocarbons in the emission products to become deposited on the first collecting surface of the first electrode;
• e. said apparatus being provided with heat exchange means to direct a heat exchange medium adjacent said second heat exchange surface so as to be in heat exchange relationship with the emission products passing adjacent to the first collecting surface of the first electrode, in a manner to extract heat from the emission products, to maintain temperature at said first electrode at a temperature level no higher than said predetermined temperature range at least part of the time, and to direct said heat exchange medium from the heat exchange means;
• f. the first electrode being adapted to be positioned so that the first collecting surface has a substantial vertical component of alignment, with a portion of the deposited material being removed by gravity flow from the first collecting surface;
• g. said support housing having a substantially closed side wall, and a lower inlet end and an upper outlet end;
• h. said first electrode being a tubular electrode, with said second electrode being positioned within said first electrode to form with the first electrode an electrostatic precipitator unit, said apparatus comprising a plurality of such precipitator units positioned within said housing at predetermined spaced locations within said housing, and with the first electrodes defining therebetween heat exchange passageway means, upper and lower plate means being provided to enclose said heat exchange passageway means;
• i. fan means mounted to said housing and arranged to direct ambient air into and through said heat exchange passageway means;
• j. said housing being provided with air outlet means to direct heated air outwardly from said heat exchange passageway means;
• k. said heat exchange means further comprising variable speed fan means, and temperature responsive control means to control speed of said fan to cause greater or lesser amounts of heat exchange air to flow through the heat exchange passageways to maintain temperature at the first electrodes at a predetermined temperature level.