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US 4,944,674 AGranted
Apparatus for heating a vessel
AssigneeBritish Gas Corporation
InventorsPhilip J. Wedge, David Wharmby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeBritish Gas Corporation
InventorsPhilip J. Wedge, David Wharmby
Estimating the term…
An apparatus such as a crucible furnace for heating a vessel such as a crucible comprises an enclosure surrounding the vessel so that a flow path exists between the enclosure and the vessel which has an outer surface forming the inner boundary of the flow path. The flow path extends all around the vessel. First and second gas fired burners open into the flow path to discharge their hot combustion product gases into the path. Associated with each burner is a respective heat regenerator. When the first burner is in firing mode its emitted hot combustion product gases circulate around the flow path and leave through the second burner, which is in flueing mode, and heat the associated regenerator. Then when the second burner is in firing mode that heated regenerator heats the combustion air used by the second burner. The hot combustion product gases emitted by the second burner flow along the flow path but this time in the opposite direction and leave through the first burner, which is in flueing mode, and heat its associated regenerator.
Apparatus for heating a vessel comprising an enclosure to surround said vessel, a reversing burner system having at least first and second burners for operating alternately as firing burners or as flues for hot combustion product gases, said enclosure being spaced from said vessel so that a flow path exists between the enclosure and vessel, said flow path being for receiving the hot combustion product gases discharged into the flow path from said firing burners, said flow path being adjacent to the exterior of the vessel and extending completely around said vessel for allowing circulation and re-circulation of the hot combustion product gases, and the first and second burners being in positions for causing the hot combustion product gases from the first burner to flow in one direction along the flow path when the second burner is operating as a said flue in one cycle of operation of the burners and for causing the hot combustion product gases from the second burner to flow in the opposite direction along the flow path when the first burner is operating as a said flue in the alternate cycle of operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.