Method and apparatus of combustion for a pipestill heater

In an apparatus of combustion for a pipestill heater composed of a combustion chamber, heating tubes adapted to allow flow therein of the process fluid and mounted inside said combustion chamber, and combustion devices disposed so as to spout flames into said combustion chamber and consequently to apply heat to the fluid flowing in said heating tube through said heating tubes, the improvement being in that said combustion devices are each composed of a burner for heating said heating tubes, an oxidizing agent supply path for supplying an oxidizing agent to said burner, an exhaust gas discharge path for discharging the exhaust gas resulting from the combustion to the exterior of said combustion chamber along a path separate from the flow of the oxidizing agent, an air-pervious heat accumulator attached to a wall of said combustion chamber, said oxidizing agent being discharged through said oxidizing agent supply path to pass through parts of said heat accumulator and, at the same time, said exhaust gas leading through said heat accumulator to said exhaust gas discharge path, the area of said heat accumulator for passing said oxidizing agent discharged from said oxidizing agent supply path through the heat accumulator being displaced relatively to said heat accumulator, said oxidizing agent supply path and said heat accumulator being adapted to be rotated relative to the exhaust gas discharge path, said oxidizing agent supply path including a duct, said exhaust gas discharge path being concentrically around a portion of said duct, a drive mechanism mounted to said duct, and a motor actuating said drive mechanism to rotate said duct.