Hot air blower having two porous materials and gap therebetween
AssigneeMicropyretics Heaters International, Inc.
InventorsKandy Staples, Vijay Sarvepalli, Ming Fu, Jainagesh A. Sekhar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hot air blower is provided having a first material, a second material, and a gap disposed between the two materials. The gap provides residence time in order for a gaseous flow delivered through the blower to become heated. The materials preferably comprise porous ceramic foam and provide a tortuous path for the gaseous flow. The preferred ratio of the volume of the materials to the volume of the gap is 3. The blower also preferably comprises a heating element for imparting heat to the gaseous flow, and a fan for creating the flow.
Claims22
A device for heating a gaseous flow comprising:
- a first material having an inlet side for receiving a gaseous flow, an inner side for discharging said gaseous flow, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inlet side to said inner side;
- a second material having an inner side for receiving said gaseous flow, an outlet side for discharging said gaseous flow, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inner side to said outlet side, wherein said inner side of said first material and said inner side of said second material define a gap therebetween, wherein the the ratio of the sum of the volumes of the first and second materials to the volume of the gap is between about 1 and about 5;
- and
- a heat source in heat transfer relation with said gaseous flow for heating said gaseous flow.
A method of heating a gaseous flow comprising the steps of:
- providing a first material having an inlet side, an inner side, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inlet side to said inner side;
- providing a second material having an inner side, an outlet side, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inner side to said outlet side, wherein said inner side of said first material and said inner side of said second material define a gap therebetween, wherein the ratio of the sum of the volumes of the first and second materials to the volume of the gap is between about 1 and about 5;
- and
- forcing gas through said first material, said gap, and said second material.
A device for heating a gaseous flow comprising:
- a first material having an inlet side for receiving a gaseous flow, an inner side for discharging said gaseous flow, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inlet side to said inner side;
- a second material having an inner side for receiving said gaseous flow, an outlet side for discharging said gaseous flow, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inner side to said outlet side, wherein said inner side of said first material and said inner side of said second material define a gap therebetween for providing residence time for gases passing therethrough, wherein the ratio of the sum of the average thickness of the first and second materials to the average thickness of the gap is between about 1 and 5;
- and
- a heat source in heat transfer relation with said gaseous flow for heating said gaseous flow.
A device for heating a gaseous flow comprising:
- a first porous ceramic material having an inlet side for receiving a gaseous flow, an inner side for discharging said gaseous flow, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inlet side to said inner side;
- a second porous ceramic material having an inner side for receiving said gaseous flow, an outlet side for discharging said gaseous flow, and a plurality of openings, said openings providing at least one passageway from said inner side to said outlet side, wherein said inner side of said first material and said inner side of said second material define a gap therebetween for providing residence time for gases passing therethrough, wherein the ratio of the sum of the volumes of the first and second materials to the volume of the gap is between about 1 and about 5;
- and
- a heat source in heat transfer relation with said gaseous flow for heating said gaseous flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.