Portable catalytic heater
AssigneeEnerco Group, Inc.
InventorBrian S. Vandrak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is a portable heating device comprising a combustion-powered heater, a regulator, and an oxygen depletion sensor. The combustion-powered heater may be supplied by an associated fuel source and may comprise a combustion region comprising a catalytic surface. The regulator may be adapted for fluid communication with the associated fuel source. The oxygen depletion sensor may comprise a burner and a temperature detector. The burner may be in fluid communication with the regulator and may be adapted to combust fuel form the regulator with air to produce a flame. The temperature detector may be adapted to detect the temperature of the flame and may be adapted to selectively render the combustion-powered heater non-functional.
Claims19
A portable heating device comprising:
- a combustion-powered heater,
- supplied by an associated fuel source, and
- comprising a combustion region comprising a catalytic surface;
- a regulator adapted for fluid communication with the associated fuel source;
- and
- an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS), configured to selectively render the combustion-powered heater non-functional when a non-desired atmosphere is detected, said ODS comprising
- a burner in fluid communication with said regulator, said burner adapted to combust fuel from said regulator with air to produce an ODS flame, and
- a temperature detector, adapted to detect the temperature of said ODS flame wherein said temperature of said ODS flame is indicative of a desired atmosphere and said non-desired atmosphere;
- wherein said ODS flame is adapted to have a temperature indicative of the non-desired atmosphere when the atmosphere comprises one or more of:
- a carbon dioxide amount of more than 5000 PPM;
- a carbon monoxide amount of more than 100 PPM;
- or at least 82% by volume non-oxygen components.
A portable combustion-powered heater supplied by an associated fuel source, said combustion-powered heater comprising:
- a combustion region comprising a catalytic surface;
- a regulator operationally engaged with the associated fuel source;
- a valve;
- and
- an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS), operationally engaged with said regulator, and configured to detect a non-desired atmosphere, said ODS comprising,
- a burner in operative engagement with said regulator, said burner adapted to combust fuel in air to produce an ODS flame, and
- a detector, said detector being adapted to detect a first property of the ODS flame, wherein the first property of the ODS flame is an ODS flame temperature indicative of a a desired atmosphere and said non-desired atmosphere;
- wherein first property is indicative of said non-desired atmosphere when the atmosphere comprises one or more of:
- a carbon dioxide amount of more than 5000 PPM;
- a carbon monoxide amount of more than 100 PPM;
- or at least 82% by volume non-oxygen components.
A portable heating device comprising:
- a combustion-powered heater supplied by an associated fuel source, wherein said fuel source comprises propane, and wherein said combustion-powered heater comprises a combustion region comprising a catalytic surface comprising a catalyst and a substrate, and wherein:
- said catalyst comprising ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, or mixtures thereof, and
- said substrate comprising a glass fiber, a porous metal, a ceramic, or a mixture thereof;
- said combustion-powered heater is configured to perform one or more of:
- consume oxygen from the atmosphere as a combustion reactant or
- release a combustion product into the atmosphere;
- a regulator operationally engaged with the associated fuel source, wherein said regulator is configured to output a flow of fuel from the associated fuel source to an ODS burner a pressure of approximately eleven inches of water column.
- a normally-closed valve, wherein said valve is in fluid communication with said combustion region and in fluid communication with said associated fuel source, and wherein said valve is configured to shut-off said combustion-powered heater when closed;
- and
- an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS), configured to hold open said normally-closed valve unless a depleted level of oxygen is detected, said ODS comprising,
- said ODS burner in operative engagement with said regulator, wherein said ODS burner is configured to combust fuel in air to produce an ODS flame
- a detector, wherein said detector is configured to detect a first property of the ODS flame and
- wherein the first property of the ODS flame is indicative of a depleted oxygen content when the atmosphere comprises a carbon dioxide amount of more than 5000 PPM, or the atmosphere comprises a carbon monoxide amount of more than 100 PPM, or the atmosphere comprises at least 82% by volume non-oxygen components, or any combination thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.