Engine exhaust-driven heating device for use in portable surface drying equipment

A portable heating apparatus comprising:

• a catalytic chamber (15) housing at least one catalyst (3) suitable for reducing a level of undesired pollutants present in an engine exhaust gas stream;
• a baffled mixing chamber (5) arranged to receive a catalytic-treated exhaust gas stream from the catalytic chamber and an ambient air stream from an ambient air source (13);
• and
• a distribution chamber (6) arranged to receive a mixed gas stream from the baffled mixing chamber, the distribution chamber including means for directing a flow of the mixed gas stream toward a surface to be dried.

A method for removing an undesired layer of material residing immediately above a desired base layer of material, the method comprising the steps of:

• passing an engine exhaust gas stream through a catalytic chamber (15) housing at least one catalyst (3), the catalyst being suitable for reducing a level of undesired pollutants present in the engine exhaust gas stream;
• mixing a catalytic-treated exhaust gas stream from the catalytic chamber with an ambient air stream from an ambient air source (13), the mixing step taking place in a baffled mixing chamber (5);
• and
• distributing a mixed gas stream from the baffled mixing chamber toward the undesired layer of material;
• wherein the mixed gas stream has a higher temperature than the catalytic-treated exhaust gas stream and the catalytic-treated exhaust gas stream has a higher temperature than the engine exhaust gas stream;
• and
• wherein the mixed gas stream has an overall lower level of undesired pollutants than does the catalytic-treated exhaust gas stream.