Gas Cooktop Burner Hole Layout for Strong Low-Angle Flames
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing burners have flames at lower angles that are less effective at heating objects due to their distance from the pot, and increasing hole size to enhance these flames increases the risk of backfire.
Innovation Solution
The burner design features a main body with two sets of holes producing flames at different angles, where the second set of holes with a smaller angle has a greater total cross-sectional area and are slightly divergent to enhance oxygenation and power, while reducing the risk of backfire by increasing the number of smaller holes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the size of holes at a lesser angle is increased to enhance flame power and heating ability, then the heating effectiveness of flames at smaller angles is improved, but the risk of backfire phenomena increases
Solution Approach 1:
The burner divides the hole structure into two distinct pluralities: a first plurality of holes at a greater angle (30°-40°) and a second plurality of holes at a lesser angle (10°-20°). Each plurality is further segmented into groups of holes, where each group produces a corresponding flame. This segmentation allows independent optimization of hole sizes and angles for different flame characteristics, resolving the contradiction by enabling larger total cross-sectional area for heating power while maintaining appropriate individual hole dimensions to prevent backfire.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the burner side wall are assigned different hole characteristics. The first plurality of holes at greater angles has smaller total cross-sectional area, while the second plurality of holes at lesser angles has larger total cross-sectional area. This local differentiation allows flames at lesser angles (which are farther from the pot) to have greater power for effective heating, while the overall distribution maintains safety by not concentrating excessive gas flow in any single location.
2Reliability
If the number of holes is increased while reducing their size to reduce backfire risk, then the backfire risk is reduced, but the flame power and heating ability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The burner segments holes into multiple groups arranged at different angles. The second plurality of holes at lesser angles consists of multiple groups, each with multiple holes (e.g., 2-5 holes per group), totaling a larger number of holes compared to conventional designs. This segmentation allows the system to use many small-to-medium sized holes rather than few large holes, reducing backfire risk while collectively providing sufficient gas flow for high flame power.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameters of hole configuration by specifying that the second plurality of holes has a larger total cross-sectional area than the first plurality, while individual hole sizes are optimized to balance flow rate and safety. The angle parameter is also changed, with the second plurality positioned at 10°-20° versus 30°-40° for the first plurality, allowing flames to extend closer to the pot for effective heating without requiring excessive individual hole sizes.
3Quantity of substance
If holes are made divergent to improve oxygenation of flames, then flame oxygenation is improved, but the structural precision required for hole alignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
Within each group of holes, the holes are arranged with slight divergence from the vertical axis, creating a local quality difference from perfectly aligned holes. This slight divergence (much smaller than the angle difference between the two pluralities) is sufficient to improve oxygen mixing and flame stability without requiring high-precision manufacturing. The divergence is localized to each group while maintaining overall symmetry and regularity in the burner structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design ensures that flames at smaller angles have greater power to effectively heat objects, while minimizing the risk of backfire by optimizing gas flow and oxygenation.
Implementation Method 1
a main body equipped with a first plurality of holes capable of producing first flames having a first angle with respect to the horizontal plane of reference, and a second plurality of holes capable of producing second flames having a second angle with respect to said horizontal plane
Implementation Method 2
greater oxygenation of the flames can be achieved by making the vertically aligned holes—i.e. those which contribute to the formation of the same flame—slightly divergent with respect to each other
Implementation Method 3
the second flames have a greater power than the first flames... with the aim of increasing the power of the corresponding flames and giving them a greater ability to heat the pot
Data Source
AI summary
A burner for a gas cooktop comprising a main body provided with a first plurality of holes capable of producing first flames at a first angle with respect to a horizontal reference plane, and a second plurality of holes capable of producing second flames at a second angle with respect to said horizontal plane, which is smaller than the first, said first and second pluralities of holes consisting of corresponding groups of holes, each group being associated with the same flame and each group consisting of at least one hole, characterized in that the total cross-sectional area of each group of holes of the second plurality of holes is greater than the total cross-sectional area of each group of holes of the first plurality of holes, such that the second flames are more powerful than the first flames.