Inward-Fired Gas Burner Assembly With Stability Chamber Relighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inwardly fired gas burners are prone to flame extinction due to pressure disturbances, such as those caused by rapid oven door manipulation, which leads to unstable flames and thermal quenching, as they lack the stability mechanisms present in traditional burners with centrally located burner throats.
Innovation Solution
A gas burner assembly with a burner body featuring inner flame ports oriented radially and a stability chamber with a simmer flame outlet positioned between a pair of inner flame ports, allowing for inward fuel flow and enhanced flame stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If inwardly fired gas burners are used, then fuel injection velocity is improved for primary air entrainment, but flame stability deteriorates under pressure disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The burner is divided into separate functional zones: an outer burner body with flame ports for primary combustion, and an inner stability chamber with a simmer flame outlet for maintaining flame stability. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specialized function independently, resolving the contradiction between high-velocity fuel injection and flame stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stability chamber acts as an intermediary element between the fuel source and the flame ports. It receives fuel through inlet ports and delivers it through the simmer flame outlet at controlled velocities, mediating between the high-pressure fuel supply and the flame maintenance requirement, thus protecting the main flame from pressure disturbances.
2Productivity
If pressure energy is used to accelerate fuel for primary air entrainment, then mixing efficiency is improved, but pressure available at flame ports decreases leading to flame extinction
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel delivery system is segmented into two parallel pathways: one leading to the flame ports for high-velocity injection and mixing, and another leading to the stability chamber for pressure-regulated simmer flame maintenance. This allows both high mixing efficiency and adequate flame port pressure to coexist.
Solution Approach 2:
The stability chamber changes the pressure parameter of the fuel stream by providing a restricted inlet configuration that maintains higher pressure at the simmer flame outlet compared to direct flame port injection. This parameter change enables the simmer flame to remain stable despite the low pressure available at the main flame ports.
3Reliability
If a stability chamber is added to maintain simmer flame, then flame stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stability chamber is merged with the burner body as an integrated component rather than a separate attachment. The chamber shares walls and structural elements with the main burner, and the simmer flame outlet is positioned on the same outer burner body surface, combining multiple functions into a unified structure to minimize complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stability chamber serves multiple functions: it maintains flame stability through the simmer flame, provides an additional fuel delivery pathway, and acts as a pressure regulation chamber. This multi-functionality justifies the added structural elements by delivering multiple benefits from a single added component.
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
The solution maintains a stable simmer flame at both low and high settings, enabling the burner to relight flames effectively and withstand pressure disturbances, improving flame stability in inwardly fired burners.
Implementation Method 1
Each inner flame port of the plurality of inner flame ports is positioned and oriented for directing a flow of fuel inwardly along a radial direction and at a swirl angle relative to the radial direction
Implementation Method 2
The burner body further defines a stability chamber having a simmer flame outlet positioned at the inner sidewall of the burner body between a pair of the plurality of inner flame ports
Data Source
AI summary
A gas burner assembly includes a burner body that defines a plurality of inner flame ports at an inner sidewall of the burner body. Each inner flame port of the plurality of inner flame ports is positioned and oriented for directing a flow of fuel inwardly along a radial direction and at a swirl angle relative to the radial direction. The burner body further defines a stability chamber having a simmer flame outlet positioned at the inner sidewall of the burner body between a pair of the plurality of inner flame ports. The simmer flame outlet of the stability chamber is positioned closer to one of the pair of the plurality of inner flame ports than the other of the pair of the plurality of inner flame ports. A related cooktop appliance is also provided.