Barbecue Grill Sear Zone Burner and Valve for Dual-Heat Cooking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing barbecue grills face challenges in providing both intense heat for searing and low heat for slow cooking, with infrared burners being ineffective for conventional cooking and wasting cooking surface space, and gas control valves requiring significant rotation to turn on and lacking a sear setting for increased flow capacity.
Innovation Solution
A high-capacity gas valve with a sear setting that provides 120% to 130% of the high flow rate, angularly offset by 45° from the off position, and a supplementary sear-zone burner tube that supplements standard burners to create a multi-use cooking zone for searing and conventional cooking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If infrared burners are used to provide intense heat for searing, then searing capability is improved, but conventional cooking capability deteriorates because the low setting is still hotter than the high setting of standard burners
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking surface is divided into distinct zones: a sear zone with infrared burners for high-temperature searing, and standard burner zones for conventional cooking. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The grill system is designed to support multiple cooking modes by combining infrared burners and standard burners, enabling the same grill to perform both searing and conventional cooking functions through different burner configurations.
2Temperature
If infrared burners are used for searing, then searing performance is improved, but cooking surface area is reduced because the portion above infrared burners is lost space
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking surface is segmented into a sear zone above infrared burners and standard grilling zones above standard burners. This allows the sear zone to be dedicated for searing while the standard zones remain available for conventional grilling, maximizing overall usable surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the cooking surface are assigned different qualities: the sear zone is optimized for high-heat searing applications, while the standard zones are optimized for conventional grilling, allowing each area to serve its intended purpose effectively.
3Temperature
If gas control valve high flow capacity is increased to provide searing heat, then searing capability is improved, but low temperature cooking capability deteriorates because the low setting becomes hotter
Solution Approach 1:
The gas delivery system is segmented into separate valve circuits: a high-capacity valve for the infrared sear burners that can deliver intense heat, and a standard valve for the conventional burners that maintains proper low-temperature control. This segmentation allows each valve to be optimized for its specific temperature range without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different valve characteristics are applied to different burner zones: high-capacity valves with higher flow ratings are used for the infrared sear burners where intense heat is required, while standard valves are used for conventional burners where precise temperature control is needed.
4Temperature
If standard valve with increased high flow capacity is used, then searing capability is improved, but device complexity increases due to valve configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The gas control system is segmented into separate valve circuits for infrared and standard burners, with each valve configured for its specific application. This segmentation simplifies the overall system by allowing each valve to be independently optimized without requiring complex multi-position valves.
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 allows for efficient use of the cooking surface by providing intense heat for searing and low heat for slow cooking, reducing rotation required to turn on the grill and maintaining fine heat adjustments, while utilizing the entire cooking surface for both searing and conventional cooking.
Implementation Method 1
Rotation of the valve plug aligns channels in the flow restrictor with the valve inlet ports to deliver a selected amount of gas to the burner tube
Implementation Method 2
supplementary gas burner tube...which may be configured to provide the intense heat required for searing foods
Implementation Method 3
some manufacturers incorporate infrared (IR) burners into their barbecue grills, which are capable of producing the intense heat required for searing food
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of a gas valve and a sear-zone gas burner are described and claimed herein. One embodiment described herein relates to a cooking chamber with a cooking surface, which has at least two portions including a first portion and a second portion. The first and second portions of the cooking surface each have at least one heat source disposed underneath. The at least one heat source for each cooking surface in turn has a highest setting such that a first maximum heat output is provided to the first portion of the cooking surface when set at the highest setting and a second maximum heat output is provided to the second portion of the cooking surface when set at highest setting, wherein the second maximum heat output provided to the second portion is greater than the first maximum heat output provided to the first portion of the cooking surface.