Heating Device Startup Profile for Reliable Ignition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Heating devices with pneumatic gas/air combinations face challenges in achieving reliable ignition due to fluctuations in the fuel gas composition, leading to noisy ignition or failure, which increases stress on the device and requires multiple attempts, resulting in maintenance issues and increased complexity when attempting to regulate the combustion mixture.

Innovation Solution

The method involves defining a start profile by controlling the delivery device's performance curve and gas valve opening time to influence the combustion mixture composition, shifting it towards a lean or rich mixture as needed for successful ignition, using a Venturi nozzle and pneumatic restriction to adjust the gas flow and air flow ratio, ensuring a suitable mixture for ignition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the proportion of fuel gas is increased to ensure ignitability, then ignition reliability is improved, but ignition noise increases and device stress increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveignition reliabilityVSAvoidignition noise
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The conveying device is activated before the gas valve to pre-establish a controlled airflow. This preliminary action creates a foundation for subsequent gas introduction, allowing the mixture composition to be more precisely controlled during ignition, thereby achieving reliable ignition without excessive fuel gas proportion that would cause noise

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the operation sequence and timing of the conveying device and gas valve based on real-time conditions. By making the airflow and gas introduction dynamic rather than static, the system can optimize the mixture composition for each ignition attempt, balancing ignitability with noise reduction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Object-generated harmful factors

If the proportion of fuel gas is decreased to reduce ignition noise, then noise is reduced, but ignitability decreases requiring multiple attempts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveignition noiseVSAvoidignition success rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms to monitor ignition conditions and adjust the operation of the conveying device and gas valve accordingly. Based on feedback from previous ignition attempts or real-time sensor data, the system optimizes the gas-air mixture composition, allowing low-noise operation while maintaining high ignitability through adaptive control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters such as airflow rate, gas valve opening timing, and duration to optimize the mixture composition. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system achieves a balance between noise reduction and ignitability, ensuring successful ignition with appropriate mixture ratios

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If gas flow limiters or buffer storage tanks are added to regulate mixture composition, then mixture control is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixture composition controlVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The conveying device and gas valve work in coordination with each other, where the conveying device provides the airflow foundation and the gas valve precisely meters the fuel gas introduction. This self-service arrangement between existing components achieves good mixture control without requiring additional regulatory devices like flow limiters or buffer tanks

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The conveying device serves multiple functions: it provides combustion air during normal operation and also serves as the primary control mechanism for airflow during ignition. The gas valve similarly serves both normal fuel supply and ignition-specific gas metering. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated components for ignition mixture control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Reliability

If multiple ignition attempts are made to ensure successful ignition, then ignition reliability is improved, but device stress and maintenance requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveignition successVSAvoiddevice stress
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The conveying device is activated in advance before gas introduction to ensure optimal airflow conditions are already established. This preliminary preparation reduces the need for corrective multiple attempts, as the first ignition attempt occurs under pre-optimized conditions, thereby reducing cumulative device stress

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system adjusts operational parameters such as airflow rate and gas valve timing to create optimal ignition conditions from the first attempt. By changing parameters proactively rather than reactively through multiple attempts, the system reduces device stress while maintaining high ignition success rates

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 approach ensures reliable ignition in various scenarios without significantly increasing the complexity of the heating device, reducing the need for multiple ignition attempts and minimizing stress on the device, while maintaining operational safety and cost-effectiveness.

Implementation Method 1

fuel gas is added to an airflow supplied by a conveying unit via a Venturi nozzle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVenturi effect: Venturi Effect

Data Source

PatentEP4174373A1Method for starting up a heating device, heating device, computer program and ma-schine-readable storage medium
Publication Date: 2023.05.03 VAILLANT GMBH(DE)
  • EP4174373A1 patent drawingFigure 1a~2
  • EP4174373A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4174373A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A method for defining a start-up profile or commissioning a heating system with a pneumatic gas-air mixture is proposed, comprising at least the following steps: a) defining a power curve for a conveying device, b) defining an opening time for a gas valve, whereby the opening time of the gas valve is determined with reference to the power curve of the conveying device defined in step a) or the power curve as a function of the opening time defined in step b). This allows for the definition of various variable start-up parameters of the heating device for commissioning the heating device with the aim of a trouble-free ignition process. The start-up parameters can, for example, include an ignition time, an ignition intensity, and instructions for operating a pneumatic restriction.