Infrared Burner Coil Heating for Low-Emission Pressure Washers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hot water pressure washers using flame combustion for heating water suffer from low heat transfer efficiency, high carbon monoxide emissions, and corrosive condensate formation due to inefficient heat distribution and combustion processes, leading to premature appliance failure and emission regulation issues.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an infrared burner with controlled air and fuel flow for stoichiometric combustion, providing efficient heat transfer through radiation and conduction, reducing emissions and condensation issues, and allowing for flexible firing rate adjustments without part changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If flame combustion is used to heat water, then heat is transferred to water, but heat transfer efficiency is low and carbon monoxide emissions are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional flame combustion with infrared radiation heating. The infrared burner converts fuel chemical energy directly into infrared radiation, which then heats the water. This substitution of the heating mechanism eliminates the need for open flame combustion, thereby improving heat transfer efficiency while significantly reducing carbon monoxide emissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and transmission mode of heat energy from convective flame heating to radiative infrared heating. By adjusting the burner design to emit infrared radiation at specific wavelengths that are efficiently absorbed by water, the system achieves superior heat transfer efficiency and lower emissions compared to traditional flame combustion.
2Loss of energy
If flue gasses cool past dew point, then heat transfer occurs, but corrosive condensates form that destroy metal components
Solution Approach 1:
The infrared burner design eliminates the formation of corrosive condensates by directly radiating heat to the water without producing flue gasses that cool below dew point. The infrared radiation transfers energy efficiently to the water, minimizing the temperature differential that would otherwise cause condensation and subsequent corrosion of metal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of flue gas condensation into benefit by using infrared radiation that directly heats water without producing corrosive byproducts. The energy that would otherwise be lost in cooling flue gasses is instead utilized through infrared radiation to efficiently heat the water, eliminating the corrosion problem entirely.
3Ease of operation
If open bottom burner design is used, then air enters for combustion, but cooling effect on lower coil reduces heat transfer
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of allowing cool air to rise from below and cool the lower coil (the conventional approach), the infrared burner inverts the heating approach by radiating energy directly downward and outward to heat the lower coil sections first. This inversion of the heating pattern ensures that the coldest sections of the coil receive the most intense radiation, eliminating the cooling effect problem.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If burner is de-rated to lower CO emissions, then emissions are reduced, but heat output is also reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The infrared burner technology allows the system to maintain full heat output while producing minimal CO emissions. By converting chemical energy directly into infrared radiation rather than relying on flame combustion, the system achieves complete and efficient fuel combustion, eliminating the need to de-rate the burner and maintaining maximum heating power with significantly lower emissions.
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 infrared burner achieves rapid and efficient heating with significantly reduced carbon monoxide and NOx emissions, increased heat transfer, and lower fuel consumption, while minimizing maintenance and part requirements, and is adaptable to various fuels and altitudes.
Implementation Method 1
Infrared burners transfer a large amount of heat through radiation. This is a much more efficient transfer of thermal energy for rapid heating and compact devices.
Implementation Method 2
Flame burners and infrared burners of equal BTU consumption rates will produce equal amounts of heat. The difference in performance of the 2 burners is the way the heat is transferred. Flame burners will transfer heat most through conduction, direct contact of hot flue gasses to the wall of the heat exchanger. Infrared burners transfer large amounts of heat through radiation
Implementation Method 3
Flame burners will transfer heat most through conduction, direct contact of hot flue gasses to the wall of the heat exchanger. Infrared burners transfer large amounts of heat through radiation as well as having the equal amount of hot combustion gasses to transfer heat through conduction.
Implementation Method 4
The present invention provides an infrared burner with a controlled flow of both air and fuel to produce an almost stoichiometric combustion with very low emission of CO and unburned hydrocarbons.
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure washer with an infrared burner for generating hot water is provided. The washer comprises of: an upright cylindrical shell having a flue on the top and being open at the bottom, and having furnace type insulations as lining on its inner and outer walls; a coil type heat exchanged fitted inside said shell, said heat exchanger having a cold liquid input and a hot liquid output; an upright porous-cylinder inserted into said heat exchanger, said porous-cylinder having a closed top, an open bottom, an inner surface area, an outer surface area, and a cylinder volume being the volume inside said cylinder; a perforated sleeve tightly fitted into said porous cylinder covering all the inner surface area of said porous-cylinder; an air-fuel mixing chamber to generate an air-fuel mixture; an injection system to inject said air-fuel mixture into said cylinder volume; a perforated plate at the bottom of the cylinder to distribute the air-fuel mixture into the volume; an ignition means located close to the outer surface of said porous cylinder; whereby a uniform infrared radiating flame is form all over the porous cylinder, thereby uniformly heating the liquid flowing through said coil.