Self-Cleaning Burner With Rotating Walls for Ash Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing burners for solid fuels face issues with ash and combustion residues accumulating on the bottom of the combustion brazier, obstructing air flow and requiring manual cleaning, which affects combustion efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A self-cleaning burner design with an actuation shaft and lateral containment walls that automatically adjust to allow ash and residues to fall into a collection tray, featuring seamless walls and controlled fuel supply for automated cleaning during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the openings in the combustion brazier are made larger to ensure sufficient air flow, then air supply is improved, but ash and combustion residues accumulate more easily and obstruct the openings
Solution Approach 1:
The burner employs movable lateral containment walls that can rotate between vertical and inclined positions. During normal operation, the walls are vertical to contain fuel and allow ash to fall into a collection tray. During cleaning operation, the walls rotate to an inclined position to facilitate ash removal, dynamically adapting the containment structure to different operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-cleaning operation where the burner automatically removes ash and combustion residues without manual intervention. The movable walls are actuated by a motor to tilt and dump accumulated ash into a collection tray, allowing the system to maintain optimal combustion conditions autonomously.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the openings are made smaller to prevent ash accumulation, then ash evacuation is improved, but air flow is restricted and combustion efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral containment walls are designed to rotate between vertical and inclined positions, dynamically changing the containment geometry. This allows the system to maintain small openings for efficient ash evacuation during normal operation while enabling large opening clearance during cleaning operation, resolving the contradiction between ash evacuation and air flow requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The burner operates in periodic cycles between normal combustion mode and self-cleaning mode. During normal operation, walls are vertical to contain fuel and allow ash to fall into a collection tray. During cleaning operation, the walls rotate to an inclined position to facilitate ash removal, periodically alternating between these states to maintain optimal combustion conditions.
3Productivity
If manual cleaning is performed to remove ash, then combustion efficiency is maintained, but user intervention is required and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The burner system performs self-cleaning operation automatically without requiring user intervention. A motor actuates the movable lateral containment walls to tilt and dump accumulated ash into a collection tray, allowing the system to maintain optimal combustion conditions autonomously and eliminating the need for manual cleaning by the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical cleaning with an automated motor-driven mechanism. The motor actuates the movable walls to perform ash removal, substituting human labor with an automated mechanical system that continuously maintains combustion efficiency without user intervention.
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
Enables automated and continuous cleaning of the combustion brazier, maintaining optimal air flow and combustion efficiency without manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
at least one containment wall 12 is directed downward in order to allow the ash and the combustion residues to fall into a collection tray 14 arranged below the lower closing body 5
Data Source
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AI summary
A self-cleaning burner (1) for solid fuels, which comprises a combustion brazier (2) associated with automatic and mechanical means for its cleaning, the combustion brazier (2) being associated with a containment brazier (3) which is defined, laterally, by at least one lateral delimitation surface (4) and, below, by at least one lower closing body (5), means also being provided for feeding solid fuel to the containment brazier (3), characterized in that the lower closing body (5) comprises an actuation shaft (11) which extends about a longitudinal axis (100) which in use is substantially horizontal, the actuation shaft (11) being associated with a plurality of longitudinal lateral containment walls (12) which are arranged angularly spaced apart about the longitudinal axis (100), there being means for movement on command of the actuation shaft (11) about the longitudinal axis (100) between angular work positions, in each angular work position a pair of adjacent lateral containment walls (12) being directed upward in order to define, at least partly, the containment brazier (3), and at least one containment wall being directed downward in order to allow the ash and the combustion residues to fall into a collection tray (14) arranged below the lower closing body (5).