Gas-fired radiant heaters

Claim 1

A GAS-FIRED RADIANT HEATER COMPRISING A GAS DISTRIBUTING CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING INTO SAID CHAMBER A FLAMMABLE MIXTURE OF FUEL GAS AND AIR, SAID CHAMBER BEING BOUNDED BY A REFRACTORY CERAMIC WALL OF LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY FORMED WITH A MYRIAD OF MINUTE ELONGATED PASSAGES THERETHROUGH FOR CONDUCTING FROM SAID CHAMBER MANY DISTINCT STREAMS OF SAID MIXTURE TO BE BURNED IN A MYRIAD OF MINUTE FLAMES AT THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID WALL SAID CERAMIC WALL BEING SUFFICIENTLY THICK AND FORMED OF A CERAMIC MATERIAL OF SUFFICIENTLY LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY THAT IT CONSTITUTES A MEANS BLOCKING WITHIN ITS OWN STRUCTURE CONDUCTIVE DISSIPATION OF THE FLAME HEAT REACHING ITS OUTER SURFACE AND PREVENTING ITS INNER SURFACE FROM REACHING THE IGNITION TEMPERATURE OF THE MIXTURE IN SAID CHAMBER AND ACCUMULATING SAID HEAT AT ITS OUTER SURFACE UNTIL THE RESULTING TEMPERATURE RISE DISSIPATES SAID HEAT PREDOMINANTLY BY RADIATION FROM SAID OUTER SURFACE, SAID PASSAGES EACH BEING MANY TIMES LONGER THAN THEY ARE WIDE AND SO NARROW THAT FLAME WILL NOT BACK-PROPAGATE THROUGH THEM TO SAID CHAMBER, AND A RELATIVELY THIN HEAT-RESISTANT GRID SPACED IN FRONT OF SAID WALL IN POSITION TO BE RENDERED INCANSDESCENT BY MEANS FROM SAID FLAMES AND THEN TO RADIATE HEAT OUTWARDLY FROM THE HEATER AND TO OBSTRUCT THE HEAT FLOW FROM SAID FLAMES AND SAID OUTER SURFACE SO AS TO INTENSIFY THE HEAT ACCUMULATION, THE TEMPERATURE AND THE HEAT RADIATION OF SAID OUTER SURFACE, SAID GRID BEING FORMED WITH A MULTIPLICITY OF OPENINGS SPACED APART OVER THE FLAME AREA OF SAID WALL TO PASS FREELY TO THE FRONT OF THE HEATER THE BURNED GASES AND MUCH OF THE RADIATION FROM SAID OUTER CERAMIC WALL SURFACE, WHEREBY AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE PROPORTION OF THE HEAT OF SAID FLAMES IS DELIVERED FROM THE HEATER AS RADIANT HEAT.