Gas-fueled radiant heater

Claim 1

IN A HIGH TEMPERATURE BURNER APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A CASING DEFINING AN ENCLOSED CHAMBER, SAID CASING HAVING AN OPENING IN A WALL THEREOF, A BURNER ELEMENT CLOSING SAID WALL, SAID ELEMENT BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS AND COMPRISING A GASPERMEABLE BLOCK OF RAMDOMLY-ORIENTED SINTERED MACHINED METAL FIBERS, SAID CASING HAVING AN INLET THROUGH WHICH A MIXTURE OF AIR AND COMBUSTIBLE GASSES MAY PASS TO SAID CHAMBER AND THROUGH SAID BURNER ELEMENT FOR COMBUSTION ON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID BURNER ELEMENT, A NOZZLE AT THE INLET AND CAUSED THROUGH WHICH GAS IS INTRODUCED TO SAID INLET AND CAUSED TO ASPIRATE AIR FROM THE VICINITY OF SAID NOZZLE INTO SAID INLET, A HOUSING SURROUNDING SAID CASING AND HAVING AN OPENING IN A WALL THEREOF INTO WHICH SAID CASING IS POSITIONED AND EXTENDS, THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID BURNER ELEMENT BEING EXPOSED TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN INLET THROUGH WHICH AIR MAY BE SUPPLIED TO THE CASING AND TO THE INTERIOR OF THE HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN OUTLET, AND MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR DIRECTING GASES FROM ADJACENT THE BURNER ELEMENT TO SAID OUTLET TO DRAW AIR FROM THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING INTO SAID CASING AND ACROSS THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID CASING TO COOL SAID CASING AND TO SAID OUTLET OF SAID HOUSING AND TO CAUSE A PORTION OF SAID AIR TO MIX WITH THE COMBUSTION GASES AND PASS TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID CASING.