Direct fired air heater

Claim 1

IN A DIRECT FIRED AIR HEATER, A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SHAPED HOUSING, A BURNER ASSEMBLY SUPPORTED WITHIN A LOWER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING, A PARTITION STRUCTURE WITHIN SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL SHAPED BARRIER SURROUNDING SAID BURNER ASSEMBLY IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP, SAID PARTITION STRUCTURE HAVING AN INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL SHAPED PORTION FLARING OUTWARDLY IN PROCEEDING UPWARDLY FROM THE BURNER ASSEMBLY, SAID BARRIER AND SAID FRUSTOCONICAL SHAPED PORTION PROVIDING A FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER BETWEEN THE EXTERIOR THEREOF AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING, SAID PARTITION STRUCTURE DEFINING AN ANNULAR PASSAGE BETWEEN THE EXTERIOR THEREOF AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING PROVIDING COMMUNICATION FROM SAID FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER INTO THE HOUSING ABOVE SAID PARTITION STRUCTURE, SAID BARRIER PROVIDING A SECOND ANNULAR CHAMBER THEREWITHIN AROUND SAID BURNER ASSEMBLY, MEANS CARRIED BY THE PARTITION STRUCTURE DISPOSED ABOUT THE DOWNSTREAM END OF THE BURNER ASSEMBLY PROVIDING AN OPENING PROVIDING COMMUNICATION FROM THE SECOND ANNULAR CHAMBER INTO SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL PORTION OF THE PARTITION STRUCTURE, SAID HOUSING HAVING A RADIALLY DISPOSED INLET OPENING FOR ADMITTING AIR UNDER PRESSURE FOR IMPACTING AGAINST THE EXTERIOR OF SAID BARRIER WHEREBY ITS MOMENTUM IS SUBSTANTIALLY DISSIPATED TO PROVIDE A SUPPLY OF AIR WITHIN THE FIRST CHAMBER, SAID BARRIER HAVING OPENINGS THERETHROUGH CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISPLACED FROM SAID INLET OPENING FOR MOVEMENT OF SOME OF THE AIR FROM THE FIRST CHAMBER INTO THE SECOND CHAMBER AROUND THE BURNER ASSEMBLY TO SUPPORT COMBUSTION, SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL PORTION HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED HOLES THERETHROUGH AT LOCATIONS ABOVE SAID BURNER ASSEMBLY WITH THEIR AXES CONVERGING TOWARDS THE AXIS OF SAID HOUSING PROVIDING PATHS OF MOVEMENT OF STREAMS OF AIR FROM THE FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER INTO THE PARTITION STRUCTURE WHERE COMBUSTION OF THE FUEL IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE, SAID ANNULAR PASSAGE PROVIDING ANOTHER PATH FOR MOVEMENT OF SOME OF THE AIR FROM THE FIRST ANNULAR CHAMBER INTO THE HOUSING ABOVE THE PARTITION STRUCTURE, AND A FRUSTO-CONICAL SURFACE WITHIN SAID HOUSING ABOVE SAID PARTITION STRUCTURE DIVERTING AIR ESCAPING FROM SAID ANNULAR PASSAGE TOWARDS THE AXIS OF THE HOUSING.