Method and apparatus for controlling combustion

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF COMBUSTION ELEMENTS TO A STEAM BOILER HAVING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR GENERATING HEAT, AND IN RESPONSE TO A VARYING HEAT DEMAND, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (1) SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ELEMENTS TO SAID CHAMBER IN THE FORM OF OXYGEN AND FUEL; (1) BURNING SAID FUEL AND PRODUCING A FLAME AND COMBUSTION GASES IN A COMBUSTION ZONE; (3) CONTINUALLY REMOVING SAID COMBUSTION GASES FROM SAID CHAMBER; (4) SENSING CHANGES IN THE HEAT DEMANDED FROM SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER; (5) CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF ONE OF SAID COMBUSTION ELEMENTS SUPPLIED TO SAID CHAMBER IN RESPONSE TO SAID HEAT DEMAND; (6) SENSING CHANGES IN DIFFERENTIAL OF STATIC PRESSURE PREVAILING IN SAID CHAMBER AT TWO POINTS THEREIN SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN THE GAS TRAVEL SENSE WITH ONE POINT BEING LOCATED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER UPSTREAM OF SAID FLAME AND THE OTHER DOWNSTREAM OF AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF AND THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID POINTS BEING UNOBSTRUCTED WITH RESPECT TO GAS FLOW; AND (7) INCREASING OR DECREASING THE AMOUNT OF THE OTHER SAID COMBUSTION ELEMENTS SUPPLIED TO SAID CHAMBER IN RESPONSAE TO A RISING STATIC PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL AND REVERSING SAID INCREASES OR DECREASE OF SUPPLY OF SAID OTHER COMBUSTION ELEMENT IN RESPONSE TO A FALLING STATIC PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL TO OBTAIN OPTIMUM COMBUSTION EFFICIENCY WITH VARYING HEAT DEMAND.