Catalytically active radiant tile

Claim 1

A CATALYTICALLY ACTIVE RADIANT HEATER TILE COMPRISING A HIGHLY POROUS REFRACTORY PLATE HAVING AN INPUT SURFACE AND AN OPPOSED COMBUSTION SURFACE, SAID REFRACTORY PLATE CONTAINING A COMBUSTION CATALYST DISPERSED THEREIN AND HAVING A PORE VOLUME AREA OF AT LEAST 100 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, SAID PLATE HAVING REGULARLY SPACED PASSAGEWAYS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL DIAMETER IN PARELLEL ROWS PERMITTING A UNIFORM FLOW OF COMBUSTION GASES FROM SAID INPUT SURFACE TO SAID COMBUSTION SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF CONTINUOUS RIDGED SURFACES EXTENDING BEYOND THE PLANE OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS AT SAID COMBUSTION SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF SAID RIDGES TERMINATING AT SAID ROWS AND HAVING THEIR PEAKS BETWEEN ADJOINING ROWS, SAID PLATE BEING SUFFICIENTLY POROUS TO PROVIDE FOR SIGNIFICANT DIFFUSION OF COMBUSTION GASES THROUGH ITS PORES IN ADDITION TO THE GASES PASSING THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAYS, THEREBY HEATING THE INTERIORS OF SAID RIDGES AND RAISING THE RADIANT ENERGY OUTPUT FROM SAID RIDGES.