Surface combustion burner

Claim 2

A surface combustion burner for burning a mixture of air and gaseous fuel, the surface combustion burner comprising a housing, said housing having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being provided for said mixture of air and gaseous fuel and said outlet being covered with a composite layer of hand-deformable, permeable, ceramic fibre material, said composite layer including an uPper layer of ceramic fibre cloth and a lower layer of ceramic fibre blanket, said upper layer being thin compared with said lower layer whereby said lower layer diffuses the mixture of air and gaseous fuel to the entire area of said upper layer to provide an ignitable mixture on an exterior surface of said upper layer.

Claim 3

A surface combustion burner according to claim 1 including a perforate metal sheet which supports said composite layer, said upper layer being secured to said lower layer by metal loops anchored in said perforate metal sheet.

Claim 4

A surface combustion burner according to claim 1 including a layer of hand-deformable thermally conductive material beneath said lower layer of ceramic fibre blanket, said layer of thermally conductive material serving as a flame-trap to reduce the risk of lighting-back.

Claim 5

A surface combustion burner according to claim 3 wherein said layer of thermally conductive material comprises a layer of foamed metal.

Claim 6

A surface combustion burner according to claim 3 wherein the interior of said housing is provided with flanges on opposite walls and including an apertured cover provided with similar flanges, which cover is fitted to said housing, said flanges cooperating to secure therebetween the edges of said foamed metal layer, said perforate metal sheet and said composite layer.

Claim 7

A surface combustion burner according to claim 5 wherein said housing is in the shape of an annulus.

Claim 8

A surface combustion burner for burning a mixture of air and gaseous fuel, the surface combustion burner comprising a housing, said housing having an inlet and outlet, said inlet being provided for said mixture of air and gaseous fuel and said outlet being covered with a composite layer of hand-deformable, permeable, ceramic fibre material and a layer of hand-deformable thermally conductive material, said composite layer being positioned over said thermally conductive layer and said composite layer including an upper layer of ceramic fibre cloth and a lower layer of ceramic fibre blanket, said upper layer being thin compared with said lower layer whereby said lower layer diffuses the mixture of air and gaseous fuel to the entire area of said upper layer to provide an ignitable mixture on an exterior surface of said upper layer and saId thermally conductive layer serves as a flame-trap to reduce the risk of lighting-back.

Claim 9

A surface combustion burner for burning a mixture of air and gaseous fuel, the surface combustion burner comprising a housing, said housing having an inlet and outlet, said inlet being provided for said mixture of air and gaseous fuel and said outlet being covered with a composite layer of hand-deformable, permeable, ceramic fibre material and a layer of hand-deformable thermally conductive material, said composite layer being positioned over said thermally conductive layer and said composite layer including an upper layer of ceramic fibre cloth and a lower layer of ceramic fibre blanket, said upper layer being thin compared with said lower layer whereby said lower layer diffuses the mixture of air and gaseous fuel to the entire area of said upper layer to provide an ignitable mixture on an exterior surface of said upper layer and saId thermally conductive layer serves as a flame-trap to reduce the risk of lighting-back.

Claim 10

A surface combustion burner according to claim 7 wherein said thermally conductive layer comprises foamed metal.

Claim 11

A surface combustion burner according to claim 8 wherein means for releasably securing said composite layer in said housing comprises an apertured annular cover having flanges cooperating with corresponding flanges on said housing.

Claim 12

A surface combustion burner according to claim 2 in which said metal loops engage said upper layer, extend through said lower layer and are anchored to said perforate metal sheet, thereby holding said upper and lower layers together to provide said composite layer.