Fuel cartridge and burner

Claim 1

A solid fuel cartridge and burner comprising: a vertically oriented burner casing for mounting in a furnace, a hollow cylindrical support sleeve mountable concentrically within and spaced from the burner casing to form a combustion gas passage therebetween for transferring the gaseous combustion products of said burner to other furnace components, a self-supportable fuel element mountable in the support sleeve with a close but slideable fit, the fuel element being formed of consolidated solid fuel particles and having a selected combustion surface, a mandrel positionable in the center of the casing and spaced below the support sleeve upon which the lower end of the fuel element rests, a combustion chamber surrounding the mandrel formed by the burner casing and in communication with the combustion gas passage, pressure generating means for supplying air under pressure to the fuel element at its end opposite the mandrel for combustion of the fuel particles at the selected combustion surface and in the combustion chamber, the fuel element including intersticial spaces between the consolidated fuel particles for permitting the passage of air for combustion through the fuel element to the selected combustion surface, and means contained within the mandrel for igniting the fuel particles at the combustion surface.