Catalyst combustion device

A catalytic combustion apparatus comprises a combustor 11, a fuel tank 12, a valve 13, and an ignition device 14. The combustor 11 further comprises a gas nozzle 16, an air intake/ejector 17, a mixing chamber 18, a firing chamber 19, an ignition plug 20, a combustion chamber 21, a catalyst for combustion 22 housed inside the combustion chamber 21, and an exhaust port 23. The mixing chamber 18 is made into a straight cylindrical passage, a cylindrical firing chamber 19 is provided in parallel to the mixing chamber 18 so that an opening 24 on the side of the firing chamber 19 communicates with the combustion chamber 21, a burner port 25 is disposed on the boundary between the mixing chamber 18 and the firing chamber 19, and the burner 25 is configured with a catalytic net 25a. With this configuration, a flame is formed on the upstream side of the catalyst for combustion 22, the catalyst for combustion 22 is heated by the heat of the flame to a catalytic combustion enabling temperature thus also effecting catalytic combustion on the catalytic net 25a. The flame spontaneously disappears, and the catalyst for combustion 22 commences catalytic combustion. As catalytic combustion can be effected without fail even when the combustion chamber 21 is configured into a low profile, the thickness of the catalytic body can be reduced without reducing the combustion characteristics, thereby enabling reduction in the height of the burner and providing a downsized and thin catalytic combustion apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. A catalytic combustion apparatus comprising:

a passage for creating a mixture of air and fuel gas;

a combustion chamber, in fluid communication with said passage along a first direction that is generally transverse to a direction along which the air and fuel gas are to be introduced into said passage, for receiving the mixture of air and fuel gas from said passage along said first direction;

a catalyst for combustion within said combustion chamber;

a firing chamber in fluid communication with said passage along said first direction and in fluid communication with said combustion chamber along said first direction, wherein said combustion chamber is in fluid communication with said passage along said first direction via said firing chamber; and

a burner port between said passage and said firing chamber, said burner port comprising a plate having through holes, wherein said passage is in fluid communication with said firing chamber along said first direction via said through holes.

2. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plate comprises a net supporting a catalyst.

3. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said passage is at least partially defined by a wall, and part of said net is in contact with said wall.

4. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said passage includes an inlet through which air and fuel gas are to be introduced into said passage, and said firing chamber is at least partially defined by a wall, and further comprising:

an ignition device on said wall at a position that is opposite to said inlet.

5. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor that includes said passage, said firing chamber and said combustion chamber;

a fuel tank, in fluid communication with said combustor, for supplying fuel gas to said combustor;

an ignition device, in operative association with said combustor, for igniting the fuel gas within said combustor; and

a solenoid valve, positioned between said fuel tank and said combustor, for controlling the supply of fuel gas from said fuel tank to said combustor, wherein said solenoid valve is to be closed within a predetermined time period after said ignition device has ignited the fuel gas within said combustor such that supply of additional fuel gas from said fuel tank to said combustor is prevented, and subsequently said solenoid valve is to be re-opened to allow additional supply of fuel gas from said fuel tank to said combustor.

6. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor that includes said passage, said firing chamber and said combustion chamber, and further includes an air intake;

an ignition device, in operative association with said combustor, for igniting fuel gas within said combustor; and

an air-intake shutter, positioned at said air intake of said combustor, for controlling the supply of air into said combustor, wherein said air-intake shutter is to be operated within a predetermined time period after said ignition device has ignited the fuel gas within said combustor such that supply of air into said combustor is controlled.

7. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor that includes said passage, said firing chamber and said combustion chamber;

an ignition device, in operative association with said combustor, for igniting fuel gas within said combustor; and

structure, in operative association with said burner port, for adjusting an effective area of said through holes such that the supply of the mixture of air and fuel gas into said firing chamber from said passage is controllable, wherein said structure is to be operated within a predetermined time period after said ignition device has ignited the fuel gas within said combustor such that the supply of the mixture of air and fuel gas into said firing chamber from said passage is controlled.

8. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said structure for adjusting the effective area of said through holes comprises a movable plate that has through holes corresponding to said through holes of said plate of said burner port, such that the supply of the mixture of air and fuel gas to said firing chamber from said passage is controllable by moving said movable plate relative to said plate of said burner port, whereby said through holes of said movable plate become aligned with said through holes of said plate of said burner port or become mis-aligned with said through holes of said plate of said burner port.

9. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor that includes said passage, said firing chamber and said combustion chamber, and further includes a temperature sensor;

a fuel tank, in fluid communication with said combustor, for supplying fuel gas to said combustor; and

a solenoid valve, positioned between said fuel tank and said combustor, for controlling the supply of fuel gas from said fuel tank to said combustor, wherein said solenoid valve is to be temporarily closed in response to a temperature sensed by said temperature sensor.

10. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor that includes said passage, said firing chamber and said combustion chamber, and further includes an air intake and a temperature sensor; and

an air-intake shutter, positioned at said air intake of said combustor, for controlling the supply of air into said combustor, wherein said air-intake shutter is to be operated in response to a temperature sensed by said temperature sensor.

11. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustor that includes said passage, said firing chamber and said combustion chamber, and further includes a temperature sensor; and

structure, in operative association with said burner port, for adjusting an effective area of said through holes such that the supply of the mixture of air and fuel gas into said firing chamber from said passage is controllable, wherein said structure is to be operated in response to a temperature sensed by said temperature sensor.

12. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said structure for adjusting the effective area of said through holes comprises a movable plate that has through holes corresponding to said through holes of said plate of said burner port, such that the supply of the mixture of air and fuel gas to said firing chamber from said passage is controllable by moving said movable plate relative to said plate of said burner port, whereby said through holes of said movable plate become aligned with said through holes of said plate of said burner port or become mis-aligned with said through holes of said plate of said burner port.

13. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of said catalyst for combustion projects into said firing chamber.

14. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said catalyst for combustion includes a first surface contained within a plane, with said first surface having a length and a width, said catalyst combustion apparatus also includes a second surface contained within a plane, with said second surface having a width that extends transverse to the width of said first surface and is less than the width of said first surface, and with said second surface having a length that extends parallel to the length of said first surface and is equal to the length of said first surface, and said catalytic combustion apparatus also includes passages extending along the width of said first surface to allow for the flow of gas through said passages.

15. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said catalyst for combustion comprises a catalyst supported by a catalyst support that comprises a thin metal corrugated carrier that defines alternating peaks and valleys, with said peaks being contained within a plane and bound by an area defined by a width of said peaks and a first length from a first of said peaks to a last of said peaks, said thin metal corrugated carrier also defines a side surface having a width that is less than and extends transverse to the width of said peaks and also having a length that extends parallel to and is equal to said first length, and with the area between said peaks and valleys defining passages extending along the width of said peaks to allow for the flow of gas through said passages.

16. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said catalyst support further includes a flat plate on said peaks and another said thin metal corrugated carrier on said flat plate.

17. A catalytic combustion apparatus comprising:

a passage for creating a mixture of air and fuel gas;

a combustion chamber, in fluid communication with said passage along a first direction that is generally transverse to a direction along which the air and fuel gas are to be introduced into said passage, for receiving the mixture of air and fuel gas from said passage along said first direction;

a catalyst for combustion within said combustion chamber; and

a firing chamber in fluid communication with said passage along said first direction and in fluid communication with said combustion chamber along said first direction, wherein said combustion chamber is in fluid communication with said passage along said first direction via said firing chamber,

wherein said passage, said firing chamber and said combustion chamber are defined between plural components that are separated from one another by a plane that extends generally parallel to the direction in which the air and fuel gas are to be introduced into said passage and generally transverse to said first direction.

18. The catalytic combustion apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said plural components define said combustion chamber, and a component body integrating a mixing chamber and a nozzle is sandwiched between and secured to said plural components such that said passage is in fluid communication with said nozzle via said mixing chamber.