STOVE-BOILER

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The invention relates to the field of solid fuel house stoves and more specifically to a new type of stove burning wood aggregates known as pellets.

HISTORY OF THE INVENTION

The new type pellet stove-boiler disclosed in the present invention has not been disclosed in the prior art.

Stoves are still the basic choice in many countries today, both for house heating and for cooking. Especially in countries where natural gas or oil have increased costs or in countries where timber production is high, stoves are often chosen as an economical and easy way of heating. There are different types of stoves such as wood stoves, pellet stoves, electric stoves, gas stoves or kerosene stoves.

All known stoves have numerous disadvantages that do not make them ideal for use on a large scale. For example, kerosene stoves have an increased fuel cost, so they are not a basic choice for consumers. Similarly, gas stoves, although more economical, have a major disadvantage regarding safety. Although progress has been made in this area over the past few years, they are still a choice for heating mainly outdoor areas, such as in restaurants or cafes, rather than indoor areas. Electric stoves show a relative decline in sales, as their cost of acquisition may be low, but their operation requires significant electricity consumption. In addition, performance of an electric stove is limited and local, the ambient space not being heated substantially, which forces the consumer to keep it continuously running.

Solid fuel stoves such as wood stoves or pellet stoves currently on the market also have significant drawbacks. Air or water wood stoves are based on manual wood supply at regular intervals of 1 to 3 hours and at the same time on air intake. The air may be mechanically or manually introduced, controlled by a port or thermostatically, controlled by a port or by using a combustion air blower controlled by means of an electronic controller or by an exhaust fan.

The management of the generated thermal energy and its forwarding in the ambient space is achieved by means of a fan or a water pump for water stoves-boilers and the generated heat convection in the ambient space is achieved through a piping network and radiators. Ignition is achieved manually, with firelighter or in special cases by means of an electrical resistance controlled by the electronic controller. The power, control and operation of the stove can be managed manually or via a thermostat in fan and controller models in real time. This technology achieves tolerable, but not controlled, burning. The main drawbacks are further the uncontrolled wood supply, when manually done, while at the same time there is no constant performance, since the quality characteristics of wood, such as moisture and calorific capacity, may differ. Furthermore, in order to keep it continuously running, the stove requires sufficient wood supply. In addition, frequent cleaning of the combustion furnace and the ash container must be carried out and the interior of the stove must be cleaned at intervals of 15 to 30 days.

Yet another drawback is the need to use electric power and automation for wood stoves - boilers, with increased likelihood of damage to them, either due to power supply cut-offs or automation breakdown. The maintenance, repair and replacement of automations require a skilled technician and obviously have the appropriate charges, while the systems of this technology have no given performance. Finally, other negative characteristics of this technology that must be considered are the high, uncontrolled consumption of wood and the risk of damage to the stove due to furnace oversupply, which results in operation over its capacity and a very large exhaust gas outlet.

On their part, pellet stoves currently available on the market also have serious drawbacks, since use of electricity and automations is required with the likelihood of damage to them, either due to power supply cut-offs or automation breakdowns. At the same time, also in this case, maintenance, repair and replacement of automations require the invitation of a specialized technician with the relevant charges. In addition, the combustion furnace and the ash container should be cleaned every one to three days while the interior of the stove must be cleaned every 30 to 90 days.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to advantageously overcome the aforementioned disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art by proposing a new type of stove-boiler for pellet burning.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stove-boiler for pellet burning, which has a naturally controlled flow of pellets, by means of gravity, without the use of electrical power.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stove-boiler for pellet burning, wherein the pellet fuel is stored in a special tank and propelled into the combustion chamber through a special stainless steel conduit.

A further advantage of the invention, with a view to making useful the above stove-boiler for pellet burning, is the possibility of uninterrupted pellet feeding and the continuous operation of the stove-boiler by taking advantage of the phenomenon of communicating vessels without using electrical energy. It is a further object of the invention to provide a stove-boiler wherein the combustion air supply is controlled by means of adjustable ports as well as by means of the chimney draft.

Another advantage of the invention is that combustion is achieved in a specially designed furnace, providing primary and secondary air, so that the combustion quality remains particularly high.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a stove-boiler for burning pellets wherein convection of heat produced from the stove body to the ambient space is accomplished naturally and without using electrical energy.

An advantage of the present invention is also the presentation of a pellet stove-boiler of continuous operation, wherein its operation may be continuous and cleaning of the burning furnace and the ash container is required every ½ -1 day. The interior of the stove should be cleaned every 60 to 120 days. Due to the low combustion air pressure, combustion residues remain in the furnace and the ash container and do not burden the interior of the stove-boiler, resulting in considerably long maintenance intervals.

Finally, advantages such as ease of use and user-serviceability, no need for spare parts, the possibility of continuous operation without the need for a continuous supply of wood or the need for mechanical and electrical supply of pellets and, certainly, the very high performance of the stove due to secondary combustion and stable characteristics of the pellets, should be considered.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the accompanying drawings in which the invention is illustrated in an exemplary, non-limiting manner.

Figure 1 shows a front view of a new type stove-boiler for burning pellets, according to the present invention, and Figure 2 shows the stove in lateral view.

Figure 3 is a cross section of the new stove-boiler type, where the way of pellet burning and the flow of hot air into the ambient space are apparent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERABLE EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, we will describe exemplary embodiments of the new type stove-boiler according to the present invention. The stove of the invention consists of two parts, a first one in which burning of pellets is carried out and a second one in which storage thereof is carried out. The stove is made of metal, the combustion tank (1), Fig. 1 , having a ceramic glass (2) on the front side thereof to monitor combustion. In addition, the front part of the combustion tank as well as the lateral one, have air inlet ports (3) from which the combustion air supply is carried out, while hot air outlet ports (4) are located in the upper part of the stove. The hot air outlet ports (4) are adjusted by means of grilles (5) to direct the air into the ambient space as desired by the user.

In addition, the new type stove-boiler features a storage tank (6), Fig. 3 , in which pellets are stored. The storage tank (6) also functions as an automatic feeder for the combustion tank (1), the pellets being fed to the combustion tank (1) via a conduit (7) due to gravity. The operation principle is based on the phenomenon of communicating vessels, with the one end, the combustion furnace (8) and the other end the upper level of the tank, the conduit (7) acting as an equilibrium conduit. Flame intensity and combustion power accelerate pellet supply, while controlling flame intensity and combustion power slow down the pellet supply.

Below the fuel there is a furnace (8), which is supplied with air through the hot air inlet ports (3). A characteristic advantage of the invention is the secondary gas combustion, since passing through a tube (9), gas is again fed with air from the inlet ports (10) located both on the front and the lateral sides of the stove, Fig. 2, a secondary combustion of the a,ir passing through the holes (11) being carried out. In this way, better combustion is achieved, while hot air is conveyed naturally to the ambient space. The upper part of the stove has a flue (12) for drafting the flue gas. The control of flame intensity and combustion power is achieved by the hot air inlet ports (3), where the air is introduced primarily and by the ports (10) wherefrom it is introduced secondarily. Therefore, by adjusting the air flow in the ports (3), (10) we can vary the intensity and the power of the combustion and finally the thermal energy produced. For extra control of combustion intensity or even combustion cut-off, the stove is equipped with a damper (15) manually adjustable via the lever (16).

On the front side of the stove there is a handle (13), which opens the door (14) and the user has access to the combustion furnace (8). In this way, it is possible to clean inside the stove. As it becomes apparent in an alternative embodiment of the invention, convection of heat from the stove to the ambient space can be maximized by the use of fans while the continuous combustion depends solely on the pellet quantity supplied.

In a further alternative embodiment of the invention water may also be used as a heating medium, so we will have a water boiler. The operation of such a boiler will take advantage of the water heating phenomenon. Maximization of the energy delivered can be achieved with the use of a circulating pump, while its propulsion is carried out through the piping network and corresponding radiators.

In conclusion, we should underline the exploitation of physical elements, such as the weight of the feed material, the feed control which naturally depends on the combustion intensity, the natural draft of the chimney (12), the secondary combustion through the pipe (9) contribute to the clean combustion, without pollutants, to the parallel exhaust gas combustion, with a very high efficiency, to low pollutants and fuel economy. At the same time, due to the special mechanical construction, the stove ensures the natural operation, without the use of electrical appliances.

At this point it should be noted that the description of the invention was made by reference to exemplary and not limiting embodiments. Therefore, any modification or change in terms of shape, morphology, materials and construction and assembling components, insofar they are not a novel inventive step and do not contribute to the technical development of the already known, are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.