초록 ▼

A portable heat generating device in which fuel vapor and an oxygen supply (e.g. air) are directed through channels contained within a. thin, flexible and compliant elastomeric sheet of material. Elongated catalytic heat elements, placed strategically within the channels, spontaneously interact with

A portable heat generating device in which fuel vapor and an oxygen supply (e.g. air) are directed through channels contained within a. thin, flexible and compliant elastomeric sheet of material. Elongated catalytic heat elements, placed strategically within the channels, spontaneously interact with the fuel-air stream liberating heat energy. Means and methods are defined that permit flameless catalytic combustion to be uniformly extended over the length of each heat element, lowering power density but maintaining the overall power generated, permitting the use of many types of low temperature materials like plastics, polymers, and elastomers in the construction of the heater. The heat generation process is started by pumping an air stream into a reservoir containing a fuel source (e.g. methanol) thereby saturating the air stream with fuel vapor. The fuel vapor is mixed with a another stream of air to achieve a particular fuel/air ratio and directed into channels within the elastomeric sheet, reacting with the catalytic heat elements to produce flameless combustion. The warm exhaust gas is directed to a thermally controlled diverter valve. The valve senses the temperature of the liquid fuel supply and diverts some or all of the warm exhaust gas, as necessary, to heat the fuel and keep its temperature within a specified range. Exhaust by-products are passed into a miniature scrubber module adjacent to the fuel module. The scrubber absorbs any noxious components in the exhaust stream that may occur during startup or rapid changes in operating condition.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [21.]21. A portable heat generating device, comprising:a fuel source for providing a fuel;an oxygen source for providing oxygen for admixing with the fuel to form a gaseous fuel mixture;a heat element comprising a catalyst within the heat element allowing the gaseous fuel mixture to cont

[ I claim:] [21.]21. A portable heat generating device, comprising:a fuel source for providing a fuel;an oxygen source for providing oxygen for admixing with the fuel to form a gaseous fuel mixture;a heat element comprising a catalyst within the heat element allowing the gaseous fuel mixture to contact the catalyst resulting in gaseous combustion products and heat;an elastomeric structure in the form of a sheet with an inlet and an outlet, having one or more internal channels for directing the flow of the gaseous fuel mixture within the elastomeric structure and one or more of the channels containing a heat element, the inlet of the elastomeric structure connected to the outlet of fuel source and oxygen source; anda means for transporting the gaseous fuel mixture to the inlet of the elastomeric structure, where the gaseous fuel mixture reacts with the heat element producing the gaseous combustion products, that are expelled through the outlet of the elastomeric structure, and heat.