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A fuel-fired boiler having a supply fan for providing essentially all of its combustion air requirements and has a non-aspirating type burner section to an inlet portion of which pressure regulator apparatus is coupled, the pressure regulator apparatus having a predetermined pressure regulation sett

A fuel-fired boiler having a supply fan for providing essentially all of its combustion air requirements and has a non-aspirating type burner section to an inlet portion of which pressure regulator apparatus is coupled, the pressure regulator apparatus having a predetermined pressure regulation setting. Fuel delivery apparatus is coupled to the inlet of the pressure regulator apparatus and is operative to deliver thereto, from sources thereof, a selectively variable one of (1) a first fuel at a pressure greater than the pressure regulation setting, and (2) a second fuel at a pressure less than the pressure regulation setting, the second fuel having a Wobbe index greater than that of the first fuel. The design of the fuel delivery apparatus permits the burner section firing rate to remain essentially constant, without modifying the burner section, regardless of which of the two fuels is being utilized.

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1. A fuel-fired heating appliance comprising:fuel burner apparatus having an inlet portion;pressure regulator apparatus having an outlet portion coupled to said inlet portion of said fuel burner apparatus, and a predetermined pressure regulation setting; andfuel delivery apparatus coupled to said pr

1. A fuel-fired heating appliance comprising:fuel burner apparatus having an inlet portion;pressure regulator apparatus having an outlet portion coupled to said inlet portion of said fuel burner apparatus, and a predetermined pressure regulation setting; andfuel delivery apparatus coupled to said pressure regulator apparatus inlet portion and operative to deliver thereto a selectively variable one of (1) a first fuel, from a source thereof, at a pressure greater than said predetermined pressure regulation setting, and (2) a second fuel at a pressure lower than said predetermined pressure regulation setting,said pressure regulator apparatus regulating the pressure of fuel discharged from its outlet portion only with respect to said first fuel,said pressure regulator apparatus and said fuel delivery apparatus being coupled in a manner precluding said pressure regulation setting from being affected by which of said first and second fuels is being delivered to said pressure regulator apparatus.2. A fuel-fired heating appliance comprising:fuel burner apparatus having an inlet portion;pressure regulator apparatus having an outlet portion coupled to said inlet portion of said fuel burner apparatus, and a predetermined pressure regulation setting; andfuel delivery apparatus coupled to said pressure regulator apparatus inlet portion and operative to deliver thereto a selectively variable one of (1) a first fuel, from a source thereof, at a pressure greater than said predetermined pressure regulation setting, and (2) a second fuel at a pressure lower than said predetermined pressure regulation setting,said fuel burner apparatus being of a non-aspirating type, andsaid fuel-fired heating appliance further comprising a blower operative to supply combustion air to said fuel burner apparatus.3. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 1 wherein:said fuel-fired heating appliance is a boiler.4. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 1 wherein:said first fuel is natural gas, andsaid second fuel is propane.5. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 1 wherein said fuel delivery apparatus includes:valve apparatus connected to said pressure regulator apparatus inlet portion, said valve apparatus being operative to receive the first and second fuels and permit the flow of a selectively variable one of them to said pressure regulator apparatus inlet portion.6. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 5 wherein:said valve apparatus includes a three-way valve operative to receive each of the first and second fuels.7. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 5 wherein said fuel delivery apparatus further includes:a pressure regulator operative to reduce the pressure of the second fuel when it is being flowed to said valve apparatus.8. A fuel-fired heating appliance comprising:fuel burner apparatus having an inlet portion;pressure regulator apparatus having an outlet portion coupled to said inlet portion of said fuel burner apparatus, and a predetermined pressure regulation setting; andfuel delivery apparatus coupled to said pressure regulator apparatus inlet portion and operative to deliver thereto a selectively variable one of (1) a first fuel, from a source thereof, at a pressure greater than said predetermined pressure regulation setting, and (2) a second fuel at a pressure lower than said predetermined pressure regulation setting,said fuel burner apparatus comprising a plurality of fuel burners, andsaid pressure regulator apparatus comprising a plurality of pressure regulators operatively coupled to said plurality of fuel burners.9. A fuel-fired heating appliance comprising:a fuel burner having an inlet orifice; anda fuel supply system for alternately supplying first and second fuels having different Wobbe indexes to said inlet orifice at different pressures related to said different Wobbe indexes in a predetermined manner such that the firing rate of said fuel burner remains substantially the same, without changing said inlet orifice, regardless of which one of said first and second fuels is being supplied to said fuel burner, said fuel supply system including:a first pressure regulator through which both of said first and second fuels must flow to reach said fuel burner, anda second pressure regulator through which only the higher Wobbe index fuel must flow to reach said fuel burner.10. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 9 wherein:said fuel-fired heating appliance is a fuel-fired boiler.11. A fuel-fired heating appliance comprising:a fuel burner having an inlet orifice; anda fuel supply system for alternately supplying first and second fuels having different Wobbe indexes to said inlet orifice at different pressures related to said different Wobbe indexes in a predetermined manner such that the firing rate of said fuel burner remains substantially the same, without changing said inlet orifice, regardless of which one of said first and second fuels is being supplied to said fuel burner,said fuel burner being a non-aspirating type burner; andsaid fuel-fired heating appliance further comprising a blower operative to supply combustion air to said fuel burner.12. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 9 wherein:the pressure regulation setting of said first pressure regulator is higher than the pressure regulation setting of said second pressure regulator.13. A fuel-fired heating appliance comprising:non-aspirating type fuel burner apparatus having an orificed fuel inlet portion;blower apparatus for supplying combustion air to said fuel burner apparatus;a main fuel supply line structure coupled to said orificed fuel inlet portion;first pressure regulator apparatus connected in said main fuel line structure and having an inlet portion and a first pressure regulation setting;a first branch fuel supply line structure, coupled to said inlet portion of said first pressure regulator apparatus, for receiving a pressurized first fuel;a second branch fuel supply line structure, coupled to said inlet portion of said first pressure regulator apparatus, for receiving a pressurized second fuel having a Wobbe index higher than that of said first fuel;valve apparatus operable to permit flow of only a selectively variable one of said first and second fuels to said inlet portion of said first pressure regulator apparatus and thus to said orificed fuel inlet portion of said fuel burner apparatus; andsecond pressure regulator apparatus connected in said second branch fuel supply line structure and having a second pressure regulation setting,said first and second pressure regulation settings being related to one another in a predetermined manner such that, without altering said orificed fuel inlet portion of said burner apparatus, the firing rate of said burner apparatus will remain essentially constant regardless of which of said first and second fuels is being supplied thereto.14. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 13 wherein:said fuel-fired heating appliance is a dual fuel boiler.15. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 13 wherein:said burner apparatus comprises a plurality of non-aspirating type fuel burners each having an orificed inlet.16. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 13 wherein:said first pressure regulation apparatus comprises a plurality of pressure regulator devices.17. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 13 wherein:said valve apparatus comprises a three-way switching valve to which each of said first and second branch fuel supply line structures is operatively coupled.18. The fuel-fired heating appliance of claim 13 wherein:said first pressure regulation setting is greater than said second pressure regulation setting.19. A dual fuel method of supplying fuel to burner apparatus having an inlet portion, said method comprising the steps of:providing pressure regulator apparatus having inlet and outlet portions and a predetermined pressure regulation setting;operatively coupling said pressure regulator apparatus outlet portion to the burner apparatus inlet portion;flowing to said pressure regulator apparatus inlet portion a selectively variable one of (1) a first fuel at a pressure greater than said predetermined pressure regulation setting, and (2) a second fuel at a pressure lower than said predetermined pressure regulation setting; andutilizing said pressure regulator apparatus to regulate the pressure of fuel discharged from its outlet portion only with respect to said first fuel.20. The method of claim 19 wherein:said flowing step is performed using a second fuel having a Wobbe index greater than that of said first fuel.21. A method of operating a fuel-fired heating appliance, said method comprising the steps of:providing the fuel-fired heating appliance with a fuel burner having an inlet orifice; andalternately supplying first and second fuels having different Wobbe indexes to said inlet orifice at different pressures related to said different Wobbe indexes in a predetermined manner such that the firing rate of said fuel burner remains substantially the same, without changing said inlet orifice, regardless of which one of said first and second fuels is being supplied to said fuel burner, said alternately supplying step being performed utilizing a first pressure regulator through which both of said first and second fuels must flow to reach said fuel burner, and a second pressure regulator through which only the higher Wobbe index fuel must flow to reach said fuel burner.22. The method of claim 21 wherein:said second fuel has a Wobbe index greater than that of said first fuel, andsaid alternately supplying step is performed in a manner supplying said first fuel to said inlet orifice at a higher pressure than the pressure at which said second fuel is supplied to said inlet orifice.