Heating unit with vortical aerothermodynamic flow control

Claim 1

In a heating unit including a fire enclosure defined in part by a back wall, side walls, a top surface, and having at least one flue opening, and a front wall extending downwardly from a juncture with a front portion of said top wall and including a fire enclosure access opening therein, the improvement wherein A. said fire enclosure access opening is defined a. at its upper extent by a first edge of said front wall disposed substantially below the enclosure top wall and b. at its lower extent by a second edge of said front wall disposed substantially above the lower extreme of said fire enclosure at a position substantially at least as high as the level of support of fuel in said enclosure, B. the area of said juncture of said top and front walls defining throughout the extent of said juncture a laterally extensive aerothermodynamic vorticity area open to the flame enclosure generally and wherein heated air is induced to whirl in at least one vortex pattern having an axis parallel to said juncture, C. said flue opening being effective to draw exhaust gases from said pattern to maintain stability of said pattern, whereby the circumference of said pattern increases in direct proportion to the velocity of heated air flow and hence expands into the area between the level of the upper extent of said access opening and said flue opening to divert the flow of air entering said access opening downwardly to the level of fuel support.

Claim 9

A method of directing and throttling the flow of a gas through a heating unit from a fire enclosure access opening to an exhaust flue, said method comprising the steps of inducing a flow of air to enter said enclosure through said access opening and to exit said exhaust flue by burning the fuel at a low point within the enclosure, diverting a portion of heated air arising upwardly above said fire into a vortical flow pattern positioned between said access opening and said flue, the circulation of said vortical pattern being downwardly toward said access opening, and permitting the velocity of said vortical flow to increase upon increased fire intensity to thereby expand the circumference of said vortical flow pattern whereby said pattern expands into the flow path of entering air to direct the flow of entering air downwardly toward the fire and to increase the aerodynamic impedance to the flow of entering air, and said pattern also expands into the flow path of exiting air to increase the aerodynamic impedance to the flow of exiting air to said flue.

Claim 10

A method of directing and throttling the flow of a gas through a heating unit from a fire enclosure access opening to an exhaust flue, said method comprising the steps of inducing a flow of air to enter said enclosure through said access opening and to exit said exhaust flue by burning the fuel at a low point within the enclosure, diverting a portion of heated air arising upwardly above said fire into a vortical flow pattern positioned between said access opening and said flue, the circulation of said vortical pattern being downwardly toward said access opening, and permitting the velocity of said vortical flow to increase upon increased fire intensity to thereby expand the circumference of said vortical flow pattern whereby said pattern expands into the flow path of entering air to direct the flow of entering air downwardly toward the fire and to increase the aerodynamic impedance to the flow of entering air, and said pattern also expands into the flow path of exiting air to increase the aerodynamic impedance to the flow of exiting air to said flue.

Claim 12

A method of throttling the flow of gas through an enclosure from an inlet opening to an exhaust opening, said method comprising the steps of inducing a gas to enter said inlet opening, to flow through said enclosure in a path leading to said exhaust opening and to exit said exhaust opening, initially diverting a portion of said flow from said path into a vortical flow pattern area positioned between said inlet opening and said exhaust opening, further directing said diverted portion in a re-entrant flow direction, creating a low pressure condition between said initially diverted flow and said further reentrantly directed flow to establish a vortical flow around said low pressure area, maintaining said vortical flow by removing gas from said vortex pattern area at a rate substantially equal to the rate of flow of said initially diverted gas, and permitting said vortical flow to increase in circumference upon an increase in flow velocity, whereby said vortical flow pattern expands into said enclosure flow path to increase the dynamic impedance to the flow of air through said enclosure.

Claim 13

A method of throttling the flow of gas through an enclosure from an inlet opening to an exhaust opening, said method comprising the steps of inducing a gas to enter said inlet opening, to flow through said enclosure in a path leading to said exhaust opening and to exit said exhaust opening, initially diverting a portion of said flow from said path into a vortical flow pattern area positioned between said inlet opening and said exhaust opening, further directing said diverted portion in a re-entrant flow direction, creating a low pressure condition between said initially diverted flow and said further reentrantly directed flow to establish a vortical flow around said low pressure area, maintaining said vortical flow by removing gas from said vortex pattern area at a rate substantially equal to the rate of flow of said initially diverted gas, and permitting said vortical flow to increase in circumference upon an increase in flow velocity, whereby said vortical flow pattern expands into said enclosure flow path to increase the dynamic impedance to the flow of air through said enclosure.