Die Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren sowie einen Brenner, wobei ein Teil des Brennstoffes durch einen äußeren Ringkanal (1) zugeführt und am Austritts­ende auf eine hohe Geschwindigkeit beschleunigt wird, während ein weiterer Teil des Brennstoffes durch einen zweiten, inneren Ringkanal (2) zugeführt und am Austrittsende auf eine niedrige Geschwin­digkeit verzögert wird. Auf diese Weise erfolgt eine Stabilisierung und Regelung der Hauptflam­me durch eine permanente Pilotflamme.

A fluid mixing device comprising:

    wall structure defining a chamber (6) having a fluid inlet (1) and a fluid outlet (4) disposed generally opposite the inlet;

    said chamber being larger in cross-section than said inlet at least for a portion of the space between said inlet and outlet;

    flow separation means (2) to cause a flow of a first fluid wholly occupying said inlet to separate from said wall structure upstream of the outlet;

    wherein the distance between said flow seaparation means and said outlet is sufficiently long in relation to the width of the chamber for the separated flow to reattach itself asymmetrically (22) to the chamber wall structure upstream of the outlet and to exit the chamber through the outlet asymmetrically (23), whereby a reverse flow (26) of said first fluid at said reattachment and/or a flow (24) of a second fluid induced from the exterior of the chamber through said outlet swirls in the chamber between said flow separation and said reattachment and thereby induces precession of said separated/reattached flow, which precession enhances mixing of the flow with said second fluid to the exterior of the chamber.

The invention provides an apparatus for generating heat and transferring the heat to a heater head of an external combustion engine, preferably, a Stirling engine. Fuel and air are introduced into a combustion chamber (10) and mixed to form an air/fuel mixture. The air/fuel mixture is combusted over a combustion catalyst (1) positioned in physical contact with a heat spreader (12), which itself is positioned in physical contact with a heat acceptor surface (2). The heat acceptor surface is secured in thermal communication with the heater head. Depending upon the design of the heater head, heat flux from the heat acceptor surface into the heater head may occur radially or non-radially.

A liquid fuel burner (10) is provided with a central fuel outlet (18) having a generally divergent conical inner surface, formed of two contiguous divergent conical surfaces (20a, 20b) of different angles of divergence, and a plurality of oxygen outlets (22) shaped and positioned for creating a converging, rotating stream of oxygen which intersects with any liquid fuel issuing from the fuel outlet (18). Such oxygen/fuel interaction results in two zones of combustion and a recirculation effect which assists in the complete or substantially complete combustion of undesirable exhaust gas components. The oxygen and fuel are preferably supplied such that their velocities are approximately equal at the point at which the two zones of combustion meet.

A fluid mixing device comprising:

    wall structure defining a chamber (6) having a fluid inlet (1) and a fluid outlet (4) disposed generally opposite the inlet;

    said chamber being larger in cross-section than said inlet at least for a portion of the space between said inlet and outlet;

    flow separation means (2) to cause a flow of a first fluid wholly occupying said inlet to separate from said wall structure upstream of the outlet;

    wherein the distance between said flow seaparation means and said outlet is sufficiently long in relation to the width of the chamber for the separated flow to reattach itself asymmetrically (22) to the chamber wall structure upstream of the outlet and to exit the chamber through the outlet asymmetrically (23), whereby a reverse flow (26) of said first fluid at said reattachment and/or a flow (24) of a second fluid induced from the exterior of the chamber through said outlet swirls in the chamber between said flow separation and said reattachment and thereby induces precession of said separated/reattached flow, which precession enhances mixing of the flow with said second fluid to the exterior of the chamber.

Durch Wärmeaustausch einerseits aus dem Kesselraum (21) der Heizungsanlage und andererseits aus dem Brennraum eines Brenners wird einströmende und zweimal umgeleitete Verbrennungsluft auf hohe Temperaturen erwärmt. Bevor die erhitzte Verbrennungsluft in den Brennraum (9) eintritt, wird sie über die Oberflächen einer in den Brennraum ragenden Düse (10) und eines Abschnitts eines die Düse (10) tragenden Düsenstockes (15) geführt, erwärmt dabei den durch den Düsenstock (15) zuströmenden, hier elektrisch vorerwärmten Brennstoff weiter und trifft dann in einer Hochtemperaturkammer (9a) im Brennraum (9) mit dem aus der Düse (10) austretenden erwärmten Brennstoff zusammen, wird unter Verwirbelung mit diesem vermischt und das Luft-Brennstoffgemisch im Brennraum (9a) verbrannt.