Abstract: An improved and high capacity gas igniter for furnaces and burners. The igniter can include an igniter tip that is annular in shape and includes various holes of different sizes and angular projections distributed throughout. The igniter tip may utilize a slip-joint-like mechanism or sleeve that connects inner and outer tubes of a guide tube that allows the inner tube to slide when undergoing thermal expansion. This configuration alleviates stress from building up on the inner tube and igniter tip, preventing damage.

Abstract: An improved and high capacity gas igniter for furnaces and burners. The igniter can include an igniter tip that is annular in shape and includes various holes of different sizes and angular projections distributed throughout. The igniter tip may utilize a slip-joint-like mechanism or sleeve that connects inner and outer tubes of a guide tube that allows the inner tube to slide when undergoing thermal expansion. This configuration alleviates stress from building up on the inner tube and igniter tip, preventing damage.

Abstract: A diffuser for a gas duct burner having a fuel pipe and a plurality of stabilizers includes a plate having first and second spaced apart ends defining a length, and first and second spaced apart sides defining a width. The plate has a first portion having a uniform width which is disposed adjacent to the stabilizer and a second portion having a variable width.

Abstract: A method, and a system for implementing the method, for detecting whether a flame is an on state or alternatively is in an off state. The method includes (i) detecting the flame and generating therefrom a flame signal capturing one or more attributes of the flame; (ii) using a high-order cumulant-to-moment formula to determine high-order cumulants for a random variable process representation of the flame signal; and (iii) determining whether the flame is on or off using the high-order cumulants. The method includes the step of applying the high-order cumulant-to-moment formula in a self-learning algorithm to determine flame-on high-order cumulants and flame-off high-order cumulants for the flame. Step (iii) includes comparing the high-order cumulants to the flame-on high-order cumulants and the flame-off high-order cumulants to determine whether the status of the flame is on or off.

Abstract: In an apparatus for monitoring a hydrocarbon flame, a plurality of radiation sensors detect electromagnetic radiation emitted by the flame. Each of the sensors is provided with a narrow band filter so that the corresponding sensor is responsive only to a narrow range of wavelengths. In this manner, one of the sensors is made responsive to emissions due to transient species in the flame and one of the sensors is made responsive to emissions from a non-transient species in the combustion region. The signals from the radiation sensors are converted to digital and applied to a central processing unit where they are compared to produce an output indicative of the combustion conditions in the flame. An output unit responds to the output signal from the central processing unit to adjust the air fuel ratio in the flame to a desired level, such as just above stoichiometric.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for detecting the presence of a predetermined target gas (e.g. CO) is disclosed. The gas has a predetermined pattern of peaks of absorbance to radiation lying within a particular radiation range (e.g. infrared), the absorbance peaks alternating with gaps in which the gas transmits the radiation. A source (12) passes IR radiation through a comb filter (5) and a measurement cell (22) containing the target gas. The comb filter (5) has successive passbands separated by absorbance gaps. The passbands of the comb filter are repeatedly shifted relative to the IR radiation between a correlation position in which they coincide with at least some of the absorbance peaks of the target gas and an anti-correlation position in which the passbands coincide with at least some of the absorbance gaps of the gas.

Abstract: A signal processing method and apparatus for analyzing operation of a combustion burner. Responsive to a signal produced by a flame sensor which monitors a burner flame, a fluctuational component of the signal is converted into an extremum function having a floating extremum point with a frequency coordinate which varies in the frequency domain with changes in combustion conditions. A current extremum value of the extremum function is calculated. Then, in relation to the current extremum value, a value of at least one parameter of the extremum function is calculated, such function being related to the combustion characteristic. The apparatus comprises a processor and memory coupled thereto, the memory having stored therein a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the aforementioned operations.