Abstract: A liquid heater may heat liquid using at least one of an electric heater or a hybrid heat pump. The liquid heater includes a tank to store liquid, an insulator at an outer surface of the tank, and a case surrounding the insulator. The case includes a first outer panel, a second outer panel, and a cover panel fastened between the first outer panel and the second outer panel. The cover panel is detachable from the liquid heater to access electronic devices such as a controller for the electric heater.

Abstract: Pasta cooking appliance (1) comprising: a self-supporting cabinet (2); an open-top cooking basin (3) which is recessed on the top of the cabinet (2) and is dimensioned to contain several liters of water; heating device (4) which is adapted to selectively heat up the water contained in the cooking basin (3) so as to bring the same water to boil; an overflow drain line (15) which is structured to drain out of the cooking basin (3) the water exceeding a given maximum level (l) inside the cooking basin (3); a sensor device (20) capable of determining when a boil-over phenomenon is taking place in the cooking basin (3); and an electronic control unit (21) which communicates with said sensor device (20) and is adapted to control the heating device (4) for selectively reducing the heat-output of the same heating device (4) when a boil-over phenomenon is taking place in the cooking basin (3).

Abstract: Furnace operation includes consecutive cycles of a heating step, a stopping step and a restarting step. The fuel and/or the oxidizing agent is preheated upstream of the furnace by indirect exchange with the discharged fumes through a medium passing through a chamber. A first wall separates the fumes from the medium in the chamber. The fuel and/or oxidizing agent is separated from the medium in the chamber by a second wall. During restarting, the medium's flow rate Dm is regulated to limit the heating rate of the first wall until it reaches the operational temperature at an end thereof.

Abstract: A locker for unattended storage and automated access of stored goods including a locker housing having at least one environmentally controlled compartment with an environmentally controlled access opening, an air inlet duct and an air outlet duct; a door sealingly engaging the environmentally controlled access opening; an automated latch engaging the door and movable between a locked position and an unlocked position; an access control unit in communication with the automated latch; and an environmental control unit removably housed in the locker housing, the environmental control unit having duct interfaces engagable with the air inlet duct and with the air outlet duct for circulating air between the at least one environmentally controlled compartment and the environmental control unit, and the environmental control unit having an electric power connector engagable with an electric power outlet in the locker housing in communication with a source of electric power.

Abstract: Fume evacuation systems are disclosed. An example fume evacuation system includes: an air handling system for drawing components comprising air, fumes, smoke, or particulate, or a combination thereof from a metal working application; an air conduit couple to the air handling system for conveying the components from the metal working application towards the air handling system; and a hood coupled to the air conduit and configured to be positioned at the metal working application, the hood comprising a structure defining a circuitous path for particulate that, in operation, allows the airborne components to pass through the hood to the air conduit but causes particulate to cool the components.

Abstract: A vehicle air conditioning device includes: a sucking section provided at a seat that is disposed over a floor portion of a cabin, the sucking section configured to suck air via the seat from a vehicle front side relative to the seat, from a floor portion side relative to a vehicle vertical direction middle of the cabin; and a guiding section configured to guide air sucked by the sucking section toward the floor portion side at a vehicle rear side relative to the seat or toward a vehicle upper side.

Abstract: A hot-water supply system heats up water by power generated by power generation means. The hot water supply system includes a compressor and a water heat-up unit. In the hot-water supply system, the compressor compresses refrigerant and circulates the refrigerant through a refrigerant circuit. The water heat-up unit heats up water by changing, in accordance with the generated power, a rotation rate of an electric motor for driving the compressor.

Abstract: A fire tube with three hollow tube sections, two of which are parallel to each other and one of which is perpendicular to and connects the ends of the first two tube sections. The bottom-most tube section, which contains the burner, has an inner ceramic liner that is made up of one or more separate ceramic tubular sections. An upper set of cooling funs surrounds the top part of the bottom-most tube section, and a lower set of cooling fins surrounds the bottom part of the bottom-most tube section.

Abstract: Wax compositions are provided with improved properties for candles and candle jars. The candle wax composition includes a major amount of a foots oil and minor amount of a 600N slack wax. In one form, the foots oil is a 150N foots oil that is included in the composition at from 70 to 80 weight % of the composition and the 600N slack wax is included in the composition at from 20 to 30 wt % of the composition. The candle wax composition provides substantially no oil bleed and a smooth surface appearance with improved burning properties in terms of soot production, wax consumption, melt pool depth and flame height.

Abstract: A silicate mixture and a combustion accelerator increase combustion efficiency in a combustion engine. The silicate mixture is formed by mixing a first component including one or two or more materials selected from silicon compounds including silicon, glass, and quartz, and a second component including one or two or more materials selected from materials formed by sintering a silicate mineral at a temperature of 1300° C. or higher and 2000° C. or lower and ores emitting a terahertz wave.

Abstract: A stove top cover includes a top surface and a bottom surface and forming a cutout extending there through and having a periphery that defines the cutout. Still further, the stove top cover can include a flange or a series of flanges formed on the top surface that extends around the periphery of the cutout and projects outwardly from the top surface to a height and extends inwardly a distance toward and over an edge of a burner of the stove top. By using a nonflammable material (i.e., silicone, polyvinyl fluoride or PTFE-coated fiberglass) and overlapping the flange over the periphery of the burner, any contents that may overflow a pot or pan placed on the burner is entirely diverted onto the surface of the cover. With the cover, being easier to clean than the stove top, or even disposable, stove top cleaning is reduced or mitigated.

Abstract: A rooftop exhaust fan incorporates a mechanical motor lockout that prevents a fan motor from being energized when the exhaust fan assumes an open position for cleaning, maintenance or inspection.

Abstract: A torch includes a main burner that produces a flame; a flame holding body configured to maintain the combustion state of the main burner if the flame produced by the main burner is about to be extinguished; and a gas supply pipe configured to feed combustion gas from a gas container filled with the combustion gas to the main burner and the flame holding body.

Abstract: A vehicle heater includes a heater housing (12) elongated in a direction of a housing longitudinal axis (L). A housing circumferential wall (34) defines a combustion air flow space (40). A combustion chamber assembly unit (14) is carried on the heater housing and has a combustion chamber (20) receiving combustion air from the combustion air flow space. A combustion air blower (42), with a combustion air blower housing (44), is carried on the heater housing. A combustion air inlet opening (56), in the combustion air blower housing, provides the inlet for combustion air into the combustion air blower. A combustion air connection unit (64), carried on the heater housing, has a combustion air passage duct (74) open outwardly in a first duct opening area (76) for receiving combustion air. The combustion air passage duct is open towards the combustion air inlet opening in a second duct opening area (78).

Abstract: A portable baking oven has an upper portion and a lower portion that define a baking chamber are disclosed. A baking chamber opening may be defined entirely by the oven upper portion. The upper portion may pivot away from the lower portion to allow access to the interior of the oven for cleaning. The oven may include a gas-powered infrared bottom burner and a gas-powered curved back burner.

Abstract: A superordinate controlling device for a heat source system (1) including a plurality of heat sources, the superordinate controlling device being applied to the heat source system (1) and controlling heat-pump type chillers (2a) and (2b) and absorption-type chillers (2c) and (2d) in such a manner that a heat transfer medium leaving temperature that is the temperature of a heat transfer medium supplied to an external load (6) is equal to a setting temperature. The heat-pump type chillers (2a) and (2b) each have a higher Coefficient of Performance (COP) than that of each of the absorption-type chillers (2c) and (2d).

Abstract: High intensity combustion and low intensity combustion are carried out together, to stabilize flames and to hold down the emission of carbon monoxide. An air-fuel mixture outlet member (back plate) that includes a single or a plurality of outlet(s) (air-fuel mixture outlet(s)) out of which an air-fuel mixture (GA) flows is include, and a metal fiber knitting body (metal knit) that covers the air-fuel mixture outlet member is included. Therefor, the air-fuel mixture, which is made to flow out of the outlet(s), passes through the metal fiber knitting body (metal knit) and is combusted, a flame of low intensity (flame) is generated together with a flame of high intensity (flame) by combustion of the air-fuel mixture, and the flame of low intensity holds the flame of high intensity.

Abstract: A grill top that can be removably attached to a barbecue grill fire basin has a lever that adjusts the height of the rack above the fire basin. The lever handle is located well away from the fire. A ratchet mechanism holds the rack at a selected height, and parallelogram bars maintain the rack in a horizontal orientation.

Abstract: A refractory article having a support structure including a first plurality of posts coupled by a first member; and a second plurality of posts substantially parallel with the first plurality of posts, the second plurality of posts coupled by a second member, wherein the support structure has a height, H, and wherein the first and second members are positioned between 0.3H and 0.7H. In another aspect, the support structure has a height to width ratio of at least 1.5, a stiffness factor of no greater than 100 mm, and a solid to open volume ratio of no greater than 5%. In another aspect, the support structure has a weight of no greater than 1200 kg, a stiffness factor of no greater than 100 mm, and a solid to open volume ratio of no greater than 5%.

Abstract: An active laminar flow control arrangement may comprise a variable speed constant frequency (VSCF) converter comprising a housing, a compressor, an electric motor operably coupled to the compressor, and a laminar flow control duct. An airflow is received by the housing from the laminar flow control duct in response to the electric motor driving the compressor for cooling the VSCF converter.