Abstract: A heating apparatus comprises a combustion chamber, formed of an assembly having a rear wall, two lateral walls, an upper wall and a lower wall. The combustion chamber has at least one outlet for flue gases. The walls forming said combustion chamber are configured to have standard dimensions so that the heating apparatus is configurable to operate with a variety of fuels including solid fuels, liquid fuels and gas fuels.

Abstract: A liquid hydrocarbon burner includes a single-walled pot; and a catalytic element placed centrally in the single-walled pot and comprised of an assembly of blades which are arranged concentrically around a vertical axis, which have in axial cross-section a mushroom shape, and which blades have respective upper parts and lower parts with respective weights such that the weight of the lower parts is greater than that of the upper parts. A process for preparing a sheet of chromium inox steel which is catalytically active for hydrocarbon combustion so that it is suitable for making blades for a catalytic element of a liquid hydrocarbon burner includes providing a sheet of chromium inox steel having a silicon content which exceeds 0.40%.+-.0.05 so that the chromium inox steel is refractory to the core; and pickling the sheet of chromium inox steel by treatment thereof with an acid effective to pickle chromium inox steel and render at least the surface thereof catalytically active for hydrocarbon combustion.

Abstract: A cover for a heating body comprising a thin wall at least partially screening the heating body from a region outside of the heating body. The thin wall comprises a polymeric material being substantially rigid and substantially resisting permanent deformation at temperatures from 100.degree. C. to 130.degree. C., the polymeric material further substantially resisting infrared absorption at wavelengths corresponding to black-body temperatures of 200.degree. C. to 500.degree. C.