Combined With Nonelectric Heating Means (e.g., Gas, Etc.) Patents (Class 392/307)
  • Patent number: 6742593
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon containing formation may be treated using an in situ thermal process. Hydrocarbons, H2, and/or other formation fluids may be produced from the formation. Heat may be applied to the formation from heat sources to raise a temperature of a portion of the formation to a desired temperature. A heat transfer fluid may be circulated within wellbores of some heat sources to heat the formation. The heat transfer fluid may be combustion gas from burners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Harold J. Vinegar, Eric Pierre de Rouffignac, Bruce Gerard Hunsucker
  • Patent number: 6724983
    Abstract: The invention relates to a heater part, especially for a liquid fuel-operated vehicle water or air heater in the form of a supplementary heater or an auxiliary heater with a burner and a heat-exchanger. According to the invention, at least one part of a fuel heater (1) and at least one part of an electric heater (1′) are provided as a structural unit, in particular in order to retrofit or expand an electrically operated heater (1′) with a heater (1) for fuel operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: J. Eberspacher GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Michael Humburg, Hermann Eppler
  • Publication number: 20020158057
    Abstract: The invention relates to a heating system for heating the interior of a motor vehicle, there being a combustion heater (10) for burning fuel in order to heat the air supplied to the vehicle interior and/or liquid in the vehicle in the cooling circuit of the engine. An electrical heating device (20) is integrated into the combustion heater (10) in order to supply heat to the air or liquid to be heated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2002
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventors: Martin Stemmler, Ingrid Lanzl
  • Patent number: 6222163
    Abstract: A gas cooking appliance includes upper and lower gas burner units, as well as an upper electric heating element, which is configured and mounted in an enhanced operational manner, within an oven cavity. A control system is provided to control the electric heating element based on the operation of at least one of the upper and lower gas burner units. For instance, during a baking mode of operation, the electric heating element is cycled on and off while the lower burner unit is in a full operating state. In a broiling mode, both the upper gas burner unit and the electric heating element are activated in order to create a substantially uniform temperature within the oven cavity. During a cleaning mode of operation, the electric heating element is used to pre-heat the oven cavity at a controlled rate prior to operation of the lower burner unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Maytag Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Arntz, Isaac P. Sargunam
  • Patent number: 6169848
    Abstract: A cross-direction dryer for typically drying a continuous web of paper or paper to which coating has just been applied provides both for baseline drying and a linear moisture profile by the use of respectively gas and electric heating portions of the heater units. Profile control is normally provided by control of the voltage to electric heating lamps. Such heating lamps are suspended over a large area gas burner to provide a combined increased infrared heat output. Encapsulation of the heating lamps with quartz provides for reradiation of the medium wavelength radiation produced by the gas burner. Thyristor switching for the quartz halogen heat lamps may be located adjacent to each heater unit and cooled by the combustion air for the gas burners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Impact Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Lee L. Henry
  • Patent number: 5970209
    Abstract: Disclosed is a roasting apparatus allowing automation of a roasting process including steps of charging a raw material, roasting it, and carrying a roasted product. A carrying-in port is opened in the bottom of a quantitative tank 1 for storing a raw material to be roasted, and a lid 34 is provided at an edge portion of the carrying-in port. A motor-driven cylinder 33 for opening/closing the lid 34 on the basis of an electric signal is provided to the lid 34. A roasting kiln 40 is disposed under the quantitative tank 1. An opening 63 is provided in the roasting kiln 40 and lids 42 are provided at edge portions of the opening 63. A kiln opening/closing link and a motor-driven cylinder 58 for opening/closing the lids 42 are provided outside the roasting kiln 40. A carrying passage 120 is provided under the roasting kiln 40. Burners 41 are disposed near the carrying passage 120 and electric heaters 71 are disposed around the rotational shaft 52.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Toyokura
  • Patent number: 5937139
    Abstract: A portable hot-air blower for at least two of the three forms of energy including oil, liquid-petroleum-gas, and electricity has a tubular or tunnel-shaped housing defining a combustion chamber and a blower in the housing including a fan and a fan motor for directing a current of air along an axis through the chamber. At least two heat sources are axially spaced in the chamber in the housing from one another. One of the heat sources is powerable by electricity and the other of the heat sources by a respective one of the other two forms of energy, that is oil or gas. An ambient-temperature sensor is connected to a controller that serves, on detecting a very low ambient temperature, to first operate the electrically powered heat source until the blower is warm enough for safe operation of the other heat source, and then start the other heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Inventor: Avo Peterson
  • Patent number: 5909533
    Abstract: A cooking oven having an electric heating element in the bottom for baking, warming and high temperature-self cleaning, and an infrared gas broiler in the top of the oven. The infrared gas broiler is supplied with a fuel gas/air mixture from a venturi tube that uses the stream of fuel gas to draw clean air into the oven from outside the oven. A flue duct is provided in the top rear of the oven for the discharge of the combusted gases but no other opening is provided, such as for secondary air that is normally required for a gas oven. The venturi tube assembly creates a fuel gas/air mixture that contains 100% of the air necessary for full combustion of that gas and a positive pressure for distributing the gas/air mixture through ceramic radiants for combustion to heat the radiants to a temperature for producing the infrared light waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Dacor, Inc.
    Inventors: Joey Kitabayashi, Humberto Delgado, Carl H. Adams, Gengxin Feng
  • Patent number: 5893357
    Abstract: A portable cooking system that includes a detachable base, a support pole assembly, a detachable charcoal holder, a circular grating, a removable cover/lid, a detachable gas burner assembly, a detachable electric burner assembly, a washer shaped flame diffuser member, a cooking wok, and a cooking system carrying case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Inventors: Raymond Royer, Clifford Breaux
  • Patent number: 5617504
    Abstract: A cogeneration system that is particularly suited to residential use comprises an internal combustion engine, preferably diesel, coupled to a generator, preferably of the induction type. The generator and the engine are thermally isolated from each other so that the engine can run hotter (and thus more efficiently) without adversely affecting the generator. A supplemental electric heater supplies additional heat when the thermal output of the engine is insufficient. A dual stage controller for the heater controls its operation for enhanced efficiency. A generator controller enables the generator to serve the additional function of starting the engine when heat is called for, thus obviating a separate starting motor and related equipment. The system provides a high operating efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Inventors: Thomas Sciacca, Neil Slavin
  • Patent number: 5377297
    Abstract: A method of combining electric heating with a wood-heated masonry furnace is provided. The masonry furnace has an outer jacket (1) and at least one fire chest (5, 6) arranged therewithin for burning the wood. Cheek conduits (8) between the outer surface of the fire chest and the inner surface of the outer jacket, are provided. The conduits are connected to the fire chest (5, 6) at one end and to a flue (9) at the opposite end. At least one electric resistor element (13) is installed inside the furnace. In order that electrical heating could be easily combined with any existing masonry furnace, holes (14) are drilled in the fire cover (10) of the furnace and the at least one resistor element (13) is arranged to hang from the fire cover (10) in the air space (8, 16) inside the furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: Suomen Vuolukivi Oy
    Inventor: Pekka Nuutinen
  • Patent number: 5367601
    Abstract: A heating system has a primary heat source such as a heat pump, with a capacity that occasionally needs to be supplemented from a supplemental heat source such as an electrical resistance heater. The heating system heats and circulates a medium such as air via supply and return ducts. A thermostat responsive to the heated space has two outputs for operation at different user-selected temperatures defining stages of operation at which the primary and secondary heat sources are normally drawn upon. The invention controls the duct temperature by activating the supplemental heat source according to a further setpoint, that is adjusted by a processor or other control circuit. A temperature sensor allows the control circuit to determine the duct temperature. The control circuit is also coupled to the two thermostat outputs and to a memory register storing the variable duct temperature setpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: World Technology Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert T. Hannabery
  • Patent number: 5329918
    Abstract: This invention provides for the addition of a small electrical element within the confines of a conventional gas station on a cooktop for purposes of simmer cooking which requires control of temperatures below the minimum obtainable with the minimum gas flow rate control settings. Control of power to the electrical heating element is commenced by a first microswitch after control of the gas portion of the burner has been minimized, and reignition has been disabled by operation of a second microswitch. Electrical control means include on-off heater control, continuous power control with a rheostat, or by stepwise adjustment as in a conventional stove. The electrical system and control may be incorporated within a conventual gas burner during assembly with minimum modification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1994
    Inventor: Gaetano Di Bari
  • Patent number: 5235667
    Abstract: A heater for radiant heating of an object in a heating tunnel, furnace or the like has a layer of ceramic fibers through which a fuel/air mixture is fed for combustion at the surface and use of the heater as a gas burner. Partly embedded in the surface is an electrical-resistance heater which is heated up by the burner action and then can be energized to provide controlled heating of the object when the gas is shut off. A flow of cooling air through the heater can terminate the heating operation and rapidly quench the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1993
    Assignee: Casso-Solar Corp.
    Inventors: Douglas Canfield, David Jacobson
  • Patent number: 5133041
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for transporting commodities, especially liquid commodities above their congealing temperature in a tanks or tank containers. At least a partial flow of hot exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine of a tank vehicle or tank container vehicle flows through a heat exchanger through which passes the heat transfer oil in a closed cycle and yields heat to the heat transfer oil and an electrically heated heat exchanger yields heat to the heat transfer oil and the heat transfer oil transfers heat to the commodity through a tank or tank container wall heat exchanger. The heat transfer oil is conducted in a closed cycle in a regulation circuit including the heat exchanger through which the exhaust gas passes and the electrical heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1992
    Inventors: Gerhard Richter, Heinz-Herbert Lindenau
  • Patent number: 5086493
    Abstract: An electric thermal storage heater with a heat storage brick assembly enclosed within an insulating sheath and an outer shell or housing; there is a space between the outer shell and the insulating sheath through which low temperature air is passed; the brick assembly has air flow openings therethrough into which the electric heating elements may be slipped during installation, and the openings communicate with entrance and exit passages which supply air to and through the brick assembly; air valving is provided to close and modulate the air flowing through the brick assembly and through the low temperature air path; the heating elements maintain the temperature of the bricks between 500.degree. F. and 1300.degree. F., depending upon the expected heating load; and air ducts and a fan move air from the storage heater to the duct system of a heat pump or similar forced air heating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1992
    Inventor: Paul J. Steffes
  • Patent number: 4971136
    Abstract: An operating system for a dual fuel heating system having first and second heat pump stages, first and second gas furnace stages, an executive controller for tracking time increments and call control strategies at appropriate levels, a demand control for calculating the amount of time each heat pump can be on during a predetermined time window, a data storage apparatus, a thermostat, a first predicting module for predicting non-heat pump electrical load based on a moving average, a second predicting module for predicting heat load based on a moving average, and a limiting module for setting demand limits for off-peak, mid-peak and peak periods. The executive controller is operated to initiate operation of the foregoing routines to determine, based on historical building profile information including non-heat pump electric power information the availability of heat pump power with no increase in demand charges during any given incremental interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1990
    Assignee: Electric Power Research Institute
    Inventors: Anoop Mathur, Wendy K. Foslien