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  Method and device for producing a flame, particulary for coloured flame lampsUSPTO Application #: 20070092846Title: Method and device for producing a flame, particulary for coloured flame lamps Abstract: Method for producing a flame, particularly for coloured flame lamps using a small liquid flow at the upper end of a rising tube (4) of small transverse cross-section, the method consisting in allowing combustible gas in the form of a sequence of bubbles to pass into a bubble chamber (3) placed at the lower end of the rising tube, the gas bubbles (13, 17) having a cross-section at least equal to the transverse cross-section of the rising tube and in igniting and letting the mixture of combustible gas and liquid burn at said upper end of the rising tube. The liquid may contain a chemical compound chosen for the colour it can impart to the flames. (end of abstract) Agent: Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP - Wilmington, DE, US Inventor: Claude Bernardy USPTO Applicaton #: 20070092846 - Class: 431002000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Combustion, Process Of Combustion Or Burner Operation The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070092846. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The present invention relates to a straightforward and inexpensive method and device for producing a flame, particularly for coloured flame lamps. The invention implements a known steady low feed rate system wherein a liquid is made to rise, by means of a string of bubbles, into a tube of small cross-section. Such a system is described particularly in documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,232, 4,645,427 and 4,647,272. [0002] Lighters and flame lamps using gas and particularly liquefied gas combustion are known and in widespread use. [0003] It is known furthermore that it is possible to colour flames by injecting into them chemical compounds having the property of colouring them. This injection is, however, tricky to implement when it is required to make a flame lamp of simple design, fed by gas and particularly liquefied gas, at a low and steady rate of flow, without running the risk of blocking the gas and chemical compound feed means. [0004] The objective for the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of prior art solutions by introducing a method and a device for producing a flame particularly a coloured flame which are characterised by great simplicity and low cost. The technology implemented by the present invention consists in raising a liquid in a tube of small cross-section from a lower level to a higher level, without applying pressure to this liquid, or by applying to the liquid a pressure lower than that normally required to raise it by the same height, the liquid rising under the action of bubbles of a combustible gas. In this way the technical problem mentioned above is resolved by means of the invention. [0005] The invention relates firstly to a method for producing a flame by combustion of a combustible gas at the upper end of a rising tube of small internal transverse cross-section, characterised in that: [0006] a) a supply of a liquid is set up with its level being maintained both below that of the upper end of said rising tube and above that of the lower end of this same tube, [0007] b) the supply of liquid is brought into contact with a chamber, called a bubble chamber, that also communicates with the lower end of said rising tube, or is inserted into the latter in its lower part and also communicating with a combustible gas source by means of a gas inlet port, [0008] c) while maintaining the liquid level of the supply as shown above, the combustible gas is allowed to pass into the bubble chamber through the gas inlet port at a sufficient rate of flow to produce at the base of the rising tube a sequence of combustible gas bubbles in the liquid, said rate of flow being however smaller than that which would lead to an accumulation of gas below the rising tube such that the liquid would no longer have access to the lower end of this tube, and said sequence of combustible gas bubbles separated by portions of entrained liquid is allowed to rise in the rising tube, and [0009] d) the mixture of combustible gas bubbles and liquid is ignited and allowed to burn, at said upper end of the rising tube, so as to operate as a flame lamp. [0010] The invention also relates to a device including a rising tube communicating via its lower end with a chamber called a bubble chamber, said bubble chamber being furthermore in communication on the one hand with a tank for liquid and on the other hand with a combustible gas source, said tank being able to contain said liquid at a level both above the level of the lower end of the rising tube and below the level of the upper end of said rising tube, the bubble chamber and the combustible gas source communicating by means of a gas inlet port, said device being characterised in that it additionally comprises a burner at the upper end of the rising tube, intended for the combustion of the combustible gas and any liquid, as well as means for controlling the rate of flow of the combustible gas allowing the latter to pass into the liquid in the form of a string of successive gas bubbles with a cross-section at least equal to the internal cross-section of the rising tube, directed towards the base of the rising tube or introduced directly into it. [0011] It will be easily understood that the bubbles of combustible gas may distort as they penetrate into the rising tube and that they are able to take on a different shape, particularly elongated in the direction of their rise. They remain however separated from each other while entraining portions of liquid between them. [0012] It will also be understood that the transverse cross-section of the rising tube depends on the size of the bubbles created since each bubble, in said tube, must be in contact with the walls and must therefore be able to occupy the full cross-section of the tube. [0013] Several forms of implementation and manufacture are conceivable. [0014] In a first form of implementation of the method of the invention, the latter consists of a method for producing a flame by combustion of a combustible gas at the upper end of a rising tube of small internal transverse cross-section characterised in that: [0015] a) a supply of a liquid is set up with its level being maintained both below that of the upper end of said rising tube and above that of the lower end of this same tube, [0016] b) the supply of liquid is brought into contact with a chamber, called a bubble chamber, that also communicates on the one hand, at its upper part, with the lower end of said rising tube and on the other hand with a combustible gas source by means of a gas inlet port which is located at a level of the bubble chamber below the level of the lower end of the rising tube, the cross-section of the gas inlet port in the bubble chamber being sufficient so as to produce in the bubble chamber liquid successive gas bubbles with a cross-section at least equal to the internal transverse cross-section of the rising tube, the liquid in the supply being brought into contact with the bubble chamber away from the path of said gas bubbles, [0017] c) while maintaining the liquid level in the supply as shown above, the combustible gas is allowed to pass into the bubble chamber through the gas inlet port at a sufficient rate of flow to produce a sequence of combustible gas bubbles in the liquid, said rate of flow being smaller however than that which would lead to an accumulation of gas bubbles at the top of the bubble chamber, so as to allow said sequence of combustible gas bubbles separated by portions of entrained liquid to rise in the rising tube and to release said portions of liquid at the upper end of said rising tube, and [0018] d) the mixture of combustible gas bubbles and liquid is ignited and allowed to burn, at said upper end of the rising tube, so as to operate as a flame lamp. [0019] In a first embodiment of the device of the invention, the latter consists of a device including a rising tube communicating via its lower end with the upper end of a chamber called a bubble chamber, said bubble chamber being furthermore in contact on the one hand with a tank for liquid and on the other hand with a combustible gas source, said tank being able to contain said liquid at a level both above the level of the lower end of the rising tube and below the level of the upper end of said rising tube, the bubble chamber and the combustible gas source being brought into contact by means of a gas inlet port located at a level of the bubble chamber below the level where said chamber communicates with the lower end of the rising tube and the bubble chamber and the liquid tank being brought into contact by means of at least one liquid inlet port located away from the rising path followed by the combustible gas bubbles which are able to form when the bubble chamber is filled with liquid and when the gas is allowed to pass into said chamber, said device being characterised in that it additionally comprises a burner at the upper end of the rising tube, intended for the combustion of the combustible gas and any liquid, as well as means for controlling the rate of flow of the combustible gas allowing the latter to pass into the bubble chamber in the form of a string of successive gas bubbles with a cross-section at least equal to the internal transverse cross-section of the rising tube. [0020] According to a preferred form of implementing the first embodiment of the invention, the transverse cross-section of the bubble chamber is larger than both the maximum internal transverse cross-section of the rising tube and the transverse cross-section of the gas inlet port in the bubble chamber. [0021] In a second form of implementing the invention, the level of the lower end of the rising tube is lower than the top of the bubble chamber and the gas is allowed to pass under sufficient pressure to push back the liquid from its rest level, downwards, as far as the vicinity of the level of the lower end of the rising tube, thus allowing the gas to access this lower end of the rising tube in the form of a string of successive bubbles. [0022] In this second embodiment, a space may be provided surrounding the rising tube, or in its vicinity, and thereby extending the bubble chamber upwards, and this space must be made impermeable so as to allow the gas to exert its delivery pressure on the liquid surrounding, at rest, the rising tube, or in its vicinity. The gas pressure must be limited to that which allows the liquid to drop to the level of the lower end of the rising tube or to its vicinity. Indeed, excessive pressure would push the liquid back to a level such that this liquid would no longer access the rising tube. This pressure is therefore low and equal to the head of liquid to bring down. [0023] In this second embodiment, the pressurised gas may be allowed to pass into a space surrounding the rising tube, or in its vicinity, and at a level above the level of the lower end of this tube. The gas may also be allowed to pass directly into the liquid. It then forms bubbles, which, as they release their gas into the sealed space surrounding the rising tube, or in its vicinity, allow the liquid to be pushed back to the level of the lower end of the rising tube, as in the previous case. [0024] In a third embodiment, the gas is allowed to pass directly inside the rising tube, at its lower part, at a level below the level reached by the liquid at rest, in the absence of gas injection. This lower part then acts as the bubble chamber. In this case however the gas port must not occupy the entire cross-section of the tube, so as to leave room to pass for the liquid that is to rise in the tube. It must however be of sufficient size for the formed bubbles, which, as a general rule, are of larger diameter than the gas port, as will be explained below, to have a sufficient size to occupy the entire transverse cross-section of the rising tube. Continue reading... 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