VIII New Patents

4912382

FAIL SAFE MONITORING APPARATUS AND METHOD

David J Koenig, Mark H Schultz assigned to Onan Corporat ion

An apparatus for detecting and analyzing a fault condition occurring in an engine electrical gene- rator set (21) while providing means for in- hibiting the engine electrical generator set (21) upon the occurrence of the fault. The apparatus utilizes a run relay (22) connected in series with single contact fault senders (26) to a reference potential. The single contact fault senders (26) monitor various parameters of the engine elec- trical generator set (21). When a parameter is ex- ceeded, the single contact fault sender (26) opens, de-energizing run relay (22) thereby in- hibiting engine electrical generator set (21). Op- tical isolators (27) monitor the single contact fault senders (26) and provide information on their status to logic determining means (24) to alert an operator of an exceeded parameter. Also provided is a bypass switch (31) to bypass single contact fault senders (26).

4915091

HIGH EFFICIENCY COMBUSTION HEATER

J Arnold Varney

A cooker and/or radiant-heating space heater system comprises a plurality of arcuate sheet metal shell segments assembled with overlapping edge portions so as to form a substantially cylin- drical inner shell surrounded by a plurality of similarly overlapping arcuate segments which may be spaced selectively relative to the inner shell and to each other so as to vary the spaces thus defined between the inner shell and the outer segments. The inner shell is spaced above a support surface such as the ground, and the outer segments rest on the support surface so that a combustion zone within the inner shell is in communication with the spaces between the inner shell and the outer segments. For highly ef- ficient combustion, air is drawn down such spaces, due to negative pressure induced by con- vection over a fire within the combustion zone, and preheated through contact with the hot in- ner shell prior to entering the combustion zone. Draft control is effected by selectively positioning the outer segments radially with respect to the inner shell. A pot of somewhat les-

ser diameter than the inner shell may be suppor- ted substantially within the inner shell above the fire in the combustion zone for efficient heating of foodstuffs or water in such container. A rela- tively broad and shallow vessel such as a frying pan or Chinese wok may be supported above the inner shell for heating by radiation and conduc- tion from products of combustion.

4915617

DEVICE FOR FEEDING WASTE AIR AND/OR COMBUSTION AIR

TO A BURNER OR COMBUSTION CHAMBER

Werner Huning, Claus Gockel, Herbert Wiebe, Kurt Noll, Otto Carlowitz, Odenthal, Federal Republic Of Germany assigned to Bayer Ak- tiengesellschaft; Kleinewefers Energie-Und Um- welttechnik Gm

The device for feeding waste air and/or combus- tion air to a burner has an upstream cyclindrical swirl inlet system (inlet header 1) with feeder nozzles (8,9) leading in tangentially. The main nozzle (8) is here provided at a radial distance R from the burner axis on the inlet header (1), which distance is greater than the radius r of the combustion chamber (4). By means of this in- crease in the swirl radius, a substantially higher swirl intensity can be generated at small through- puts. In order to avoid an undue rise in the swirl at higher throughputs, a secondary flow (7), which is fed in via a control element (11), is in- troduced into the inlet header (1) via a secondary nozzle (9) tangentially and opposite to the main swirling flow. Alternatively, the secondary flow (7) can also be fed to the inlet header (I) via inlet slots (14) substantially at right angles to the direction of the main flow. In both cases, the tangential flow component of the main flow (6) is slowed down. The control element (11) in the secondary flow (7) is advantageously designed in such a way that the secondary flow (7) sets in only when the main flow throughput rises to 509/0 to 609/0 of the nominal throughput.

4915829

ACTIVATED-SLUDGE AERATION SYSTEM

Sam Long

An activated-sludge sewage treatment plant in- cludes an aeration chamber having at least two