Sintered metal fiber liner for gas burners

Abstract

An improved liner for gas burners used to confine combustion in a compact zone adjacent the burner face is formed of a porous sheet of sintered metal fibers. The novel liner features uniform flow therethrough of air and provides improved insulation in that the escape of heat from the combustion zone through the liner is curtailed. Structural simplicity is another advantage of the new liner.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A combustor liner comprising a porous sheet of sintered metal fibers which faces and confines combustion from a combustor.  
     
     
         2 . The combustor liner of  claim 1  wherein the porous sheet of sintered metal fibers is bonded to a perforated metal sheet, the perforations of which cover at least 80% of the area of said sheet.  
     
     
         3 . The combustor liner of  claim 1  wherein the metal fibers are fibers of an alloy selected from the group consisting of iron-based or nickel-based alloys containing chromium, and alloys containing iron, chromium and aluminum.  
     
     
         4 . The combustor liner of  claim 1  wherein the portion of the liner near its exit end is perforated.  
     
     
         5 . The combustor liner of  claim 1  wherein the porous sheet of sintered metal fibers is formed of two layers of fibers of different metal compositions.  
     
     
         6 . The combustor liner of  claim 5  wherein one layer of fibers have a metal composition selected from the group consisting of iron-based or nickel-based alloys containing chromium, and alloys containing iron, chromium and aluminum.  
     
     
         7 . The combustor liner of  claim 3  wherein the porous sheet of sintered metal fibers is bonded to a perforated metal sheet, the perforations of which cover about 95% of the area of said sheet.  
     
     
         8 . The combustor liner of  claim 4  wherein the porous sheet of sintered metal fibers is about  2  millimeters thick.  
     
     
         9 . The combustor liner of  claim 8  wherein the portion of the liner near its exit end is perforated.