Asymmetrically fed stability chamber for a gas burner

Abstract

A gas burner assembly for an appliance has a gas stability chamber with a simmer flame port for providing a re-ignition source to primary burner ports positioned around the burner. The gas stability chamber has at least one primary stability chamber gas inlet and at least one secondary stability chamber gas inlet. The secondary stability chamber gas inlet is configured to provide a gas flow in the stability chamber with a velocity component that is offset from a radial direction of the gas burner assembly. This offset causes a flame at the simmer flame port to drift in the direction of an opposing side of the stability chamber from the secondary stability chamber gas inlet. As a result, the flamelet at the simmer flame port can more readily ignite the fuel exiting adjacent primary burner ports.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A gas burner assembly for a cooktop of an appliance, comprising:
 a burner body comprising an annular sidewall surrounding a main gas conduit having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, the burner body defining circumferential, axial, and radial directions, the burner body having an upper surface;   a plurality of primary burner ports disposed within the annular sidewall of the burner body, surrounding the gas outlet, and in fluid communication with the main gas conduit through the gas outlet;   a cap received onto the burner body;   a simmer flame port disposed within the annular sidewall, spaced along a circumferential direction from the primary burner ports, and configured to provide a reignition source for the primary burner ports;   a stability chamber located adjacent to, and radially inward of, the simmer flame port, the stability chamber defined at least in part by
 a pair of baffles extending along the radial direction, positioned in an opposing manner from each other along the circumferential direction, and projecting from the upper surface along the axial direction; 
 an end wall positioned radially inward of the pair of baffles; 
 the upper surface of the burner body; and 
 the cap; 
   at least one primary stability chamber gas inlet configured for providing gaseous fuel flow from the gas outlet into the stability chamber, and   a secondary stability chamber gas inlet positioned along one of the baffles at a location that is radially outward of the at least one primary stability chamber gas inlet and configured for providing gaseous fuel flow from the gas outlet into the stability chamber, the secondary gas inlet oriented to provide gas flow into the stability chamber with a velocity component that is offset from the radial direction so as to cause a flame at the simmer flame port to drift in a direction towards an opposing side of the stability chamber from the secondary stability chamber gas inlet.   
     
     
         2 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary stability chamber gas inlet comprises a channel formed along one of the baffles. 
     
     
         3 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the channel defines a channel axis that forms an acute, non-zero angle α to the radial direction. 
     
     
         4 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 3 , wherein angle α is in the range of 0 degrees<α≦60 degrees. 
     
     
         5 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 3 , wherein angle α is in the range of 0 degrees<α≦45 degrees. 
     
     
         6 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the channel is located along a top edge of one of the baffles. 
     
     
         7 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the channel is located away from the end wall along one of the baffles at a distance that is more than half the length of the baffle. 
     
     
         8 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the burner body defines a toroidal projection around the gas outlet, and wherein the annular sidewall and the toroidal projection define a main fuel chamber for the receipt of gas from the gas outlet. 
     
     
         9 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one primary stability chamber gas inlet comprises a pair of primary stability chamber gas inlets positioned in an opposing manner about the stability chamber. 
     
     
         10 . A cooktop appliance comprising the gas burner assembly of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . A gas burner assembly for a cooktop of an appliance, comprising:
 a burner body comprising an annular sidewall surrounding a main gas conduit, the burner body defining circumferential, axial, and radial directions, the burner body having an upper surface;   a plurality of primary burner ports disposed within the annular sidewall of the burner body, surrounding the gas outlet, and in fluid communication with the main gas conduit;   a cap received onto the burner body;   a simmer flame port disposed within the annular sidewall, spaced along a circumferential direction from the primary burner ports, and configured to provide a reignition source for the primary burner ports;   a stability chamber located adjacent to, and radially inward of, the simmer flame port, the stability chamber defined at least in part by
 a pair of baffles extending along the radial direction; 
 an end wall positioned radially inward of the pair of baffles; 
 the upper surface of the burner body; and 
 the cap; 
   a pair of primary stability chamber gas inlets configured for providing gaseous fuel flow from the gas outlet into the stability chamber, and   a secondary stability chamber gas inlet positioned along one of the baffles at a location that is radially outward of the primary stability chamber gas inlets and configured for providing gaseous fuel flow from the gas outlet into the stability chamber, the secondary gas inlet oriented to provide gas flow into the stability chamber with a velocity component that is offset from the radial direction so as to cause a flame at the simmer flame port to drift towards one of the primary burner ports.   
     
     
         12 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the secondary stability chamber gas inlet comprises a channel formed along one of the baffles. 
     
     
         13 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the channel defines a channel axis that forms an acute, non-zero angle α to the radial direction. 
     
     
         14 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 13 , wherein angle α is in the range of 0 degrees<α≦60 degrees. 
     
     
         15 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 14 , wherein angle α is in the range of 0 degrees<α≦60 degrees. 
     
     
         16 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 14 , wherein angle α is in the range of 0 degrees<α≦45 degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the channel is located along a top edge of one of the baffles. 
     
     
         18 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the channel is located away from the end wall along one of the baffles at a distance that is more than half the length of the baffle. 
     
     
         19 . The gas burner assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the burner body defines a toroidal projection around the gas outlet, and wherein the annular sidewall and the toroidal projection define a main fuel chamber for the receipt of gas from the gas outlet.