Catalytic Heating System and Method for Heating a Beverage or Food

Abstract

A catalytic heating system for heating a beverage or food that comprises: a container for containing the beverage or food and a catalytic combustion assembly for heating the container, with the catalytic combustion assembly comprising a fuel supply assembly having a fuel canister for supplying a fuel gas having a stoichiometric ratio of about 15 to an air mixing injector for injecting the fuel gas into an elongate sidewall enclosure having curved shape and defining an enclosed catalytic combustion chamber where a catalytic combustion process is generated, causing the complete combustion of all of the fuel gas and heating the container containing the beverage or food.

1 . A catalytic combustion assembly for heating a stovetop surface, comprising:
 a chamber plate having chamber plate top and bottom sides, with a chamber plate perimeter wall disposed between and integral with the chamber plate top and bottom sides, and with the stovetop surface integral with the chamber plate top side;   a flow-through fuel gas inlet and a flow-through exhaust outlet integral with the chamber plate bottom side;   an enclosed catalytic combustion chamber integral with the chamber plate, with the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber having at one end a combustion chamber fuel gas opening fluidly connected to the flow-through fuel gas inlet and at another end a combustion chamber exhaust opening fluidly connected to the flow-through exhaust outlet, and with no other openings providing access to the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber;   a catalytic reaction media disposed within the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber;   a combustion starting element disposed within the catalytic reaction media;   a fuel supply assembly mounted on a fuel supply platform, with the fuel supply assembly having a fuel and air mixing injector fluidly connected to the flow-through fuel gas inlet;   a fuel canister sealably connected to the fuel supply platform for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel supply assembly; and   whereby the fuel and air mixing injector within the catalytic combustion assembly can entrain the fuel gas with air and inject a fuel gas and entrained air mixture through the flow-through fuel gas Inlet and into the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber, where the combustion starting element can ignite the fuel gas and entrained air mixture and the catalytic reaction media can generate a catalytic combustion process within the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber, with exhaust from the catalytic combustion process flowing through the flow-through exhaust outlet to atmosphere, with the catalytic combustion process transferring heat to the chamber plate top side and integral stovetop surface, and with the stovetop surface for conductively transferring heat to a container.   
     
     
         2 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 1  in which the fuel gas is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl ether, butane, propane and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 1  in which the fuel gas has a stoichiometric air to fuel ratio of about  15 . 
     
     
         4 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 1  in which the catalytic reaction media comprises a substrate, combined with a catalyst support and an active catalyst. 
     
     
         5 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 1  in which the catalytic combustion chamber has an elongate cylindrically shape. 
     
     
         6 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 1  in which the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber has a curved shape. 
     
     
         7 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 8  in which the curved shape of the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber has a circular curvature. 
     
     
         8 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 1  in which the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber has a partially curved and linear shape. 
     
     
         9 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 5  in which the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber having a cylindrically shape has a diameter of about 10 millimeters or less. 
     
     
         10 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 5  in which the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber having a cylindrically shape has a diameter of between about 5 millimeters and about 10 millimeters. 
     
     
         11 . A catalytic combustion assembly for heating a stovetop surface, comprising:
 a chamber plate having chamber plate top and bottom sides, with a chamber plate perimeter wall disposed between and integral with the chamber plate top and bottom sides, and with the stovetop surface integral with the chamber plate top side;   a flow-through fuel gas inlet integral with the chamber plate bottom side and a flow-through exhaust outlet integral with the chamber plate perimeter wall;   a plurality of enclosed catalytic combustion chambers integral with the chamber plate. with each enclosed catalytic combustion chamber out of the plurality of enclosed catalytic combustion chambers having at one end a combustion chamber fuel gas opening fluidly connected to the flow-through fuel gas inlet integral with the chamber plate bottom side, and at another end of the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber a combustion chamber exhaust opening fluidly connected to the flow-through exhaust outlet integral with the chamber plate perimeter wall and with no other openings providing access to the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber:   a plurality of catalytic reaction media disposed within a corresponding plurality of the enclosed catalytic combustion chambers;   a combustion starting element disposed within the flow-through fuel gas inlet;   a fuel supply assembly mounted on a fuel supply platform: with the fuel supply assembly having fuel and air mixing injector fluidly connected to the flow-through fuel gas inlet;   a fuel canister sealably connected to the fuel supply platform for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel supply assembly; and   whereby the fuel and air mixing injector within the fuel supply assembly can entrain the fuel gas with air and inject a fuel gas and entrained air mixture into the flow-through fuel gas inlet, where the combustion starting element can ignite the fuel gas and entrained air mixture, and ignited fuel gas and entrained air mixture can then flow through the plurality of catalytic reaction media within a corresponding plurality of enclosed catalytic combustion chambers, where the plurality of catalytic reaction media can generate a catalytic combustion process within the corresponding plurality of enclosed catalytic combustion chambers, with the catalytic combustion process transferring heat to the chamber plate top side and integral stovetop surface, and with the stovetop surface for conductively transferring heat to a container.   
     
     
         12 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 11  in which the fuel gas is selected from the group of dimethyl ether, butane, propane and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 11  in which the fuel gas has a stoichiometric air to fuel ratio of about  15 . 
     
     
         14 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 11  in which the catalytic reaction media comprises a substrate, combined with a catalyst support and an active catalyst. 
     
     
         15 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 11  in which each enclosed catalytic combustion chamber out of the plurality of enclosed catalytic combustion chambers has an elongate curved shape. 
     
     
         16 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 15  in which the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber having an elongate curved shape has four elongate sidewall surfaces, with each elongate sidewall surface normal to adjacent sidewall surfaces and opposite from a sidewall surface. 
     
     
         17 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 16  in which the distance between opposite sidewall surfaces is between about 5 and 10 millimeters. 
     
     
         18 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 16  in which the distance between opposite sidewall surfaces is about 10 millimeters or less. 
     
     
         19 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 11  in which each enclosed catalytic combustion chamber out of the plurality of enclosed catalytic combustion chambers has an elongate linear shape. 
     
     
         20 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 19  in which the enclosed catalytic combustion chamber has an elongate linear shape having four elongate sidewall surfaces, with each elongate sidewall surface normal to adjacent sidewall surfaces and opposite from a sidewall surface. 
     
     
         21 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 19  in which the top chamber plate top side has an inside surface with a flow diverter integral with the inside surface and positioned at the center of the inside surface. 
     
     
         22 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 20  in which the distance between opposite sidewall surfaces is between about 5 and 10 millimeters. 
     
     
         23 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 20  in which the distance between opposite sidewall surfaces is about 10 millimeters or less. 
     
     
         24 . A catalytic combustion assembly for heating a stovetop surface, comprising:
 a chamber plate enclosure having a chamber plate top and bottom sides, with a chamber plate perimeter wall disposed between and integral with the chamber plate top and bottom sides, and with the stovetop surface integral with the chamber plate top side;   a flow-through fuel gas inlet integral with the chamber plate bottom side and a flow-through exhaust outlet integral with the chamber plate perimeter wall;   a guide vane ring disposed within the chamber plate enclosure, with the guide vane ring having a plurality of guide vane ring openings and a corresponding plurality of guide vane ring flaps, with each guide vane ring flap out of the plurality of guide vane ring flaps integral at one end with the guide vane ring and with an opposite end of the guide vane ring flap extending away from a guide vane ring opening out of the plurality of guide vane ring openings;   a catalytic combustion chamber within a space within the chamber plate enclosure, with the space defined by the chamber plate perimeter wall, the chamber plate top and bottom sides, and the guide vane ring;   a catalytic reaction media disposed within the catalytic combustion chamber;   a plurality of guide vanes disposed within the chamber plate enclosure and positioned between the guide vane ring and the flow-through fuel gas inlet, with each guide vane out of the plurality of guide vanes adjacent at a proximal end to the flow-through fuel gas inlet and integral at a distal end with the guide vane ring, with each distal end of a guide vane out of the plurality of guide varies positioned such that a guide vane opening out of the plurality of guide vane openings is between distal ends of adjacent guide vanes;   a combustion starting element disposed within the catalytic reaction media;   a fuel supply assembly mounted on a fuel supply platform, with the fuel supply assembly having a fuel and air mixing injector fluidly connected to the fuel gas inlet;   fuel canister sealably connected to the fuel supply platform for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel supply assembly; and   whereby the fuel and air mixing injector within the fuel supply assembly can be used to entrain the fuel gas with air and inject a fuel gas and entrained air mixture through the flow-through fuel gas inlet and cause a flow of the fuel gas and entrained air mixture to pass between the plurality of guide vanes where the flow accelerates; the flow can then pass through the plurality of guide vane ring openings and then flow past the plurality of guide vane flaps, causing the flow to accelerate further; and the flow can then penetrate the catalytic reaction media within the catalytic combustion chamber, where the flow can be ignited by the combustion starting element, generating a catalytic combustion process within the catalytic combustion chamber, with the catalytic combustion process transferring heat to the chamber plate top side and integral stovetop surface, with the stovetop surface for conductively transferring heat to a container.   
     
     
         25 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 24  in which the fuel gas is selected from the group of dimethyl ether, butane, propane and mixture thereof. 
     
     
         26 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 24  in which the fuel gas has a stoichiometric air to fuel ratio of about 15. 
     
     
         27 . The catalytic combustion assembly of  claim 24  in which the catalytic reaction media comprises a substrate, combined with a catalyst support and an active catalyst. 
     
     
         26 . The catalytic heating assembly of  claim 24  in which the catalytic reaction media has a cylindrical ring shape. 
     
     
         29 . A method of heating a stovetop surface:
 providing for a flow of a fuel gas, with the fuel gas having a stoichiometric ratio of about 15;   increasing the velocity of the flow of the fuel gas;   entraining the flow of the fuel gas with air, thereby creating a flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture;   maintaining an entrainment ratio of about 15 or above for the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture;   constraining the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture to an enclosed curved path;   contacting the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture with a catalytic reaction media;   igniting the flow of fuel gas and entrained air mixture, thereby generating the catalytic combustion process;   combusting all of the fuel gas during the catalytic combustion process; and   conducting heat from the catalytic combustion process to the stove top.