Retractable and extendable portable ignitors, ignition systems, and associated methods

Abstract

Systems and methods herein provide retractable and extendable portable ignitors, ignitor systems, and associated methods for lighting industrial fired equipment. In an embodiment, an ignitor includes a main body including a first body portion movable in a longitudinal direction relative to a second body portion so as to extend or retract to a target operating length, thereby to define an adjustable main body. The ignitor includes a flow path extending through the adjustable main body, a fluid outlet, and a fluid inlet. The fluid inlet is configured to receive and direct a fuel flow through the flow path and to the fluid outlet. The ignitor includes a sparking assembly connected to the adjustable main body proximate the fluid outlet to provide an ignition spark to the fuel flow when passing through the flow path, thereby to facilitate lighting industrial fired equipment via a fueled flame maintained proximate the fluid outlet.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ignitor for lighting industrial fired equipment, the ignitor comprising:
 a main body having a first body portion having a first length and a second body portion having a second length, the first body portion being movable in a longitudinal direction relative to the second body portion so as to extend or retract to a target operating length of a plurality of operating lengths, thereby to define an adjustable main body;   a flow path extending through the adjustable main body;   a fluid outlet positioned at a distal end of the flow path;   a fluid inlet positioned at a proximal end of the flow path, the fluid inlet configured to receive and direct a fuel flow through the flow path and to the fluid outlet; and   a sparking assembly connected to the adjustable main body proximate the fluid outlet to provide an ignition spark to the fuel flow when passing through the flow path, thereby to facilitate lighting industrial fired equipment via a fueled flame maintained proximate the fluid outlet.   
     
     
         2 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , wherein the sparking assembly comprises an electrical sparking assembly having a sparking tip and a battery electrically coupled to the sparking tip. 
     
     
         3 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , wherein the flow path comprises a conduit disposed within and extending substantially the entire length of the first body portion and the second body portion. 
     
     
         4 . The ignitor of  claim 3 , further comprising a conduit retainer coupled between a distal conduit end of the conduit and the adjustable main body proximate the fluid outlet to retain the distal conduit end in the adjustable main body during extension or retraction thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , wherein the flow path comprises inner surfaces of the adjustable main body, and the ignitor further comprising one or more sealing components disposed between the first body portion and the second body portion of the adjustable main body, thereby to provide fluid sealing of the inner surfaces of the flow path between the first body portion and the second body portion when the fuel flow passes therethrough. 
     
     
         6 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable main body further has at least one intermediate body portion positioned between the first body portion and the second body portion and having the flow path extending therethrough so that the flow path collectively extends through the first body portion, the intermediate body portion, and the second body portion. 
     
     
         7 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more telescopic connectors connected to the first body portion and the second body portion, thereby to provide telescopic extension and retraction, so that the first body portion is movable relative to the second body portion based on the one or more telescopic connectors. 
     
     
         8 . The ignitor of  claim 7 , wherein a first one of the first body portion and the second body portion comprises an inner surface sized and having a larger inner diameter so as to slide over an outer surface of a second one of the first body portion and the second body portion having a smaller outer diameter of a size smaller than the larger inner diameter. 
     
     
         9 . The ignitor of  claim 8 , wherein the adjustable main body further has at least one intermediate body portion positioned between the first body portion and the second body portion and having the flow path extending therethrough so that the flow path collectively extends through the first body portion, the intermediate body portion, and the second body portion, the first body portion also having a first inner surface in slidable contact with a first outer surface of the at least one intermediate body portion, and the at least one intermediate body portion also having a second inner surface in slidable contact with a second outer surface of the second body portion. 
     
     
         10 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , wherein a first one of the first body portion and the second body portion comprises internal threads having a larger inner diameter so as to threadedly engage with external threads of a second one of the first body portion and the second body portion having a smaller outer diameter of a size smaller than the larger inner diameter, thereby to enable threaded extension and retraction of the adjustable main body. 
     
     
         11 . The ignitor of  claim 10 , wherein the flow path comprises inner surfaces of the adjustable main body, and the ignitor further comprising:
 one or more retaining shelves defined at a threaded connection between the first body portion and the second body portion of the adjustable main body; and   one or more sealing components disposed within the one or more retaining shelves, thereby to provide fluid sealing of the inner surfaces of the flow path between the first body portion and the second body portion when the fuel flow passes therethrough.   
     
     
         12 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , further comprising a fuel source connector connected to and in fluid communication with the fluid inlet, thereby to connect a gas source to be in fluid communication with the fluid inlet, and wherein the gas source comprises a gas tank or an industrial gas supply when connected to the fuel source connector. 
     
     
         13 . The ignitor of  claim 1 , further comprising a spring-biasing coupler operatively coupled to the adjustable main body, thereby to facilitate extension or retraction of the adjustable main body. 
     
     
         14 . A method of using an ignitor to light industrial fired equipment, the method comprising:
 providing an ignitor having a main body including a first body portion having a first length, a second body portion having a second length, and a fuel flow path extending through the main body;   moving the first body portion relative to the second body portion along a longitudinal axis so as to extend or retract the main body to a target operating length of a plurality of operating lengths;   igniting a fuel flow proximate a fluid outlet positioned at a distal end of the fuel flow path of the main body, thereby to ignite and maintain a fueled flame adjacent the distal end of the fuel flow path; and   directing the fueled flame to one or more of: (a) an unlit pilot burner, or (b) a main burner of an industrial fired equipment.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the igniting the fuel flow comprises activating an electrical sparking assembly coupled to the main body proximate the fluid outlet. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the moving the first body portion relative to the second body portion comprises sliding an outer surface of the first body portion into or out of an inner surface of the second body portion along the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the fuel flow path comprises a conduit disposed within the main body, the conduit extending substantially the entire length of the first body portion and the second body portion, the ignitor further including a fuel coupler connected to the main body and the conduit and configured to connect the fuel flow path to a fuel source. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein extending or retracting the main body by a distance along the longitudinal axis causes a length of the conduit corresponding to the distance to recede into or protrude from the main body, respectively. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the moving the first body portion relative to the second body portion comprises rotating a threaded outer surface of the first body portion relative to a threaded inner surface of the second body portion along a circumferential axis defined about the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the main body further has at least one intermediate body portion positioned between the first body portion and the second body portion and having the fuel flow path extending therethrough, the method further comprising:
 moving the first body portion relative to the at least one intermediate body portion along the longitudinal axis so as to extend or retract the main body to the target operating length; or   moving the second body portion relative to the at least one intermediate body portion along the longitudinal axis so as to extend or retract the main body to the target operating length.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the fuel flow path extending through the main body is open for fluid flow in each operating length of the plurality of operating lengths. 
     
     
         22 . An ignitor system for lighting industrial fired equipment, the system comprising:
 industrial fired equipment including a fired heater having one or more of a pilot burner or a main burner;   an ignitor having:
 a main body having a first body portion having a first length and a second body portion having a second length, the first body portion being movable in a longitudinal direction relative to the second body portion so as to extend or retract to a target operating length of a plurality of operating lengths, thereby to define an adjustable main body, 
 a flow path extending through the adjustable main body, 
 a fluid outlet positioned at a distal end of the flow path, 
 a fluid inlet positioned at a proximal end of the flow path, the fluid inlet configured to receive and direct a fuel flow through the flow path and to the fluid outlet, and 
 a sparking assembly connected to the adjustable main body proximate the fluid outlet to provide an ignition spark to the fuel flow when passing through the flow path; and 
   a fuel source connected to the ignitor, thereby to provide fuel to the fluid inlet of the ignitor so as to facilitate lighting of the fired heater of the industrial fired equipment via a fueled flame maintained proximate the fluid outlet.   
     
     
         23 . The ignitor system of  claim 22 , wherein the flow path of the ignitor comprises inner surfaces of the adjustable main body, and the ignitor further comprising one or more sealing components disposed between the first body portion and the second body portion of the adjustable main body, thereby to provide fluid sealing of the inner surfaces of the flow path between the first body portion and the second body portion when the fuel flow passes therethrough. 
     
     
         24 . The ignitor system of  claim 22 , wherein the adjustable main body of the ignitor further has at least one intermediate body portion positioned between the first body portion and the second body portion and having the flow path extending therethrough so that the flow path collectively extends through the first body portion, the intermediate body portion, and the second body portion. 
     
     
         25 . The ignitor system of  claim 22 , wherein the ignitor further comprises one or more telescopic connectors connected to the first body portion and the second body portion, thereby to provide telescopic extension and retraction, so that the first body portion is movable relative to the second body portion based on the one or more telescopic connectors. 
     
     
         26 . The ignitor system of  claim 25 , wherein a first one of the first body portion and the second body portion of the adjustable main body of the ignitor comprises an inner surface sized and having a larger inner diameter so as to slide over an outer surface of a second one of the first body portion and the second body portion having a smaller outer diameter of a size smaller than the larger inner diameter. 
     
     
         27 . The ignitor system of  claim 26 , wherein the adjustable main body of the ignitor further has at least one intermediate body portion positioned between the first body portion and the second body portion and having the flow path extending therethrough so that the flow path collectively extends through the first body portion, the intermediate body portion, and the second body portion, the first body portion also having a first inner surface in slidable contact with a first outer surface of the at least one intermediate body portion, and the at least one intermediate body portion also having a second inner surface in slidable contact with a second outer surface of the second body portion. 
     
     
         28 . The ignitor system of  claim 22 , wherein a first one of the first body portion and the second body portion comprises internal threads having a larger inner diameter so as to threadedly engage with external threads of a second one of the first body portion and the second body portion having a smaller outer diameter of a size smaller than the larger inner diameter, thereby to enable threaded extension and retraction of the adjustable main body based on rotation along the internal threads and the external threads. 
     
     
         29 . The ignitor system of  claim 22 , wherein the fuel source comprises a gas source, the ignitor further comprises a fuel source connector connected to and in fluid communication with the fluid inlet, thereby to connect the gas source to be in fluid communication with the fluid inlet, and wherein the gas source comprises a gas tank or an industrial gas supply.