Inward fired radial gas burner assembly and cooktop appliance

Abstract

A cooktop appliance including a burner body, a fuel manifold, a heat sink plate, and a cooktop surface is provided. The burner body forms a plurality of inward-fired flame ports distributed along a circumferential direction. The burner body forms a mixing chamber extending in fluid communication between the plurality of flame ports and a mixing tube. The fuel manifold includes a body forming a fuel passage. An outlet opening of the fuel passage is circumferentially corresponding with the mixing tube at the burner assembly. The fuel manifold includes a first post extending from the body, at which the heat sink plate is separably couplable. The cooktop surface is separably couplable to the fuel manifold at a second post extending from the body. The. The second post is configured to position the cooktop surface in contact with the heat sink plate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooktop appliance, comprising:
 a burner body forming a plurality of inward-fired flame ports distributed along a circumferential direction, wherein the burner body forms a mixing chamber extending in fluid communication between the plurality of flame ports and a mixing tube;   a fuel manifold comprising a body forming a fuel passage, the fuel passage extending between an inlet opening and an outlet opening, wherein the outlet opening is circumferentially corresponding with the mixing tube at the burner assembly, the fuel manifold comprising a first post extending along a vertical direction from the body and configured to receive a fastener, the fuel manifold comprising a second post extending along the vertical direction;   a heat sink plate separably couplable to the fuel manifold at the first post, the heat sink plate configured to receive the fastener to secure the heat sink plate to the first post at the fuel manifold; and   a cooktop surface separably couplable to the fuel manifold at the second post, the second post configured to position the cooktop surface along the vertical direction in contact with the heat sink plate.   
     
     
         2 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the body, the first post, and the second post of the fuel manifold form a unitary, monolithic structure. 
     
     
         3 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the body forms a first leg intersecting a second leg, and wherein the inlet opening is formed at the first leg and the outlet opening is formed at the first and second legs circumferentially corresponding to the mixing tube at the burner body. 
     
     
         4 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the first post and the second post each extend from the first leg, the second leg, or both. 
     
     
         5 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 3 , wherein a second fuel passage is formed from a second inlet opening to a second outlet opening, wherein the second fuel passage is formed in parallel to the fuel passage extending between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. 
     
     
         6 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 5 , wherein the second fuel passage is formed at the first leg of the fuel manifold. 
     
     
         7 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 6 , wherein the second fuel passage is positioned vertically above the fuel passage at the first leg of the fuel manifold. 
     
     
         8 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 5 , comprising:
 an inner burner body positioned radially inward of the burner body, wherein the inner burner body is positioned fluid communication with the second fuel passage at the fuel manifold to receive a flow of gaseous fuel through the second outlet opening.   
     
     
         9 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a fuel nozzle separably couplable to the fuel manifold at the outlet opening, wherein the fuel nozzle is positioned circumferentially corresponding to the mixing tube at the burner body.   
     
     
         10 . The cooktop appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the burner body comprises an inner side wall through which the plurality of flame ports extend to a central combustion zone. 
     
     
         11 . A burner assembly for a cooktop appliance, the burner assembly comprising:
 a burner body forming a plurality of inward-fired flame ports distributed along a circumferential direction, wherein the burner body forms a mixing chamber extending in fluid communication between the plurality of flame ports and a mixing tube;   a fuel manifold comprising a body forming a fuel passage, the fuel passage extending between an inlet opening and an outlet opening, wherein the outlet opening is circumferentially corresponding with the mixing tube at the burner assembly, the fuel manifold comprising a first post extending along a vertical direction from the body and configured to receive a fastener, the fuel manifold comprising a second post extending along the vertical direction, the second post configured to receive a cooktop surface in contact with a heat sink plate along the vertical direction;   wherein the heat sink plate is separably couplable to the fuel manifold at the first post, the heat sink plate configured to receive the fastener to secure the heat sink plate to the first post at the fuel manifold.   
     
     
         12 . The burner assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the body, the first post, and the second post of the fuel manifold form a unitary, monolithic structure. 
     
     
         13 . The burner assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the body forms a first leg intersecting a second leg, and wherein the inlet opening is formed at the first leg and the outlet opening is formed at the first and second legs circumferentially corresponding to the mixing tube at the burner body. 
     
     
         14 . The burner assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the first post and the second post each extend from the first leg, the second leg, or both. 
     
     
         15 . The burner assembly of  claim 13 , wherein a second fuel passage is formed from a second inlet opening to a second outlet opening, wherein the second fuel passage is formed in parallel to the fuel passage extending between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. 
     
     
         16 . The burner assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the second fuel passage is formed at the first leg of the fuel manifold. 
     
     
         17 . The burner assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the second fuel passage is positioned vertically above the fuel passage at the first leg of the fuel manifold. 
     
     
         18 . The burner assembly of  claim 15 , comprising:
 an inner burner body positioned radially inward of the burner body, wherein the inner burner body is positioned fluid communication with the second fuel passage at the fuel manifold to receive a flow of gaseous fuel through the second outlet opening.   
     
     
         19 . The burner assembly of  claim 11 , comprising:
 a fuel nozzle separably couplable to the fuel manifold at the outlet opening, wherein the fuel nozzle is positioned circumferentially corresponding to the mixing tube at the burner body.   
     
     
         20 . The burner assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the burner body comprises an inner side wall through which the plurality of flame ports extend to a central combustion zone.