Heater device for heating liquefied gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520185-B2
Application number	US-201414914128-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 4, 2013
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A device housing having a hollow portion including a gas intake pipe projectingly provided to an outer periphery of an instrument body, having a heater built therein and attached to the instrument body. In the hollow portion, a heating wall formed by a bulge extending from the outer end side to the inner end side in the axial direction of the intake pipe and the heater for heating are internally provided. Between the heating wall and a gas intake pipe, and between the heating wall and an inner wall of the housing, inner and outer gas flow paths are formed a liquefied gas introduction side opening is provided at an outer end side of the outer gas flow path, and the outer end side of the inner gas flow path is communicated with a gas intake opening of the tip of the gas intake pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heater device for heating liquefied gas in liquefied gas-utilization equipment that promotes atomization of liquefied gas at low temperatures by heating liquefied gas flowing through a gas flow path, the heater device comprising:
a liquefied gas introduction pipe ( 28 );
a gas intake pipe ( 16 ) to supply liquefied gas to an instrument body ( 4 A);
a device housing having a hollow portion ( 18 ), an inner end ( 20 a ) adjacent the instrument body ( 4 A) and a partition wall ( 20 ) extending axially from an outer end of the device housing towards the inner end ( 20 a ),
the hollow portion having an annular inner hollow portion ( 22 ) and an annular outer hollow portion ( 24 ) formed concentrically to each other by the partition wall and wherein the inner and outer hollow portions are fluidically connected by a hollow radial annular portion along the inner end ( 20 a ); and

a heater ( 12 ) located within the partition wall ( 20 ) of the device housing for heating the liquefied gas; wherein
the gas intake pipe projects axially from the device housing inner end and protrudes through an outer periphery of the instrument body ( 4 A) such that a gas intake opening ( 16 a ) of the gas intake pipe is located within the device housing; and
wherein the device housing hollow portion forms a serpentine liquefied gas flow path from the gas introduction pipe ( 28 ) to the gas intake opening ( 16 a ), the gas intake pipe defining a center axis of the heater device with the inner hollow portion arranged concentrically about the gas intake pipe and the outer hollow portion arranged centrically about the inner hollow portion so that the liquefied gas flows axially within the outer hollow portion ( 24 ) along the partition wall ( 20 ) toward the inner end ( 20 a ), radially inward towards the inner hollow portion ( 22 ) then axially up along the partition wall within the inner hollow portion where it then enters the gas intake opening to be introduced into the instrument body from the gas intake pipe.

2. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 1 , wherein the heater is provided at a portion where all or one portion of the gas flow path formed within the hollow portion can be heated.

3. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow portion is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the gas intake pipe across a predetermined interval.

4. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 1 , wherein the partition wall is formed in a shape so as to surround a periphery of the gas intake pipe across a predetermined interval.

5. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 4 , wherein the partition wall is formed in a cylindrical shape forming the gas flow path with inner walls therebetween of the hollow portion and with the gas intake pipe therebetween by protruding towards an axial direction of the gas intake pipe inside the hollow portion of the device housing.

6. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 1 , wherein the partition wall is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the intake pipe across a predetermined interval in the hollow portion of the device housing, and tubular passages formed at inner and outer peripheries of the partition wall are formed as return flow paths by communicating with each other at the inner end of the partition wall.

7. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 1 , wherein either of a planar heater or a cylindrical heater that conforms to the shape of the partition wall, or a plurality of rod-shaped, planar, or column-shaped heaters that substantially uniformly heat the heater wall, are provided to the partition wall.

8. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 1 , wherein the gas intake pipe is made of a metal material.

9. A heater device for heating liquefied gas in liquefied gas-utilization equipment that promotes atomization of liquefied gas at low temperatures by heating liquefied gas flowing through a gas flow path, the heater device comprising:
a liquefied gas introduction pipe ( 28 );
a gas intake pipe ( 16 ) to supply liquefied gas to an instrument body ( 4 A);
a device housing having a hollow portion ( 18 ), an inner end ( 20 a ) adjacent the instrument body ( 4 A) and a partition wall ( 20 ) extending axially from an outer end of the device housing towards the inner end ( 20 a ),
the hollow portion having an annular inner hollow portion ( 22 ) and an annular outer hollow portion ( 24 ) formed concentrically to each other by the partition wall and wherein the inner and outer hollow portions are fluidically connected by a hollow radial annular portion along the inner end ( 20 a ); and

a heater ( 12 ) located within the gas intake pipe ( 16 ) for heating the liquefied gas; wherein
the gas intake pipe projects axially from the device housing inner end and protrudes through an outer periphery of the instrument body ( 4 A) such that a gas intake opening ( 16 a ) of the gas intake pipe is located within the device housing; and
wherein the device housing hollow portion forms a serpentine liquefied gas flow path from the gas introduction pipe ( 28 ) to the gas intake opening ( 16 a ), the heater defining a center axis of the heater device with the gas intake pipe arranged concentrically about the heater, the inner hollow portion arranged concentrically about the gas intake pipe and the outer hollow portion arranged centrically about the inner hollow portion so that the liquefied gas flows axially within the outer hollow portion ( 24 ) along the partition wall ( 20 ) toward the inner end ( 20 a ), radially inward towards the inner hollow portion ( 22 ) then axially up along the partition wall within the inner hollow portion where it then enters the gas intake opening to be introduced into the instrument body from the gas intake pipe.

10. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 9 , wherein the hollow portion is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the gas intake pipe across a predetermined interval.

11. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 9 , wherein the partition wall is formed in a shape so as to surround a periphery of the gas intake pipe across a predetermined interval.

12. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 9 , wherein the partition wall is formed in a cylindrical shape forming the gas flow path with inner walls therebetween of the hollow portion and with the gas intake pipe therebetween by protruding towards an axial direction of the gas intake pipe inside the hollow portion of the device housing.

13. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 9 , wherein the partition wall is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the intake pipe across a predetermined interval in the hollow portion of the device housing, and tubular passages formed at inner and outer peripheries of the partition wall are formed as return flow paths by communicating with each other at the inner end of the partition wall.

14. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 9 , wherein a plurality of fins are provided along an outer wall of the cylindrical metal case.

15. The heater device for heating liquefied gas according to claim 9 , wherein the gas intake pipe is made of a metal material.

Assignees

• Nippon Thermostat Kk

Inventors

• Sato Yoji
• Shimomura Kazuhito

Classifications

• H05B3/04

  Waterproof or air-tight seals for heaters · CPC title

• H05B2203/02

  Heaters using heating elements having a positive temperature coefficient · CPC title

• H05B3/44

  heating conductor arranged within rods or tubes of insulating material · CPC title

• F02M21/06

  Apparatus for de-liquefying, e.g. by heating · CPC title

• F28F2280/06

  Adapter frames, e.g. for mounting heat exchanger cores on other structure and for allowing fluidic connections · CPC title