Balanced pressure solid fuel heating unit

摘要

A method and apparatus for a pellet fuel burning heating unit for burning corn or wood pellets having a balanced pressure system having a four-way split combustion intake airstream. The invention includes a combustion air blower system for providing combustion air into a firebox containing a burner under positive pressure and at the same time providing a negative pressure to remove the combustion gases from the firebox. A pressure regulator and air splitter maintains a balance between the positive and negative pressure and adjusts the air flow into the firebox and out the exhaust. The exhaust is provided through a bank of exhaust tubes running from the top of the firebox to an exhaust manifold. The blower air moves into the pressure regulator and air splitter dividing the air flow such that a portion enters the heating unit exhaust manifold to produce a negative pressure and the remaining portion enters the heating unit burner under positive pressure. Such remaining positive pressure portion is split three ways, with a flow stream directed at the fuel bed in the burner, a flow stream directed concentrically with a fuel pellet feed toward the region directly above the burner and a flow stream directed along the firebox door window, resulting in turbulence and improved combustion efficiency and self-regulation as between the relative amounts of air between the burner fuel bed and the region above the burner.