Appliance Design - November 2008 - (Page 22)

GAS TECHNOLOGY Good Loo Upscale appliances fuel design of better burners. by larry adams urners on gas cooktops and rangetops have come a long way over the years. They can simmer so low as to melt chocolate and hold it in that melted state for hours. Yet that same burner can boil up to 4 quarts of water in a little more than 10 minutes. The cooktops available today can come in a variety of sizes and styles, differing from manufacturer to manufacturer. While different in many ways, at their core, gas burners found on cooktops and rangetops are very similar. Gas flows from a main gas valve to the burner through a venturi tube, which allows the gas to properly mix with air for clean combustion. The mixture flows into the burner where it is lit by an igniter. From this stepping off point, however, technology begins to vary. Manufacturers now have a choice of igniters, for instance. Rarely is a pilot light system utilized. Today, manufacturers use direct spark ignition systems, though hot surface igniters have shown up on a few high-end appliances. A spark system uses high voltage sparks that are generated between the electrode and the burner to light the gas. A hot surface igniter is usually made of ceramic-based materials. An electrical current is sent to the igniter, B causing resistance from these materials to heat the tip of the igniter. Traditionally, such igniters took as long as 25 seconds to reach ignition temperature, making them unsuitable for cooktop use where consumers expect to see fire almost immediately. However, within the past few years, innovative hot surface igniters have been developed that can reach ignition temperature in as little as three to four seconds, making that approach more feasible. One of the manufacturers that have taken advantage of Goo www.applianceDESIGN.com 22 applianceDESIGN November 2008 http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - November 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Metals & Metal Parts Gas Technology Displays Quality & Standards New Products Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - November 2008

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