Water heater with top water outlet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801748-B2
Application number	US-201715856868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2017
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

A fuel-fired water heater having a top water outlet includes a water tank and a top cover assembly having the top water outlet to output water from the water tank. The water heater further includes a multi-pass heat exchanger that includes flue tubes positioned in the water tank. The water heater also includes a first plenum and a second plenum at a top end portion of the water heater. The first plenum provides a first hot gas flow path from a first set of the flue tubes to a second set of the flue tubes, and the second plenum provides a second hot gas flow path from a third set of the flue tubes to a fourth set of the flue tubes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel-fired water heater having a top water outlet, the fuel-fired water heater comprising:
a water tank;
a top cover assembly having a top surface, the top water outlet disposed on the top surface to output water from the water tank;
a multi-pass heat exchanger positioned in the water tank, the multi-pass heat exchanger comprising flue tubes;
a first plenum at a top end portion of the water heater, the first plenum having a first end and a second end; and
a second plenum at the top end portion of the water heater, the first plenum separate from the second plenum, the second plenum having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first plenum and the first end of the second plenum defining a space, the space including an aperture sized to receive a water outlet pipe through the top water outlet,
wherein the first plenum provides a first hot gas flow path from a first set of the flue tubes to a second set of the flue tubes and wherein the second plenum provides a second hot gas flow path from a third set of the flue tubes to a fourth set of the flue tubes.

2. The water heater of claim 1 , wherein the first set of the flue tubes are interspersed with the second set of the flue tubes and wherein the third set of the flue tubes are interspersed with the fourth set of the flue tubes.

3. The water heater of claim 2 , wherein the first set of the flue tubes and the third set of the flue tubes are second-pass flue tubes and wherein the second set of the flue tubes and the fourth set of the flue tubes are third-pass flue tubes.

4. The water heater of claim 3 , wherein the multi-pass heat exchanger includes a first-pass flue tube and wherein hot gas from a combustion system flows through the first-pass flue tube to the first set of the flue tubes and to the third set of the flue tubes.

5. The water heater of claim 4 , wherein the top water outlet is located adjacent to a flue tube of the second set of the flue tubes and a flue tube of the fourth set of the flue tubes.

6. The water heater of claim 3 , further comprising a bottom plenum proximal to a bottom end of the water heater, where the hot gas enters the bottom plenum from the second set of the flue tubes and the fourth set of the flue tubes.

7. The water heater of claim 4 , wherein each flue tube of the first set of the flue tubes is adjacent to two flue tubes of the second set of the flue tubes and wherein each flue tube of the third set of the flue tubes is adjacent to two flue tubes of the fourth set of the flue tubes.

8. The water heater of claim 2 , wherein the first set of the flue tubes and the second set of the flue tubes are terminated in the first plenum and wherein the third set of the flue tubes and the fourth set of the flue tubes are terminated in the second plenum.

9. The water heater of claim 8 , wherein the first set of the flue tubes are separated from each other by less than ninety degrees with respect to a first-pass flue tube of the multi-pass heat exchanger and wherein the third set of the flue tubes are separated from each other by less than ninety degrees with respect to the first-pass flue tube of the multi-pass heat exchanger.

10. The water heater of claim 8 , wherein the top cover assembly includes a tank cover plate having tube holes and a water outlet hole, wherein the tube holes are arranged to match a configuration of the flue tubes, wherein the flue tubes are terminated in the first plenum and the second plenum through the holes, and wherein the water outlet hole is aligned with the top water outlet of the water heater.

11. The water heater of claim 10 , wherein the top cover assembly further includes a first flue cover and a second flue cover, wherein the first flue cover and the tank cover plate define the first plenum, and wherein the second flue cover and the tank cover plate define the second plenum.

12. The water heater of claim 1 , further comprising a combustion system attached to a mounting flange, wherein the mounting flange is attached to the top cover assembly by one or more screws.

13. A fuel-fired water heater having a top water outlet, the fuel-fired water heater comprising:
a water tank;
a top cover assembly having a top surface, the top water outlet disposed on the top surface to output water from the water tank;
a multi-pass heat exchanger positioned in the water tank, the multi-pass heat exchanger comprising a first-pass flue tube, a first set of second-pass flue tubes, a second set of second-pass flue tubes, a first set of third-pass flue tubes, and a second set of third-pass flue tubes;
a first top plenum at a top end portion of the water heater, the first plenum having a first end and a second end; and
a second top plenum at the top end portion of the water heater, the first top plenum separate from the second top plenum, the second plenum having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first plenum and the first end of the second plenum defining a space, the space including an aperture sized to receive a water outlet pipe through the top water outlet,
wherein the first top plenum provides a first hot gas flow path from the first set of second-pass flue tubes to the first set of third-pass flue tubes and wherein the second top plenum provides a second hot gas flow path from the second set of second-pass flue tubes to the second set of third-pass flue tubes.

14. The water heater of claim 13 , wherein the first set of second-pass flue tubes are interspersed with the first set of third-pass flue tubes and wherein the second set of second-pass flue tubes are interspersed with the second set of third-pass flue tubes.

15. The water heater of claim 13 , wherein hot gas from a combustion system flows through the first-pass flue tube to the first set of second-pass flue tubes and to the second set of second-pass flue tubes.

16. The water heater of claim 15 , further comprising a bottom plenum proximal to a bottom end of the water heater, where the hot gas enters the bottom plenum from the first set of third-pass flue tubes and the second set of third-pass flue tubes.

17. The water heater of claim 13 , wherein the top cover assembly includes a tank cover plate, a first flue cover, and a second flue cover and wherein the first flue cover and the tank cover plate define the first top plenum, and wherein the second flue cover and the tank cover plate define the second top plenum.

18. The water heater of claim 17 , wherein the top cover assembly includes a tank cover plate having tube holes and a water outlet hole, wherein the tube holes are arranged to match a configuration of the first set of second-pass flue tubes, the second set of second-pass flue tubes, the first set of third-pass flue tubes, and the second set of third-pass flue tubes.

19. The water heater of claim 13 , wherein each flue tube of the first set of second-pass flue tubes is adjacent to two flue tubes of the first set of third-pass flue tubes and wherein each flue tube of the second set of second-pass tubes is adjacent to two flue tubes of the second set of third-pass flue tubes.

Assignees

• Rheem Mfg Co

Inventors

• Scott Timothy D
• Hall William Jason
• Windon Brad
• Shaw Brian

Classifications

• F24H9/133

  Storage heaters · CPC title

• F24H9/1836

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F24H9/02

  Casings; Cover lids; Ornamental panels · CPC title

• F24H1/205 Primary

  with furnace tubes · CPC title

• F24H9/124

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic