Controllers for burner appliances and methods thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11525575-B2
Application number	US-202016848043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2020
Priority date	Apr 14, 2020
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A burner appliance is disclosed. The burner appliance includes a byproduct sensor in an exhaust flue and/or a barometric pressure sensor to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance. By calculating concentrations of combustion byproducts in the exhaust with the byproduct sensor, a controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. By calculating the environmental pressure at the burner with the barometric pressure sensor, the controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. The barometric-pressure data can also be used to adjust blower speed control bands, thereby calibrating the control bands based on environmental pressure. The environmental pressure can be indicative of altitude and/or weather conditions. Methods of operating said burner appliance are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control system for a burner appliance, the control system comprising:
a byproduct sensor disposed in an exhaust flue and configured to detect a level of a combustion byproduct in the exhaust flue;
a barometric pressure sensor configured to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance; and
a controller in communication with the byproduct sensor and the barometric pressure sensor, the controller being configured to:
receive barometric-pressure data from the barometric pressure sensor;
receive byproduct-sensor data indicative of the level of the combustion byproduct in the exhaust flue;
determine, based on the barometric-pressure data, an altitude at which the burner appliance is operating; and
transmit a signal to adjust at least one of a blower speed or a fuel rate based at least in part on the byproduct-sensor data and the altitude.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the combustion byproduct comprises at least one of oxygen, carbon monoxide, or carbon dioxide.

3. The control system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a burner configured to:
receive fuel from a fuel supplier;
receive oxygen from a blower;
combust a mixture of the fuel and oxygen; and
produce heat; and
a water tank heatable by the burner and comprising a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of water within the water tank;
wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive temperature data from the temperature sensor; and
transmit a signal to adjust at least one of the blower speed or the fuel rate based at least in part on the temperature data.

4. The control system of claim 3 , wherein the fuel is a gaseous fuel comprising at least one of natural gas or propane.

5. The control system of claim 3 , wherein:
the fuel is a liquid fuel;
the fuel supplier comprises a solenoid valve; and
the controller is further configured to transmit a signal to adjust the solenoid valve, thereby adjusting the fuel rate.

6. The control system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to transmit a signal to adjust the heat of the burner based on the barometric-pressure data.

7. The control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the barometric pressure sensor is configured to sense an altitude change of 20 feet or less.

8. The control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the environmental pressure is indicative of weather changes; and
the barometric pressure sensor has a sensitivity threshold of equal to or less than 1.00 mmHg.

9. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust at least one of a minimum speed setting or a maximum speed setting of a blower based at least in part on the barometric-pressure data.

10. A controller for a burner appliance, the controller comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory in communication with the one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to:
receive a first set of data from a byproduct sensor disposed in an exhaust flue, the byproduct sensor being configured to detect a level of a combustion byproduct in the exhaust flue;
receive a second set of data from a barometric pressure sensor configured to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance;
determine, based on the second set of data, an altitude at which the burner appliance is operating;
calculate, with the one or more processors, a first blower speed for a blower, the first blower speed based at least in part on the first set of data and the altitude;
calculate, with the one or more processors, a first fuel rate to supply fuel via a fuel supplier, the first fuel rate based at least in part on the first set of data and the altitude; and
transmit instructions to the blower and/or the fuel supplier to adjust at least one of:
the blower to operate at the first blower speed; or
the fuel supplier to supply the fuel at the first fuel rate.

11. The controller of claim 10 , wherein the combustion byproduct comprises at least one of oxygen, carbon monoxide, or carbon dioxide.

12. The controller of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the controller to:
receive temperature data from a temperature sensor, the temperature data is indicative of a water temperature within a water tank; and
transmit instructions to the blower and/or the fuel supplier to adjust at least one of the first blower speed or the first fuel rate based at least in part on the temperature data.

13. The controller of claim 12 , wherein the instructions further cause the controller to, transmit instructions to the blower and/or the fuel supplier to adjust a heat of a burner based on the second set of data,
wherein the water tank is heatable by the burner, and
wherein the second set of data is indicative of an altitude.

14. The controller of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the controller to calculate, with the one or more processors, at least one of a minimum speed setting or a maximum speed setting for the blower based at least in part on the second set of data.

15. The controller of claim 10 , wherein:
the barometric pressure sensor is configured to sense an altitude change of 20 feet or less.

16. The controller of claim 10 , wherein:
the environmental pressure is indicative of weather changes; and
the barometric pressure sensor has a sensitivity threshold of equal to or less than 1.00 mmHg.

17. The controller of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the controller to:
calculate, with the one or more processors, a second fuel rate based at least in part on the second set of data; and
transmit instructions to the fuel supplier to supply the fuel at the second fuel rate.

18. The controller of claim 10 , wherein:
the fuel is a liquid fuel;
the fuel supplier comprises a solenoid valve; and
the controller adjusts the first fuel rate by adjusting the solenoid valve.

19. A method for controlling heat of a burner appliance, the method comprising:
receiving, at a processor, a first set of data from a byproduct sensor indicating at least one of an oxygen level, a carbon monoxide level, or a carbon dioxide level in an exhaust flue;
receiving, at the processor, a second set of data from a barometric-pressure sensor configured to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance;
receiving, at the processor, a third set of data from a temperature sensor, the third set of data indicative of a water temperature within a water tank;
determining, with the processor, based on the second set of data, an altitude at which the burner appliance is operating;
calculating, with the processor, a first blower speed for a blower, the first blower speed based at least in part on the first set of data, the altitude, and the third set of data;
calculating, with the processor, a first fuel rate to supply via a fuel supplier, the first fuel rate based at least in part on the first set of data, the altitude, and the third set of data; and
transmitting, with the processor, at least one of:
instructions to the blower to operate at the first blower speed; or
instructions to the fuel supplier to supply a fuel at the first fuel rate.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising adjusting a heat of a burner based on the second set of data,
wherein the water tank is heatable by the burner.

Assignees

• Rheem Mfg Co

Inventors

• Mitchell Michael C
• Vega David I

Classifications

• F23N2900/05002

  Measuring CO2 content in flue gas · CPC title

• F23N1/022 Primary

  using electronic means · CPC title

• F23N2900/05001

  Measuring CO content in flue gas · CPC title

• F23N2239/04

  Gaseous fuels · CPC title

• F23N2223/08

  Microprocessor; Microcomputer · CPC title