Heat transfer baffle arrangement for fuel-burning water heater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201944-A1
Application number	US-201514596435-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 14, 2015
Priority date	Jan 14, 2015
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A baffle arrangement disposed within the exhaust flue of a fuel-burning water heater promotes heat transfer from exhausted combustion by-products to the water storage chamber. The baffle arrangement has an elongate planar base and plural exhaust-directing fins spaced along opposite sides of the base. Each fin is a planar body extending perpendicularly from the base at an acute upward angle from a longitudinal centerline to a respective side of the base. The fins deflect combustion by-products laterally outwardly within the flue to promote heat transfer. The fins are of selected configurations generally increasing in surface area upwardly along the planar base for selectively controlling pressure drop within the exhaust flue. Hanger tabs project outwardly from the upper end of the base to suspend the baffle arrangement within the flue. The planar base, hanger tabs and exhaust-directing fins are formed integrally from a unitary body of sheet metal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel-burning water heater comprising:
a housing defining a water storage chamber for containing a quantity of water to be heated and a combustion chamber located beneath the water storage chamber; an inlet extending through the housing into the storage chamber for delivering water into the storage chamber for heating; an outlet extending through the housing from the storage chamber for discharging heated water from the storage chamber; a fuel burner disposed in the combustion chamber for receiving and combusting a mixture of fuel and air for heating water contained in the water storage chamber; an exhaust flue extending from the combustion chamber vertically through the water storage chamber and outwardly from the housing for exhausting combustion by-products generated by combustion of the fuel-and-air mixture, and a baffle arrangement disposed within the exhaust flue to promote heat transfer from the combustion by-products via the exhaust flue to water contained in the water storage chamber for supplementing the heating of the water by the fuel burner, the baffle arrangement comprising:
an elongate substantially planar base having an upper end, a lower end, opposed lateral sides and a longitudinal centerline therebetween, and
a plurality of exhaust-directing fins spaced longitudinally along opposite sides of the centerline,
each fin comprising a substantially planar body extending generally perpendicularly from the planar base and extending upwardly at an acute angle from adjacent the longitudinal centerline to adjacent a respective side,
the fins being effective to deflect combustion by-products laterally outwardly within the exhaust flue to increase residence time therein and to promote contact with the exhaust flue for heat exchange,
the fins being of selectively varying respective configurations and surface areas between the lower end and the upper end of the planar base for achieving a selectively controlled pressure drop within the exhaust flue.

2 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein the fins are of selected configurations generally increasing in respective surface area from the lower end to the upper end of the planar base.

3 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein the planar base and the exhaust-directing fins are formed integrally from a unitary body of sheet metal.

4 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein the baffle arrangement further comprises a pair of hanger tabs projecting laterally outwardly from the respective sides at the upper end of the planar base for engaging a top end of the exhaust flue to suspend the baffle arrangement within the flue.

5 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 4 , wherein the planar base, the hanger tabs and the exhaust-directing fins are formed integrally from a unitary body of sheet metal.

6 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein each of the hanger tabs and exhaust-directing fins are formed by cuts and bends in the sheet metal body.

7 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein selected fins are configured as a generally circular segment.

8 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein selected fins are configured as an ovoid.

9 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein selected fins are configured with linear edges.

10 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein the fins are oriented at an angle of substantially thirty degrees (30°) to the longitudinal centerline.

11 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein selected fins extend in one perpendicular direction from the planar base, and other selected fins extend in an opposite perpendicular direction from the planar base.

12 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 11 , wherein the fins comprise a first sub-plurality of fins along one side of the planar base and a second sub-plurality of fins along the other side of the planar base, each fin in the first sub-plurality and an adjacent fin in the second sub-plurality extending in the same perpendicular direction from the planar base.

13 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 12 , wherein the fins in the first and second sub-pluralities are arranged in alternation with one another longitudinally along the planar base.

14 . A fuel-burning water heater according to claim 1 , wherein selected fins include a protuberance for contacting the exhaust flue for maintaining the baffle arrangement in a centered disposition within the exhaust flue.

15 . A baffle arrangement for disposition within an exhaust flue to promote heat transfer to the exhaust flue from combustion by-products flowing within the exhaust flue, the baffle arrangement comprising:
an elongate substantially planar base having an upper end, a lower end, opposed lateral sides and a longitudinal centerline therebetween, and a plurality of exhaust-directing fins spaced longitudinally along opposite sides of the centerline, each fin comprising a substantially planar body extending generally perpendicularly from the planar base and extending upwardly at an acute angle from adjacent the longitudinal centerline to adjacent a respective side, the fins being effective to deflect combustion by-products laterally outwardly within the exhaust flue to increase residence time therein and to promote contact with the exhaust flue for heat exchange, the fins being of selectively varying respective configurations and surface areas between the lower end and the upper end of the planar base for achieving a selectively controlled pressure drop within the exhaust flue.

16 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the fins are of selected configurations generally increasing in respective surface area from the lower end to the upper end of the planar base.

17 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the planar base and the exhaust-directing fins are formed integrally from a unitary body of sheet metal.

18 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the baffle arrangement further comprises a pair of hanger tabs projecting laterally outwardly from the respective sides at the upper end of the planar base for engaging a top end of the exhaust flue to suspend the baffle arrangement within the flue,

19 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 18 , wherein the planar base, the hanger tabs and the exhaust-directing fins are formed integrally from a unitary body of sheet metal.

20 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein each of the hanger tabs and exhaust-directing fins are formed by cuts and bends in the sheet metal body.

21 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein selected fins are configured as a generally circular segment.

22 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein selected fins are configured as an ovoid.

23 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein selected fins are configured with linear edges.

24 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the fins are oriented at an angle of substantially thirty degrees (30°) to the longitudinal centerline.

25 . A baffle arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein selected fins extend in one perpendicular direction from the planar base, and other selected fins extend in an opposite perpendicular direction from the plana

Assignees

• Rheem Mfg Co

Inventors

• Zhang Qian
• Yin Jiang
• Flatness Gary
• Gibbons David

Classifications

• F23M9/003

  in flue gas ducts · CPC title

• F24H1/205 Primary

  with furnace tubes · CPC title

• F23M9/10

  Baffles or deflectors formed as tubes, e.g. in water-tube boilers · CPC title

• Y02E60/14

  Thermal energy storage · CPC title

• F28D20/0034

  using liquid heat storage material · CPC title