Water heater including heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9829204-B2
Application number	US-201314095948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2013
Priority date	Dec 26, 2012
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

In a primary heat exchanger, a heat conduction pipe is arranged as one connected pipe in a lower stage and an upper stage in a manner extending back and forth through a plurality of fins. The heat conduction pipe is arranged such that a pitch between the heat conduction pipes in the upper stage is shorter than a pitch between the heat conduction pipes in the lower stage. In addition, the heat conduction pipe is arranged such that a position in a center of each heat conduction pipe in the upper stage in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in which the heat conduction pipe extends and a position in a center of each heat conduction pipe in the lower stage in the second direction are displaced from each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water heater provided with a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger including:
a plurality of fins each having a main surface and arranged at a distance from one another in a first direction intersecting said main surface; and
a heat conduction pipe including a plurality of through pipes extending along said first direction so as to pass through said plurality of fins and arranged as one connected pipe,
said heat conduction pipe including
a first-stage portion where a plurality of first through pipes among said plurality of through pipes are arranged at a first pitch along a second direction intersecting said first direction, and
a second-stage portion where a plurality of second through pipes among said plurality of through pipes are arranged at a second pitch along said second direction,

said first through pipes and said second through pipes being equal in number from one end to the other end of each fin in the second direction,
said plurality of first through pipes and said plurality of second through pipes being arranged as a part of said one connected pipe, and
said plurality of first through pipes and said plurality of second through pipes passing through each of the plurality of fins as a single continuous through pipe, the water heater comprising:
a combustion portion sending a combustion gas to said heat exchanger; and
an exhaust collection and guide member arranged opposite to a side where said combustion portion is arranged with said heat exchanger lying therebetween and having an outlet port through which the combustion gas after heat exchange in said heat exchanger flows out,
wherein
said heat exchanger is arranged either above or below said combustion portion,
said first-stage portion is located on a side relatively closer than the second-stage portion to said combustion portion,
said second-stage portion is located on a side relatively farther than the first-stage portion from said combustion portion,
said second pitch in said second-stage portion is set to be shorter than said first pitch in said first-stage portion,
when viewed in the first direction, the first-stage portion and the second-stage portion are adjacent to and spaced from each other in a direction perpendicular to the first and second directions to form an intermediate area therebetween on each fin, the intermediate area being free from any through pipe passing through the plurality of fins along entire extents from the one end to the other end of each fin in the second direction, and
the first pitch is a distance between centers of adjacent ones of the plurality of first through pipes in the second direction and the second pitch is a distance between centers of adjacent ones of the plurality of second through pipes in the second direction.

2. The water heater according to claim 1 , wherein
said plurality of first through pipes are arranged such that cross-sections of said plurality of first through pipes along said second direction are line-symmetric, when viewed in the first direction, with respect to a perpendicular bisector of a line segment connecting a center of a first through pipe located at one end in the second direction and a center of a first through pipe located at the other end in the second direction among said plurality of first through pipes arranged along said second direction, and
said plurality of second through pipes are arranged such that cross-sections of said plurality of said second through pipes along said second direction are line-symmetric, when viewed in the first direction, with respect to said perpendicular bisector, and
when viewed in the first direction, a position of the center of each of said plurality of second through pipes in said second direction and a position of the center of each of said plurality of first through pipes in said second direction are displaced from each other in said second direction.

3. The water heater according to claim 2 , wherein
a pitch between the first through pipe located at said one end in the second direction among said plurality of first through pipes arranged along said second direction and a second through pipe located at said one end in the second direction among said plurality of second through pipes arranged along said second direction is set to a shorter pitch of said first pitch and said second pitch.

4. The water heater according to claim 2 , wherein
said outlet port is provided on any of a side of the first through pipe located at one end in the second direction and a side of the first through pipe located at the other end in the second direction, among said plurality of first through pipes arranged along said second direction, on a side opposite to the side where said combustion portion is arranged with said heat exchanger lying therebetween.

5. The water heater according to claim 2 , comprising:
a shell plate arranged to surround said plurality of fins and including a pair of opposing side portions opposed to each other at a distance in said first direction; and
a water supply pipe and a hot water delivery pipe, wherein
both of one end and the other end of said heat conduction pipe are located on a side where one opposing side portion of said pair of opposing side portions is located,
said water supply pipe is connected to said one end of said heat conduction pipe from the side of said one opposing side portion, and said hot water delivery pipe is connected to the other end of said heat conduction pipe from the side of said one opposing side portion.

6. The water heater according to claim 1 , wherein
a pitch between a first through pipe located at one end in the second direction among said plurality of first through pipes arranged along said second direction and a second through pipe located at said one end in the second direction among said plurality of second through pipes arranged along said second direction is set to a shorter pitch of said first pitch and said second pitch.

7. The water heater according to claim 6 , wherein
said outlet port is provided on any of a side of the first through pipe located at one end in the second direction and a side of the first through pipe located at the other end in the second direction, among said plurality of first through pipes arranged along said second direction, on a side opposite to the side where said combustion portion is arranged with said heat exchanger lying therebetween.

8. The water heater according to claim 6 , comprising:
a shell plate arranged to surround said plurality of fins and including a pair of opposing side portions opposed to each other at a distance in said first direction; and
a water supply pipe and a hot water delivery pipe, wherein
both of one end and the other end of said heat conduction pipe are located on a side where one opposing side portion of said pair of opposing side portions is located,
said water supply pipe is connected to said one end of said heat conduction pipe from the side of said one opposing side portion, and
said hot water delivery pipe is connected to the other end of said heat conduction pipe from the side of said one opposing side portion.

9. The water heater according to claim 1 , wherein
said outlet port is provided on any of a side of the first through pipe located at one end in the second direction and a side of the first through pipe located at the other end in the second direction, among said plurality of first through pipes arranged along said second direction, on a side opposite to the side where said combustion portion is arranged with said heat exchanger lying therebetween.

10. The water heater according to claim 9 , comprising:
a shell plate arranged to surround said plurality of fins and i

Assignees

• Noritz Corp

Inventors

• Oohigashi Takeshi
• Hirotsu Makoto
• Noguchi Yukiko

Classifications

• F28F1/32

  the means having portions engaging further tubular elements · CPC title

• F24H8/00 Primary

  Fluid heaters characterised by means for extracting latent heat from flue gases by means of condensation · CPC title

• F24H9/146

  Connecting elements of a heat exchanger · CPC title

• Y02B30/102

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F28D7/085

  in the form of parallel conduits coupled by bent portions · CPC title