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US 10,309,656 B2Granted
Fireplace system, heat exchanger and method
AssigneeFPI Fireplace Products International Ltd.
InventorsRobert Little, Julian Mills
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fireplace system can comprise a firebox and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger may be in fluid communication with ambient air and may comprise an inlet configured to draw air into the front of the heat exchanger. Operation of a fireplace system comprising a heat exchanger may produce airflow through the heat exchanger by natural convection. The airflow through the heat exchanger may reduce heat transmission from the firebox and the fireplace system.
Claims24
A fireplace system comprising:
- a firebox enclosing a combustion chamber and having a dual safety barrier, the dual safety barrier comprising a first glass barrier spaced apart from a second glass barrier to form an interbarrier space;
- and
- a heat exchanger comprising:
- an enclosure defining a heat exchanger air volume;
- a heat exchanger inlet disposed in the enclosure and in fluid communication with an external air source via the interbarrier space and the heat exchanger air volume;
- a heat exchanger outlet disposed in the enclosure and in fluid communication with the heat exchanger air volume;
- a cowl disposed about the heat exchanger inlet;
- and
- a firebox exhaust channel disposed through the enclosure and in fluid communication with the firebox.
6 more elements
A fireplace system heat exchanger comprising:
- a heat exchanger enclosure configured to contain a heat exchanger air volume, wherein the heat exchanger enclosure comprises a lower heat exchanger assembly, an upper wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls;
- a heat exchanger inlet disposed in the heat exchanger enclosure, wherein the heat exchanger inlet is in fluid communication with an interbarrier space defined by a first glass safety barrier spaced apart from a second glass safety barrier;
- a cowl disposed about the heat exchanger inlet and configured to direct airflow from an external air source into the heat exchanger inlet via the interbarrier space;
- and
- a heat exchanger outlet disposed in the heat exchanger enclosure.
2 more elements
A method of reducing heat transmission from a firebox comprising:
- providing a firebox with a heat exchanger enclosure located externally to the firebox, wherein the firebox encloses a combustion chamber and comprises a dual safety barrier, the dual safety barrier comprising a first glass safety barrier spaced apart from a second glass safety barrier to form an interbarrier space, and wherein the heat exchanger encloses a convection space air volume and comprises an inlet, an outlet, a baffle, and a distal monitoring location;
- transferring thermal energy produced by operation of the firebox to the convection space air volume, wherein the transferring thermal energy produces a decrease in an air density of the convection space air volume, and wherein the decrease in the air density produces an increased air buoyancy of the convection space air volume relative to an external air volume;
- venting the convection space air volume through the outlet, wherein the venting produces a bulk airflow through the heat exchanger;
- directing airflow from a first external location into the inlet of the heat exchanger via the interbarrier space;
- and
- directing vented airflow from the outlet to a second external location.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.