Movable air-flow guide vane for a furnace
AssigneeTrane International Inc.
InventorsAngus Robert Lemon, Nathan Wagers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A furnace system features baffles, each set of baffles including one or more movable vanes, and systems for controlling the positioning of movable vanes during furnace operation. Actuators may be used to move vanes between deployed and retracted positions, the actuators controlled by units within the furnace or linked to the power sources for furnace elements which are specific to either heating or cooling operations. The movable vanes may alternately be positioned by using springs with stiffness selected to place vanes in a deployed position when under heating airflows and in a retracted position when under cooling airflows.
Claims9
A furnace, comprising:
- an air moving blower,
- a furnace cabinet,
- a secondary heat exchanger,
- a secondary heat exchanger baffles system comprising one or more movable vanes,
- a primary heat exchanger,
- a primary heat exchanger baffles system comprising one or more movable vanes, and
- an air conditioner coil;
- and
- a vane position control for each of the one or more movable vanes,
- wherein when in a heating operation of the furnace, the secondary heat exchanger baffles system and the primary heat exchanger baffles system are deployed in a first position that provides a first resistance to an airflow provided by the air moving blower and when in a cooling operation of the furnace, the secondary heat exchanger baffles system and the primary heat exchanger baffles system are retracted to a second position that provides a second resistance to the airflow provided by the air moving blower, and
- the first resistance is greater than the second resistance, and
- wherein at least one of the vane position controls is a variable-position mechanical connector connected to the one of the one or more movable vanes and connected to a wall of the furnace cabinet.
A method for controlling airflow resistance in a furnace, comprising:
- during a heating operation of the furnace, positioning a plurality of movable vanes into an extended position such that the plurality of movable vanes provide a first resistance to an airflow driven by a blower, and
- during a cooling operation of the furnace, positioning the plurality of movable vanes into a retracted position such that the plurality of movable vanes provide a second resistance to the airflow driven by the blower, wherein the first resistance is greater than the second resistance, and
- positioning of the plurality of movable vanes comprises the application of force by the airflow to at least one of the plurality of movable vanes and movement of a variable-position mechanical connector connected to each of the at least one of the plurality of movable vanes based on the applied force, wherein the variable-position mechanical connector is connected to a wall of the furnace cabinet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.