Fireplace with exhaust heat exchanger
AssigneeHNI Technologies Inc.
InventorsJack J. Wells, Richard E. Burkey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat exchanger system and method for transferring heat from exhaust air from a fireplace to air to be delivered to a living space is described. Heated exhaust air is passed through a heat exchanger before exhaustion from the structure. The heat exchanger couples the exhaust duct and the intake duct and transfers otherwise unused heat from the waste products to the outside air to increase the overall efficiency of the heated product source.
Claims23
A fireplace heat exchange system comprising:
- a firebox including a plurality of panels combining to define a combustion chamber having a combustion inlet port in fluid communication with a source of combustion air and an exhaust outlet port;
- a combustion element adapted to generate heat and exhaust products in the combustion chamber via combustion of a fuel source with combustion air received through the combustion inlet port;
- a plenum defining an air intake end and an air output end, the plenum including a plurality of walls combining to define an air pathway between the air intake and air output ends;
- and
- a first heat exchanger including:
- a housing having an outer surface disposed within the plenum, the housing defining a first end in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet port and a second end;
- and
- a plurality of baffle plates within the housing, the plurality of baffle plates defining at least a first internal pathway within the outer housing, the first internal pathway extending through a plurality of 180 degree turns from the first end of the heat exchanger to the second end of the heat exchanger.
A fireplace heat exchange system located within a building structure having a plurality of walls defining at least one living space, the system comprising:
- a plenum defining an air intake end and an air output end, the plenum including a plurality of walls defining an air pathway between the air intake and air output ends;
- a firebox located within the plenum, the firebox including a plurality of panels defining a combustion chamber having at least one combustion inlet port in fluid communication with a combustion air source, and an exhaust air outlet port;
- a combustion element adapted to generate heat and exhaust products in the combustion chamber via combustion of a fuel source with combustion air received through the combustion inlet port;
- and
- a first heat exchanger mounted to the firebox located within the plenum, the first heat exchanger including:
- a housing having an outer surface disposed within the plenum, the housing defining a first end in fluid communication with the exhaust outlet port and a second end;
- and
- a plurality of baffle plates within the housing, the plurality of baffle plates defining at least a first internal pathway within the outer housing, the first internal pathway extending through a plurality of 180 degree turns from the first end of the heat exchanger to the second end of the heat exchanger.
A method of transferring heat from a combustion chamber to air to be delivered to a living space, the method comprising:
- passing hot exhaust air from a combustion chamber into a first heat exchanger located within a plenum having a plurality of walls defining an air pathway between an air intake end and an air output end, the heat exchanger including a housing defining an exhaust air inlet and an exhaust air outlet, the housing having an outer surface and a plurality of baffle plates within the housing defining an internal pathway from the exhaust air inlet to the exhaust air outlet, causing the exhaust air to flow along the first internal pathway through a plurality of 180 degree turns from the exhaust air inlet of the heat exchanger to the exhaust air outlet of the heat exchanger;
- and
- passing air through the plenum along the air pathway between the air intake and air output end and over the outer surface of the heat exchanger housing such that heat is transferred from the combustion chamber to the air passing through the plenum and from the relatively hot exhaust air passing through the heat exchanger to the air passing through the plenum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.