Water Heater Sealed Combustion Chamber Assembly
AssigneeRheem Manufacturing Company
InventorsKenneth J. Hicks, Mario Ramos Negrete, Trevor Allen Damron, Hector Jose Donastorg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel-fired water heater is provided with a combustion chamber assembly, representatively a sealed combustion chamber assembly, operative to create from combustion air delivered thereto via a circumferentially limited vertical side portion thereof a flow of primary combustion air to the underside of a centrally disposed fuel burner within the assembly via a first location underlying the burner, a first flow of secondary combustion air delivered to the burner via the first location, and a second flow of secondary combustion air delivered to the burner via a second location outwardly circumscribing the first location.
Claims22
A fuel-fired heating appliance having a combustion chamber assembly comprising:
- a hollow body having an interior circumscribed by a side wall;
- a plate member extending generally transversely to said side wall and dividing said interior into a combustion chamber and an air intake plenum;
- a combustion air intake opening extending through said side wall into said air intake plenum;
- a fuel burner centrally disposed in said combustion chamber in a spaced relationship with said plate member and in a facing relationship with a central portion thereof;
- an air transfer opening extending through said central portion of said plate member;
- and
- a wall structure disposed in said air intake plenum and extending inwardly from said combustion air intake opening, said wall structure forming a passage for receiving air drawn inwardly through said combustion air intake opening and flowing a portion of the received air to said air transfer opening for transfer therethrough into said combustion chamber, said passage having a volume substantially less than that of said air intake plenum.
A fuel-fired heating appliance having a combustion chamber assembly comprising:
- a hollow body having an interior circumscribed by a side wall;
- a plate member extending generally transversely to said side wall and dividing said interior into a combustion chamber and an air intake plenum, said plate member having an air transfer opening extending through a central portion thereof;
- a combustion air intake opening, extending through said side wall into said air intake plenum, through which combustion air may be drawn into said air intake plenum for delivery of a portion of the incoming combustion air to said combustion chamber via said air transfer opening;
- a fuel burner centrally disposed in said combustion chamber in a spaced relationship with said plate member and in a facing relationship with said central portion thereof;
- and
- a wall structure disposed in said combustion chamber and extending from said central portion to adjacent said fuel burner, said wall structure forming a passage for receiving said combustion air portion exiting said air transfer opening and flowing the received combustion air portion to said fuel burner.
A fuel-fired, direct vent water heater comprising:
- a tank for holding pressurized heated water;
- a combustion chamber disposed beneath said tank
- a flue extending upwardly from said combustion chamber through said tank;
- a fuel burner centrally disposed within said combustion chamber and having a fuel/air mixture-receiving inlet structure;
- an air intake plenum disposed beneath said combustion chamber and having a combustion air intake opening for receiving combustion air from a source thereof;
- a plate member generally forming a bottom wall of said combustion chamber and a top wall of said air intake plenum, said plate member having a central portion with an air transfer opening extending therethrough, said central portion being in a spaced apart, opposing relationship with said fuel/air mixture-receiving inlet structure;
- a first wall structure defining a first passage extending through said air intake plenum from said combustion air intake opening, said first passage having a progressively narrowing configuration and being operative to funnel combustion air to said air transfer opening from said combustion air intake opening;
- a second wall structure defining a second passage extending from said air transfer opening to adjacent said fuel/air mixture-receiving inlet structure, said second passage having a progressively narrowing configuration and being operative to funnel combustion air to said fuel/air mixture-receiving structure from said air transfer opening;
- and
- a nozzle structure disposed in said second passage and being operative to discharge fuel received from a source thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.