Furnace with Manifold for Controlling Supply of Heated Liquid to Multiple Heating Loops

A furnace for heating a heat transfer liquid comprising:

• a furnace heat exchanger having a heated liquid outlet and a cooled liquid return so that cooled liquid returned to the return passes through the furnace heat exchanger to be heated and discharged through the heated liquid outlet;
• a heating system in the furnace for applying heat to the furnace heat exchanger to heat the liquid;
• a furnace pump for pumping the liquid in a circuit through the furnace heat exchanger;
• a manifold connected in the circuit between the liquid outlet and liquid return;
• the manifold having a heated liquid inlet for receiving the heated liquid from the heated liquid outlet and a cooled liquid outlet for supplying cooled liquid to the liquid return;
• the manifold having a plurality of discharge openings and a plurality of return openings;
• the discharge openings being collected in adjacent positions in a first area of the manifold and the return openings being collected in adjacent positions in a second area of the manifold with the first and second areas being connected by a transfer area of the manifold for transfer of liquid therebetween;
• each discharge opening being associated with a respective return opening for connection to a respective supply loop including a respective loop pump and a respective output heat exchanger for heating a respective zone with liquid being extracted from the manifold by the loop pump through the respective discharge opening and returned to the respective return opening;
• wherein the manifold comprises a chamber divided longitudinally by a transverse wall into the first area on a first side of the wall and the second area on a second side of the wall and wherein the transverse wall terminates at one end at a position spaced from an adjacent end of the chamber to define an undivided portion of the chamber at said end which forms the transfer area.