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AssigneeConsolidated Natural Gas Service Company, Inc.
InventorsViswanath Jayaraman, David H. McFadden, Scott J. Hynek
Estimating the term…
A self-powered forced or induced draft water heater is provided including a tank adapted for storing hot water, a sealed combustion chamber, a powered burner, a thermoelectric module, and a through-chamber heat sink having a base portion and a pin portion. The combustion chamber has a common wall with the tank at a lower zone of the tank. The powered natural gas burner has a blower which delivers air to the burner through an inlet duct and forces combustion products out a flue. The thermoelectric module generates operating power for the burner blower. The thermoelectric module has a hot side in thermal communication with a combustion zone of the burner and a cold side attached to the heat sink base portion. The pin portion of the heat sink is conically shaped and extends through an opening in the common wall to the interior of the tank. The base portion of the heat sink is removably attached to the common wall and is provided with an o-ring or other means to seal the wall opening.
A water heater comprising a tank adapted for storing hot water in an interior space and including a wall defining a portion of a combustion chamber at a lower zone thereof, said wall defining an opening connecting said tank interior space and said combustion chamber, a heat sink for conducting heat through said opening into said interior space of said tank, means for sealing said opening to prevent said hot water in said interior space from entering said combustion chamber, a powered burner associated with said combustion chamber and having a combustion zone, and a thermoelectric module in thermal communication with said combustion chamber for generating operating power for said burner, said thermoelectric module having a cold side in thermal communication with said heat sink and a hot side in thermal communication with the combustion zone of said burner.
A water heater comprising a tank adapted for storing hot water in an interior space and including a wall defining a portion of a combustion chamber at a lower zone thereof, a powered natural gas burner associated with said combustion chamber and having a combustion zone, said wall defining an opening, a heat sink having a pin portion extending through said opening into said interior space of said tank and a base portion removably mounted to said wall and having a substantially planar surface, a gasket between said wall and said base portion for sealing said opening to prevent said hot water in said tank interior space from entering said combustion chamber, a thermoelectric module contained within said combustion chamber for generating operating power for said burner, said thermoelectric module having a cold side fixed to said base portion planar surface and a hot side in thermal communication with the combustion zone of said burner.
A thermoelectric module for supplying operating power to a powered burner in a tank-type water heater, the module being mounted on a heat sink, said heat sink comprising a base portion having a substantially planar end surface, and an elongated pin portion extending from base portion and adapted to be disposed into the water contained in the tank.
A water heater comprising a tank having a wall construction primarily of steel for storing a quantity of heated water and including an inlet and an outlet, a combustion area in heat exchange relation with a portion of the steel wall, a hole in the steel wall portion, a thermoelectric module adjacent the hole, the thermoelectric module having a cold side arranged to conduct heat through the hole into water stored in the tank and a hot side exposed to combustion in the combustion area to be heated thereby, and a circuit for conducting electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric module during combustion to power an air blower arranged to supply combustion air to the combustion area.
A water heater comprising a tank having a wall construction primarily of steel for storing a quantity of heated water and including an inlet and an outlet, a combustion area in heat exchange relation with a portion of the steel wall, a thermoelectric module having a cold side arranged to conduct heat into water stored in the tank and a hot side exposed to combustion in the combustion area to be heated thereby, means to enhance heat conduction from the cold side through the wall of the tank, and a circuit for conducting electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric module during combustion to power an air blower arranged to supply combustion air to the combustion area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.