Method and apparatus for adjusting airflow in draft inducer
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorDuane David Garloch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bypass hole is cut into a collector box cover to reduce the efficiency of a draft inducer fan when the fan is used with a furnace containing fewer burner-heat exchanger cells than the fan is optimally suited for. Thus the same inducer fan can be used for both a two-cell and three-cell furnace. A method for adjusting airflow in a draft inducer for a furnace includes collecting flue gasses from the heat exchanger cells, inducing a draft by moving the flue gasses from a collector box, through a housing, and out of an exhaust hole, and taking a portion of the flue gasses in the housing and re-entering the portion of flue gasses into the collector box instead of exhausting the portion of said flue gasses to the outside.
Claims14
An apparatus for adjusting airflow in a draft inducer for a furnace, comprising:
- a draft inducer, said draft inducer including a housing;
- a collector box for collecting flue gasses from a plurality of heat exchangers in said furnace;
- said collector box including a cover disposed adjacent said draft inducer housing;
- said cover having an inducer housing inlet;
- said draft inducer housing having an exhaust hole;
- moving means for moving said flue gasses from said collector box, through said housing, and out of said exhaust hole;
- and
- said cover having at least one bypass hole therein, whereby a portion of said flue gasses in said housing re-enter said collector box via said at least one bypass hole.
An apparatus for adjusting airflow in a draft inducer for a furnace, comprising:
- a draft inducer, said draft inducer including a housing;
- a collector box for collecting flue gasses from a plurality of heat exchangers;
- said collector box including a cover disposed adjacent said draft inducer housing;
- said cover having an inducer housing inlet;
- said draft inducer housing having an exhaust hole;
- moving means for moving said flue gasses from said collector box, through said housing, and out of said exhaust hole;
- said cover having at least one bypass hole therein, whereby a portion of said flue gasses in said housing re-enter said collector box via said bypass hole;
- wherein a location of said bypass hole is offset from an end of any of said plurality of heat exchangers;
- wherein a location of said bypass hole is such that a positive pressure differential exists between said flue gasses in said draft inducer housing and said collector box;
- and
- wherein, when said furnace has a specified number of cells, with each cell including one heat exchanger, and said moving means is optimized for said specified number of cells with a collector box cover having no bypass hole, said bypass hole optimizes said moving means for said furnace when said furnace has at least one less cell than said specified number of cells.
A method for adjusting airflow in a draft inducer for a furnace, comprising the steps of:
- collecting flue gasses from a plurality of heat exchangers in said furnace;
- inducing a draft by moving said flue gasses from a collector box, through a housing, and out of an exhaust hole;
- and
- taking a portion of said flue gasses in said housing and re-entering said portion of said flue gasses into said collector box instead of exhausting said portion of said flue gasses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.