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US 6,296,478 B1Granted
Method and apparatus for cooling a furnace motor
AssigneeJakel Incorporated
InventorWilliam Stuart Gatley, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A furnace includes a motor in a motor housing that drives a fan that draws heated air through a heat exchanger of the furnace and also draws a flow of air through the motor housing to cool the motor as well as the motor housing.
Claims23
A furnace comprising:
- a motor in a motor housing, the motor housing having at least one motor housing inlet and at least one motor housing outlet;
- a fan driven by the motor and residing in a fan housing, the fan housing being operatively connected to and communicating with the at least one motor housing outlet and configured and adapted to cause a flow of air to flow through the motor housing prior to entering the fan housing to thereby cool the motor;
- a combustion chamber configured and adapted to alter the temperature of air passed therethrough, the combustion chamber being operatively connected between and communicating with the at least one motor housing outlet and the fan housing and configured and adapted to cause the flow of air to flow through the combustion chamber after exiting the at least one motor housing outlet and before entering the fan housing;
- and
- the furnace is a high efficiency furnace.
2 more elements
A furnace comprising:
- a motor in a motor housing, the motor housing having at least one motor housing inlet and at least one motor housing outlet;
- and
- a fan driven by the motor and residing in a fan housing, the fan housing being operatively connected to and communicating with the at least one motor housing outlet and configured and adapted to cause a flow of air to flow through the motor housing prior to entering the fan housing to thereby cool the motor;
- the fan housing has a single fan housing inlet and a single fan housing outlet, the single fan housing inlet being operatively connected to and communicating with the at least one motor housing outlet and the flow of air enters the fan housing through the single fan housing inlet.
1 more element
A furnace comprising:
- a motor in a motor housing, the motor housing having at least one motor housing inlet and at least one motor housing outlet;
- a combustion chamber having at least one combustion chamber inlet and a combustion chamber outlet, the at least one combustion chamber inlet being operatively connected to and communicating with the at least one motor housing outlet;
- a heat exchanger having a heat exchanger inlet and a heat exchanger outlet, the heat exchanger inlet being operatively connected to and communicating with the combustion chamber outlet;
- and
- a fan driven by the motor and residing in a fan housing, the fan housing having a fan housing inlet and a fan housing outlet, the fan housing inlet being operatively connected to and communicating with the heat exchanger outlet, the fan causing a flow of air to flow into the motor housing through the at least one motor housing inlet around the motor and exit the motor housing through the at least one motor housing outlet and flow into the combustion chamber through the at least one combustion chamber inlet and exit the combustion chamber through the combustion chamber outlet and flow into the heat exchanger through the heat exchanger inlet and exit the heat exchanger through the heat exchanger outlet and flow into the fan housing through the fan housing inlet and exit the fan housing through the fan housing outlet, the flow of air thereby cooling the motor as it flows through the motor housing.
2 more elements
A method of air cooling a furnace blower motor comprising the steps of:
- providing a motor in a housing;
- providing a fan driven by the motor and positioning the fan in a fan housing;
- operatively connecting the fan housing to the motor housing so that the fan housing communicates with the motor housing and draws a flow of air through the motor housing to cool the motor;
- and
- providing a fan housing having a single fan housing inlet and a single fan housing outlet and operatively connecting the single fan housing inlet to the motor housing to cause the flow of air to flow through the motor housing prior to flowing into the fan housing through the single fan housing inlet.
2 more elements
A method of air cooling a furnace blower motor comprising the steps of:
- providing a motor in a housing;
- providing a fan driven by the motor and positioning the fan in a fan housing;
- operatively connecting the fan housing to the motor housing so that the fan housing communicates with the motor housing and draws a flow of air through the motor housing to cool the motor;
- providing the fan housing having a single fan housing inlet and a single fan housing outlet and operatively connecting the single fan housing inlet to the motor housing to cause the flow of air to flow through the motor housing prior to flowing into the fan housing through the single fan housing inlet;
- providing a combustion chamber that is operatively connected between and communicates with the motor housing and the fan housing and is configured and adapted to cause the flow of air to flow from the motor housing and through the combustion chamber prior to flowing to the fan housing;
- providing a heat exchanger that is operatively connected between and communicates with the combustion chamber and the fan housing and is configured and adapted to cause the flow of air to flow from the combustion chamber and through the heat exchanger prior to flowing into the fan housing;
- and
- providing a vestibule chamber having an interior and at least one vestibule chamber inlet which is operatively connected to and communicates with the motor housing, the motor and the motor housing residing in the vestibule chamber interior so that the flow of air flowing through the motor housing passes through the at least one vestibule chamber inlet prior to entering the motor housing.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.