System and method for combustion-air modulation of a gas-fired heating system

Abstract

A system and method for providing a gas-fired heating system with improved thermal efficiency includes modulating a quantity of combustion air flow to a combustion mixture in response to a measured change in fuel-gas pressure using a DC (e.g., brushless) motor to drive a combustion air blower. A pressure transducer in a manifold transporting fuel-gas into the combustion mixture outputs a signal proportional to the measured pressure to the motor. The motor speed and thus the resultant quantity of combustion air flow are modulated in proportion to the quantity of fuel-gas to the mixture. Accordingly, a constant fuel-gas to combustion air ratio is maintained. The system and method may further provide for adjusting the output signal to accommodate measured intake air temperature, and/or measured atmospheric pressure in order to maintain a constant, good thermal efficiency (preferably ≧80%) regardless of air temperature and altitude at the system's installation location.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.