AIR HEATING APPARATUS

• US 20110185713A1
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JR Koop, Inc.
• Original Assignee: JR Koop, Inc.
• Inventors: Naglestad, Joseph, Thompson, Nathan, Tooley, Luke, KOOPMANN, RICHARD R., Wielenga, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,366,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/320
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 5/02 the devices using heat
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 9/00 Cooling having pertinent characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01P1/00 - F01P7/00 profiting from waste heat of combustion-engine cooling F02G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2/00 Rotary-piston machines or pumps with non-parallel axes of co-operating members F04C3/00; with the working-chamber walls at least partly resiliently deformable F04C5/00; with fluid ring or the like F04C7/00; rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids F04C18/00; rotary-piston machines or pumps in which the working-fluid is exclusively displaced by, or exclusively displaces, one or more reciprocating pistons F04B
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2200/26 Internal combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/06 the air being kept separate from the heating medium, e.g. using forced circulation of air over radiators
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/00 Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

An air heating apparatus may comprise a housing with a path through an interior of the housing between openings in the housing. An isolating wall may divide the interior into primary and secondary chambers, and may have a transfer opening through which the path extends from the primary to secondary chambers. An air heating assembly may comprise an engine in the primary chamber, a heat generator in the primary chamber and connected to the engine, and a main heat exchanger in the secondary chamber and in fluid communication with the heat generator to transfer heat generated by the heat generator to air flowing along the path. The apparatus may include an air movement assembly configured to move air along the path and comprises a primary fan between the primary and secondary chambers to move air from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber.

Claims

1. An air heating apparatus comprising:

a housing having at least one inlet opening and at least one outlet opening such that air may flow along a path through an interior of the housing between said openings, the housing including an isolating wall dividing the interior of the housing into a primary chamber adjacent to the inlet opening and a secondary chamber adjacent to the outlet opening, the isolating wall having a transfer opening formed therein through which the path extends from the primary chamber into the secondary chamber;

an air heating assembly positioned in the interior of the housing and configured to heat air moving along the path, the air heating assembly comprising;

an engine in the primary chamber configured to rotate a drive shaft;

a heat generator in the primary chamber and operatively connected to the engine to generate heat in a fluid from rotation energy from the engine;

a main heat exchanger in the secondary chamber and in fluid communication with the heat generator to transfer heat generated by the heat generator to air flowing along the path; and

an air movement assembly configured to move air along the path through the interior of the housing, the air movement assembly comprising a primary fan positioned along the path between the primary and secondary chambers to move air on the path from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber, the primary fan being positioned proximate to the transfer opening in the isolating wall in a manner effective to move air from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber and from the secondary chamber out of the housing through the outlet opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the air movement assembly further comprises a secondary fan in the primary chamber operatively connected to the engine to be rotated by the engine to move air along the path.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a flow control louver assembly effective to control air flow into the inlet opening of the housing, the flow control louver assembly extending across the inlet opening.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the main heat exchanger is located furthest downstream in the path and adjacent to the outlet opening of the housing.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an engine exhaust heat recovery apparatus configured to transfer exhaust heat of the engine to the air flowing along the path.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the engine exhaust heat recovery apparatus comprises a primary exhaust heat exchanger in the secondary chamber, the primary heat exchanger being in fluid communication with the exhaust of the engine such that exhaust gases from the engine pass through the primary exhaust heat exchanger after exiting the engine.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the engine exhaust heat recovery apparatus comprises a secondary exhaust heat exchanger in the primary chamber, the secondary exhaust heat exchanger being in fluid communication with the primary exhaust heat exchanger such that exhaust gases from the engine pass through the secondary exhaust heat exchanger after exiting the primary exhaust heat exchanger.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the air heating assembly further comprises an engine waste heat recovery assembly in the primary chamber configured to transfer waste heat of the engine to the air flow along the path.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the engine waste heat recovery assembly comprises a radiator through which coolant from the engine passes through.

10. An air heating apparatus comprising:

a housing having at least one inlet opening and at least one outlet opening such that air may flow along a path through an interior of the housing between said openings, the housing including an isolating wall dividing the interior of the housing into a primary chamber adjacent to the inlet opening and a secondary chamber adjacent to the outlet opening, the isolating wall having a transfer opening formed therein through which the path extends from the primary chamber into the secondary chamber;

an air heating assembly positioned in the interior of the housing and configured to heat air moving along the path, the air heating assembly comprising;

an engine in the primary chamber configured to rotate a drive shaft;

a heat generator in the primary chamber and operatively connected to the engine to generate heat in a fluid from rotation energy from the engine;

a main heat exchanger in the secondary chamber and in fluid communication with the heat generator to transfer heat generated by the heat generator to air flowing along the path;

an engine exhaust heat recovery apparatus configured to transfer exhaust heat of the engine to the air flowing along the path, the engine exhaust heat recovery apparatus comprising a primary exhaust heat exchanger in the secondary chamber and a secondary exhaust heat exchanger in the primary chamber; and

an air movement assembly configured to move air along the path through the interior of the housing, the air movement assembly comprising;

a primary fan positioned along the path between the primary and secondary chambers to move air on the path from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber, the primary fan being positioned proximate to the transfer opening in the isolating wall in a manner effective to move air from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber and from the secondary chamber out of the housing through the outlet opening; and

a secondary fan in the primary chamber operatively connected to the engine to be rotated by the engine to move air along the path.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the housing includes a flow control louver assembly effective to control air flow into the inlet opening of the housing, the flow control louver assembly extending across the inlet opening.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the main heat exchanger is located furthest downstream in the path and adjacent to the outlet opening of the housing.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the primary heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the exhaust of the engine such that exhaust gases from the engine pass through the primary exhaust heat exchanger after exiting the engine, and the secondary exhaust heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the primary exhaust heat exchanger such that exhaust gases from the engine pass through the secondary exhaust heat exchanger after exiting the primary exhaust heat exchanger.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the air heating assembly further comprises an engine waste heat recovery assembly in the primary chamber configured to transfer waste heat of the engine to the air flow along the path.