Warm air furnace with premix burner

• US 6,880,548 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Schultz, Michael W., Strand, Rolf L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yeung, James C.
• Application Number:
  US10/459,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20040250810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 126/110.R, 126/99.R, 126/116.R, 126/99.A, 126/99.C, 126/112, 126/92.AC, 431/350, 431/354, 431/326, 431/355, 431/328
• US Class Current: 126/110.00R
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/02 Premix gas burners, i.e. in which gaseous fuel is mixed with combustion air upstream of the combustion zone
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/58 characterised by the shape or arrangement of the outlet or outlets from the nozzle, e.g. of annular configuration
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/62 Mixing devices; Mixing tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/70 Baffles or like flow-disturbing devices
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/087 using fluid fuel

Abstract

A warm air furnace system has a valve for controlling the flow of fuel, and a mixing component for receiving fuel from the valve and mixing the fuel with air to form an air-fuel premix. The warm air furnace system also has a burner assembly for receiving the air-fuel premix from the mixer, and an inducer for pulling the air-fuel premix through the burner assembly. The air-fuel premix drawn from the burner assembly is ignited into a flame by an ignition element. The flame transfers heat to a heat exchanger in communication with and positioned between the burner assembly and the inducer. The heat exchanger, in turn, transfers heat to air being passed over the heat exchanger by a circulation fan. The heated air passed over the heat exchanger then provides heat to a user of the furnace.

Claims

1. A warm air furnace system comprising:

a negative regulator valve for controlling the flow of fuel;

a mixing component for receiving fuel from the valve and mixing the fuel with air to form an air-fuel premix;

a burner assembly for receiving the air-fuel premix from the mixer;

an inducer for pulling fuel through the negative regulator valve, for pulling air into the mixing component, and for pulling the air-fuel premix through the burner assembly;

an ignition element for igniting the air-fuel premix drawn from the burner assembly;

a heat exchanger in communication with and positioned between the burner assembly and the inducer; and

a circulation fan for passing air over the heat exchanger;

wherein the air-fuel premix from the burner assembly that is ignited by the ignition element results in one or more flames, the one or more flames transfer heat to the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger transfers heat to the air passed over the heat exchanger by the circulation fan.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the burner assembly also receives air to cool the burner assembly.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mixing component is a venturi.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mixing component is a venturi.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel is natural, propane or butane gas.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the burner assembly includes a premix burner positioned within and spaced apart from a cooling air box.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the air-fuel premix is pulled into the premix burner by the inducer to be ignited into one or more flames, and air is pulled into the cooling air box by the inducer to cool the premix burner.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the burner assembly includes a premix burner, and the premix burner has a burner face assembly, the burner face assembly comprises a first plate positioned on the top of a second plate, and a third plate on the bottom of the second plate.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a premix flow distribution plate is positioned within the premix burner.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bypass flow distribution plate, wherein the burner assembly includes a premix burner positioned within and spaced apart from a cooling air box, and the bypass flow distribution plate distributes the cooling flow of air surrounding the premix burner.

11. A warm air furnace system comprising:

a valve for controlling the flow of fuel;

a mixing component for receiving fuel from the valve and mixing the fuel with air to form an air-fuel premix;

a burner assembly having a premix burner positioned within a cooling air box, the premix burner receiving the air-fuel premix from the mixing component, the cooling air box receiving air for cooling the premix burner;

an inducer for pulling the air-fuel premix through the premix burner and for pulling air into the cooling air box;

an ignition element for igniting the air-fuel premix drawn from the premix burner;

a heat exchanger in communication with and positioned between the burner assembly and the inducer; and

a circulation fan for passing air over the heat exchanger.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the air-fuel premix from the premix burner that is ignited by the ignition element results in one or more flames, the one or more flames transfer heat to the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger transfers heat to the air passed over the heat exchanger by the circulation fan.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the valve is a negative regulator or zero governor gas valve.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the mixing component is a venturi.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the mixing component is a venturi.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the premix burner has a burner face assembly, the burner face assembly comprises a first plate positioned on the top of a second plate, and a third plate on the bottom of the second plate.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein a premix flow distribution plate is positioned within the premix burner.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising a bypass flow distribution plate to distribute the cooling flow of air in the cooling air box.

19. A warm air furnace system comprising:

a negative regulator valve for controlling the flow of fuel;

a venturi for receiving fuel from the negative regulator valve and mixing the fuel with air to form an air-fuel premix;

a burner assembly having a premix burner positioned within a cooling air box, the premix burner receiving the air-fuel premix from the venturi, the cooling air box receiving air for cooling the premix burner;

an inducer for pulling fuel through the negative regulator valve, for pulling air into the venturi, for pulling the air-fuel premix through the premix burners and for pulling the cooling air into the cooling air box;

an ignition element for igniting the air-fuel premix drawn from the premix burner;

a heat exchanger in communication with and positioned between the burner assembly and the inducer; and

a circulation fan for passing air over the heat exchanger;

wherein the air-fuel premix from the premix burner that is ignited by the ignition element results in one or more flames, the one or more flames transfer heat to the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger transfers heat to the air passed over the heat exchanger by the circulation fan, and the cooling air pulled into the cooling air box flows around the premix burner.