CA1231604A

CA1231604A - Apparatus for heating water

Info

Publication number: CA1231604A
Application number: CA000467873A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Richard Vetter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-06-04
Filing date: 1984-11-15
Publication date: 1988-01-19
Also published as: EP0163764A2; EP0163764A3; DE3420733A1; JPS60263050A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An apparatus, especially a hot water boiler, for heating water. The apparatus includes a com-bustion chamber which is provided with a heat exchang-er. Furthermore, one or more further heat exchangers are accommodated in the housing of the apparatus. In order to be able to keep the temperature at the out-let of the apparatus low, the combustion chamber is disposed at the top of the apparatus, whereas the chamber or heat exchanger disposed the furthest to-ward the bottom is in the form of a condensation chamber. Due to the combustion chamber disposed at the top, the condensation chamber which is disposed at the bottom is far better protected from the effect of the heat. Accompanied by expensive ex-ploitation of the heat, the flue gas temperatures and water discharge temperatures at the bottom heat exchanger can be kept below 30°C. So that extensive protection of the apparatus can be achieved, the chamber or chambers disposed above the condensation chamber are provided with a device for introducing hot gases, which device is intended to avoid a dropping of the temperature below approximately 60°C. This can be accomplished by means of a thermostat.

Description

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APPARATUS FOR HEATING WATER
Background of the Invention the present invention relates to an apparatus, especially a hot water boiler, for heating water; the apparatus has a chamber, especially a combustion charter which serves for the introduction or pro-diction of hot gases. This chamber is in the form of a heat exchanger, or is associated with a heat exchanger, and is provided with one or more further heat exchangers; all of the heat exchangers are disk posed one above the other within the housing of the apparatus.
With heretofore known apparatuses of this general type, the combustion chamber is located in the lower portion of the apparatus. This has the advantage that when the apparatus is not operating, the heat stored in the heat exchanger of the combustion chamber can flow to the other heat exchanger. This can lead to heat losses. Furthermore, it is difficult to control the remaining heat exchanger.
The present invention proceeds from the realize-lion that extensive exploitation of the heat intro-duped into the apparatus is only possible if the temperature of the gases at the outlet of the apparatus is as low as possible, and in particular is such that a condensation can already occur in the heat exchanger disposed ahead of the outlet, in order to thus, by I' ~23~L~0~

means of appropriate withdrawal means, be able to provide for a neutralization or desulfurization.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the aforemention-Ed general type with which a high thermal efficiency can be achieved, and with which a condensation can still occur in the apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to further improve such an apparatus that while main-twining such a good efficiency, it is furthermore possible during operation of the apparatus to achieve extensive careful treatment of the apparatus, i.e., to achieve a long service life.
Brief Description of the Drawing These objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention, will appear more clearly from the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is a cross section of one invent live embodiment of a hot water boiler; and Figure 2 is a front view of the boiler of Figure 1.
Summary of the Invention To achieve a high thermal efficiency and still allow for condensation in the apparatus, by one aspect of this invention, there is provided an apparatus for

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heating water located in a hot water boiler whereby hot exhaust gases are kept from being blown out to a chimney to cool in air with damaging material in the exhaust gases that can return to earth again as acid rain 7 comprising: a housing including a top and also a lower portion that is shell-shaped to serve for collecting condensate therewith; heat exchangers which have respective walls constructed as hollow chambers through which water can be conducted for at least a portion of said heat exchangers and which are disk posed one above the other in said housing; the upper-most heat exchanger disposed in the top of the house in forming a combustion chamber that serves as a starting point for hot gases in said apparatus, and the lowermost heat exchanger being in the form of a condensation chamber made of an acid-resistant material as protection against condensation permitted therein; insulating panel means for heat-insulating said lowermost heat exchanger from the heat exchanger disposed there above; a conduit which communicates with the lower portion of said housing for removal of condensate and flue gases collected particularly in the lower portion of said housing; and a device which is associated with the chambers of those heat exchangers disposed above said lowermost heat ox-changer for controlling the former so that heat

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exchangers disposed above are kept dry, said device being adapted to introduce hot gases into said pro-piously heated chambers when the temperature thereof falls to nearly 60 C to prevent that condensation takes place already in the heat exchangers located above said lowermost heat exchanger so that damage in chambers located there above is avoided and pro-eluded whereas said lowermost heat exchanger deliver-lately has a temperature which results in condensation therewith to carry out desired desulfurization in said lowermost heat exchanger.
By utilizing customary insulating material for avoiding heat losses, the heat is trapped to a certain degree in the upper portion of the apparatus. This prevents heat from flowing off when the apparatus is not operating, and in particular when the fan, which customarily serves for exhausting the gases, is not operating. Furthermore, for these reasons no undesired heating-up of the heat exchanger disposed at the bottom can occur; this fact makes it possible to utilize the heat exchanger disposed at the gas outlet of the apt pyrites as a condenser for the hot gases. Consequent-lye the gases, especially the flue gases, are also ox-pensively exploited; they can accordingly leave the apparatus at a temperature which is less than 30 C.
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Pursuant to specific features of the present invention, the chamber disposed at the bottom can be heat-insulated from the chamber or chambers disposed there above. The lower portion of the housing may be shell-shaped, and may serve for collecting the condemn-sate. A conduit may branch off from the lower portion of the housing for removing the condensate and the - 3b -I

exhaust gases. approximately in the region of the front end face of the apparatus, the conduit may be provided with a condensate drain, from which extends upwardly, in front of the end face of the apparatus, a gas flue which can be provided Whitehall an inspection glass, a water injection device, a gas-flow monitor for controlling the apparatus, a fresh air inlet, and, at the upper end approximately in the region of the upper edge of the housing, an induced-draft device; these means, which are associated with the gas flue, can either be provided individually or in combination with one another.
The socket-like connector, which serves for the introduction of the hot gases 9 or for the attach-vent of the burner, is double-walled and can carry water for connection to the chamber which is disposed at the top of the apparatus.
To achieve the long service life, a device can be associated with that heat exchanger for the chamber which serves to produce or introduce hot vases, and possibly also for the other chambers disposed above the condensation chamber, for controlling these chambers; this device introduces hot gases into these chambers when, after previous heating, the temperature falls to about 60C. This device can cutoff the hot gases when the temperature has risen to approximately 70C. To accomplish the above, the I

outlet of the heat exchanger is expediently provided with a thermostat, which in the case of a gas or oil burner, activates the burner at a temperature of approximately 60C, and deactivates the burner at a temperature of about 70C, and possibly even up to 90C .
Accordingly, an important objective is achieved.
Whereas with the heretofore known apparatuses, the temperatures within the upper flue gas chamber or the like constantly fall below or exceed 60C, whereby a condensation occurs, the "dry state" is always maintained pursuant to the present invention. This operating state meanwhile assures that the foremen-toned chamber and the walls for the heat exchanger experience considerably less stress.
The heat exchanger disposed the furthest toward the bottom, however, deliberately has a chamber temperature which results in a condensation.
Therefore, a temperature of approximately 30C should exist at the outlet of the associated heat exchanger, whereas a temperature of less than 20C is desirable for the inlet of this heat exchanger.

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Referring now to the drawing in detail, the housing of the boiler comprises walls of synthetic material or plastic, and has a shell or basin 1 with edges 2 which are bent upwardly, and a front wall 3 with edge portions 4 which are bent toward the back. The basin 1 and the front wall 3 can integrally merge into one another. The greatest portion of the two sidewalls 5 and the top wall 5', as well as the back wall 6, are wormed from an integrally construct-Ed hood, the edges of which rest in a practically airtight wanner on the edges 2, 4 at 7 and 8.
Three Lotte exchangers 9, lo 11 are disposed within the apparatus, with that heat exchanger which is disposed in the top of the housing forming the gore-bastion cha~ilber 12, the walls of which are all con-strutted as hollow coralberries through which the water can be conducted. The socket-like extension 13 for receiving the burner 14 is also adapted to receive water, i.e., is an active component of the heat ox-changer 9. The heat exchanger 10 operatively cooper-ales with the heat exchanger 9, and the deflector walls 15 and the vertical sidewalls 16 of the two heat exchangers 10, 11 are also adapter to receive water.
The two heat exchangers 10, 9 guide the water at a hither tel~lperature, whereas the heat exchanger 11 which is disposed at the bottom is separated from the heat exchanger 10 by an insulating panel 17, and thus guides colder water having a temperature of approximate-lye at most 30 C, and is therefore also acted upon by gases which also have a temperature of at most approximately 30 C.
Accordingly, a condensation occurs within the heat exchanger 11, as a result of which a desired desulfurization is carried out.
Located at the bacl;end of the basin 1 is an out-let 18 from which the exhaust gases pass into the exhaust flue 19, which initially is constructed as a conduit 20 disposed centrally below the basin 1, and is then constructed as a vertically extending conduit 21 disposed in front of the front wall 3.
Located at the upper end of the conduit 21 is an elect tribal induced-draft device 22, which is mounted in the vicinity of the upper edge of the housing. From there, the exhaust gases leave the apparatus in the direction of the arrow 23 on the way to the chimney or flue stack.
The conduit 20 slopes toward the front portion of the housing. Disposed approximately below the bottom front edge of the housing is a drain for the condensate;
disposed there above are a sight or inspection glass 25, an injection device 26 for injecting water into the channel 19, and also a gas-flow monitor 27 for control purposes. Just below the induced-draft device 22 is furthermore disposed an air inlet 28.
The two heat exchangers g, 10 have a community water inlet 29 and a hot water outlet 30, The inlet for the heat exchanger 11 is designated with the reference numeral 31, and the associated outlet is designated by the reverence numeral 32. All of these connections extend through the front wall 3 in order to assure a hermetic sealing of the back walls of the housing, and in order to make it possible to remove the walls 5, 6 as a complete, uninterrupted structure.
The fact that water flows through the outer walls of all of the heat exchangers 9, 10, 11, and that the same is true for the extension 13 which serves for the mounting of the gas or oil burner, makes it possible to use plastic or synthetic materials for the housing. Since the housing is constructed in a precut-gaily airtight manner, the portion of the housing between the housing wall on the one hand and the heat exchangers 9, 10, 11 on the other hand is at a partial vacuum due to the induced-draft device 22, in order thus with a good air insulation to also serve for removal of the gases.
It should also be noted that in particular the insulating panel 17 and those parts of the apparatus located in the lower region, must be acid-resistant, which is readily possible by appropriate choice of the synthetic material.

It is important to connect to the outlet 30 a thermostat 33 which is operatively convected to the switching devices 34 ox the burner 14. The thermostat 33 can thus turn the burner 14 on and off.
For the durability and operation of the apparatus, it is very important that the chambers which are sun-rounded by tile heat exchangers 9, 10 remain dry, in other words, that no condensation occurs there. In order to assure this, the thermostat 33 assumes a control junction. If the waxer temperature at the outlet 30 approaches 60 C, the burner 14 is actuated by the thermostats 33 so that a condensation temperature fails to materialize in the vicinity of the heat exchangers 9, lo IJhen in this manner a temperature of approxi-mutely 70 C is obtained at the outlet 30, the thermos stat 33 deactivates the burner 14.
Temperatures of up to 20 C (at top inlet) and approximately 30 C tat the outlet) should be maintained at the connectors 31, 32, i.e. in the region of the heat exchanger 11. These temperatures assure a condensation and a discharge of the condensate via the drain 24. A desired desulfurization is therefore achieved, The present invention thus provides a combustion chamber 12 which is disposed near the top and has two heat exchangers 9, 10, the chambers of which are open-axed dry, whereas the chamber disposed there below is _ 9 _ I

in the phony of a condensation chamber.
The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawing, but also encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN
EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE US
CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An apparatus for heating water located in a hot water boiler whereby hot exhaust gases are kept from being blown out to a chimney to cool in air with damaging material in the exhaust gases that can return to earth again as acid rain, comprising:
a housing including a top and also a lower portion that is shell-shaped to serve for collecting condensate therewith;
heat exchangers which have respective walls constructed as hollow chambers through which water can be conducted for at least a portion of said heat exchangers and which are disposed one above the other in said housing; the uppermost heat exchanger disposed in the top of the housing forming a combustion chamber that serves as a starting point for hot gases in said apparatus, and the lowermost heat exchanger being in the form of a condensation chamber made of an acid-resistant material as protection against condensation permitted therein;
insulating panel means for heat-insulating said lowermost heat exchanger from the heat exchanger disposed thereabove;
a conduit which communicates with the lower portion of said housing for removal of condensate and flue gases collected particularly in the lower portion of said housing: and a device which is associated with the chambers of those heat exchangers disposed above said lowermost heat exchanger for controlling the former so that heat exchangers disposed above are kept dry, said device being adapted to introduce hot gases into said previously heated chambers when the temperature thereof falls to nearly 60° C to prevent that condensation takes place already in the heat exchangers located above said lowermost heat exchanger so that damage in chambers located thereabove is avoided and precluded whereas said lowermost heat exchanger deliberately has a temperature which results in condensation therewith to carry out desired desulfurization in said lowermost heat exchanger.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which the lower portion of said housing has a shell-like construction and serves for the collection of condensate.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said housing has a front end face, with said conduit being provided with a condensate drain in the vicinity of said front end face, from which vicinity a gas flue extends upwardly.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, in which said housing has an upper edge, and in which said gas flue is provided with at least one of the group consisting of an inspection glass, a water injection device, a gas-flow monitor for controlling said apparatus, an air inlet, and an induced-draft device at the upper end of said gas flue approximately in the vicinity of said upper edge of said housing.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, which includes a double-walled, socket-like connector which communicates with said uppermost heat exchanger and can carry water, said connector serves for the introduction of hot gases or for the mounting of a burner which can produce such hot gases.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said device is adapted to cease said introduction of hot gases into said chambers when the temperature thereof rises to nearly 70°C.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said chamber of said uppermost heat exchanger is a combustion chamber which is operatively associated with a burner for effecting said introduction of hot gases; and in which said device is a thermostat which is adapted to selectively activate and deactivate said burner.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said condensation chamber heat exchanger has an inlet which is adapted to operate at at most nearly 20°C, and an outlet which is adapted to operate at nearly 30°C.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which a burner is provided for effecting said introduction of hot gases, said lowermost heat exchanger rather than having water conducted relative thereto having air conducted thereto which at the same time is the combustion air and is conveyed to said burner.