Claims
- 1. A heat exchanger for use with a furnace, said heat exchanger comprising:a plurality of heat exchanger elements, each said heat exchanger element including a pair of clamshells sealingly attached to one another, each said heat exchanger element having a longitudinal axis, a pair of depressions disposed in each respective said pair of clamshells, said depressions facing one another to form a passageway wall and a serpentine fluid passageway therebetween, at least a portion of said serpentine fluid passageway extending along said longitudinal axis, a plurality of enhancements in said depressions and disposed within said portion of said serpentine fluid passageway, said plurality of enhancements projecting into said serpentine fluid passageway, each said enhancement comprising a transversely extending corrugation having a substantially trapezoidal longitudinal cross-section, a longitudinally positioned passageway wall portion extending between adjacently positioned enhancements within each clamshell, at least one enhancement channel defined by a portion of said serpentine passageway, said enhancement channel including said corrugations, said corrugations disposed one of said pair of depressions including ramping surfaces in fluid communication with ramping surfaces defined by the corrugations disposed on the other depression, each of said ramping surfaces including an angle of inclination followed by an angle of declination, said angle of inclination greater than said angle of declination, said plurality of enhancements structured and arranged with said passageway wall portions to direct a flow of products of combustion received in said heat exchanger element along said serpentine fluid passageway wall at a non-zero velocity, whereby a flow velocity of hot products of combustion is registerable through substantially said entire enhancement channel at positions proximate to said ramping surfaces.
- 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein said serpentine fluid passageway includes an inlet and an outlet and a plurality of longitudinally arranged channels fluidly connecting said inlet and said outlet, said channels fluidly connected by bend portions.
- 3. The heat exchanger of claim 1, further comprising a first manifold wherein said each heat exchanger element is fixed relative to an adjoining said heat exchanger element through said first manifold.
- 4. The heat exchanger of claim 3, further comprising a second manifold, said first manifold is attached to either said inlets or outlets of said serpentine passageway and said second manifold is attached to the remaining of said inlets or outlets.
- 5. The heat exchanger of claim 3, further comprising a support member attached to a periphery portion of each said heat exchanger element.
- 6. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein said corrugations on one of said pair of clamshells are offset and interested relative to the other corrugations of the other said clamshell to form a continuous saw-toothed passageway disposed in said portion of said longitudinally arranged serpentine fluid passageway.
- 7. The heat exchanger of claim 6 wherein said saw-toothed passageway includes a substantially uniform longitudinal cross-section.
- 8. The heat exchanger of claim 6, wherein said saw-toothed passageway tapers longitudinally in the direction of the flow through said serpentine fluid passageway.
- 9. A heat exchanger element for use with a furnace, said heat exchanger element comprising:a pair of clamshells sealingly attached to one another, said heat exchanger element having a longitudinal axis, a pair of depressions disposed in said pair of clamshells, said depressions facing one another to form a passageway wall and a serpentine fluid passageway therebetween, at least a portion of said serpentine fluid passageway extending along said longitudinal axis, a plurality of enhancements in said depressions and disposed within said portion of said serpentine fluid passageway, said plurality of enhancements projecting into said serpentine fluid passageway, each said enhancement comprising a corrugation having a substantially trapezoidal longitudinal cross-section, a longitudinally positioned passageway wall portion extending between each adjacently positioned enhancements within each clamshell, at least one enhancement channel defined by a portion if said serpentine passageway, said enhancement channel including said corrugations, said corrugations disposed on one of said pair of depressions including ramping surfaces in fluid communication with ramping surfaces defined by the corrugations disposed on the other depression, each of said ramping surfaces including an angle of inclination followed by an angle of declination, said angle of inclination greater than said angle of declination, said plurality of enhancements structured and arranged with said passageway wall portions to direct a flow of products of combustion received in said heat exchanger element along said serpentine fluid passageway wall at a non-zero velocity, whereby a flow velocity of hot products of combustion is registerable through substantially said entire enhancement channel at positions proximate to said ramping surfaces.
- 10. The heat exchanger element of claim 9, wherein one of said pair of depressions includes said corrugations being internested with the other said corrugations on the other said depression.
- 11. A heat exchanger for use with a furnace, said heat exchanger including at least one heat exchanger element which receives hot products of combustion therein and having room air being forced externally thereover, the heat exchanger element comprising:a pair of clamshells each having a depression disposed therein and sealingly attached to one another, said depressions defining an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication through a serpentine flow passageway, a portion of said flow passageway defining an inlet channel, at least one enhancement channel disposed in said flow passageway and positioned downstream relative to said inlet channel, a plurality of enhancements provided on said depressions and extended inwardly into said enhancement channel, each said enhancement comprising a transversely extending corrugation having a substantially trapezoidal longitudinal cross-section, a longitudinally positioned passageway wall portion extending between adjacently position enhancement within each clamshell, said enhancements reducing zones of recirculation of the hot products of combustion flowed internally through said flow passageway, said flow passageway including an inlet channel, a first enhancement channel and a second enhancement channel, said first and second enhancement channels defined by a portion of said serpentine passageway, said enhancements confined to said first and second enhancement channels, said first and second enhancement channels including said corrugations, said corrugations disposed on one of said pair of depressions including ramping surfaces in fluid communication with ramping surfaces defined by the corrugations disposed on the other depression, each of said ramping surfaces including an angle of inclination followed by an angle of declination, said angle of inclination greater than said angle of declination, said first and second enhancement channels extending longitudinally, said enhancements transversely disposed within said first and second enhancement channels, said first enhancement channel tapering longitudinally in the direction of internal flow, said second enhancement channel substantially longitudinally uniform, whereby heat transfer is increased between the hot products of combustion and room air urged externally over said at least one heat exchanger element.
- 12. A heat exchanger element for use with a furnace, each heat exchanger element comprising:a pair of clamshells sealingly attached to one another, said heat exchanger element having a longitudinal axis, a pair of depressions disposed in said pair of clamshells, said depressions facing one another to form a passageway wall and a serpentine fluid passageway therebetween, at least a portion of said serpentine fluid passageway extending along said longitudinal axis, a plurality of enhancements in said depressions and disposed within said portion of said serpentine fluid passageway, said plurality of enhancements projecting into said serpentine fluid passageway, each said enhancement comprising a corrugation having a substantially trapezoidal longitudinal cross-section, a longitudinally positioned passageway wall portion extending between each adjacently positioned enhancements within each clamshell, said serpentine fluid passageway including an inlet channel, a first enhancement channel and a second enhancement channel, said corrugations confined to said first and second enhancement channels, said first and second enhancement channels extending longitudinally, said corrugations transversely disposed within said first and second enhancement channels, said first enhancement channel tapering longitudinally in the direction of internal flow, said second enhancement channel substantially longitudinally uniform, said plurality of enhancements structured and arranged with said passageway wall portions to direct a flow of products of combustion received in said heat exchanger element along said serpentine fluid passageway wall at a non-zero velocity.
Parent Case Info
This application claims priority from Provisional application Ser. No. 60/236,969, filed Sep. 29, 2000.
US Referenced Citations (21)
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
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60/236969 |
Sep 2000 |
US |