Claims
- 1. A fluid heater comprising a vertically oriented fluid storage tank having inner and outer tubular walls defining a fluid storage area therebetween, insulation material directly adjacent and surrounding said outer tubular wall, a fuel burner positioned beneath said tank in a combustion chamber for heating the fluid in said tank, said inner tubular wall forming a flue for hot combustion gases generated by said burner, a tubular vent forming a continuation of said flue for exhausting the hot combustion gases, a vent jacket surrounding said vent, said vent jacket being open at its upper end for ingestion of air and including an opening at its bottom end for passage of preheated air therethrough, and a tank jacket at least partially surrounding said outer wall of said tank and outwardly spaced from said insulation to form outwardly of said insulation a passage extending substantially along the height of said tank, said passage having its upper end connected to the opening at the bottom end of said vent jacket and its lower end connected to said combustion chamber for channeling the preheated air from said vent jacket to said burner to support combustion, and a barometric damper associated with said passage for ensuring proper delivery of preheated air to said burner.
- 2. A heater comprising a vertically oriented tank having a base of convex shape when viewed upwardly and a central flue, a burner positioned centrally beneath said tank, and a baffle between said burner and tank base for directing hot combustion gases initially radially outwardly and then radially inwardly along the base of said tank, said baffle being a plate formed in the shape of said base, extending substantially parallel to said base, and positioned such that the hot combustion gases are directed downwardly as well as radially inwardly along the base of said tank thereby to retard the rate of flow of such gases.
- 3. A heater comprising a fuel burner for generating hot combustion gases, means for connecting said fuel burner to a fuel supply, a vertically oriented fluid storage tank positioned above said burner, said tank having a top and a bottom and a centrally located vertical flue for hot combustion gases generated by said burner, said flue extending from said top of said tank to said bottom of said tank, a cold fluid inlet for said tank, and means for directing incoming fluid from said cold fluid inlet into close proximity to said flue for maximizing heat transfer from the hot combustion gases to the incoming fluid, said means for directing including a tubular jacket surrounding said flue, said tubular jacket extending from proximate said top of said tank to proximate said bottom of said tank, and said tubular jacket having an outlet at its lower end opening to the interior of said tank at the lower end of said tank and in close proximity to said bottom of said tank, and an annular passage extending substantially around said flue at the top of said tank, said inlet being in fluid communication with said passage, and said passage including a plurality of circumferentially arranged openings therein for directing fluid from said passage into said tubular jacket around the entire annular top thereof.
- 4. A heater comprising a fuel burner for generating hot combustion gases, means for connecting said fuel burner to a fuel supply, a vertically oriented fluid storage tank positioned above said burner, said tank having a top and a bottom and a centrally located vertical flue for hot combustion gases generated by said burner, said flue extending from said top of said tank to said bottom of said tank, a cold fluid inlet for said tank, and means for directing incoming fluid from said cold fluid inlet into close proximity to said flue for maximizing heat transfer from the hot combustion gases to the incoming fluid, said means for directing including one of a group consisting of a spiral coil disposed within said flue and a tubular jacket surrounding said flue, said one of said group extending from proximate said top of said tank to proximate said bottom of said tank, and said one of said group having an outlet at its lower end opening to the interior of said tank at the lower end of said tank and in close proximity to said bottom of said tank, and further characterized by said flue being formed by an inner tubular wall, said fluid storage tank having an outer tubular wall, said inner and outer tubular walls defining a fluid storage area therebetween, insulation material directly adjacent and surrounding said outer tubular wall, said fuel burner being positioned beneath said tank in a combustion chamber for heating the fluid in said tank, said inner tubular wall forming said flue for hot combustion gases generated by said burner, a tubular vent forming a continuation of said flue for exhausting the hot combustion gases, a vent jacket surrounding said vent, said vent jacket being open at its upper end for ingestion of air and including an opening at its bottom end for passage of preheated air therethrough, a tank jacket at least partially surrounding said outer wall of said tank and outwardly spaced from said insulation to form outwardly of said insulation a passage extending substantially along the height of said tank, and said passage having its upper end connected to the opening of the bottom end of said vent jacket and its lower end connected to said combustion chamber for channeling the preheated air from said vent jacket to said burner to support combustion, and further characterized by a barometric damper associated with said passage for ensuring proper delivery of preheated air to said burner.
- 5. A heater comprising a fuel burner for generating hot combustion gases, means for connecting said fuel burner to a fuel supply, a vertically oriented fluid storage tank positioned above said burner, said tank having a top and a bottom and a centrally located vertical flue for hot combustion gases generated by said burner, said flue extending from said top of said tank to said bottom of said tank, a cold fluid inlet for said tank, and means for directing incoming fluid from said cold fluid inlet into close proximity to said flue for maximizing heat transfer from the hot combustion gases to the incoming fluid, said means for directing including one of a group consisting of a spiral coil disposed within said flue and a tubular jacket surrounding said flue, said one of said group extending from proximate said top of said tank to proximate said bottom of said tank, and said one of said group having an outlet at its lower end opening to the interior of said tank at the lower end of said tank and in close proximity to said bottom of said tank, said storage tank having a base of convex shape when viewed upwardly, said burner being positioned centrally beneath said tank, a baffle between said burner and tank base for directing hot combustion gases initially radially outwardly and then radially inwardly along the base of said tank, and said baffle being a plate formed in the shape of said base, extending substantially parallel to said base, and positioned such that the hot combustion gases are directed downwardly as well as radially inwardly along said base of said tank thereby to retard the rate of flow of such gases.
- 6. A heater comprising a fuel burner for generating hot combustion gases, means for connecting said fuel burner to a fuel supply, a vertically oriented fluid storage tank positioned above said burner, said tank having a top and a bottom and a centrally located vertical flue for hot combustion gases generated by said burner, said flue extending from said top of said tank to said bottom of said tank, a cold fluid inlet for said tank, and means for directing incoming fluid from said cold fluid inlet into close proximity to said flue for maximizing heat transfer from the hot combustion gases to the incoming fluid, said means for directing including a tubular jacket surrounding said flue, said tubular jacket extending from said top of said tank to proximate said bottom of said tank, said tubular jacket having an outlet at its lower end opening to the interior of said tank at the lower end of said tank and in close proximity to said bottom of said tank, and said cold fluid inlet opening to the top of said jacket.
- 7. The heater of claim 6, further characterized by said flue being formed by an inner tubular wall, said fluid storage tank having an outer tubular wall, said inner and outer tubular walls defining a fluid storage area therebetween, insulation material directly adjacent and surrounding said outer tubular wall, said fuel burner being positioned beneath said tank in a combustion chamber for heating the fluid in said tank, said inner tubular wall forming said flue for hot combustion gases generated by said burner, a tubular vent forming a continuation of said flue for exhausting the hot combustion gases, a vent jacket surrounding said vent, said vent jacket being open at its upper end for ingestion of air and including an opening at its bottom end for passage of preheated air therethrough, a tank jacket at least partially surrounding said outer wall of said tank and outwardly spaced from said insulation to form outwardly of said insulation a passage extending substantially along the height of said tank, and said passage having its upper end connected to the opening of the bottom end of said vent jacket and its lower end connected to said combustion chamber for channeling the preheated air from said vent jacket to said burner to support combustion.
- 8. The heater of claim 6, characterized by a heated fluid outlet for said tank, and insulating check valve means in said heated fluid outlet for preventing heat energy from being passed by convection from heated fluid upstream of said insulating check valve means to fluid downstream of said insulating check valve means.
- 9. The heater of claim 6, wherein said outlet includes means for directing the incoming cold fluid against said bottom of said tank to cause sediment at said bottom of said tank to be be stirred up and carried away with the fluid at such time that fluid is flowing through said tank, thereby to minimize accumulation of sediment at said bottom of said tank.
- 10. The heater of claim 6, further comprising temperature indicator means having probe means extending into an upper region of said tank to sense the temperature of fluid stored inside said tank and gauge means outside said tank for providing a display of sensed temperature.
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 776,503, filed Sept. 16, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,096 which is a division of Ser. No. 101,873, filed Dec. 10, 1979, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,525 and both aforesaid applications are incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
709270 |
Aug 1931 |
FRX |
160378 |
Mar 1933 |
CHX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
101873 |
Dec 1979 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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776503 |
Sep 1985 |
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