Combustion apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In combustion apparatuses like water heaters, an excessively small burner chamber leads to pressure fluctuations and oscillating combustion, causing instability and noise due to turbulent air flows around suction holes, especially when the lateral width is increased.
Innovation Solution
A combustion apparatus with a flow controller, such as a damper plate with an integral flow control plate, is used to restrict air flow turbulence by uniformly introducing primary air into suction holes, reducing pressure fluctuations and noise by forming a side space on the burner arrangement section and integrating the flow control plate with the damper plate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lateral width dimension of the burner chamber is increased to form a side space, then pressure fluctuation is suppressed and combustion stability is improved, but a large no suction hole area is formed causing turbulent air flow and combustion variation
Solution Approach 1:
A flow controller is introduced as an intermediary component between the front space and the suction hole area. This flow controller restricts and guides the air flow, preventing direct turbulent flow into the suction holes while maintaining the pressure fluctuation suppression benefit of the side space configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall is designed with localized suction holes in specific areas while maintaining no suction holes in other areas. This creates different flow characteristics in different regions, allowing the side space to suppress pressure fluctuation while the suction hole areas maintain stable combustion air supply.
2Volume of moving object
If multiple burners are arranged side by side in a central position, then space utilization is improved, but pressure fluctuation around burner ports increases causing oscillating combustion and resonance
Solution Approach 1:
The burner chamber is segmented into multiple independent burner zones, each with its own suction holes and air supply path. This segmentation allows each burner to maintain stable combustion independently while sharing the common side space for pressure fluctuation suppression.
Solution Approach 2:
The side space acts as an intermediary volume between the burners and the external environment. It absorbs and dampens pressure fluctuations generated by multiple burners, preventing oscillating combustion and resonance while maintaining compact burner arrangement.
3Productivity
If a partition wall with suction holes is provided in front of the burner arrangement section, then primary air supply is improved, but air flow turbulence forms in front of the no suction hole area causing instability
Solution Approach 1:
The flow controller serves as an intermediary element that receives air from the front space and delivers it to the suction holes in a controlled manner. It stabilizes the air flow by restricting turbulent patterns while maintaining efficient primary air supply to the burners.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow controller modifies the flow parameters (velocity, direction, distribution) of air moving from the front space to the suction holes. By changing these parameters, it converts unstable turbulent flow into stable, controlled flow patterns that maintain combustion stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances combustion stability by uniformly introducing air, reduces resonance and wind noise, and simplifies assembly by integrating the flow control plate with the damper plate, thereby minimizing part count and assembly steps.
Implementation Method 1
a part of the air introduced into the front space S6 from the gap S5 during combustion operation forms a turbulent flow in a space in front of the no suction hole area A2
Implementation Method 2
an excessively small volume of the burner chamber increases pressure fluctuation around the burner port when the burner is strongly burned
Implementation Method 3
a mixed gas of fuel gas and air discharged from a burner is burned, and a heating medium supplied into a heat exchanger is heated by the exhaust gas
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A combustion apparatus includes burners, a burner chamber that houses the burners, and a heat exchanger that collects heat emitted from the burner to heat a heating medium. A side space connected to an upper space of a burner port is provided between a burner arrangement section and a burner chamber side wall. A partition wall having suction holes communicating with gas introduction ports of the burners is provided in front of the burner arrangement section. A front space guiding air introduced into the burner chamber to the suction holes is provided between the partition wall and a burner chamber front wall. A flow controller that restricts air in the front space from forming a turbulent flow and flowing from a no suction hole area to a suction hole area side, is provided at the front of the side of the suction hole area of the partition wall.