Split Flue Oven Heat Exchanger for Faster Clean Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ovens that route combustion gas through the cooking chamber to enhance heating rates face increased time to reach steady state combustion and potential incomplete combustion products passing through, due to the complex path of hot gases.
Innovation Solution
A split flue system that routes a portion of combustion gas directly into the cooking chamber and another portion bypassing it, with ducts having shared walls to conduct heat indirectly to the chamber, and a convection fan to recirculate gases within the chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If combustion gas is routed through the cooking chamber to enhance heating, then heating rate is improved, but time to reach steady state combustion increases and incomplete combustion products may pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The flue is divided into multiple separate flues, with at least one flue configured to route combustion gas through the cooking chamber and at least one other flue configured to bypass the cooking chamber. This segmentation allows different portions of combustion gas to take different paths, enabling enhanced heating through selective routing while maintaining steady state combustion efficiency through bypass routing.
2Productivity
If combustion gas is routed through the cooking chamber, then heating rate is improved, but incomplete combustion products may contaminate the cooking chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The flue system is segmented into multiple independent flues that can selectively route combustion gas. By having separate flues for routing through and bypassing the cooking chamber, the system can control which combustion gas reaches the cooking chamber, minimizing contamination from incomplete combustion products while maintaining heating efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The flue structure acts as an intermediary that mediates between the combustion chamber and cooking chamber. Through strategic positioning and configuration of flues, the system controls the flow path of combustion gas, allowing heat transfer to occur while filtering or bypassing harmful incomplete combustion products from direct contact with the cooking chamber.
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 approach accelerates steady state combustion and heating rates while minimizing incomplete combustion products, by efficiently utilizing combustion gas heat within the oven system.
Implementation Method 1
ducts having shared walls to conduct heat indirectly to the chamber
Implementation Method 2
a convection fan to recirculate gases within the chamber
Implementation Method 3
combustion of fuels used to heat ovens
Data Source
AI summary
An oven system may include a cooking chamber, a combustion chamber, and a flue. The flue may be arranged to route a first portion of the combustion gas produced in the combustion chamber into the cooking chamber and route a second portion of the combustion gas along a route that bypasses the cooking chamber. The flue may also be arranged to collect the first portion of the combustion gas from the cooking chamber and to exhaust both the first portion and the second portion of the combustion gas from the oven system.