Outdoor Water Heater Flue Layout for Wind-Stable Natural Draught
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Outdoor natural draught gas instantaneous water heaters are susceptible to wind-induced pressure fields, which can disrupt combustion and cause improper combustion and damage due to multi-directional wind affecting the flue terminal, making it challenging to maintain stable operation.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a sealed flue system with divider formations and grilles that direct air flow to prevent wind-induced pressure imbalances, using Bernoulli's principle to maintain a balanced natural draught by separating the upper and middle chambers and utilizing air deflecting formations to control airflow, ensuring effective combustion and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a long internal flue duct and draught diverter design are incorporated inside the water heater to eliminate multi-directional wind pressure effects, then combustion stability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The middle chamber is divided into multiple compartments by divider formations, creating separate airflow paths for different wind directions. This segmentation allows the system to handle multi-directional winds without requiring a single complex long internal flue duct, thus maintaining combustion stability while reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate chambers and divider formations as mediators between the external environment and the combustion chamber. These intermediaries redirect and manage wind pressure effects, protecting the combustion process from direct multi-directional wind impacts without requiring complex internal flue structures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the flue terminal is exposed to multi-directional wind in outdoor installations, then installation versatility is improved, but combustion reliability deteriorates due to wind-induced pressure fields
Solution Approach 1:
The flue terminal design incorporates dynamic airflow management through inclined plates and divider formations that automatically adapt to wind direction. The system dynamically redirects airflow based on external pressure conditions, maintaining combustion reliability while allowing outdoor installation versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts harmful wind pressure fields into beneficial airflow patterns. The inclined plates and divider formations capture wind energy and redirect it to create positive draught effects, transforming the harmful multi-directional wind into a force that assists combustion rather than disrupting it.
3Ease of manufacture
If a compact wall hung design is used to minimize manufacturing cost, then ease of manufacture is improved, but wind resistance capability worsens due to lack of long internal flue duct
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses wind resistance in a compact design by utilizing vertical and lateral dimensions within the cabinet structure. Divider formations and inclined plates are arranged in three-dimensional space to create effective airflow paths without requiring a long external flue duct, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while improving wind resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The flue system is nested within the compact cabinet structure, with intermediate chambers and divider formations integrated into the existing space. This nesting approach allows effective wind pressure management within a compact form factor, avoiding the need for external long flue ducts and maintaining cost-effective manufacturing.
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
The solution effectively stabilizes combustion and reduces the impact of wind on the water heater's operation, maintaining balanced pressure fields and preventing improper combustion, even under adverse wind conditions, thus enhancing the reliability and safety of the outdoor natural draught gas instantaneous water heaters.
Implementation Method 1
using Bernoulli's principle to maintain a balanced natural draught by separating the upper and middle chambers and utilizing air deflecting formations to control airflow
Implementation Method 2
The middle chamber, at an outer periphery thereof, can be partially closed by means of a grille
Implementation Method 3
plates or panels which are inclined with respect to one or more peripheral walls of a cabinet so as to direct air entering from a side of said water heater in a downward direction from said middle chamber to said lower chamber
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an outdoor water heater (10) having a lower chamber (12) located in a cabinet (14) which substantially sealingly encloses a naturally aspirated or natural draught burner 16, a combustion chamber, a heat exchanger (18), a flue (20) for conveying combustion gases from the burner (16), the flue (20) extending away from the heat exchanger (18) and passing through a middle chamber (22) located above the lower chamber (12), the flue (20) not opening into the middle chamber (22) and opening into an upper chamber (24) which has two opposed openings (24.2, 24.3), the upper chamber (24) and middle chamber (22) being substantially sealed with respect to each other to prevent combustion gas flow between the middle chamber (22) and the upper chamber (24), and wherein the middle chamber (22) has divider formations (22.1, 22.2) separating one side of the middle chamber (22) from an opposed side of the middle chamber (22), whereby the divider formations (22.1, 22.2) direct air flowing from one side of the middle chamber (22) to pass downwardly into the lower chamber (12) on one side then upwardly out of the lower chamber (12) to exit the middle chamber (22) on the other or opposite side.