Water Heater Having Upstream and Downstream Manifolds

摘要

A water heater system comprises a water tank, a burner plenum, a flue, a blower, a combustion air passageway, a dilution air passageway, an upstream manifold, and a downstream manifold. The upstream manifold divides air from the blower so that some air flows through the combustion air passageway to the burner plenum and some air flows through the dilution air passageway to the downstream manifold. The downstream manifold combines the air from the dilution air passageway with combustion products from the flue.

主权项

1. A water heater system comprising:
a water tank; a jacket surrounding the water tank; a burner plenum adjacent the water tank; a fuel burner within the burner plenum, the fuel burner being configured and adapted to combust fuel to produce combustion products; a flue having an upstream end and a downstream end, the flue being at least partially within the water tank, the upstream end of the flue being in fluid communication with the burner plenum, the flue being configured for passage of combustion products from the burner plenum through the water tank and toward the downstream end of the flue; a blower adapted and configured to blow air; an upstream manifold having an air intake passage, a combustion air discharge passage, and a dilution air discharge passage, the air intake passage being in fluid communication with and downstream of the blower, the upstream manifold being adapted and configured such that some air entering the intake passage via the blower is discharged out the combustion air discharge passage and some air entering the intake passage via the blower is discharged out the dilution air discharge passage; a combustion air passageway having an upstream end and a downstream end, the upstream end of the combustion air passageway being in fluid communication with the combustion air discharge passage of the upstream manifold, the combustion air passageway being adapted and configured to direct air discharged from the combustion air discharge passage of the air manifold to the burner; a downstream manifold having a combustion products intake passage, a dilution air intake passage and an exit passage, the combustion products intake passage being in fluid communication with the downstream end of the flue such that combustion products discharged from the flue enters the downstream manifold via the combustion products intake passage; a dilution air passageway in fluid communication with the dilution air discharge passage of the upstream manifold and in fluid communication with the dilution air intake passage of the downstream manifold, the dilution air passageway being adapted and configured such that dilution air exiting the dilution air discharge passage of the upstream manifold flows through the dilution air passageway and into the downstream manifold via the dilution air intake passage; the water heater system being adapted and configured such that air entering the downstream manifold via the dilution air intake passage and combustion products entering the downstream manifold via the combustion products intake passage are discharged together via the exit passage of the downstream manifold.