Heat exchanger clean-out plug assembly
A flue-gas to air heat exchanger having a flue-gas containing shell with a heat exchange surface, flue-gas inlet and outlet sections, and at least one tubular clean-out fitting is provided with a removable plug having an outer peripheral portion resiliently engageable with a section of the inner peripheral portion of the fitting adjacent the shell. The plug periphery is expanded into gas-tight sealing contact with the fitting inner periphery by means affording installation and removal without tools.
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The present invention relates to heat exchangers, and more particularly, the present invention relates to flue-gas to air heat exchangers having clean-out access openings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFlue gas to air heat exchangers are used in hot air furnaces to transfer heat from a combustion chamber to air flowed across the heat exchanger surfaces for downstream distribution into an area to be heated. One example of such a heat exchanger is a shell having a hollow wall surrounding a combustion chamber to provide a substantial surface area for heat transfer. The shell is connected to the combustion chamber via a short pipe at one location, and the shell is connected to a flue ring at another location. Hot combustion, or flue, gases flow in a serpentine pattern through the shell between the combustion chamber outlet pipe and the flue ring. Over the course of time, soot from the combustion gases can form in the shell, thereby necessitating cleaning.
In one model of such a furnace, a pair of access openings are provided in the shell at spaced locations near where the air is admitted to the heat exchanger. To afford access to the interior of the shell, the openings have tubular extensions, and caps are provided for the extensions remote from the heat exchanger shell. While this structure has certain advantages, it has certain limitations in that the extensions can accumulate soot and condensate, which, over time, may cause corrosion under certain conditions of use. Moreover, if the heat exchanger is not serviced regularly, even the extension caps can become difficult to remove and replace.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention overcomes the aforementioned limitations by providing a shell heat exchanger access tube with a plug that is capable of being removed and reinstalled readily without tools to afford access to the heat exchanger shell interior for periodic cleaning.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONMore specifically, a flue-gas to air heat exchanger having a flue-gas containing shell with a heat exchange surface, flue-gas inlet and outlet sections, and a tubular clean-out fitting having an inner peripheral portion of a predetermined length extending away from the shell to afford access to the interior of the shell for cleaning the shell interior is provided with a removable plug having an outer peripheral portion resiliently engageable with a section of the inner peripheral portion of the fitting adjacent the shell, and means for expanding the plug section into gas-tight sealing contact with the fitting inner periphery. Preferably, the plug includes a resiliently deformable tubular body having opposite end surfaces, a distal disc engaging one of the body end surfaces and extending transverse to the fitting, a proximal disc engaging the other of the body end surfaces and extending transverse to the fitting, and means for urging said the discs axially toward one another for peripherally expanding the tubular body into sealing engagement with the inner periphery of the fitting. More preferably, the proximal disc is larger than the distal disc and extends across the outer end of the fitting, and the tubular body is coextensive with a substantial portion of the predetermined length of the fitting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to the drawings,
Over the course of time, soot can accumulate inside the hollow shell 16, thereby necessitating cleaning to maintain the thermal efficiency of the heat exchanger 10. To this end, a pair of tubular clean out fittings 30, 32 are provided in the shell outer wall adjacent its lower end outer wall 18a. Each fitting, such as the fitting 30, is tubular and extends horizontally outward from the heat exchanger shell wall 16a a predetermined distance determined by the location of a front furnace housing wall (not shown). Thus, the elongate fitting 30 facilitates access by a maintenance technician to the interior of the shell from a proximal location adjacent the fuel burner in the front of the furnace without having to remove the furnace housing. Heretofore, the open ends of the fittings were simply capped.
To overcome the limitations noted, supra, the present invention provides a plug assembly which is readily removable and reinstallable without the need for tools, and which keeps soot and potential corrosion from forming in the clean-out fittings.
As best seen in
In order to expand the tubular body 40, a means is provided to urge the discs 36 and 38 toward one another. For this purpose, a machine bolt 42 extends axially between the discs 36 and 38 with its head 42a engaging the distal side of the distal disc 36 and with its threaded section 42b extending through the proximal disc 38. A nut 46 is molded into a hand grip 48 having finger lugs 48a, 48b for engaging the threads of the bolt 42.
When the hand grip 48 is rotated clockwise (facing the handle
Preferably, the resilient body 40 is about three (3) inches long and is fabricated of heat resistant elastomeric material such as neoprene rubber reinforced with polyester cord and is capable of withstanding temperatures in excess of 180° F. Preferably, the outside diameter of the tubular body is slightly less than the inside diameter of the fitting. By way of example, for a fitting having a nominal inside diameter of 2.0 inches, the tubular body has an outside diameter of 1.93 inches in its relaxed state before being compressed axially between the discs. This dimensional relation provides satisfactory insertion and removal and controlled expansion with minimal turning of the hand grip.
While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, various modifications, alterations and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. In a flue-gas to air heat exchanger having a flue-gas containing shell with a heat exchange surface, said shell having flue-gas inlet and outlet sections and at least one tubular clean-out fitting having an inner peripheral portion of a predetermined length extending away from said shell to afford access to the interior of the shell for cleaning the shell interior, the improvement comprising:
- a removable plug having an outer peripheral portion resiliently engageable with a section of the inner peripheral portion of said fitting adjacent said shell, and
- means for expanding said plug section into gas-tight sealing contact with said fitting inner periphery.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said plug includes a resiliently deformable tubular body having opposite end surfaces, a distal disc engaging one of said body end surfaces and extending transverse to said fitting, a proximal disc engaging the other of said body end surfaces and extending transverse to said fitting, and means for urging said discs axially toward one another for peripherally expanding said tubular body into sealing engagement with the inner periphery of said fitting.
3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said proximal disc is larger than said distal disc and extends across the outer end of said fitting, and said tubular body is coextensive with a substantial portion of said predetermined length of said fitting.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3 where said means for expanding said tubular body includes a rod extending axially through said proximal disc, and means adjacent said proximal disc for tensioning said rod axially and thereby effecting said expansion of said plug body.
5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said means for tensioning includes threads on said rod extending through said proximal disc, and a nut engageable with said threads and rotatable relative thereto in engagement with said proximal disc.
6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a hand grip carrying said nut to afford manual turning thereof.
7. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said plug body is of heat-resistant elastomeric material.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 14, 2005
Publication Date: Oct 19, 2006
Applicant: Burnham Services, Inc. (Wilmington, DE)
Inventors: Michael Sharkozy (North Judson, IN), Everett James (Winamac, IN), Donald Zimmerman (North Judson, IN), Albert Wajda (Knox, IN), Gerald Rausch (Winamac, IN), Joseph Leszek (North Judson, IN)
Application Number: 11/106,047
International Classification: F23J 13/02 (20060101);