Condensate Collector and Trap

Abstract

A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system may include a furnace having a cold header having a plurality of drain ports, and a condensate trap configured to attach to each of the plurality of drain ports, at least one of the drain ports having a plurality of mounting positions for the condensate trap, each mounting position corresponds to an orientation of the furnace in which the furnace can be installed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/152,601 filed on Apr. 24, 2015 by Rosario Totaro, and entitled “Condensate Collector and Trap,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

Heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) systems often include a furnace in many commercial and residential applications for heating and otherwise conditioning interior spaces. Operation of a gas-fired furnace typically produces condensation that travels from a secondary heat exchanger to a cold header of the furnace and drains into a condensate trap. Current furnaces may only be installed in a single vertical or horizontal position, which limits the available applications for a particular furnace.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) furnace is disclosed as comprising: a cold header comprising a plurality of drain ports; and a condensate trap configured to attach to each of the plurality of drain ports, each drain comprising at least one mounting position for the condensate trap, wherein at least one of the drain ports comprises a plurality of mounting positions for the condensate trap.

In other embodiments, a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system is disclosed as comprising: a furnace, comprising a cold header comprising a plurality of drain ports; and a condensate trap configured to attach to each of the plurality of drain ports, each drain comprising at least one mounting position for the condensate trap, wherein at least one of the drain ports comprises a plurality of mounting positions for the condensate trap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description:

FIG. 1 is an oblique exploded view of a furnace according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an orthogonal side view of the furnace of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a front oblique exploded view of a condensate collection system according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is a back oblique exploded view of the condensate collection system of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some instances, it may be desirable to provide a furnace in a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system that includes a cold header that allows a furnace to be rotated in multiple orientations. For example, where a furnace may be appropriate for multiple different applications requiring different orientations, it may be desirable to provide a furnace with multiple mounting positions for the cold header and condensate trap to allow for proper condensate drainage from the cold header into the condensate trap. Additionally, the condensate trap may be located on one of three drain ports, and two condensate trap orientations do not require removal of the condensate trap from the cold header, only a rotation of the condensate trap from a pivot point on a drain port of the cold header. Multiple positions for the cold header and condensate trap increase the applications for which a particular furnace may be installed, despite the required orientation of the furnace within a particular application. Accordingly, the condensate trap can be easily removed for inspection and cleaning.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an oblique exploded view and an orthogonal side view of a furnace 100 are shown, respectively. The furnace 100 may comprise a partition panel 110, a burner box 122, a gas supply valve 124, a manifold pipe 126, a burner 128 and/or a plurality of burners 128, at least one first or upstream heat exchanger 130, a hot header 132, a second or downstream heat exchanger 134, a cold header 140, an inducer blower 150, an igniter 154, and a flame sensor 156. The burner box 122 may be mounted to the partition panel 110 to direct an air-fuel mixture received from the gas supply valve 124 and/or the manifold pipe 126 toward the burner 128. The burner box 122 may promote even distribution of the air-fuel mixture across a cross-sectional area of an air-fuel mixture flow path and/or may promote even distribution of the air-fuel mixture across an upstream side of the burner 128.

The burner 128 may be thin and/or compact and may occupy little space within the burner box 122 and/or the furnace 100, especially in the upstream/downstream directions of primary air-fuel mixture flow, thereby providing a space efficient furnace 100. The mixing of the air and fuel prior to entering the burner box 122 may be aided by the manifold pipe 126 and/or the burner 128 to promote homogenous mixing of the air and fuel prior to the combusted air/fuel mixture entering the upstream heat exchanger 130. Alternatively, fuel may be introduced directly into the burner box 122 by the gas supply valve 124. The gas supply valve 124 may be controlled electrically, pneumatically, or in any other suitable manner to obtain a beneficial air to fuel ratio for increased efficiency and lower NO_x emissions. The gas supply valve may be configured for either staged operation or modulation type operation. For example, staged operation may have two flow rate and/or capacity settings, where modulation type operation may be incrementally adjustable over a large range of flow rates, for example from 40% to 100% output capacity of the furnace 100.

In some embodiments, the burner 128 may extend across substantially an entire cross-sectional area of the air-fuel mixture flow path. The air-fuel mixture may flow from the burner box 122 through the burner 128 and into the upstream heat exchanger 130. The burner 128 may be permeable, such as to allow the air-fuel mixture to travel through the burner 128 without a substantial pressure drop across the burner 128. For example, the burner 128 may comprise a great number of small perforations over a substantial portion of the upstream and downstream sides of the burner 128. Alternatively, a substantial portion of the upstream and downstream sides of the burner 128 may comprise one or more layers of woven material configured to allow the air-fuel mixture to flow therethrough. Still further, in alternative embodiments, the burner 128 may comprise a combination of both perforations and woven material.

The burner 128 may be received within a cavity formed by the coupling of the burner box 122 and the upstream heat exchanger 130. When the burner 128 is received within the above-described cavity, the upstream side of the burner 128 may face the burner box 122, and an opposing downstream side of the burner 128 may face the upstream heat exchanger 130. The upstream heat exchanger 130 may be further configured to output the combusted air-fuel mixture into multiple parallel flow paths, as will be discussed further herein.

The one or more upstream heat exchangers 130 may be configured to receive an at least partially combusted air-fuel mixture downstream of the burner 128 and each upstream heat exchanger 130 may form a separate flow path downstream relative to the burner 128. While the upstream heat exchangers 130 are disclosed as comprising a plurality of tubes, in alternative embodiments, the upstream heat exchangers 130 may comprise clamshell heat exchangers, drum heat exchangers, shell and tube type heat exchangers, and/or any other suitable type of heat exchanger. The downstream heat exchanger 134 may be configured to receive the at least partially combusted air-fuel mixture from the upstream heat exchanger 130 through the hot header 132. The downstream heat exchanger 134 may comprise a fin-tube type heat exchanger and/or plate-fin type heat exchanger, either of which may comprise one or more tubes. In other embodiments, the downstream heat exchanger 134 may comprise a so-called clamshell heat exchanger. It will further be appreciated that combustion of fuel within the furnace 100 may result in the formation of condensation on the downstream heat exchanger 134. Accordingly, as will be discussed in greater detail herein, condensate from the downstream heat exchanger 134 may travel to the cold header 140 and drain into a condensate trap 142.

In some embodiments, the at least partially combusted air-fuel mixture may be transferred from the one or more upstream heat exchangers 130 to downstream heat exchanger 134 through the hot header 132. While furnace 100 is described above as comprising one burner 128, alternative furnace embodiments may comprise more than one burner 128. In some cases, additional burners 128 may be utilized to increase an overall heating capacity. In some embodiments, several burners 128 may be aligned in parallel, so that multiple parallel air-fuel mixture flow paths may be formed through the upstream heat exchanger 130. Further, while furnace 100 is disclosed as comprising at least one upstream heat exchanger 130 and a downstream heat exchanger 134, alternative furnace embodiments may comprise only one upstream heat exchanger 130, no downstream heat exchanger 134, and/or multiple downstream heat exchangers 134.

An igniter 154 may be mounted partially within the burner box 122 proximal to the downstream side of the burner 128 to ignite the air-fuel mixture a short distance downstream from the downstream side of the burner 128. In some embodiments, the igniter 154 may comprise a pilot light, a spark igniter, a piezoelectric device, and/or a hot surface igniter and may be controlled by a control system and/or may be manually ignited. Additionally, the flame sensor 156 may comprise a thermocouple, a flame rectification device, and/or any other suitable safety device and be configured to detect the presence of a flame within the furnace 100. In this embodiment, igniter 154 and flame sensor 156 are disposed within the burner box 122. The air-fuel mixture may be moved in an induced draft manner by pulling the air-fuel mixture through the furnace 100 and/or in a forced draft manner by pushing the air-fuel mixture through the furnace 100. The induced draft may be produced by attaching a blower and/or fan downstream, such as inducer blower 150 relative to the cold header 140 and pulling the air-fuel mixture out of the system by creating a lower pressure at the exhaust of the cold header 140 as compared to the pressure upstream of the burner 128. Inducing flow in the above-described manner may protect against leaking the at least partially combusted air-fuel mixture and related products of combustion to the surrounding environment by ensuring the at least partially combusted air-fuel mixture is maintained at a pressure lower than the air pressure surrounding the furnace 100. With such an induced flow, any leak along the flow path of the air-fuel mixture may result in pulling environmental air into the flow path rather than expelling the at least partially combusted air-fuel mixture and related products of combustion to the environment.

In alternative embodiments, the air-fuel mixture may be forced along the air-fuel mixture flow path by placing a blower or fan upstream relative to the burner 128 and creating higher pressure upstream of the burner 128 relative to a lower pressure at the exhaust of the cold header 140. In some embodiments, a control system may control the inducer blower 150 to an appropriate speed to achieve desired fluid flow rates for a desired firing rate through the burner 128. Increasing the speed of the inducer blower 150 may introduce more air to the air-fuel mixture, thereby changing the characteristics of the combustion achieved by the burner 128. In some embodiments, a so-called zero governor regulator and/or zero governor gas valve, such as gas supply valve 124, may be additionally utilized to provide a desired fuel to air ratio in spite of the varying effects of an induced draft and/or other pressure variations that may fluctuate and/or otherwise tend to cause dispensing or more or less fuel in response to the pressure variations and/or negative pressures relative to atmospheric pressure.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a front oblique exploded view and a back oblique exploded view of a condensate collection system 200 are shown according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The condensate collection system 200 may generally comprise a cold header 140 and a condensate trap 142. The cold header 140 may generally be formed from a plastic material and form an inner cavity 207 between an inner surface of the cold header 140 and the partition panel 110. The cold header 140 comprises a plurality of mounting holes 202 for securing the cold header 140 to the partition panel 110 of the furnace 100. In some embodiments, the mounting holes 202 may comprise mounting tabs and/or a combination of mounting holes and/or mounting tabs. When the cold header 140 is secured to the partition panel 110, the inducer blower 150 may be mounted to the cold header 140 by securing it to the opening 204 in the cold header 140. Additionally, the cold header 140 may also comprise a plurality of mounting positions to allow the inducer blower 150 to be rotated with respect to the cold header 140 and/or the furnace 100 in at least four different orientations. In some embodiments, each orientation and/or mounting orientation of the blower 150 to the cold header 140 may coincide with a different installation orientation of the furnace 100. The opening 204 may provide a fluid flowpath through the furnace 100 for an airflow generated by the inducer blower 150. Additionally, a seal 206 may provide for a fluid tight boundary between the cold header 140 and the partition panel 110 and between the opening 204 of the cold header 140 and the inducer blower 150. In some embodiments, the seal 206 may comprise sealant that is injected into the mold of the cold header 140 during manufacturing. However, in other embodiments, the sealant 206 may comprise a gasket and/or any other apparatus that is configured to form a fluid tight boundary between the cold header 140 and the partition panel 110 and between the opening 204 of the cold header 140 and the inducer blower 150.

The cold header 140 also comprises at least one pressure port 208. The pressure port 208 may comprise and/or be connected to a pressure sensor that is configured to monitor the system pressure within the cold header 140 and/or the furnace 100. The cold header 140 may also comprise a plurality of drain ports 210. The drain ports 210 may generally comprise a cylindrically-shaped body that extends from an outer surface of the cold header 140. The drain ports 210 may also comprise a drain hole 211 that extends from the inner cavity 207 through the drain port 210 to allow condensation that collects in the cold header 140 to escape from the inner cavity 207 through the drain ports 210. In some embodiments, the cold header 140 may comprise three drain ports 210, one at each lower corner of the cold header 140 and an additional drain port 210 at an upper left corner of the cold header 140. However, in some embodiments, the cold header 140 may comprise three drain ports 210, one at each lower corner of the cold header 140 and an additional drain port 210 at an upper right corner of the cold header 140. In yet other embodiments, the cold header 140 may comprise four drain ports 210, one at each corner of the cold header 140. Still further, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the cold header 140 may comprise drain ports 210 at each of the upper corners of the cold header 140 and an additional drain port 210 at either of the lower corners of the cold header 140.

The condensate trap 142 comprises a body 214 and a complimentary-shaped cover 224. The body 214 and the cover 224 may generally be formed from a plastic material and be joined together to form a single component. In some embodiments, the body 214 and the cover 224 may be ultrasonically welded together. In other embodiments, the body 214 and the cover 224 may be molded as a single component and/or joined together in any other appropriate way so that the condensate trap 142 forms a fluid tight assembly between the body 214 and the cover 224. The body 214 of the condensate trap 142 comprises at least one mounting hole 216 for securing the condensate trap 142 to the cold header 140, internal baffles 218 that prevent the need for priming the condensate trap 142 during the heating off-season, an inlet port 220 configured to receive condensate from the cold header 140, and a plurality of outlet ports 222, while the cover 224 of the condensate trap 142 also comprises an outlet port 226.

The condensate trap 142 may be configured to attach to any one of the plurality of drain ports 210 of the cold header 140 to allow condensate to drain from the internal cavity 207 through a drain hole 211 of the drain port 210 and into the condensate trap 142 through the inlet port 220 of the condensate trap 142. After condensate passes through the inlet port 220 and into the condensate trap 142, the condensate may flow through the plurality of internal baffles 218, which may prevent the need for priming the condensate trap 142 during the heating off-season. In some embodiments, the internal baffles 218 may also prevent condensate from backing up into the internal cavity 207 of the cold header 140. More specifically, in some embodiments, the baffles 218 may prevent condensate from backing up into the internal cavity 207 of the cold header 140 by creating a pressure drop through the condensate trap 142. The pressure drop created by the baffles 218, when coupled with a gravitational pressure caused by condensate within the condensate trap 142, drives the condensate from the condensate trap 142, thereby preventing from the condensate trap 142 from becoming completely full of condensate. Thereafter, condensate may pass through one of a plurality of outlet ports 220 in the body 214 and/or an outlet port 226 in the cover 224 of the condensate trap 142. In some embodiments, the outlet ports 222 may be connected to a hose and/or other tubular device for carrying away condensate from the condensate trap 142.

Still referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cold header 140 is designed to allow the furnace 100 to rotate, operate, and/or be installed in four orientations without removing the cold header 140 from the partition panel 110 and/or the downstream heat exchanger 134 while still providing proper drainage of the condensate from the furnace 100. Accordingly, the condensate trap 142 may generally be configured to attach to any one of the plurality of drain ports 210 of the cold header 140. The condensate trap 142 may be attached so that the inlet port 220 of the condensate trap 142 is axially aligned with one of the drain ports 210 of the cold header 140 to allow condensation within the internal cavity 207 of the cold header 140 to flow through a drain hole 211 of a respective drain port 210 and enter the condensate trap 142 through the inlet port 220 of the body 214 of the condensate trap 142. A gasket 212 may be placed between the inlet port 220 and the respective drain port 210 to form a fluid tight boundary between the inlet port 220 and the drain port 210. In some embodiments, the gasket 212 may comprise a circular seal, such as an O-ring gasket. Additionally, it will be appreciate that when the condensate trap 142 is attached to one of the drain ports 210, the other drain ports 210 may comprise a plug, bung, and/or any other appropriate seal inserted at least partially into the drain holes 211 of the respective drain ports 210 to prevent condensate within the internal cavity 207 of the cold header 140 from escaping the cold header 140 through the unused drain holes 211 of the drain ports 210.

The at least one mounting hole 216 is generally configured for securing the body 214 and/or the condensate trap 142 to the cold header 140. The mounting hole 216 may generally comprise a clearance hole and be configured to receive a screw and/or any other appropriate fastener therethrough, and the screw may generally thread into a complimentary threaded hole 213 of the cold header 140 to secure the body 214 and/or the condensate trap 142 to the cold header 140. As stated, the cold header 140 is designed to allow the furnace 100 to rotate in four orientations without removing the cold header from the partition panel 110 and/or the downstream heat exchanger 134 while still providing the furnace 100 with appropriate drainage of condensate from within the cold header 140 and the condensate trap 142. Accordingly, one of the drain ports 210 comprise two threaded holes 213 that allow the condensate trap 142 to rotate about the drain port 210 and be attached in multiple positions. More specifically, the lower left drain port 210 may comprise a first threaded hole 213′ for attaching the condensate trap 142 to the cold header 140 in a first position and a second threaded hold 213″ for attaching the condensate trap 142 to the cold header 140 in a second position while using the same drain port 210.

By providing two positions for a single drain port 210, the furnace may be oriented in two different orientations without having to remove the condensate trap 142 from the cold header 140. Accordingly, the condensate trap 142 may be installed in four positions on three drain ports 210 for a single cold header 140, allowing the furnace 100 to be installed in multiple orientations without requiring removal of the cold header 140 from the furnace 100. Further, it will be appreciated that while the condensate trap 142 does not require removal to be installed in the two positions for a drain port 210 having multiple mounting positions, the other two positions require removal of the condensate trap 142 from the cold header 140, but do not require removal of the cold header 140 from the furnace 100. Thus, based on the installation orientation of the furnace 100 required for a particular application, the condensate trap 142 may be rotated and/or relocated to a proper drain port 210 that allows the furnace to properly drain the condensate that collects in the internal cavity 207 of the cold header 140. Additionally, the hose that connects to the outlet port 222 may be removed and/or relocated to the opposing outlet port 222 to ensure proper condensate drainage from the condensate trap 142. It will also be appreciated that by providing the cold header 140 with multiple mounting positions for the condensate trap 142, the condensate collection system 200 may allow proper drainage of condensate from the cold header 140 and subsequently the condensate trap 142 when the furnace 100 is installed in various orientations and/or configurations.

At least one embodiment is disclosed and variations, combinations, and/or modifications of the embodiment(s) and/or features of the embodiment(s) made by a person having ordinary skill in the art are within the scope of the disclosure. Alternative embodiments that result from combining, integrating, and/or omitting features of the embodiment(s) are also within the scope of the disclosure. Where numerical ranges or limitations are expressly stated, such express ranges or limitations should be understood to include iterative ranges or limitations of like magnitude falling within the expressly stated ranges or limitations (e.g., from about 1 to about 10 includes, 2, 3, 4, etc.; greater than 0.10 includes 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, etc.). For example, whenever a numerical range with a lower limit, R_l, and an upper limit, R_u, is disclosed, any number falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, the following numbers within the range are specifically disclosed: R=R_l+k*(R_u−R_l), wherein k is a variable ranging from 1 percent to 100 percent with a 1 percent increment, i.e., k is 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 5 percent, . . . , 50 percent, 51 percent, 52 percent, . . . , 95 percent, 96 percent, 97 percent, 98 percent, 99 percent, or 100 percent. Unless otherwise stated, the term “about” shall mean plus or minus 10 percent of the subsequent value. Moreover, any numerical range defined by two R numbers as defined in the above is also specifically disclosed. Use of the term “optionally” with respect to any element of a claim means that the element is required, or alternatively, the element is not required, both alternatives being within the scope of the claim. Use of broader terms such as comprises, includes, and having should be understood to provide support for narrower terms such as consisting of, consisting essentially of, and comprised substantially of. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above but is defined by the claims that follow, that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification and the claims are embodiment(s) of the present invention.

Claims

1. A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) furnace, comprising:

a cold header comprising a plurality of drain ports; and

a condensate trap configured to attach to each of the plurality of drain ports, each drain comprising at least one mounting position for the condensate trap, wherein at least one of the drain ports comprises a plurality of mounting positions for the condensate trap.

2. The HVAC furnace of claim 1, wherein the cold header comprises at least three drain ports.

3. The HVAC furnace of claim 1, wherein the condensate trap is configured to receive condensate from the drain port of the cold header to which the condensate trap is attached.

4. The HVAC furnace of claim 1, wherein the condensate trap comprises opposing outlet ports on either side of the condensate trap.

5. The HVAC furnace of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the drain ports comprising the plurality of mounting positions for the condensate trap comprises a first position and a second position, wherein the second position is at angular displacement to the first position and rotated about the drain port that the condensate trap is attached to.

6. The HVAC furnace of claim 1, wherein the cold header is configured to attach to a partition panel of the furnace.

7. The HVAC furnace of claim 5, wherein each mounting position corresponds to an orientation in which the furnace can be installed.

8. The HVAC furnace of claim 7, wherein the cold header and the condensate trap are configured to allow the furnace to be installed in at least four different orientations.

9. The HVAC furnace of claim 8, wherein removal of the cold header is not required to relocate the condensate trap to a different mounting position.

10. The HVAC furnace of claim 1, wherein the condensate trap comprises a plurality of internal baffles disposed within the condensate configured to at least one of (1) prevent a need to prime the condensate trap and (2) prevent condensate from backing up into the cold header.

11. The HVAC furnace of claim 1, further comprising:

an inducer blower mounted directly to the cold header, wherein the cold header comprises a plurality of mounting positions for the inducer blower, each mounting position associated with an orientation of the furnace.

12. A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a furnace, comprising: a cold header comprising a plurality of drain ports; and a condensate trap configured to attach to each of the plurality of drain ports, each drain comprising at least one mounting position for the condensate trap, wherein at least one of the drain ports comprises a plurality of mounting positions for the condensate trap.

13. The HVAC system of claim 12, wherein the cold header comprises at least three drain ports.

14. The HVAC system of claim 12, wherein the condensate trap is configured to receive condensate from the drain port of the cold header to which the condensate trap is attached.

15. The HVAC system of claim 12, wherein the condensate trap comprises opposing outlet ports on either side of the condensate trap.

16. The HVAC system of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the drain ports comprising the plurality of mounting positions for the condensate trap comprises a first position and a second position, wherein the second position is at angular displacement to the first position and rotated about the drain port that the condensate trap is attached to.

17. The HVAC system of claim 12, wherein the cold header is configured to attach to a partition panel of the furnace.

18. The HVAC system of claim 16, wherein each mounting position corresponds to an orientation in which the furnace can be installed.

19. The HVAC system of claim 18, wherein the cold header and the condensate trap are configured to allow the furnace to be installed in at least four different orientations.

20. The HVAC system of claim 19, wherein removal of the cold header is not required to relocate the condensate trap to a different mounting position.

21. The HVAC system of claim 12, wherein the condensate trap comprises a plurality of internal baffles disposed within the condensate configured to at least one of (1) prevent a need to prime the condensate trap and (2) prevent condensate from backing up into the cold header.

22. The HVAC system of claim 12, further comprising:

an inducer blower mounted directly to the cold header, wherein the cold header comprises a plurality of mounting positions for the inducer blower, each mounting position associated with an orientation of the furnace.