Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENT~ON
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This invention relates to an improved burner construction for water
heaters and rr~)Ie particularly to the construction of the burner supply
pipe for the burner construction.
The basic construction of a domestic gas hot water heater includes
a cylindrical tank for the water with a concentric flue pipe projecting
through the tank to the bottom of the tank. A burner unit is positioned
adjacent the bottom of the tank so that burner combustion products will
flow upwardly through the flue pipe and appropriate exhaust passages to
the atmosphere. The entire assembly is surrounded by insulation.
~he burner is generally supported on a burner supply pipe by means
of a special bracket assembly. Typically, burner supply pipes are
tubular and include a horizontal run along the bottom side of the tank.
This horizontal run makes a vertical upward turn and generally terminates
j with a gas orifice or nozzle. A bracket assembly is mounted over the
gas orifice or nozzle to support the burner. Gas then ejects from the
orifice or nozzle for mixing with air. The mixture flows upwardly to the
burner for combustion so that the water in the tank may be heated.
In order to conserve space within the water heater tank assembly,
Z and reduce the height of the total assembly as much as possible, it is
desirable to minimize the vertical height of the burner assembly,
including the burner supply pipe. Heretofore, because of the necessity
for directing the burner supply orifice in a vertical direction upward
toward the burner, the profile of the burner assembly has not been
~ sufficiently flat to accomplish the objective of reducing the height of the
;; heater. Since the burner must be spaced an adequate vertical distance
above the orifice to provide adequate aspiration for primary air and
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complete coml)ustinn at the i?-lrncr, the burrler profile cannot ~e decrease~
by placing the burner closcr to the gas discharge orifice. The present
invention, however, provides an improved burner supply pipe structure which
decreases the burner assembly profile relative to prior art burner assernblies.
The present invention consists of an improved burner construction
for a water heater comprising, in combination, a burner supply tube having
a first diameter, said supply tube including a first horizontal run termina-
ting with an end portion, said end portion being flattened to a dimension
approximately one-half the diameter of the tube and sealed at the extreme end
of the tube to define a flat top surface of the end portion; a gas flow
passage in the flat top surface of the end portion; a bracket; a burneT
attached to the bracket; means for attaching the bracket over the gas-flow
passage; said means for attaching the bracket comprising a horizontal,
planar platform surface member with a fitting projecting fro~ the surface
member through said passage, said fitting including a burner orifice through
the platform member, said brac~et removably attached by fasteners to said
platform member whereby the burner is maintained in alignment with the
passage and orifice to receive a mixture of fuel and air for combustion by
the burner.
Gas discharging from the end portion of the supply tube passes
through the orifice in the top side of the supply tube in an upward vertical
direction for mixing with air and combustion at the burner.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a burner
assembly having an improved burner supply tube.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a burner
- supply tube which minimizes the height of the total burner assembly result-
ing from the burner supply tube and orifice configuration.
~- Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
burner supply pipe wherein a gas orifice is positioned in a lateral or side
portion of the burner supply tube for discharge into a burner.
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A i~lrther ob je~t o~ the present invention is to provide a ~l~t sheet
metal burller for a ~vater heater ~hich is supplied with an adequate
amount o~ gas and primary air ~vhile simultaneously being incorporated
as part of a burner assembly having a low profile.
Still a further object of the invention is to reduce C09t of labor,
materials and the number of parts in a burner assembly relative to
conventional heater burner assemblies.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention
will be set forth in greater detail in the description which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the detailed description which follows, reference will be made to
the drawings comprised of the following FIGURES:
FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a typical prior art water
heater including a burner assembly for the heater;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a typical water heater including
the improved burner assembly of the present invention;
FIGURE 3 is a side view of the improved burner assembly of the
present invention;
FIGURE 4 is a side view of the burner supply tube for the assembly -
of FIGURE 3;
FIGURE 5 is a top view of the end portion of the burner supply
tube of FIGURE 4;
FIGURE 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the end portion
of the burner supply tube of an alternate embodiment of the present
invention
FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an end portion
of the burner supply tube of another embodiment of the present invention; and
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FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of th~ end portion
of a burner supply tube o~ a third embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OE THE PREFERRED EMBCDIMENT
FIGURE 1 illustrates the general construction of a typical hot
water heater vith a prior art gas burner assembly. The heater includes
a water tank 10 which is generally annular in shape and glass lined with
a capacity of 100 gallons, ~or example. The tank 10 is constructed with
an annular cross section to define a central flue chamber or flue 12. A
baffle 14 is mounted in the flue 12 to augment circulation of the hot
combustion products therethrough. The heater tank 12 is surrounded
by insulation 16 and i9 supported within a jacket 18. A thermostat 20
projects into the tank and controls a valve mechanism 22 linked with a
gas burner supply tube 24.
The gas burner supply tube 24 comprises a portion of a burner
assembly 25. In general, the burner assembly 25 includes a burner 28
positioned on the bottom side of the tank 10 so that fuel introduced
through the tube 24 may properly mi~ or aspirate with air fl>r combustion
and heàting of water within the tank 10. The present invention relates,
in particular, to the construction of an improved burner assembly
distinct from the typical prior art assembly 25 in FIGURE 1.
FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the improved burner assembly 27 of
the present invention. A burner supply tube 26 includes a vertical run 30
connected with a horizontal run 32 terminating with an end portion 34.
The end portion 34 of tube 26 is flattened, for example, by a forging or
- stamping operation, to define a burner supply pipe platform 36 which is
generally nat. The end of the supply tube 26 is sealed by closing end 38
of tube 26 and welding the end portion as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3.
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Plat~orm 36 includes an opening 40 which may be drilled, punched
or otherwise formed. A separate fitting 42 is then welded or brazed in
the opening 40. Fitting 42 includes a flat planar portion or plate 44 and
an internally threaded stub 46 extending through plate 44. Stub 46 is
threaded to receive a burner orifice fitting or member 48.
FIGURE 4 and FIGURE 5 illustrate, in greater detail, the construc-
tion of the end portion 34 and fitting 42. Note that the plate 44 i9 generally
rectangular in shape as illustrated in FIGURE 4 and includes screw
openings 49 and 50 which fall outside of the projection of the end
portion 34. In this marlner, burner mounting screws as at 52 in FIGURE
3 may be inserted through the openings 49 and 50 to cooperate and attach
to a burner bracket 54 which supports the bùrner 28. The burner -
bracket 54 serves to space the burner 28 an adequate distance from an
orifice 56 in the burner orifice fitting 48 thereby insuring complete pri-
~' mary air aspiration of fuel from burner supply tube 26.
~ FIGURES 6 through 8 illustrate variations of the supply tube construc-
tion for the impro~ed burner assembly of the present invention, In
FIGURE 6, burner bracket 54 is welded or brazed directly to the flat
platform 36 of end portion 34. An orifice spud 60 is then welded or ;~
brazed flush with the platform 36 and a fitting (not shown) for the orifice
may be threaded into the spud 60.
In FIGURE 7, the end portion 34 of the tube 26 is bored by hot
spinning, for example, to define an opening 64 which is subsequently tapped.
An orifice spud or fitting of the type illustrated in FIGURE 6 rxlay then be
threaded into the opening 64. The burner bracket 54, though not shown
` in FIGURE 7, would be welded directly to the platform 36.
In FIGURE 8, theburner bracket 54, though again not shown, would
be welded directly to the platfo~m 36 of end portion 34. Also, the gas
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ori{ice is defined by a ~rnall-drilled op~ning 66 in the flat platform 36 of
end portion 34. This would elimir~ate the need for any spud and separately
defined orifice.
With the present invention, the nurnber of parts relative to prior
art burner assemblies h~s been minimized or reduced. Moreover, each
part can be made by simple sheet metal stamping and tube forming opera-
tions, Expensive machining operations are substantially eliminated. The
lateral orifice design of the burner supply tube 26 permits maximization
of the distance between the burner 28 and the gas orifice and minimiz~tion
of the overall height of the burner assembly. Total aspiration and com-
plete combustion of the gas-air mixture is thereby insured. This feature
is emphasized by a comparison of FIGURES 1 and 2. In FIGURE 2, the
assembly 27 has replaced the prior art assembly 25 9hown in FIGURE 1,
The assembly 27 has additional volume between the burner 28 and tank 10.
Thus, combustion is more likely to be complete. Maximum heat transfer
occurs. These advantages are effected without changing the size or shape
of the total water heater assembly.
The nat platform 36 may also be used as a reference base for attach-
ment of the burner in true alignment with the orifice opening. This sub-
stantially eliminates elaborate assembly tooling required in many prior
art burner assemblies. Thus, while in the foregoing there has been set
forth preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be under-
stood that the invention shall be limited only by the following claims and
their equivalents.
