Flue having an adjustable flue gas flow unit

Abstract

Known chimneys or chimney furnaces use flue gas flow units for heating buildings, said devices having displaceable or fixed obstacles for deflecting flue gas for generating flue gas turbulence. The invention relates to a device and method for transferring heat through a flue gas discharge pipe ( 28 ) in which ( 44, 45 ) pivotal guide plates ( 37 ) are inserted in the longitudinal direction of the pipe run, at which the flue gas flow ( 22 ) is more or less deflected in a sinuous line as function of the pivot angle ( 24 ) of the guide plates ( 37 ) that can be adjusted during furnace operation. A fan ( 19 ) can increase the flue gas flow ( 22 ). An optional furnace heat exchanger ( 29 ) generates additional hot water as needed. The controller ( 5 ) activates the actuators for the fan ( 19 ), guide plate pivot angle setting ( 24 ), and at least one circulating pump ( 10 or 11 ) as a function of the prescribed controlled variables such as flue gas temperature, reservoir temperature, heat exchanger performance, or flue gas flow.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A flue heat transfer system for transferring heat from a furnace heat source in a flue gas pipe, said flue heat transfer system comprising:
 a heat exchanger integrated in a flue gas pipe and possessing a liquid media chamber, impinged by an all-enveloping flue gas flow, said heat exchanger comprising an inner and outer heat exchanger regions, and pivotal guide plates, said inner and outer heat exchanger regions being configured to be impinged by said flue gas flow, said pivotal guide plates are arranged spatially one behind the other in a longitudinal direction in said inner heat exchanger region;   wherein said guide plates are configured to deflect said flue gas flow from said inner heat exchanger region into said outer heat exchanger region up to an exterior wall of said flue gas pipe, such that, at low flue gas temperatures, said guide plates do not cause any deflections of said flue gas flow through said heat exchanger regions and that, with increasing flue gas temperatures, deflections of said flue gas flow as well as a resulting flue gas flow turbulences increase with decreasing angles of said guide plates.   
     
     
         16 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 15 , wherein each of said guide plates are pivotable so as to adjust an angle of each of said guide plates to said flue gas flow about a pivoting axis of said guide plates. 
     
     
         17 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 16 , wherein said angle of each of said guide plates are adjusted jointly by mechanically-coupled connecting elements comprising a first rotary lever mechanically connect to a first lever rod, said first lever rod is mechanically connected to at least a first of said guide plates and is configured to pivot said first of said guide plates, a second rotary lever mechanically connect to a second lever rod, said second lever rod is mechanically connected to at least a second of said guide plates successive to said first of said guide plates and is configured to pivot said second of said guide plates, and a connect rode mechanically connected to said first and second lever rods, said mechanically-coupled connecting elements being configured to allow a synchronous angle setting of said guide plates with a reversed angular orientation from one of said guide plate to another of said guide plates. 
     
     
         18 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 17 , wherein one of said first and second rotary levers is fitted with at least one drive means selected from the group consisting of a servo drive means, an electrically-driven servo drive means, and a rotary drive means, said drive means is configured for adjusting angular positions of said guide plates. 
     
     
         19 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 16  further comprising a part-turn valve actuator means configured for adjusting said angle of said guide plates, wherein said part-turn valve actuator means is one of being fitted to each of said guide plates, and fitted to a group of said guide plates which are mechanically-coupled to each other. 
     
     
         20 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 17 , wherein said heat exchanger is configured for transferring a liquid heat carrier medium, said heat exchanger comprising at least one conduit configured to form a hollow body with said inner heat exchanger region configured to receive said guide plates and said mechanically-coupled connecting elements. 
     
     
         21 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 20 , wherein said conduit is a plurality of tubular rods, which together, by using a plurality of 180° pipe bends, form a plurality of pipe loops that are interconnected in series to form said hollow body of circular shape, said pipe loops are configured to be impinged by said enveloping flue gas flow, and wherein said heat exchanger is provided with a connecting sleeve for a return flow at a starting point and a connecting sleeve for a feed flow at an end point. 
     
     
         22 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 20 , wherein said conduit is a plurality of tubular rods, which, by means of two hollow rings, respectively provided at a beginning point and an end point of said tubular rods, are interconnected by welding, such that said hollow body of circular shape is obtained, a first of said hollow ring being provided with a connecting sleeve for a return flow and a second of said hollow rings being provided with a connecting sleeve for a feed flow, said hollow rings are configured to be impinged by said enveloping flue gas flow. 
     
     
         23 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 20 , wherein said conduit is a coiled pipe, which consists of a circularly curved pipe and each individual loop of which includes an air gap for impinging said heat carrier medium by an all-enveloping said flue gas flow. 
     
     
         24 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 20 , wherein said conduit is a liquid jacket, arranged between two jacketing pipes associated with said flue gas pipe, said heat carrier medium flows through said jacketing pipes, and wherein an air gap is defined between an outer jacketing pipe surface and an inner surface of said flue gas pipe for a portion of said flue gas flow to flow through. 
     
     
         25 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 15  further comprising an electrically-driven fan installed and configured for regulating said flue gas flow in one of said flue gas discharge pipe, in a fireplace, in a chimney, at an end of a chimney, adjacent to said flue gas discharge pipe, and in a region of a fresh air supply of a furnace. 
     
     
         26 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 15  further comprising a buffer storage device configured to transfer and store heat. 
     
     
         27 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 17 , wherein each of said guide plates further comprises a hinge mechanically connected to said first and second lever rods respectively. 
     
     
         28 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 17 , wherein said connecting rod mechanically interconnects said first and second rotary levers in diagonally rotatable fashion, said connecting rod being configured to produce an opposite, but synchronous direction of motion of said first and second lever rods. 
     
     
         29 . The flue heat transfer system according to  claim 15 , wherein said guide plates each featuring textured surfaces configured to increase friction of said flue gas flow. 
     
     
         30 . A method of using a heat transfer system for transferring heat from a furnace heat source, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) setting a flue gas flow while a furnace is heating up by one of manual operation, and automatic control operation; and   b) setting a rotational speed of ventilation and an angular position of guide plates in a heat exchanger integrated in a flue gas pipe of said furnace by one of stepwise, and continuously;   wherein said guide plates are configured to deflect said flue gas flow from an inner heat exchanger region into an outer heat exchanger region up to an exterior wall of said flue gas pipe, such that, at low flue gas temperatures, said guide plates do not cause any deflections of said flue gas flow through said heat exchanger regions and that, with increasing flue gas temperatures, deflections of said flue gas flow as well as a resulting flue gas flow turbulences increase with decreasing angles of said guide plates.   
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein step b) is performed on at least one basis selected from the group consisting of current actual values of flue gas temperatures, temperatures of said flue gas pipe, temperatures of said flue gas flow, said heat exchanger output by means of manual adjustment, and said heat exchanger output by means of automatic adjustment by way of a control system. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein said method is used for a purpose of producing hot water by said flue heat exchanger, and wherein said method further comprising the steps of:
 c) coupling a heat generator and said flue gas pipe in parallel to produce parallel heating circuits, such that said heat generator and said flue gas pipe supply thermal energy by using a heat exchanger in a heat accumulator via a joint heating circuit by means of a liquid heat carrier media, such that a control system activates actuators via control signals and that in a case of said actuators or in a case of one of said actuators is inactive a simultaneous media flow between said parallel heating circuits is prevented by check valves.   
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 32 , wherein said parallel heating circuits are used, which have, in particular, a higher media temperature when compared to a media temperature in a heat accumulator, or a current energy content of which prevails, and that, in this context, at least one of said parallel heating circuits are activated simultaneously.