Rheem Manufacturing Company

Diane M Jakobs

Michael W Branson

Timothy B Hawkins

Lin-Tao Lu

Kelvin W Kleman

Punan Tang

Gallen W Stokes

Ali Shenasa

Timothy J Shellenberger

John T Knight

Ronald J Rasmussen

Jeffrey L Lyons

Doug W Dorrough

An air heating and cooling system includes (1) a heat pump, illustratively devoid of auxiliary electric resistance type air heating structure, operative to provide refrigerant-based heating or cooling of air being delivered to a conditioned space, (2) a fuel-fired modular blower selectively operable to generate combustion heat, and (3) a control system associated with the heat pump and the modular blower. The control system has a heat pump thermostat electrically connected to a modular blower control and operative to transmit to the modular blower a first signal indicative of heating operation of the heat pump, and a second signal indicative of a need for alternative heat during a heating demand cycle. The modular blower is operative, in response to receiving both signals, to provide combustion-based air heating in place of refrigerant-based heat pump air heating.

Gas fired modular blower control and associated methodology

An elastomeric compressor mount has a hollow convex cylindrical head portion which is passed upwardly through a corresponding opening in a support foot portion of the compressor to place an annular portion of the foot in an annular mount groove which is disposed between its head portion and a larger cylindrical base portion of the mount. When a securement bolt is passed axially through a fastening opening in the mount and tightened into an underlying base pan opening, the convex mount head portion is downwardly and radially outwardly deformed to cause the annular foot portion to be resiliently squeezed between the head portion and the underlying base portion of the mount. In a second embodiment of the mount its convex cylindrical head portion is of a solid configuration, and is joined to the mount base portion by an annular flange section coaxially disposed therein. When the securement bolt is tightened the head portion is pushed downwardly relative to the mount body portion in a manner axially flexing the flange section and squeezing the annular compressor foot portion between the head and base sections of the mount. In a third embodiment of the mount its head section is cylindrical and has a depending, reduced diameter stem section which is telescoped within the underlying mount base section to permit relative axial movement between the head and base sections of the mount when the securement bolt is tightened.

Prestressed resilient compressor mount apparatus

A check valve connectable in a refrigerant line is economically fabricated from only three parts--(1) a copper tubing body connectable in the refrigerant line, (2) a nonmetallic shutoff ball, and (3) an annular valve seat member having a conically tapered seating surface on one of its ends. The seat member is coaxially received within a first end of a longitudinally central portion of the tubing positioned between spun-down opposite end portions thereof, with the seating surface end of the seat member facing the second end of the central tubing portion, and the ball being received in the central tubing portion for axial movement into and out of sealing engagement with the seating surface. Three circumferentially spaced, axially elongated side wall indentations are formed in the central tubing portion. The indentations have (1) first end portions which, with the first end of the central tubing portion, axially locks the seat member within the central tubing portion, (2) second end portions that combinatively form an axial stop for the ball, and (3) main body portions that combinatively form within the central tubing portion a track structure that axially guides the ball between its closed position against the seating surface and its open position against the axial stop. When the ball is in its open position against the axial stop, refrigerant flows through the interior of the valve seating member and then around the ball via circumferentially spaced, axially extending fluid bypass passages positioned between the tubing side wall indentations.

Tubular refrigerant check valve with idented outer housing portion

A centrifugal air blower has a housing with an inlet side wall through which a circular air inlet is formed. A cylindrical electric drive motor coaxially extends through the inlet opening and is drivingly coupled to a centrifugal impeller rotatably disposed within the housing. The motor is supported on the inlet side wall by a mounting system including a plurality of metal mounting rods each having an inner end, an outer end, and an elongated intermediate portion. The inner rod ends are welded to circumferentially spaced locations of a belly band structure coaxially clamped to the drive motor, and the outer rod ends are connected to resilient support assemblies arranged in a circumferentially spaced array on the outer side of the housing inlet side wall around the blower inlet opening. To provide the mounting system with a high degree of stiffness with respect to mounting system loads directed transversely to the motor drive axis, while at the same time providing the mounting system with a high degree of torsional flexibility, each of the intermediate rod portions is positioned to longitudinally extend adjacent and generally parallel to a line extending from the outer end portion of the rod to the center of gravity of the combined mass of the drive motor and impeller.

Fan motor/impeller mounting system

A fuel-fired condensing furnace is provided with a specially designed heat exchanger structure having a metal primary section and a plastic secondary or recuperative section. The primary section is defined by a horizontally spaced series of identically sized, vertically serpentined metal combustor tubes adapted to receive a throughflow of a burning fuel-air mixture discharged from the furnace burner section. Each tube has an essentially straight inlet combustion section sized to permit essentially complete combustion therein of the burning fuel-air mixture received by the tube, and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal heat transfer sections that are horizontally flattened and narrowed to enhance their combustion heat transfer to supply air being forced upwardly through the furnace housing. The heat transfer efficiency of the flattened tube sections is further enhanced by forming spaced series of indentations in their flattened opposite side walls to create combustion gas flow turbulence within their interiors, and air flow turbulence along their exterior surfaces.

Serpentined tubular heat exchanger apparatus for a fuel-fired forced air

A high efficiency fuel-fired condensing furnace is provided with a compact recuperative heat exchanger structure comprising a metal primary heat exchanger positioned above and operatively connected to the inlet side of a secondary heat exchanger formed from a polyetherimide (PEI) plastic material. The primary heat exchanger is formed from a horizontally spaced series of vertically serpentined metal combustor tubes, and the second heat exchanger if formed from horizontally spaced apart injection molded inlet and outlet collector boxes interconnected by a horizontally spaced series of elongated hollow extruded plate members sealingly secured at their opposite ends to the collector boxes with the side edge-to-side edge widths of the hollow plate members being vertically oriented. The outlet ends of the metal tubes are operatively connected to the plastic inlet collector box. Cross-sectionally along their lengths, the hollow plastic plate members have horizontally flattened portions interdigitated with horizontally enlarged, convexly curved poritons. Various heat transfer-enhancing alternate embodiments of the hollow plate members are disclosed. Additionally disclosed is an alternate embodiment of the plastic secondary heat exchanger in which the inlet collector box is positioned atop the outlet collector box, and the hollow plate members are internally baffled in a manner causing combustion gas exiting the inlet collector box to make two passes through the hollow plate members before entering the outlet collector box.

Growing community of inventors

Alma, AR, United States of America

Diane M Jakobs