Modine Manufacturing Company

A.o. Smith Corporation

JianMin Yin

Matthew William Critchley

Eric P Steinbach

Quinn Thomas Keller

A water heater system includes a gas burner configured to selectively produce flue gases, and a heat exchanger for heating water in the water heater system. The water heater system is operable in a heating mode, and a standby mode. An exhaust assembly is in communication with the heat exchanger, and includes a condensate collector configured to receive the flue gases and condensate. A first temperature sensor is positioned to sense a temperature of the condensate within the condensate collector. The first temperature sensor is configured to detect a rate of temperature change of the condensate. A controller is configured to determine a leakage when the rate of temperature change adjusts from a first state to a second state when the water heater system is in the standby mode after the water heater system was in the heating mode.

Leakage detection in condensing water heater

A method of recovering waste heat includes pressurizing a flow of working fluid and transferring heat from a hot gas stream to the flow of working fluid in at least two successively arranged heat transfer sections. At least some of the working fluid is converted to a superheated vapor by the transfer of heat, and passes through an expander to recover useful work. A portion of the flow of working fluid is directed along a branch after having passed through at least one of the heat transfer sections, and bypasses the expander and at least one of the heat transfer sections before being recombined with the working fluid that has passed through the expander. The total flow rate of working fluid can be adjusted to regulate the temperature of the hot gas stream downstream of the heat transfer sections, and the amount of fluid that bypasses along the branch can be adjusted to regulate the temperature of the superheated vapor.

Growing community of inventors

Menomonee Falls, WI, United States of America

JianMin Yin