Heating systems – Heat and power plants – Vehicle
Patent
1996-02-26
1997-08-26
Tapolcai, William E.
Heating systems
Heat and power plants
Vehicle
4151691, B60H 106
Patent
active
056603290
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a vehicle heater with a combustion chamber, which is surrounded by a heat exchanger, through which water or water with added antifreeze flows as the heat carrier. A water pump arranged outside on the heat exchanger pumps water, from a return pipe of a water circuit, through the heat exchanger. The water leaves the heat exchanger via a flow pipe after heating. Such vehicle heaters are usually used as auxiliary heaters in passenger cars, trucks, and buses, and also in recreational vehicles, small motorboats, construction equipment, and airplanes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A fuel-air mixture is generated in the combustion chamber by means of a fuel pump, a combustion air blower, and, e.g., a fuel evaporator. During the combustion of the mixture, the thermal energy is released by a heat exchanger surrounding the combustion chamber to the heat carrier, which is part of a heat carrier circuit.
Vehicle heaters should have a very compact design and meet a high standard in terms of operating safety.
One special problem related to the usual vehicle heaters is the bleeding of the pump circulating the heat carrier, e.g., water, in the heat carrier circuit, Air originating from the filling of the heat carrier circuit must be prevented from collecting or remaining within the pump chamber of the pump part, not only to avoid undesired noises during the operation, but especially to guarantee the desired throughput of the pump. The pump can be driven electrically by a pump motor.
In the usual vehicle heaters, the water pump has hitherto been arranged under the heat exchanger and consequently practically in the deepest area of the entire water circuit. The consequence of this was that air bubbles that may be present in the area of the pump automatically rose up, so that they did not cause any interference at a higher point of the water circuit. In view of the problem of the generation of air bubbles in the pump area, the water pumps were hitherto intentionally arranged under or next to the heat exchanger in order to guarantee the escape of the air bubbles due to this special installation position.
SUMMARY AND OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The basic object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle heater of the class described in the introduction, in which the water pump can be arranged not only next to the heat exchanger, but also above it, without the risk of air bubbles collecting or remaining in the pump.
This object is accomplished according to the present invention in a vehicle heater of the above-described class by the delivery side of the pump part of the water pump being connected in terms of flow via a connection opening of small diameter to the flow pipe of the water circuit.
The term "flow pipe" is related here to the entire heating system, so that the "flow pipe" feeds the water just heated by the heat exchanger to the system having one or more heating heat exchangers (heating elements). The "return pipe" is correspondingly the pipe which feeds the water cooled, due to heating the surrounding environment by the heating element, to the heat exchanger for reheating.
Thus, the present invention creates a "bypass" between the delivery side of the pump and the pipe via which the water just heated leaves the heat exchanger. The pressure occurring in this "flow pipe" is somewhat lower than in the pump chamber (the water has flown through the heat exchanger, e.g., along a spiral path), and over a section of the flow pipe between the pump chamber and the junction point of the small connection opening in the flow pipe).
Any air bubbles that may be present in the area of the pump are forced by the pressure occurring there into the flow pipe because of the above-mentioned differences in pressure, and they enter the system via the flow pipe at a point that is remote from the water pump.
This removal of possible air bubbles operates especially reliably if the flow pipe is located higher than the pump part of the water pump, and the connection opening is at the
REFERENCES:
patent: 2710664 (1955-06-01), Blackmore et al.
patent: 4734019 (1988-03-01), Eberhardt
patent: 5584650 (1996-12-01), Redmond et al.
J. Eberspacher GmbH & Co.
Tapolcai William E.
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