EP0058288A1

EP0058288A1 - Device to be placed in fireplaces for air ventilation or hot water circulation for heating and/or domestic use

Info

Publication number: EP0058288A1
Application number: EP81830124A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Franco Aversa
Original assignee: Omac Socrl
Current assignee: Omac Socrl
Priority date: 1981-02-18
Filing date: 1981-07-17
Publication date: 1982-08-25
Also published as: IT1145458B; IT8147827A0

Abstract

The device is designed to be inserted in wood, coal or other solid fuel fireplaces. It consists of a front (5) with two front doors (8) and two posts (6) equipped with electric fans to circulate the air in the air spaces (4) of a hollow double-walled (2, 3) structure (1) joined to said face, on the top of which is the hot air outlet. Alternatively said front (5) is joined to a tubular boiler structure (17) (19, 20, 20', 20", 22) with double circulation of the water to be sent to the space heating and/or hot water installations (figures 1 and 4).

Description

This invention concerns a device designed to be in- .serted in wood, coal or other solid fuel burning fireplaces, to produce ventilated hot air, even for heating systems, or circulating hot water for heating and/ or domestic use.
The applicant knows of no commercial device for air ventilation which can be placed in fireplaces, in particular those burning solid fuels, to use the heat for air ventilation and to distribute said ventilation in the surrounding room.
There are box or tubular boilers to be placed in fireplaces to produce hot water for heating and domestic use. These however are of low yield, especially because of the limited size of the supply furnace. Furthermore, known boilers of this type are very non- aesthetic since they are visible from the outside.
This invention thus aims to realize a device to exploit the heat from.a solid fuel fireplace to obtain ventilated air, eventually to be distributed to the surrounding room. It also aims toward a system of equal size which, in partial replacement of the former, can produce hot water for heating and/or domestic use.
In either case, maximum use is made of the heat-generated by fireplaces, even small ones, and at the same time its aesthetic reauirements are such that the harmony of the room remains undisturbed.
_'The invention achieves the first part of its purpose with a device comprising an approximately parallepiped structure hollow on the inside for the fuel and equipped with a front with two hollow side posts incorporated in which there are two electric fans which draw the air from the outside through two suitable grate-protected openings and send it under pressure to the air space formed by a double wall in the bottom part and along all the other faces of said parallepiped structure. In this way, said air is heated by contact with the internal plate and is emitted through a rectangular opening in the rear face above the opening for the combustion chamber, which is closed by two doors equipped with two opening handles, valves or knobs for air intake and perimetrical asbestos strips inside for the thermal seal.
The invention achieves the second part of its purpose by replacing the device for air ventilation with a boiler structure composed of tubular elements and consisting of a box reservoir below for water intake with cold water inlets provided on both (opposite) sides. Fromasaid reservoir, from the two opposite sides, run vertical tubes, every other one of which (for example the odd-numbered ones) reaches a first parallepiped transit reservoir immediately above while others (the even-numbered ones) make a right angle turn and run along the whole fireplace space to a second symmetrical analogous transit reservoir on the side opposite .the first. Additional parallel tubes parallel to and above the former tubes return to the first transit reservoir from which water is taken for use through a hot water outlet. Said boiler has water intake and outlet openings on both sides so that it may function symmetrically with water intake and outlet possible on both right and left to solve any installation problems. In any case, the outlet from said transit reservoir on the side opposite the cold water intake is equipped with a steam venting tube to provide double safety when coupled with the traditional expansion area arranged in a known fashion along the length of the radiators and fixtures.
The fundamental concept of the invention, therefore, lies in the maximum use of the fireplace heat source, achieved by placing the furnace above said box reservoir for water intake and so between the latter and the water tubes above, and by effecting above the furnace a double passage of said overlying and parallel tubes.
According to the invention, the parallelepiped structure for air ventilation is equipped with an opening for venting the fire to the fireplace chimney. Said opening may be closed using a sliding door operated by a corresponding pull knob on the front.
According to the invention, the heated air may be dis- _'tributed throughout the room by replacing said air outlet with suitable channels.
Also, a thermostat to determine air temperature may be provided to place said fansin function automatically and only when the air in the air space has reached the desired temperature.
For aesthetic purposes, as well as to prevent burning sparks from flying out, the invention provides for a grate the same size as the fireplace opening which may be removed with two knobs, and is visible from the back whenever said doors are wide open.
Finally, the tubular boiler structure may also be replaced according to the invention-with an air space box analogous to that for heating air, but filled with water to be heated.
The invention is illustrated below in detail with reference to two preferred embodiments represented in an exemplifying but non-limiting way in the attached drawings, in which the figures show:

figure 1, an axonometric and partially cut away view of an air ventilation device;
figure 2, an axonometric view of the detail of the front doors of the fireplace;
figure 3, an axonometric view of a boiler device for water heating;
figure 4, an axonometric view of the arrangement of the reservoirs and tubes for the water;
figure 5, an axonometric and partially cut away view of the device in figure 4 with the facade modified aesthetically.

Figures 1 and 2 show the parallepiped structure 1 with double internal 2 and external 3 walls forming the air space 4 around the combustion chamber 4' which may have a base of firebrick for fuel placement. Front 5 is shown in front of chamber 4',_'with the two lateral hollow posts 6 in which fans draw cold air from the surroundings through grated openings 7. The front is equipped with doors 8 with handles 9 and air inlet knobs 10 to regulate combustion, while the inside of said doors has perimetrical strips 11 of a material such as asbestos for a thermal seal. In this way the heated air is forced from the air space 4 out the rear grate 12 underneath small hood 13. Steam outlet through opening 14 is regulated with external handle 15, which moves the sliding door 16.
Figures 3 and 4 show the box reservoir 17 with intake with openings 18 on both sides for cold water intake (only one is visible in each drawing) from which vertical tubes 19 run directly into the upper symmetrical reservoirs 21. The even-numbered tubes 20 make a right angle turn at elbow joints 22 and extend along 20' to neache disconnected reservoir 21 on the opposite side from their starting point. Through additional upper parallel tubes 20", from each of the reservoirs 21, they return to the reservoir 2J opposite, so that hot water can be emitted from one of the upper openings 23, after it has made the double circulation in 10, 10' and 20". Opening 23 opposite one of the openings 18 for water intake will hold the vertical tube for steam venting.
Finally, figure 5 shows how the hollow lateral posts 6 are made of lateral structures 24, diversified for aesthetic purposes and supporting the protruding man- tlepiece 25.
Naturally, while the principle of the invention remains unchanged, the realization designs and partic- ulars of construction may be varied widely without going beyond the bounds of this invention.

Claims

1. Device designed to be placed in wood, coal or other solid fuel burning fireplaces ta produce hot ventilated air for heating systems or circulating hot water 'for heating and/or domestic use, wherein the structure is approximately parallelepiped, hollow on the inside for the fuel and equipped with a front (5) with two hollow side posts (6) incorporated in which there are two electric fans which draw the air from the outside through two suitable grate-protected openings (7) and send it under pressure to the air space (4) 'formed by a double wall (2,3) in the bottom part and along all the other faces of said parallelepiped structure; said air is heated by contact with the internal plate and is emitted through a rectangular opening (12) in the rear face (5) above the opening for the combustion chamber, which is closed by two doors (8) equipped with two opening handles (9), valves or knobs for air intake (10) and perimetrical asbestos strips (11) inside for the thermal seal.

2. Device as claimed in claim J, wherein the rear op- . ening (12) for heated air outlet may be eliminated or replaced with suitable channels to distribute heated air throughout the room.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thermostat may be provided to determine air temperature to place the:fans in operation automatically and only when the air in the air space (4) has reached the desired temperature.

4. Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein its structure .is a boiler composed of tubular elements (19;20, 22,20',20") and consisting of a box reservoir below for water intake with cold water inlets (18) provided on both (opposite) sides, from which, from the two opposite sides, run vertical tubes (19,20,20',20") every other one of which (for example the odd-numbered ones (19)) reaches a first parallelepiped transit reservoir (21) immediately above while others (the even-numbered ones (20)) make a right angle turn (22) and run along the whole fireplace space to a second symmetrical analogous transit reservoir (21) on the side opposite the first, while additional parallel tubes (20") parallel to and above the former (2.0') return to the first transit reservoir (2.1) from which water is taken for use through a hot water outlet (23); said boiler has water intake (18) and outlet (23) openings on both sides so.that it may function symmetrically with water intake and outlet possible on both right and left to solve any installations problems; the outlet(23) from said transit reservoirs (21) on the side opposite the cold water intake (18) is equipped with a steam venting tube to provide double safety when coupled with the traditional expansion area arranged in a known fashion along the length of the radiators and fixtures.

5. Device as claimed in claims 1 to 4, wherein the upper surface of the external structure has an opening. (14) for venting the combustion to the chimney of the fireplace, the opening of which is regulated by a sliding door (16) operated by a handle (15).

6. Device as claimed in claims 1 to 6, wherein a grate is provided the same size as the fireplace opening, which may be removed with two knobs, visible from the back whenever the doors (8) are open, to prevent burning sparks from flying out.

7. Device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tubular structure may be replaced with an air space box filled with water to be heated.