Multi-Port Ignition System for a Sectional Furnace

Abstract

An ignition system for a gas furnace being controlled by a main controller and having at least one burner is provided. The ignition system may include at least one flame sensor and an interface module. The flame sensor may be disposed in close proximity to the burner and configured to output a flame check signal indicative of a status of a flame at the burner. The interface module may be configured to receive the flame check signal and generate a fault check signal based on the flame check signal.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a non-provisional U.S. patent application, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 376,560 filed on Aug. 24, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]The present disclosure generally relates to ignition systems, and more particularly, to multi-port ignition arrangements for sectional gas furnaces.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0003]Sectional gas furnaces are well known in the art and are commonly used in residential applications to supply heat. These furnaces typically employ a multiple heat exchanger configuration in which the inlet of each heat exchanger is provided with its own individual burner. In such an arrangement, only the endmost burner is provided with an igniter and the remaining burners are lit using a flame carryover mechanism. As illustrated in the prior art embodiment of FIG. 1, the flame carryover mechanism 2...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Although a single flame sensor may adequately determine a general joint status of the flames, present technologies lack the resolution to accurately and quickly discern the status of each and every flame.

For example, a single flame sensor may be unable to detect a fault condition in which only one of the burners is missing a flame.

Even if it can detect such a fault condition, the single flame sensor may be unable to determine the faulty burner that is missing a flame.

Such failures can result in inefficient combustion of the gases.

Furthermore, as with any combustion device, the combustion of gases within sectional gas furnaces results in unwanted emissions.

However, the flame carryover mechanism in currently existing sectional gas furnaces makes it extremely difficult to implement in such premix configurations.

More specifically, the considerable amount of space between each premix burner in sectional applications makes it difficult to maintain proper ignition of the flames in the burner-to-burner configuration, and the space occupied by the flame carryover mechanism itself makes it difficult to effectively manage any secondary air.

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