Patent ID: 6688261
Filing Date: 2004-02-10
Classification: F24H

Abstract:
A heater for heating liquids comprising:a housing having a base and an upper exhaust end for forming a plenum which conducts a flow of hot flue gas from a burner positioned adjacent the housing's base; a heat transfer vessel having a substantially conical body with a closed tip and a closed top, the body residing substantially coaxially within the plenum so as to form an annular space therebetween through which hot flue gases upwardly flow to the exhaust end, the tip of the body being oriented closest to the burner and having side walls diverging upwardly towards the plenum's exhaust end; a vessel inlet adjacent the top of the conical body for the entry of liquid to the vessel; a vessel outlet adjacent the tip of the conical body so that the liquid flows downwardly and countercurrent to the hot flue gas and is heated before being discharged from the vessel; and one or more annular plates located transverse across the annular space for at least partially distributing the hot flue gas about the vessel as they pass upwardly by the one or more annular plates.