SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OPERATING A FURNACE SYSTEM

A furnace system includes a heat exchanger and a burner assembly including a burner enclosure fluidly coupled to the heat exchanger. The burner assembly is configured to receive a fluid, ignite the fluid to produce combustion byproducts, and direct the combustion byproducts to the heat exchanger. The furnace system also includes a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure within the burner enclosure. The furnace system is configured to operate based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

BACKGROUND

Heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) systems are utilized in residential, commercial, and industrial environments to control environmental properties, such as temperature and humidity, for occupants of the respective environments. An HVAC system may control the environmental properties through control of a supply air flow delivered to the environment. For example, the HVAC system may place the supply air flow in a heat exchange relationship with a refrigerant of a vapor compression circuit to condition the supply air flow. The HVAC system may include a furnace system configured to heat the supply air flow. For instance, the furnace system may include a burner assembly configured to receive and ignite a fuel to produce heated combustion byproducts that are used to provide heat to the supply air flow. During operation of the furnace system, the burner assembly may not operate desirably or efficiently and may impact performance of the furnace system. However, it may be difficult to monitor the operation of the burner assembly to determine and therefore address an undesirable or inefficient operation of the burner assembly.

SUMMARY

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be noted that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.

In one embodiment, a furnace system includes a heat exchanger and a burner assembly including a burner enclosure fluidly coupled to the heat exchanger. The burner assembly is configured to receive a fluid, ignite the fluid to produce combustion byproducts, and direct the combustion byproducts to the heat exchanger. The furnace system also includes a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure within the burner enclosure. The furnace system is configured to operate based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

In one embodiment, a furnace system includes a burner enclosure configured to receive a fuel/oxidizer mixture and ignite the fuel/oxidizer mixture to produce combustion byproducts and a pressure sensor disposed within the burner enclosure. The pressure sensor is configured to detect a pressure within the burner enclosure, and the pressure sensor is configured to cause interruption of a flow of electrical power to the furnace system to suspend operation of the furnace system in response to the pressure having a vacuum that exceeds a threshold negative pressure.

In one embodiment, a burner assembly of a furnace system includes a burner enclosure with an internal volume and configured to receive a fuel and ignite the fuel to produce combustion byproducts. The burner assembly also includes a pressure switch fluidly coupled to the internal volume. The pressure switch is configured to transition between a closed configuration and an open configuration, the closed configuration enables flow of electrical power to the furnace system, the open configuration interrupts the flow of electrical power to the furnace system, and the pressure switch is configured to adjust to the open configuration in response to a vacuum within the burner enclosure exceeding a threshold pressure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be noted that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be noted that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

The present disclosure is directed to a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system. The HVAC system may include a furnace system configured to heat a supply air flow. For example, the furnace system may include a burner assembly that has a burner enclosure. During operation of the furnace system, the burner enclosure may be configured to receive a fluid (e.g., a fuel/oxidizer mixture) and ignite the fluid to produce combustion byproducts, which may be directed through a heat exchanger of the furnace system. The supply air flow may be directed across the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger may transfer heat from the combustion byproducts to the supply air flow, thereby heating the supply air flow.

In some circumstances, the burner assembly may not operate desirably or efficiently. For example, there may be a blockage within a conduit fluidly coupled to the burner enclosure (e.g., an inlet of the burner enclosure). The blockage may impact operation of the burner assembly. For instance, the conduit may direct a fuel/oxidizer mixture into the burner enclosure during operation of the burner assembly for ignition to generate the combustion byproducts. The conduit may also facilitate cooling of the burner enclosure between operations of the burner assembly. By way of example, the conduit may facilitate flow of the combustion byproducts and/or another air flow out of the burner enclosure while the fuel/oxidizer mixture is not being ignited. The blockage in the conduit may restrict or limit flow rate of the fuel/oxidizer mixture into the burner enclosure, thereby affecting a desirable or efficient operation of the burner assembly. The blockage may additionally or alternatively block desirable cooling of the burner enclosure between operations of the burner assembly, thereby causing potential overheating of the burner enclosure. Indeed, the blockage may impart an undesirable amount of stress on the furnace system to heat the supply air flow and/or reduce an efficiency associated with operating the furnace system.

Thus, it is presently recognized that monitoring an operating parameter indicative of a blockage into and/or within the burner assembly may provide benefits to improve functionality of a furnace system, such as to address an undesirable and/or inefficient operation of the burner assembly. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system and method configured to determine whether there is a blockage occurring in the burner assembly. By way of example, the blockage may restrict flow of air, a fuel/oxidizer mixture, and/or combustion products between an interior of the burner enclosure and an exterior of the burner enclosure, thereby causing an undesirable pressure imbalance between the interior and the exterior of the burner enclosure. For instance, during operation of the burner assembly, such as to satisfy a call for heating, air may be directed through the burner enclosure to direct the combustion byproducts from the burner enclosure to the heat exchanger. Directing the air through the burner enclosure may reduce a pressure within the burner enclosure to create a negative or vacuum pressure within the burner enclosure (e.g., an expected vacuum or negative pressure). However, during occurrence of a blockage of air flow into and/or out of the burner enclosure, the negative or vacuum pressure within the burner enclosure may become increasingly negative, which may adversely affect operation of the burner assembly. That is, operation of the burner enclosure while the blockage is present may reduce increase the vacuum within the burner enclosure beyond a desirable pressure level. Thus, it is presently recognized that a sufficiently negative pressure level, such as a vacuum exceeding a threshold vacuum pressure (e.g., a threshold negative pressure), may indicate a blockage of air flow into and/or out of the burner enclosure. Thus, in accordance with present embodiments, operation of the furnace system may be suspended and/or otherwise adjusted in response to detection of a vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure (e.g., the negative pressure within the burner enclosure is too great) in order to enable the blockage to be addressed.

In some embodiments, the furnace system may include a pressure switch configured to enable or block flow of electrical power to a component of the furnace system based on the pressure detected within the burner enclosure. For instance, the pressure indicating that a vacuum within the burner enclosure exceeds the threshold vacuum pressure may cause the pressure switch to interrupt the flow of electrical power and therefore suspend operation of the furnace system. In additional or alternative embodiments, the furnace system may include a control system configured to receive data indicative of the pressure within the burner enclosure. The control system may determine whether the pressure indicates a vacuum exceeds the threshold pressure and output a control signal to suspend operation of the furnace system in response to a determination that the pressure indicates a vacuum that exceeds the threshold pressure. For example, the control signal output by the control system may interrupt the flow of electrical power to the furnace system to suspend operation of the furnace system. Thus, an undesirable operation of the furnace system during a blockage may be avoided.

Turning now to the drawings,FIG. 1illustrates an embodiment of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system for environmental management that may employ one or more HVAC units. As used herein, an HVAC system includes any number of components configured to enable regulation of parameters related to climate characteristics, such as temperature, humidity, air flow, pressure, air quality, and so forth. For example, an “HVAC system” as used herein is defined as conventionally understood and as further described herein. Components or parts of an “HVAC system” may include, but are not limited to, all, some of, or individual parts such as a heat exchanger, a heater, an air flow control device, such as a fan, a sensor configured to detect a climate characteristic or operating parameter, a filter, a control device configured to regulate operation of an HVAC system component, a component configured to enable regulation of climate characteristics, or a combination thereof. An “HVAC system” is a system configured to provide such functions as heating, cooling, ventilation, dehumidification, pressurization, refrigeration, filtration, or any combination thereof. The embodiments described herein may be utilized in a variety of applications to control climate characteristics, such as residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, or other applications where climate control is desired.

The present disclosure is directed to a furnace system of an HVAC system. The furnace system may include a burner assembly having a burner enclosure configured to receive a fluid, such as a fuel/oxidizer mixture, and ignite the fluid to produce combustion byproducts. The furnace system may also include a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure (e.g., a negative pressure, a vacuum) within the burner enclosure. In response to a determination that the pressure indicates a vacuum within the burner enclosure exceeds a threshold pressure (e.g., a threshold negative pressure), operation of the furnace system may be suspended or otherwise adjusted. For example, flow of electrical power to the furnace system may be interrupted to suspend operation of the furnace system. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor may include a pressure switch, and the vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure may cause the pressure switch to open to interrupt the flow of electrical power. In additional or alternative embodiments, a control system may be communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor. The control system may be configured to receive data from the pressure sensor indicative of the vacuum within the burner enclosure, and the control system may be configured to output a control signal to interrupt the flow of electrical power in response to the vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure as indicated by the data. Thus, the furnace system may be blocked from operating undesirably during a blockage of air flow into and/or out of the burner enclosure. Although the present disclosure primarily describes the furnace system of a split HVAC system, the techniques described herein may be incorporated in any suitable furnace system, such as a furnace system of an HVAC unit and/or a standalone furnace system.

With this in mind,FIG. 5is a detailed view of the furnace system70of the residential heating and cooling system50. The furnace system70may include a burner assembly150configured to provide heat for the furnace system70. For example, the burner assembly150may include a burner enclosure, housing, or box152, which may be configured to receive a fuel (e.g., natural gas). In some embodiments, the burner assembly150may be a premix burner assembly in which the burner enclosure152may also configured to receive an oxidizer, such as an air flow (e.g., ambient air via an air intake153), and the oxidizer and the fuel may combine to form a fuel/oxidizer mixture. The burner enclosure152may be configured to ignite the fuel/oxidizer mixture (e.g., via a pilot light, an electric igniter, a hot surface igniter) to produce a flame and generate combustion byproducts within the burner enclosure152. By way of example, a desirable composition of the fuel/oxidizer mixture may be maintained, such as by controlling a flow rate of the oxidizer into the burner enclosure152(e.g., via an opening of the air intake153) and/or a flow rate of the fuel into the burner enclosure152. The desirable composition of the fuel/oxidizer mixture may enable desirable and/or efficient operation of the burner assembly150, such as to produce a flame having a sufficient temperature via the fuel/oxidizer mixture.

The burner enclosure152may be fluidly coupled to a heat exchanger (not shown) of the furnace system70, and the furnace system70may include a blower154(e.g., a draft inducer blower) configured to draw an air flow through the burner enclosure152to direct the combustion byproducts from the burner enclosure152through the heat exchanger. Additionally, a fan (e.g., the fan66) may direct an air flow across the heat exchanger, and heat from the combustion byproducts flowing through the heat exchanger may transfer to the air flow directed across the heat exchanger, thereby heating the air flow. The heated air flow may then be directed to a space serviced by the furnace system70to heat the space.

The furnace system70may also include a control system156(e.g., an automation controller, a programmable controller) configured to operate the furnace system70. The control system156may include a memory158and processing circuitry160. The memory158may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium that may include volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, optical drives, hard disc drives, solid-state drives, or any other suitable non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry160, may control operation of the furnace system70. To this end, the processing circuitry160may include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more programmable logic devices (PLD), one or more programmable logic arrays (PLA), one or more general purpose processors, or any combination thereof configured to execute such instructions. For example, the control system156may be configured to receive a call for heating. In response, the control system156may be configured to adjust a valve162to direct the fuel/oxidizer mixture into the burner enclosure152via a conduit164(e.g., a conduit164fluidly coupled to the air intake153) to enable the burner assembly150to provide heat for the air flow directed through the furnace system70and satisfy the call for heating.

In some circumstances, there may be a blockage in the conduit164(e.g., at the air intake153) that impacts an operation of the burner assembly150. For example, the blockage may be caused by debris (e.g., dirt, foliage) lodged or accumulated within the conduit164and/or a change in geometry of the conduit164. The blockage may adversely impact operation of the furnace system70. For example, a blockage may increase an amount of stress imparted on the components of the furnace system70, reduce an efficient operation of the burner assembly150, inhibit the production of a flame of desired quality or characteristics, and so forth. In some instances, the blockage may reduce a flow of the oxidizer, the fuel, and/or the fuel/oxidizer mixture into the burner enclosure152. By way of example, the blockage may adjust the composition of the fuel/oxidizer mixture and cause an undesirable operation of the burner assembly150, such as an inadequate ignition of the fuel/oxidizer mixture and/or generation of a flame having an insufficient temperature. The blockage may additionally or alternatively reduce a flow rate of combustion products between an interior of the burner enclosure152and an exterior of the burner enclosure152to reduce an efficiency of the heat exchanger to heat the air flow. Further still, the blockage may reduce cooling of the burner enclosure152(e.g., between operating cycles of the furnace system) to cause the burner enclosure152to overheat, thereby imparting an excessive amount of stress and/or affecting a structural integrity of the burner enclosure152. In each of these examples, the furnace system70may operate inefficiently and/or undesirably. Therefore, it may be desirable to suspend operation of the furnace system70during a blockage within the conduit164in order to enable a user (e.g., a technician, an operator, a customer) to address the blockage.

For this reason, the burner assembly150may include a pressure sensor166configured to detect a pressure within the burner enclosure152. As an example, the pressure may include a negative or vacuum pressure and/or a pressure differential between a first pressure within the burner enclosure152relative to a second pressure external to the burner enclosure152. A blockage of the conduit164may cause an increased negative pressure (e.g., a pressure that is more negative) and/or an increased pressure differential. Thus, the pressure sensor166may be used to determine whether a blockage is present and/or provide an indication that a blockage may be present. For example, a detected vacuum that exceeds a threshold pressure (e.g., a threshold negative pressure) may indicate a presence of a blockage.

In some embodiments, the pressure sensor166may include a pressure switch configured to control electricity supplied to operate the furnace system70. For example, the furnace system70may include or be electrically coupled to a power source168configured to supply electrical power to a component (e.g., the control system156, a motor of the blower154, the valve162) of the furnace system70. The component may receive the electrical power from the power source168to operate and enable operation of the furnace system70. The pressure sensor166may be configured to interrupt the electrical power supplied from the power source168in response to detection of a pressure indicative of a blockage within the conduit164. By way of example, the pressure sensor166may include and/or be connected to a normally closed switch and may enable flow of electrical power from the power source168to the component of the furnace system70while a vacuum within the burner enclosure152is less than a threshold pressure. However, in response to the vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure to indicate a blockage within the conduit164, the pressure sensor166and/or switch may open and interrupt the flow of electrical power from the power source168to the component of the furnace system70. Indeed, the vacuum may impart a force onto the pressure sensor166, and the vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure may physically cause the pressure sensor166and/or switch to open. Thus, the pressure sensor166may open and/or close automatically, such as without receipt of a control signal. The opening of the pressure sensor166to interrupt flow of electrical power from the power source168may suspend operation of the furnace system70.

In additional or alternative embodiments, the pressure sensor166may be communicatively coupled to the control system156, and the control system156may receive data from the pressure sensor166. The data may indicate the pressure within the burner enclosure152determined by the pressure sensor166, and the control system156may be configured to determine whether the data received from the pressure sensor166is indicative of a blockage within the conduit164. As an example, the control system156may be configured to compare a vacuum pressure value (e.g., a negative pressure value) indicated by the data to the threshold pressure (e.g., a threshold negative pressure value). In response to the vacuum pressure value exceeding (e.g., being more negative than) the threshold pressure, the control system156may be configured to transmit a control signal to suspend operation of the furnace system70. For example, the control system156may interrupt flow of electrical power from the power source168and/or block flow of the fuel/oxidizer mixture into the burner enclosure152(e.g., via the valve162), thereby blocking operation of the burner assembly150in response to a call for heating. The control system156may further be configured to perform another action in response to the vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure. For instance, the control system156may be configured to output a notification, such as a message to a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet, a computer), a visual output (e.g., a light), and/or an audio output (e.g., a sound), to indicate the determination of the blockage within the conduit164. Thus, the control system156may prompt a user to address the blockage.

The furnace system70may be configured to operate in different operating modes, such as different stages, to heat the air flow. The pressure within the burner enclosure152may vary for the different operating modes. However, in certain embodiments, the threshold pressure to which the pressure detected by the pressure sensor166is compared, may be fixed at a common value or may be the same value in each of the different operating modes of the furnace system70. For example, to avoid suspending operation of the furnace system70when there is no blockage within the conduit164in such embodiments, the threshold pressure may be set at a substantially high enough value such that, in the absence of a blockage within the conduit164, the vacuum within the burner enclosure152does not exceed the threshold pressure regardless of the operating mode of the furnace system70. Alternatively, the threshold pressure may change for different operating modes of the furnace system70. That is, a respective, dedicated threshold pressure may be set for each of the operating modes, and each threshold pressure may be indicative of a blockage within the conduit164for the corresponding operating mode. As such, a threshold pressure may be selected based on the operating mode effectuated during operation of the furnace system70. In either case, the threshold pressure may be set based on a geometry or size of the burner enclosure152, a parameter (e.g., a rated speed) of the blower154, a capacity of the furnace system70, another suitable parameter related to the furnace system70, or any combination thereof. By way of example, the threshold pressure may be set prior to installation or operation of the furnace system70, such as during design, manufacture, and/or testing of the furnace system70.

The pressure monitored by the pressure sensor166may accurately and/or reliably indicate whether there is a blockage within the conduit164and/or whether the burner assembly150is operating desirably. By way of example, certain other operating parameters, such as temperature, may fluctuate based on various conditions, such as a condition (e.g., temperature) of an ambient environment, that are not directly associated with operation (e.g., proper operation) of the furnace system70. Thus, such operating parameters may not accurately and/or reliably indicate the presence of a blockage within the conduit164. However, the pressure within the burner enclosure152may not be substantially affected by such operating parameters. For example, the pressure within the burner enclosure152may primarily depend on an open volume and/or flow path within the conduit164, which may not sufficiently fluctuate absent a blockage of the volume or flow path. Therefore, an undesirable and/or substantial change of pressure within the burner enclosure152may indicate an undesirable operation of the furnace system70, such as a blockage within the conduit164.

FIG. 6is a perspective view of an embodiment of the burner assembly150. The burner enclosure152of the burner assembly150may form an internal volume200configured to receive a fuel/oxidizer mixture via the conduit164. The fuel/oxidizer mixture may be ignited within the internal volume200to produce the combustion byproducts. The internal volume200may be fluidly coupled to a heat exchanger to enable the combustion byproducts to be directed through the heat exchanger, such as through tubing of the heat exchanger. As an example, the burner enclosure152may include flanges202configured to couple to (e.g., secure to, mount to) the heat exchanger to enable the combustion byproducts to flow from the internal volume200into the heat exchanger, such as via a blower drawing or forcing an air flow from the internal volume200through the heat exchanger, to enable the heat exchanger to provide heat to an air flow directed across the heat exchanger.

A first end204(e.g., an internal end, a distal end) of the pressure sensor166may extend within the internal volume200of the burner enclosure152in order to monitor a pressure within the burner enclosure152. In the illustrated embodiment, the pressure sensor166is positioned at or coupled to (e.g., extends through) a common panel206of the burner enclosure152at which the conduit164is positioned. However, the pressure sensor166and the conduit164may be positioned at different panels or sides of the burner enclosure152in additional or alternative embodiments. For example, the pressure sensor166may be positioned at a panel adjacent to the panel206and/or across from the panel206. Indeed, although the illustrated burner enclosure152has a rectangular geometry, the burner enclosure152may have any suitable geometry, such as a cylindrical or round geometry, and the pressure sensor166may be positioned at any suitable location of the burner enclosure152.

The pressure sensor166may also be arranged to avoid impacting operation of the burner assembly150. For example, the first end204may terminate prior to a location where the fuel/oxidizer mixture is ignited (e.g., where a flame is produced) to produce the combustion byproducts. Such arrangement of the pressure sensor166may also block a condition within the burner enclosure152from impacting the pressure sensor166. For instance, the temperature where the pressure sensor166is positioned may be substantially cooler than the temperature where the fuel/oxidizer mixture is ignited. Thus, ignition of the fuel/oxidizer mixture, which increases the temperature within the burner enclosure152, may not affect accuracy and/or reliability of the pressure sensor166, a longevity of the pressure sensor166, a positioning of the pressure sensor166, and so forth.

FIG. 7is a perspective view of an embodiment of the burner assembly150. In the illustrated embodiment, a second end230(e.g., an external end) of the pressure sensor166extends externally to the burner enclosure152. For example, the pressure sensor166may extend through the panel206such that the first end204of the pressure sensor166is positioned within the internal volume200and the second end230is positioned external to the internal volume200. In embodiments in which the pressure sensor166includes a pressure switch, the second end230may be electrically coupled to the power source168and may control flow of electrical power from the power source168to the furnace system70based on whether the pressure sensor166is in the open configuration or the closed configuration. In response to the pressure determined by the pressure sensor166indicating a vacuum that exceeds the threshold pressure, the pressure sensor166may open to interrupt flow of the electrical power from the power source168to the furnace system70, thereby suspending operation of the furnace system70. As an example, the pressure sensor166may open and interrupt flow of electrical power to a motor of the blower154, thereby suspending operation of the blower154and blocking combustion byproducts from being directed through a heat exchanger to heat an air flow. As another example, the pressure sensor166may open and interrupt flow of electrical power to the valve162and cause the valve162to block flow of the fuel/air mixture into the burner enclosure152, thereby blocking ignition of the fuel/air mixture and generation of the combustion byproducts within the burner enclosure152for heating the air flow.

In embodiments in which the control system156may operate the furnace system70based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor166, the second end230may be communicatively coupled to the control system156in order to communicatively couple the pressure sensor166and the control system156to one another. In this manner, the second end230may enable the pressure sensor166to transmit data indicative of a pressure within the burner enclosure152to the control system156to enable the control system156to operate based on the data.

The illustrated burner enclosure152is coupled to (e.g., secured to, mounted to) a heat exchanger232. Thus, during operation of the burner assembly150, combustion byproducts produced via ignition of a fuel/oxidizer mixture within the burner enclosure152may be directed through the heat exchanger232to heat an air flow. However, suspending operation of the furnace system70may block ignition of the fuel/oxidizer mixture within the burner enclosure152and/or flow of the combustion byproducts through the heat exchanger232. Thus, the heat exchanger232may not heat the air flow while operation of the furnace system70is suspended.

Although the pressure sensor166extends into the burner enclosure152in each of the embodiments depicted inFIGS. 6 and 7, in additional or alternative embodiments, the pressure sensor166may extend into the conduit164and/or the air intake153. By way of example, the pressure sensor166may be configured to detect a pressure within the conduit164and/or the air intake153in addition to or as alternative to the pressure within the burner enclosure152. In further embodiments, the pressure sensor166may extend into the heat exchanger232(e.g., an inlet of the heat exchanger232). Thus, the pressure sensor166may be configured to detect a pressure within the heat exchanger232for controlling operation of the furnace system70in accordance with the present techniques.

In further embodiments, the pressure sensor166may include an assembly having an external pressure switch234that is not directly mounted to or attached to the burner enclosure152. For example, in such embodiments, the pressure sensor166may include a pressure tap (e.g., an opening, a hole, an aperture) formed through the burner enclosure152and a pressure hose, conduit, or tube236fluidly coupling the burner enclosure152to the external pressure switch234via the pressure tap. The pressure hose236may be configured to direct air between the external pressure switch234and the burner enclosure152, thereby transmitting the pressure (e.g., air pressure, fluid pressure) within the burner enclosure152to the external pressure switch234. Thus, the external pressure switch234may be configured to monitor the pressure within the burner enclosure152via the pressure hose236. The external pressure switch234may be electrically coupled to the power source168, and the vacuum within the burner enclosure152exceeding the threshold pressure may cause the external pressure switch234to open and interrupt flow of electrical power from the power source168to the furnace system70. As such, the external pressure switch234may be configured to suspend operation of the furnace system70based on detection of a pressure or pressure differential indicative of a blockage within the furnace system70.

FIG. 8is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method or process250for operating the furnace system70. In some embodiments, the method250and/or one or more of the steps thereof may be performed by a single respective component or system, such as by the control system156(e.g., the processing circuitry160). In additional or alternative embodiments, multiple components or systems may perform the steps for the method250. It should also be noted that additional steps may be performed with respect to the method250. Moreover, certain steps of the method250may be removed, modified, and/or performed in a different order.

At block252, a pressure within the burner enclosure152may be monitored. By way of example, the pressure sensor166may detect the pressure within the burner enclosure152and transmit data indicative of the pressure (e.g., a vacuum pressure value). At block254, a determination is made regarding whether the pressure indicates that a vacuum in the burner enclosure152exceeds a threshold pressure (e.g., a threshold negative pressure), which may be previously determined based on a condition and/or design of the furnace system70. At block256, in response to a determination that the vacuum is above the threshold pressure, which may indicate absence of a blockage in the furnace system70(e.g., within the conduit164), operation of the furnace system70may be continued or may not be interrupted. As an example, flow of electrical power from the power source168to the furnace system70may remain enabled to provide power to components of the furnace system70, thereby enabling operation of the furnace system70.

However, at block258, in response to a determination that the vacuum within the burner enclosure152is above the threshold pressure, operation of the furnace system70may be suspended. For instance, the flow of electrical power from the power source168to the furnace system70, such as to a motor, the valve162, and/or the control system156, may be interrupted, thereby suspending operation of the furnace system70. For example, the interruption of the flow of electrical power to the furnace system70may block the furnace system70from igniting a fuel/oxidizer mixture, generating combustion byproducts, and/or directing combustion byproducts to a heat exchanger. As such, the furnace system70may not heat an air flow while the flow of electrical power is interrupted. In some embodiments, at block260, in response to an interruption of electrical power to the furnace system70, a notification may be transmitted to indicate the suspension of operation of the furnace system70. The notification may prompt a user to address the operation of the furnace system70, such as to mitigate or remove a blockage within the conduit164or other portion of the furnace system70. In certain embodiments, the notification (e.g., a visual output, an audio output) may be continually transmitted, such as at a set frequency, while the operation of the furnace system70is suspended to inform the user of the suspended operation of the furnace system70.

It should be noted that the method250may continually be performed during operation of the furnace system70. That is, the pressure within the burner enclosure152may be repeatedly detected, and the vacuum associated with the pressure may be repeatedly compared to the threshold pressure to determine whether operation of the furnace system70may be continued. At any time in which the pressure indicates a vacuum within the burner enclosure152exceeding the threshold pressure, the operation of the furnace system70may be suspended. At such time, the operation of the furnace system70may not be re-initiated until the excessive vacuum within the burner enclosure152is addressed, such as to unblock the conduit164. Thus, the furnace system70may be blocked from initiating or continuing an undesirable operation.

In embodiments in which the pressure sensor166includes a pressure switch, one or more steps of the method250may be automatically performed without a control signal. That is, the pressure within the burner enclosure152may automatically (e.g., physically) adjust the pressure sensor166between a closed configuration and an open configuration without receipt of a control signal (e.g., from the control system156). Indeed, in some embodiments, the pressure sensor166may be a normally closed switch that remains in the closed configuration to enable flow of electrical power from the power source168to the furnace system70, thereby enabling operation of the furnace system70, and the vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure may drive the pressure sensor166(e.g., switch) to switch to the open configuration to interrupt flow of electrical power to the furnace system70, thereby suspending operation of the furnace system70. In alternative embodiments, the pressure sensor166may normally be in the open configuration to interrupt flow of electric power to the furnace system70. In such embodiments, the vacuum being below the threshold pressure may drive the pressure sensor166to the closed configuration to enable flow of electrical power to the furnace system70and enable operation of the furnace system70. The vacuum exceeding the threshold pressure may adjust the pressure sensor166to the open configuration to interrupt the flow of electrical power to the furnace system70and suspend operation of the furnace system70. In such embodiments, the step described with respect to block254regarding determining whether the vacuum exceeds the threshold pressure may not be performed. Rather, the pressure within the burner enclosure152may physically adjust the configuration of the pressure sensor166to enable or block flow of electrical power to the furnace system70without having to perform a comparison between the vacuum and the threshold pressure. Furthermore, in such embodiments, the control system156may continue to operate while the operation of the furnace system70is suspended. For example, the control system156may be configured to transmit a notification even though the flow of electrical power to the furnace system70is interrupted.

In embodiments in which one or more steps of the method250may be performed by the control system156communicatively coupled to the pressure sensor166, one or more steps of the method250may be performed by one or more control signals output by the control system156. For example, the control system156may output a control signal to suspend operation of the furnace system70(e.g., by interrupting flow of electrical power to the furnace system70). Further, in certain embodiments of performing the method250via the pressure sensor166and/or via the control system156, the method250may be performed automatically without a user input. In additional or alternative embodiments, the method250may be performed in response to a user input, which may indicate a request to monitor the pressure within the burner enclosure152.

The present disclosure may provide one or more technical effects useful in the operation of an HVAC system. For example, the HVAC system may include a furnace system configured to heat a supply air flow. The furnace system may include a burner assembly configured to provide heat. For instance, the burner assembly may include a premix burner assembly having a burner enclosure configured to receive a fuel/oxidizer mixture and ignite the fuel/oxidizer mixture to produce combustion byproducts. The combustion byproducts may be directed to a heat exchanger, and the supply air flow may be directed across the heat exchanger to enable heat transfer from the combustion byproducts to the supply air flow. The heated supply air flow may be directed to a space to heat the space. A pressure (e.g., a negative pressure) within the burner enclosure may be detected to determine whether the burner enclosure is operating desirably. By way of example, in response to the pressure indicating a vacuum exceeding a threshold pressure (e.g., a threshold negative pressure), the operation of the furnace system may be suspended to enable the undesirable operation of the furnace system to be addressed.

In some embodiments, the furnace system may include a pressure switch configured to adjust between a closed configuration to enable flow of electrical power to operate the furnace system and an open configuration to interrupt the flow of electrical power and suspend operation of the furnace system. As an example, an excessive vacuum pressure within the burner assembly may physically drive the pressure switch to the open configuration, thereby interrupting the flow of electrical power and suspending operation of the furnace system. In additional or alternative embodiments, a control system may be configured to receive data (e.g., from a pressure sensor) indicative of the pressure within the burner enclosure. The control system may compare a vacuum indicated by the pressure to the threshold pressure. In response to a determination that the vacuum exceeds the threshold pressure, the control system may output a control signal to suspend operation of the furnace system, such as a control signal to interrupt flow of electrical power to the furnace system. As such, the furnace system may be blocked from continued undesirable operation. The technical effects and technical problems in the specification are examples and are not limiting. It should be noted that the embodiments described in the specification may have other technical effects and can solve other technical problems.