Methods for regulating a heating device, which includes a combustion chamber, into which combustion air is introduced via a controllable blower. An operating variable and a speed of the blower are measured. An operating coefficient is determined on the basis of the measured operating variable and the measured speed. A volume flow coefficient is determined on the basis of reference values for the operating coefficient. A volume flow of the combustion air being determined on the basis of the volume flow coefficient. A calibration of the reference values is carried out for the operating coefficient.

A system for controlling digital gas valves of an appliance utilizing a configurable duty cycle that includes a configurable ON time, a configurable cycle period and one or more configurable burner power level variables. In some instances, the configurable duty cycle may be configured at least in part by operation of a control knob, and in some instances, multiple burner power levels may be specified such that cycling may be performed between multiple burner power levels.

The invention relates to a flame monitor (2, 2′, 2″, 2′″) for monitoring at least one sub-region (18) of a combustion chamber (1) for the presence of a flame (4), comprising: a flame sensor (16) for sensing a physical variable of a flame (4), in particular an intensity of electromagnetic radiation, and for generating an associated electrical sensor signal (26), a dual-channel analyser circuit (28, 28′, 28″), connected downstream from the flame sensor (16), for determining whether the sensor signal (26) generated by the flame sensor (16) corresponds to a flame (4) and for outputting a safety-oriented output signal (EXTS1) indicating the presence or absence of a flame (4), wherein the dual-channel analyser circuit (28, 28′, 28″) comprises: a first channel (28-1) configured to process the sensor signal (26), said channel comprising a first analogue-digital converter (32) in an analogue circuit (30), a first microcontroller (36) belonging to a digital diagnostic comparator unit (34, 34′, 34″, 34′″), for analysing a first signal obtained from the first analogue-digital converter (32), and a first relay (40) in a relay circuit (42, 42″), which relay (40) is controlled by the first microcontroller (36), and a second channel (28-2) configured to process the sensor signal (26), said channel comprising a second analogue-digital converter (44) in the analogue circuit (30), a second microcontroller (46) belonging to the digital diagnostic comparator unit (34, 34′, 34″, 34′″), for analysing a second signal obtained from the second analogue-digital converter (44), and a second relay (50) in the relay circuit (42, 42″), which relay (50) is controlled by the second microcontroller (46), wherein the diagnostic comparator unit (34, 34′, 34″, 34′″) is configured to compare a first result of analysis from the first microcontroller (36) and a second result of analysis from the second microcontroller (46) and to influence the output signal (EXTS1), depending on the result of the comparison, characterised in that the diagnostic comparator unit (34, 34′, 34″, 34′″) is configured to compare a signal (D1, D2; FB1, FB2) obtained from one of the two channels (28-1, 28-2) with an associated expected value, with the aid of both the first microcontroller (36) and the second micr

A flame sensing system, a flame sensing unit, and a method for sensing a flame are described. The flame sensing system includes a flame sense probe and a power regulating device. The power regulating device is configured to generate a regulated voltage from an input voltage received from a power source and to output the regulated voltage to the flame sense probe such that a flame current along a flame can be measured. The flame sensing system also includes a flame current detector to measure the flame current and generate an output voltage corresponding to the flame current, and a first level detector to generate a flame strength output signal based on the output voltage, where the flame strength output signal is indicative of a strength of a flame.

A water heater may include a water tank, a burner, a pilot for igniting the burner, an ignitor for igniting the pilot, a thermoelectric device in thermal communication with a flame of the pilot, a controller for controlling an ignition sequence of the pilot using the ignitor, and a rechargeable power storage device for supplying power to the ignitor and the controller. The rechargeable power storage device may be rechargeable using the energy produced by the thermoelectric device. The controller is configured to selectively run only the pilot for at least part of a heating cycle to increase the recharge time of the rechargeable power storage device while still heating the water in the water heater.

A heater having a burner, a first heat exchanger associated with the burner, a second heat exchanger above the first heat exchanger in fluid cooperation with the first heat exchanger and an ambient air intake blower above the second heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger comprises angularly disposed finned section so condensate within the second heat exchanger flows to a collection point and is collected in a trap. The trap includes a sensor to sense buildup of fluid in the trap with feedback to the heater controls. The heater may include a collection pan below the heat exchangers in fluid communication with the trap. In one aspect the collection pan may include a heating element to vaporize the fluid so that heated, humidified air is expelled through vents adjacent the base of the heater. In another aspect, the pan includes an ultrasonic vaporization element to vaporize fluid in the pan.

A burner appliance is disclosed. The burner appliance includes a byproduct sensor in an exhaust flue and/or a barometric pressure sensor to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance. By calculating concentrations of combustion byproducts in the exhaust with the byproduct sensor, a controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. By calculating the environmental pressure at the burner with the barometric pressure sensor, the controller can adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to modify combustion efficiency. The barometric-pressure data can also be used to adjust blower speed control bands, thereby calibrating the control bands based on environmental pressure. The environmental pressure can be indicative of altitude and/or weather conditions. Methods of operating said burner appliance are also disclosed.

Disclosed is a control system for controlling the feed of a solid fuel in a combustion process. The system includes a control unit which is adapted to communicate by way of a communications link in the system, to receive from online measuring instruments online measurement data regarding a fuel coming from a fuel reception unit, and to control a feeding unit for delivering the measured fuel into a fuel silo on the basis of its content model and measurement data.

The present invention concerns an indication apparatus and corresponding method to indicate the output level of a pilot flame in a gas appliance provided with a thermocouple suitable to convert the energy generated by a pilot flame, which receives gas from a pilot valve, into electric voltage to power an electro valve of the pilot valve and to keep the latter open. The apparatus comprises a first and a second connector suitable to be coupled with a positive terminal and with a negative terminal of the thermocouple, a voltage measurement circuit connected to the first and the second connector, a lighting device configured to provide a light signal, a controller device coupled with the voltage measurement circuit and with the lighting device and configured to determine the switching on of the lighting device on the basis of the output supplied by the voltage measurement circuit to provide a user with an indication of when the voltage generated by the thermocouple is greater than or equal to a predefined value sufficient to power the electro valve.

Methods and systems for programming and controlling a control system of a gas valve assembly. The methods and systems include programming a control system in an automated manner to establish an air-fuel ratio based at least in part on a burner firing rate. The established air-fuel ratio may be configured to facilitate meeting a combustion constituent set point of combustion constituents in the combustion exhaust. The methods and systems include controlling operation of a combustion appliance based on closed-loop control techniques and utilizing feedback from a sensor measuring combustion constituents in exhaust from a combustion chamber in the combustion appliance. The combustion constituents on which control of the combustion appliance may be determined include oxygen and/or carbon dioxide.