Blower housing with inlet guide

Abstract

A blower for a furnace is provided with an inlet guide to increase efficiency and pressure output of the blower. The blower includes a blower housing with an inlet opening and an outlet discharge opening. A cylindrical wall is provided around the inlet opening and projects into a hollow interior of the blower housing. A radial wall extends outward form the cylindrical wall toward the discharge outlet opening to prevent recirculation of gases from the outlet to the inlet during operation of the blower.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A housing for a furnace blower, the housing comprising: 
 a housing end wall having opposite interior and exterior surfaces and a peripheral edge with a volute shape, an inlet opening through the end wall spaced from the peripheral edge, and an outlet channel having opposite inner and outer walls with the outer wall projecting tangentially from the end wall peripheral edge and the inner wall merging with the peripheral edge through a “U”-shaped transition; and    a cylindrical wall extending around a center axis of the inlet opening and projecting axially from the end wall interior surface, the cylindrical wall having an interior diameter dimension that is less than half of an interior dimension of the housing measured across the end wall from the “U”-shaped transition, across the inlet opening center axis to the end wall peripheral edge opposite the center axis from the “U”-shaped transition.    
     
     
         2 . The housing of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the inlet opening is circular and the inlet opening and the cylindrical wall have interior diameter dimensions that are equivalent.    
     
     
         3 . The housing of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a radial wall projects axially from the end wall interior surface and extends between the cylindrical wall and the “U”-shaped transition.    
     
     
         4 . The housing of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 the cylindrical wall and the radial wall have axial dimensions that are equivalent.    
     
     
         5 . The housing of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 the radial wall is a straight wall.    
     
     
         6 . The housing of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 the radial wall is positioned in a plane that also contains the inlet opening center axis.    
     
     
         7 . The housing of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 the cylindrical wall and the radial wall are integrally connected to each other and are integrally connected to the end wall interior surface and the “U”-shaped transition.    
     
     
         8 . The housing of  claim 3 , wherein: 
 the cylindrical wall, the radial wall, and the housing end wall are one monolithic piece.    
     
     
         9 . The housing of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 an impeller is mounted for rotation in the housing and is axially spaced from the cylindrical wall.    
     
     
         10 . A housing for a furnace blower, the housing comprising: 
 a housing end wall having opposite interior and exterior surfaces and a peripheral edge that spirals around the end wall, an inlet opening through the end wall spaced from the peripheral edge, and an outlet channel having opposite inner and outer walls with the outer wall projecting tangentially from the end wall peripheral edge and the inner wall merging with the peripheral edge through a “U”-shaped transition;    a cylindrical wall extending around a center axis of the inlet opening and projecting axially from the end wall interior surface, the cylindrical wall having a diameter dimension; and    an impeller mounted for rotation in the housing around the inlet opening center axis and the cylindrical wall, the impeller having a diameter dimension that is at least twice as large as the cylindrical wall diameter dimension.    
     
     
         11 . The housing of  claim 10 , wherein: 
 the impeller outer diameter dimension ranges from 4¾″ and 5″ and the cylindrical wall outer diameter dimensions ranges from 1⅞″ and 2⅛″.    
     
     
         12 . The housing of  claim 11 , wherein: 
 the impeller has an axial height of between 1.700″ and 1.900″.    
     
     
         13 . The housing of  claim 10 , wherein: 
 a radial wall projects axially from the end wall interior surface and extends between the cylindrical wall and the “U”-shaped transition.    
     
     
         14 . The housing of  claim 13 , wherein: 
 the cylindrical wall and the radial wall have axial dimensions that are equivalent.    
     
     
         15 . The housing of  claim 14 , wherein: 
 the cylindrical wall, the radial wall, and the end wall are one monolithic piece.    
     
     
         16 . The housing of  claim 10 , wherein: 
 the impeller is axially spaced from the cylindrical wall.    
     
     
         17 . A housing for a furnace blower, the housing comprising: 
 a housing first end wall having opposite interior and exterior surfaces and a peripheral edge that spirals around the first end wall, an inlet opening having a center axis passing through the first end wall, and an outlet channel having opposite inner and outer walls with the outlet channel outer wall projecting tangentially from the peripheral edge and the outlet channel inner wall merging with the peripheral edge through a “U”-shaped transition;    a housing second end wall having opposite interior and exterior surfaces and a peripheral edge that spirals around the second end wall, a shaft opening coaxial with the inlet opening passing through the second end wall, and an outlet channel having opposite inner and outer walls with the outer wall projecting tangentially from the peripheral edge and the inner wall merging with the peripheral edge through a “U”-shaped transition;    a sidewall connecting the peripheral edge of the first end wall with the peripheral edge of the second end wall and together with the first and second end walls defining a hollow interior of the housing; and    an impeller mounted for rotation in the hollow interior of the housing, the impeller having first and second annular walls adjacent the respective first and second end walls, and portions of the first and second end walls that are adjacent the impeller first and second annular walls are entirely planar.    
     
     
         18 . The housing of  claim 17 , wherein: 
 a radial wall projects axially from the first end wall interior surface and extends between the cylindrical wall and the “U”-shaped transition of the first end wall.    
     
     
         19 . The housing of  claim 18 , wherein: 
 the cylindrical wall and the radial wall have axial dimensions that are equivalent.    
     
     
         20 . The housing of  claim 17 , wherein: 
 the cylindrical wall has an outside diameter dimension and the impeller has an outside diameter dimension that is at least twice as large as the cylindrical wall outside diameter dimension.