Can someone explain the heat exchanger of a wood stove?

Answer 1

As the name says, a heat exchanger is a device to transfer heat between two independent systems. A cars radiator would be on example of a heat exchanger. Hot water from the engine flows throw a radiator where external air passing over the radiator draws off heat - in effect "exchanging" heat between the sealed water system and the external air.

In the case of woodstove, heat exchangers are typically water heating systems. A water line will loop around/behind/inside of the wood stove. The loops/zig-zag's are there to maximize the amount of pipe exposed to the stove's heat. As water passes through this heated stretch of pipe, it in turn is heated. From the stove, the water returns to a storage tank. In some cases this is the only source of heat for the household hot water system. In others, it serves as an auxiliary heat source for a standard water heater, reducing the heater's reliance on it's own heat source (gas/electric/oil).

Here's an article about wood stove water heating systems, complete with diagrams.
http://hearth.com/what/woodstovedhw.html

Answer 2

My mum used to have a wood stove that water ran through. In the 1950's my dad an dmum made a solar water heater using some glass, coppertube, black paint, a water tank... their wood stove... the water tank was in the roof and gravity fed to the shower, bath, vanity and kitchen sink. The wood stove would heat the water at floor level and by convection this would travel through the pipe into the roof space... teh solar panel would have a similar effect. I remember as a child we never had a lot fo water pressure but man it sure did get hot.

A heat exhangeer in a wood stove... it wouldnt matter if it was water or air.. the fact is that it induces movement by reason that hot air/water is ever so slightly lighter than cold air/water causing circulation. In a wood heater.. stick a fan on that and you get hot air blown out whilst cold air is drawn in.


Something like that, I suppose..

Answer 3

Perhaps I misunderstood your question. Are you talking about an exchanger for water or hot air. For air, there is usually a fan motor that pushes air through a series of tubes. The air gets hot and exits the tubes into the room and heats it.