Vessel construction employing multiple internal heat exchange tubes

Claim 1

A method of manufacture of a water heater tank of the type including a tank body, heat exchange tubes positioned in the body and headers attached to the opposite ends of the tubes to enclose a volume within the body, comprising the steps of: (a) forming first and second opposed headers of identical shape and a separate, uniform constant transverse dimension, the first one of the headers defining a uniform constant transverse dimension smaller than the transverse dimension of the second header; (b) metallurgically affixing a plurality of tubes through the opposed headers to provide a header and tube subassembly; (c) forming a tubular body having a uniform cross sectional interior shape along the length of the body identical to the shape of the headers and further forming the body with two transverse dimension regions, for slidable and adjustable receipt of the headers, with one region of the body being formed with a uniform, constant transverse dimension to slidably receive the first, smaller header only and the other region of the body being formed with a uniform, constant transverse dimension to slidably receive the second header; coating the portion of the header and tube subassembly that forms the interior of water heater tank with a protective material; (e) initially inserting the first header and tube subassembly into the larger end of the tubular body and then slidably positioning said subassembly with the first, smaller header received and circumferentially retained by the smaller dimension portion of the body and the other, second header received and circumferentially retained by the other relatively larger dimensioned portion of the body; and (f) metallurgically affixing the headers to the body to form an enclosed tank.

Claim 2

A method of manufacture of a water heater tank of the type including a tank body, heat exchange tubes positioned in the body and headers attached to the opposite ends of the tubes to enclose a volume within the body, comprising the steps of: (a) forming first and second opposed headers of identical shape and a separate, uniform constant transverse dimension, the first one of the headers defining a uniform constant transverse dimension smaller than the transverse dimension of the second header; (b) metallurgically affixing a plurality of tubes through the opposed headers to provide a header and tube subassembly; (c) forming a tubular body having a uniform cross sectional interior shape along the length of the body identical to the shape of the headers and further forming the body with two transverse dimension regions, for slidable and adjustable receipt of the headers, with one region of the body being formed with a uniform, constant transverse dimension to slidably receive the first, smaller header only and the other region of the body being formed with a uniform, constant transverse dimension to slidably receive the second header; coating the portion of the header and tube subassembly that forms the interior of water heater tank with a protective material; (e) initially inserting the first header and tube subassembly into the larger end of the tubular body and then slidably positioning said subassembly with the first, smaller header received and circumferentially retained by the smaller dimension portion of the body and the other, second header received and circumferentially retained by the other relatively larger dimensioned portion of the body; and (f) metallurgically affixing the headers to the body to form an enclosed tank.