flue
/fluː
/noun
1A duct for smoke and waste gases produced by a fire, a gas heater, a power station, or other fuel-burning installation.British Energy is seeking Government approval to install a flue gas desulphurisation system in two generating units at Eggborough power station, near Selby....
- Poor servicing or installation of appliances, inadequate ventilation or blocked flues are usually to blame.
- However, Jon Goodwin, for the board, said work on items such as an extractor fan, fire door, gas flue and expansion joints was incomplete.
Synonyms
duct, tube, passage, channel, canal, conduit, shaft, air passage, airway, vent, well;
funnel, chimney, chimney stack, smokestack;
pipe, pipeline, outlet, inlet
1.1A channel for conveying heat.These models will have multiple flues for greater heat transfer surface, or a more submerged combustion chamber (so heat doesn't escape to the air, but is transferred to the water instead)....
- Older boilers send a lot of the heat they generate out of the flue into the air.
- As time progressed, these pots evolved into elaborate contraptions made of tin plates with flues and bends to increase heat contact, thus decreasing boiling time.
Origin
Late Middle English (denoting the mouthpiece of a hunting horn): of unknown origin. Current senses date from the late 16th century.