U.S. patent application number 13/297624 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-17 for bi-heating water tank.
Invention is credited to Alessandro Seccareccia, Nicola Seccareccia.
Application Number | 20120121237 13/297624 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46047831 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120121237 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Seccareccia; Alessandro ; et
al. |
May 17, 2012 |
BI-HEATING WATER TANK
Abstract
A bi-heating hot water tank comprising a first compartment
including a water inlet for receiving cold water, and a second
compartment including a heating element for heating water. The two
compartments are in fluid communication with each other whereby the
second compartment receives the water from the first compartment.
The hot water is discharged from the second compartment using a
conduit that passes within the first compartment prior to exiting
the water tank to preheat the water in the first compartment prior
to entering the second compartment. This arrangement allows for
reducing the operation time of the heating element, and for
providing hot water at higher temperatures and for longer periods
of time.
Inventors: |
Seccareccia; Alessandro;
(Montreal, CA) ; Seccareccia; Nicola; (Montreal,
CA) |
Family ID: |
46047831 |
Appl. No.: |
13/297624 |
Filed: |
November 16, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61414554 |
Nov 17, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
392/450 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24H 9/124 20130101;
F24H 1/201 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
392/450 |
International
Class: |
F24H 1/18 20060101
F24H001/18 |
Claims
1. A water heater comprising: a first compartment comprising a
water inlet for receiving water from a water source; a second
compartment; a first conduit for connecting between the first
compartment and the second compartment for filling the second
compartment with water received from the first compartment; a
heating element provided in the second compartment for heating the
water in the second compartment; a second conduit for discharging
hot water from the water heater, said second conduit having a hot
water inlet provided in the second compartment; said second conduit
extends through the first compartment prior to exiting the water
heater; wherein the heated water exiting the water heater in the
second conduit preheats the water in the first compartment prior to
entering the second compartment.
2. The water heater of claim 1, wherein a portion of the second
conduit that circulates within the first compartment defines a
helix.
3. The water heater of claim 2, wherein the first conduit is
provided within an inner circumference of the second conduit.
4. The water heater of claim 2, wherein the first conduit is
coaxial with the helix defined by the second conduit.
5. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the first compartment has a
first volume which is smaller than a second volume of the second
compartment.
6. The water heater of claim 5, wherein the first volume forms
about 35% to about 40% of a sum of the first volume and the second
volume.
7. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the first compartment and
the second compartment are substantially equal in size.
8. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the first conduit and the
second conduit extend through a surface that is common between the
first compartment and the second compartment.
9. The water heater of claim 8, wherein the surface is made of a
heat conductive material.
10. The water heater of claim 1, wherein: an outlet of the first
conduit is provided at an upper region of the second compartment;
the heating element is provided at a lower region of the second
compartment; and an inlet of the second conduit is provided
adjacent the heating element.
11. The water heater of claim 1, further comprising a second heater
in the first compartment.
12. A water heater comprising: a first compartment comprising a
water inlet for receiving water from a water source; a second
compartment comprising a heating element for heating water received
from the first compartment; the second compartment being greater in
size than the second compartment; and a hot water conduit for
discharging hot water from the second compartment; wherein the hot
water conduit circulates within the first compartment prior to
exiting the water heater for pre-heating the water in the first
compartment prior to entering into the second compartment.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. provisional
application No. 61/414554 filed on Nov. 17, 2010, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] (a) Field
[0003] The subject matter disclosed generally relates to a hot
water tank.
[0004] (b) Related Prior Art
[0005] Conventional hot water tanks define a compartment in which
water is heated. A typical hot water tank includes a water inlet
for receiving the cold water, a water outlet from which the hot
water exits the tank, and a heating element for heating the water
to a pre-determined temperature.
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional hot water tank 90. The
tank 90 defines a water compartment 91, a water inlet 92, a water
outlet 94 and a heating element 96. The heating element is
controlled by a thermostat (which is not shown). Although simple,
this design has several drawbacks.
[0007] In a conventional hot water tank, such as that shown in FIG.
1, the hot water discharged through the outlet 94 is replaced by
cold water through the inlet 92. The difference in temperature
between the hot water exiting the tank 90 and the cold water
entering the tank 90 is significant (may reach up to 60.degree.),
and thus, the temperature of the water within the compartment 91
decreases faster. With this type of conventional heaters, the user
is obliged to either wait for sometime before being able to use the
hot water again, or to use the water at mild temperatures.
Therefore, the energy becomes diluted and the user does not obtain
a return of water that is equal to the amount of energy spent in
heating the water.
[0008] Another problem associated with the conventional tanks is
that, due to the water becoming cold faster, the heating element 96
operates for long and continuous periods of time, which reduces the
life of the heating element, and results in an in-efficient use of
energy.
[0009] Several attempts have been made to address this issue. For
instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,292 (Ferraro et al.) describes a heat
exchange system 10 including a hot water tank through which a pipe
26 circulates to heat the water passing through the pipe 26. An
example of this system is illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG.
2, the hot water tank 10 of Ferraro includes two compartments 16
and 18 including heating elements 24 and 22, respectively. The
water contained in the hot water tank 10 does not leave the hot
water tank 10 in a pipe to be used, but rather circulates up and
down between the two compartments 16 and 18 following arrows 52 and
47 for exchanging heat between the two compartments and with the
circulating pipe 26. Cold water is injected in the pipe 26, and
becomes heated upon circulating within the upper compartment
16.
[0010] In the system of Ferraro, only a fraction of the energy
spent in heating is being used through heat exchange with the pipe
26. Furthermore, there is always a tradeoff between the temperature
of the hot water output from the pipe 26 and the size of the water
tank 10. In particular, the pipe 26 has to circulate for a long
distance within the upper compartment 16 in order to increases the
surface of contact between the pipe 26 and the hot water to heat
the water passing within the pipe. When the volume of the pipe
within the upper compartment 16 increases, the overall volume of
the upper compartment has to increase to keep the ratio of volumes
between the hot water and pipe high. Otherwise, the water
temperature in the upper compartment 16 would significantly drop
and cease from heating the water passing through the pipe 16.
[0011] Therefore, there is a need for a water tank heater which
provides hot water for longer periods of time in an efficient
manner and without operating the heating element for long periods
of time.
SUMMARY
[0012] According to an embodiment, there is provided a water heater
comprising: a first compartment comprising a water inlet for
receiving water from a water source; a second compartment; a first
conduit for connecting between the first compartment and the second
compartment for filling the second compartment with water received
from the first compartment; a heating element provided in the
second compartment for heating the water in the second compartment;
a second conduit for discharging hot water from the water heater,
said second conduit having a hot water inlet provided in the second
compartment; said second conduit extends through the first
compartment prior to exiting the water heater; wherein the heated
water exiting the water heater in the second conduit preheats the
water in the first compartment prior to entering the second
compartment.
[0013] In an embodiment a portion of the second conduit that
circulates within the first compartment defines a helix.
[0014] In another embodiment, a portion of the second conduit that
circulates within the first compartment defines a helix. It is also
possible to provide the first conduit within an inner circumference
of the second conduit. For example, the first conduit may be
coaxial with the helix defined by the second conduit.
[0015] In an embodiment, the first compartment has a first volume
which is smaller than a second volume of the second compartment.
The first volume may form about 35% to about 40% of a sum of the
first volume and the second volume.
[0016] In an embodiment, the first conduit and the second conduit
extend through a surface that is common between the first
compartment and the second compartment. The surface may be made of
a heat conductive material.
[0017] In a further embodiment, an outlet of the first conduit is
provided at an upper region of the second compartment; the heating
element is provided at a lower region of the second compartment;
and an inlet of the second conduit is provided adjacent the heating
element.
[0018] According to another aspect, there is provided a water
heater comprising: a first compartment comprising a water inlet for
receiving water from a water source; a second compartment
comprising a heating element for heating water received from the
first compartment; the second compartment being greater in size
than the second compartment; and a hot water conduit for
discharging hot water from the second compartment; wherein the hot
water conduit circulates within the first compartment prior to
exiting the water heater for pre-heating the water in the first
compartment prior to entering into the second compartment.
[0019] Features and advantages of the subject matter hereof will
become more apparent in light of the following detailed description
of selected embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying
figures. As will be realized, the subject matter disclosed and
claimed is capable of modifications in various respects, all
without departing from the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the
drawings and the description are to be regarded as illustrative in
nature, and not as restrictive and the full scope of the subject
matter is set forth in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Further features and advantages of the present disclosure
will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken
in combination with the appended drawings, in which:
[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional water heater;
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of another conventional water
heater;
[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates a bi-heating water tank in accordance
with an embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates another example of a bi-heating water
tank, in accordance with another embodiment.
[0025] It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like
features are identified by like reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] The present application describes a bi-heating hot water
tank comprising a first compartment including a water inlet for
receiving cold water, and a second compartment including a heating
element for heating water. The two compartments are in fluid
communication with each other whereby the second compartment
receives the water from the first compartment. The hot water is
discharged from the second compartment using a conduit that passes
within the first compartment prior to exiting the water tank to
preheat the water in the first compartment prior to entering the
second compartment. This arrangement allows for reducing the
operation time of the heating element, and for providing hot water
at higher temperatures and for longer periods of time.
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a bi-heating water tank in
accordance with an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the bi-heating
water tank 60 in accordance with the present embodiment comprises a
first compartment 62, and a second compartment 64. In the present
example, the compartments 64 and 66 are separated by a surface 65.
The two compartments are in fluid communication using a conduit 66.
The first compartment 62 includes an inlet 68 for receiving cold
water from an external source. The hot water tank 60 may include an
insulating jacket provided around the two compartments for reducing
heat losses with the outside environment.
[0028] The second compartment comprises a heating element 70 for
heating the water, and a thermostat (not shown) for controlling the
operation of the heating element 70. The hot water is discharged
from the second compartment 64 using a conduit 72. The conduit 72
receives the hot water from an opening provided in the second
compartment 64 and circulates the hot water within the first
compartment in a helix (or any other suitable shape) to preheat the
water in the first compartment 62 when hot water is being
discharged from the hot water tank 60.
[0029] In operation, when hot water is being discharged from the
second compartment 64 via the conduit 72, the hot water preheats
the water in the first compartment 62 due to the circulation of the
conduit 72 within the first compartment 62. Whereby, the water
transferred from the first compartment 62 becomes preheated prior
to entering the second compartment 64, and thus, the water may be
supplied to the user at higher temperatures for longer periods of
time.
[0030] In an embodiment, the surface 65 may be made of a heat
conductive material that allows heat to be exchanged between the
two compartments 62 and 64, whereby the water in the two
compartments may reach the same/similar temperature over time when
the system stabilizes. When hot water is discharged through the
conduit 72, pre-heated water enters into the second compartment 64
which is replaced by cold water received from the inlet 68. In this
case, the heat exchanged from the hot water in the conduit 72
compensates for the cold water entering via the inlet 68 to keep
providing the second compartment with pre-heated water, whereby the
water may be provided to the user at higher temperatures for longer
periods of time.
[0031] While it is possible to have the two compartments 62 and 64
equal in size, it is preferable to have the first compartment 62
smaller than the second compartment 64. The concept being that with
the extended use of hot water, the temperature of the water in the
first compartment 62 starts to decline. Therefore, to a certain
extent, the amount of water in the first compartment should be
smaller than that in the second compartment for an efficient
preheating of the first compartment water. Experiments have shown
that optimal results may be obtained when the size of first
compartment forms 35% to 40% of the overall size of the two
compartments.
[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a hot water tank 74 in
accordance with another embodiment. In the embodiment of FIG. 4,
the conduit 66 is provided within the inner circumference of the
helix defined by the conduit 72 and preferably coaxial with that
helix. Whereby, first compartment water that has been preheated by
the conduit 72 is sent to the second compartment 64 for reheating
prior to being diluted by the cold water received from the inlet
68. This allows for a constant stream of mild-hot water to be sent
to the second compartment 64 for reheating to the desired
temperatures using the heating element 70.
[0033] In an embodiment, it is possible to use a second heating
element (not shown) and a second thermostat in the first
compartment. The power of the second heating element could be less
than that of the second compartment. The use and power of such
second heating element depends on several factors including the
temperature of the water received at the inlet 68, the amount of
hot water leaving the tank, the duration of use of the hot water,
and the size of the second compartment.
[0034] The water tanks 60 and 74 may also comprise pressure valves
78 and 76 for releasing pressure and air from the first and second
compartments, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, pressure
valve 76 is connected to the second compartment 64 using a pressure
conduit 80.
[0035] In an embodiment, the inlet of the second conduit 72 is
provided adjacent the heating element 70. The heating element may
be provided distant from the outlet of the first conduit 66. In an
embodiment, the outlet of the conduit 66 is provided in the upper
region of the second compartment, and the heating element is
provided in the lower region of the second compartment as
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0036] While preferred embodiments have been described above and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will be evident to
those skilled in the art that modifications may be made without
departing from this disclosure.
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