U.S. patent application number 14/342385 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-16 for liquid heating device.
This patent application is currently assigned to ECODROP. The applicant listed for this patent is ECODROP. Invention is credited to Gerard Curien.
Application Number | 20140308027 14/342385 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46639629 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140308027 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Curien; Gerard |
October 16, 2014 |
LIQUID HEATING DEVICE
Abstract
The device for heating liquid generates steam, receives a fluid
in liquid form at its inlet, and ejects the fluid heated up or in
gaseous form at its outlet. The device includes a heater positioned
inside a sleeve having a longitudinal axis. There is a scraper that
fits onto the heater to scrape it the heater in case of movement
along the longitudinal axis. A stopper fits snugly between the
heater and the sleeve in order to stopper the passage. The scraper,
the stopper, and a spring are configured so that an increase in
pressure causes the scraper and the stopper to move along the
longitudinal axis so that the stopper is shifted to a point where
space between the heater and the sleeve allows fluid to pass, and a
reduction in pressure causes a shift in the opposite direction by
the spring.
Inventors: |
Curien; Gerard; (Housseras,
FR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ECODROP |
Chaumousey |
|
FR |
|
|
Assignee: |
ECODROP
Chaumousey
FR
|
Family ID: |
46639629 |
Appl. No.: |
14/342385 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
July 25, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR12/51760 |
371 Date: |
March 2, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
392/398 ;
122/379; 134/8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F22B 1/282 20130101;
F22B 1/284 20130101; F22D 1/006 20130101; F28G 1/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
392/398 ;
122/379; 134/8 |
International
Class: |
F22B 1/28 20060101
F22B001/28; F28G 1/08 20060101 F28G001/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 25, 2011 |
FR |
11 56745 |
Claims
1. Device for heating a liquid, comprising: an inlet for receiving
a fluid; an outlet for ejecting the; a heating means with a
cylindrical external shape arranged within a sleeve having a
longitudinal axis; an element internally inserted onto the heating
means and in space separating the heating means from an internal
surface of the sleeve, said element creating disturbances in flow
of fluid in said space, said element being comprised of a scraper
engaging the heating means so as to scrape the heating means during
a movement along said longitudinal axis; a stopper, closely fitting
between the heating means and the sleeve, said stopper having a
closed position of a passage in at least one position of said
stopper; and yet a spring, said scraper, said stopper and said
spring being configured such that an increase of pressure of
entering fluid generates a movement along said longitudinal axis of
the scraper and the stopper so as to move said stopper to a point
where space between the heating means and the sleeve allows said
fluid to pass, wherein a decrease in the pressure of the entering
fluid generates a displacement in the opposite direction thanks to
said spring.
2. Device according to claim 1, wherein said scraper scrapes both
an external surface of the heating means and the internal surface
of the sleeve.
3. Device according to claim 2, wherein said scraper has a helical
shape with non-joining spires.
4. Device according to claim 1, wherein said stopper has a helical
shape with joining spires.
5. Device according to claim 1, wherein said scraper and said
stopper are two portions of one single part.
6. Device according to claim 1, wherein said scraper, said stopper
and said spring are three portions of one single part.
7. Device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said
scraper, said stopper and said spring has a cross-section having a
shape of a circular crown in a plane perpendicular to said
longitudinal axis.
8. Device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said
scraper, said stopper and said spring has a cross-section having a
shape of a rectangular or square crown in a plane perpendicular to
said longitudinal axis.
9. Device according to claim 1, wherein said scraper comprised of a
helical winding of an element having a rectangular or square
cross-section.
10. Method for automatically cleaning a heater having a cylindrical
external shape using a device according to claim 1, said method
comprising the following steps: supplying fluid in liquid form;
heating said fluid to vaporization, increasing volume of fluid on
an inlet side of said device; displacement along the longitudinal
axis of the stopper and the scraper, producing a first scraping of
the heating means, until fluid passes to the outlet, generating a
pressure drop at the inlet; and displacement in The an opposite
direction of the stopper, until said stopper is closed, generating
a second scraping of the heating means.
Description
RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] The present invention falls within the field of heating of
liquid, in particular heating of water, and generation of
steam.
[0006] The invention is related in particular, but not
restrictively, to the field of electrical household appliances such
as iron, coffee maker and the like, as well as to household or
industrial appliances for cleaning a surface by steam
sputtering.
[0007] Such devices will find a preferred application in the
framework of cleaning and degreasing of surfaces, for example,
non-restrictively, of textiles, walls or windows, or also in the
domestic setting, namely for uncreasing textiles.
[0008] As is known, such a device transforms the water contained in
a steam tank by heating, with putting or not under pressure, so as
to expel the steam through a conduit to an opening, usually
provided with a nozzle.
[0009] The present invention is related more generally to any field
of heating of fluid, in particular water, and steam generation.
[0010] 2. Description of Related Art Including Information
Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
[0011] There are already known devices for heating water, which
also permit to generate steam. They generally include a heating
resistor placed in an external cover, or heating body, which is in
the form of a sleeve. Water is then caused to enter under
well-adjusted conditions from an upstream side between the outer
sleeve and the heating resistor. The water is heated in contact
with the resistance, then turns into steam before exiting in the
form of vapor from the downstream side.
[0012] A first drawback of these devices resides in that the
hot-water flow-rate depends on the water-supply rate and the
heating capacities of the resistor. It should be noted that it is
possible to cope with this drawback by causing the liquid to flow
inside the heating body in a non-rectilinear way from upstream to
downstream, which is achieved by creating hindrances inside the
heating body. However, such a design has limits, in particular in
that these hindrances are applied against the wall of the heating
body, which is expensive, or they are arranged centrally, which
involves arranging the resistor inside the heating body, with a
loss of performance.
[0013] Another drawback of the steam generators resides in the
fouling of the heating resistors, namely with limestone contained
in the water. As the limestone is accumulated on the heating
resistor, the heating efficiency decreases, and after a time of
operation, the heating is not sufficient to turn water into steam.
Or the flow-rate of incoming water and therefore of the steam
produced must be reduced in an unacceptable way. The device must
then be disassembled and the resistor cleaned. Moreover, when
limestone has accumulated, it is not easy to remove it.
[0014] It should be noted that it is known, from EP 0,514,271 for
example, to wind on a resistor an element capable of moving
relative to said resistor, according to the movement of the liquid,
so as to carry out a scraping of said resistor. However, the
effectiveness of such an assembly is very poor, because the
scraping is very limited, since it depends on the mobility of the
wound element, in the longitudinal direction and in axial
rotation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention pretends to cope with the
above-mentioned drawbacks, providing a solution permitting to
improve the performances of heating of a liquid at a very low cost,
and in an evolution of this solution, the possibility of
automatically cleaning the heating resistor, thus making it
operational for a much longer time.
[0016] To this end, the invention relates to a device for heating a
liquid, in particular water, comprising a heating means with a
cylindrical external shape arranged within a sleeve having a
longitudinal axis. The word "cylindrical" is understood here in the
mathematical meaning, that is, the cross-section in a plane
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis is identical along this
axis, whereby this cross-section may further be of any shape, in
particular circular, rectangular, square or the like.
[0017] The device is particular in that it internally includes,
inserted over the heating means, in the space separating the latter
from the internal surface of the sleeve, an element designed
capable of creating disturbances in the flow of fluid in said
space.
[0018] The device is also particular in that the element designed
capable of creating disturbances in the flow of fluid has the
functions of a scraper adjusting onto the heating means so as to
scrape it in case of a movement along said longitudinal axis, a
stopper, closely fitting between the heating means and the sleeve
so as to close its passage in at least one position of said
stopper, and a spring, said scraper, stopper and spring being
configured such that an increase of the pressure of the entering
fluid generates a movement along said longitudinal axis of the
scraper and the stopper so as to move said stopper to a point where
the space between the heating means and the sleeve is such that it
allows said fluid to pass, and that a decrease in the pressure of
the entering fluid generates a displacement in the opposite
direction thanks to said restoring spring. Thanks to these
provisions, the heating means is periodically cleaned in a fully
automatic way.
[0019] According to further features : [0020] said scraper can be
configured to scrape both the external surface of the heating means
and the internal surface of the sleeve, [0021] said scraper may
have a helical shape with non-joining spires, which permits to
allow the fluid to be introduced between the spires, until it
reaches the stopper, [0022] said stopper may have a helical shape
with joining spires, [0023] said scraper and said stopper may be
two portions of one single part, thus simplifying the device,
[0024] said scraper, said stopper and said spring can be three
portions of one single part, further simplifying the device, [0025]
said scraper, said stopper and/or said spring can have a
cross-section having the shape of a circular ring in a plane
perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, which facilitates the
manufacture of these or this part ; the shape can also be that of a
rectangular or square ring, or the like, [0026] said scraper is in
the form of a helical winding of an element having a rectangular or
square cross-section.
[0027] In its simplified version, the invention consists in using a
simple spring, inserted onto the resistor, so as to cause the flow
of fluid to follow a helical path.
[0028] In its more complex version with the possibility of
scraping, the spring has particular characteristics.
[0029] The present invention also relates to a method for
automatically cleaning a heating means with a cylindrical external
shape using a device according to the invention and comprising the
following steps : [0030] supplying fluid in liquid form [0031]
heating the fluid up to its vaporization, which increases the
volume of fluid on the inlet side of said device [0032]
displacement along the longitudinal axis of the stopper and the
scraper, producing a first scraping of the heating means, until
allowing the fluid to pass to the outlet, which generates an
pressure drop at the inlet of the device [0033] displacement in the
opposite direction of the stopper, until it is closed, generating a
second scraping of the heating means.
[0034] Further features and advantages of the invention will become
clear from the following detailed description, which refers to an
embodiment given by way of an indication and non-restrictively.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] The understanding of this description will be facilitated
when referring to the attached drawings.
[0036] FIG. 1 represents a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional
view of a device according to the invention, in a first
position.
[0037] FIG. 2 represents a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional
view of the device of FIG. 1, in a second position.
[0038] FIG. 3 represents a schematic cross-sectional view of the
device of FIG. 1.
[0039] FIG. 4 represents a schematic cross-sectional view of a
device according to the invention, according to a second
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0040] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the attached drawing, the
present invention relates to a device 1 for heating a fluid, and
also for generating steam, comprising a heating resistor 2 arranged
in the sleeve-shaped heating body 3 having a longitudinal axis 4.
The device 1 is connected at its inlet 5 to a water inlet E, and
ejects the water steam V generated at its outlet 6.
[0041] It should be noted that the heating element 3 may, in one
embodiment, not shown, also incorporate heating means.
[0042] The device 1 comprises a helically shaped scraper 7 with
non-joining spires, a helically shaped stopper 8 with joining
spires, and a spring 9. The fluid, which is water E being gradually
transformed into a gaseous state so as to become vapor V, enters
through the inlet 5 into the space located between the heating
resistor 2 and the sleeve 3. The fluid enters between the spires of
the scraper 7 until it reaches the spires of the stopper 8. There
the fluid is blocked and cannot go to the outlet 6. Through the
effect of heating and vaporization of the water E, the fluid volume
increases, and the pressure exerted onto the stopper 8 also
increases, causing its displacement toward the outlet 6, while
compressing the spring 9. When the displacement is sufficient to
allow the fluid to pass (see FIG. 2) the fluid that has become
vapor V is discharged to the outlet 6, where said steam V is used
according to the desired application. At the same time, on the
inlet side 5, since the fluid escaped, the pressure has dropped,
nothing pushes the stopper 8 to the outlet 6. The spring 9, which
has been compressed, is then released and brings the stopper 8 and
the scraper 7 into their initial position, and a similar cycle can
start. During each round trip of the stopper 8 through the increase
in pressure of the vapor V on the entrance side 5, then through the
escape of steam V to the outlet 6 under the action of the spring 9,
the scraper 7 cleans the cylindrical external surface of the
heating resistor 2 through its longitudinal movement.
[0043] The term cylindrical is to be understood here in its
mathematical meaning: the external shape of the heating means 2
should be cylindrical in that it has the same cross-section along
the whole longitudinal displacement. This can be a circular
cylinder (see FIG. 3) or a square cylinder (see FIG. 4) or any
other geometrical shape, provided that shape is the same all along
the heating means 2, so that when the scraper 7 moves along the
longitudinal axis 4 it matches the external shape of the heating
means 2 along its displacement.
[0044] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cross-section 7
of the scraper completely fills the available cross-section between
the heating resistor 2 and the sleeve 3. This embodiment has the
advantage that the scraper 7 also cleans the inner face of the
sleeve 3 at each of its longitudinal movements. In an embodiment
not shown, the scraper 7 can also match the external shape of the
heating means 2, but be at a distance from the sleeve 3. The fluid
can then pass through the space left free, and abut directly on the
stopper 8. Indeed, the fouling, namely by limestone, is much more
significant on the hottest surface, which is that of the heating
means 2. It can be chosen to implement the automatic cleaning only
on that surface, without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
[0045] The stopper 8 must necessarily close the whole space between
the heating means 2 and the sleeve 3, so as to prevent the fluid
from passing towards the outlet 6 as long as the movement of the
stopper 8, and hence of the scraper 7, towards the outlet 6 has not
been performed.
[0046] In the embodiment shown, the sleeve 3 is also cylindrical,
but longer than the heating means 2, in order to leave a space
where the stopper 8 can be accommodated for allowing the fluid to
pass. In another embodiment not shown, the sleeve 3 may be widened
towards the outlet 6, so that when the stopper 8 arrives in front
of the widening of the sleeve 3, the fluid can escape.
[0047] Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the spring 9 has the
same outer and inner diameter as the stopper 8 and the scraper 7.
In another embodiment, this spring 9 may have a different shape,
provided that it performs its function for restoring the stopper 8
into its initial position, which drives the scraper 7, which
generates the cleaning of the heating means 2.
[0048] The advantage of the present invention resides in particular
in that the heating means 2 and, as the case may be, the inside of
the sleeve 3 are automatically and periodically cleaned. Limestone
has no time to accumulate, and the efficiency of the heating is
therefore constant.
[0049] It should be noted that, preferably, the scraper 7 consists
of a helical winding of an element having a square or rectangular
cross-section, so as to have, on the side of the heating means 2,
two ridges 70 and 71 and on the side of the sleeve 3, two ridges 72
and 73, which permit to increase the scraping function.
[0050] Advantageously and as shown, the scraper 7, the stopper 8
and the spring 9 are portions of one single spring-shaped part
inserted onto the heating means and having areas having particular
characteristics so as to match these different portions.
[0051] Although the invention has been described with reference to
a particular embodiment, it is understood that it is in no way
limited thereto and that various changes in shapes, materials and
combinations of these various elements can be made without thereby
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
* * * * *