The invention relates to a fluid-heating apparatus, such as an electric water heater, that can determine a degradation of a heating element of the apparatus, and a method of operating the fluid-heating apparatus.
When an electric-resistance heating element fails in an electric water heater, the operation of the heater is diminished until the element is replaced. This can be an inconvenience to the user of the water heater.
Failure of the electric-resistance element may not be immediate. For example, the element typically has a sheath isolated from an element wire by an insulator, such as packed magnesium oxide. If the sheath is damaged, the insulator can still insulate the wire and prevent a complete failure of the element. However, the insulator does become hydrated over time and the wire eventually shorts, resulting in failure of the element. The invention, in at least one embodiment, detects the degradation of the heating element due to a damaged sheath prior to failure of the heating element. The warning of the degradation to the element prior to failure of the element allows the user to replace the element with little downtime on his appliance.
A heating element generates heat that can be transferred to water surrounding the heating element. Water can dissipate much of the heat energy produced by the heating element. The temperature of the heating element rises rapidly initially when power is applied and then the rate of temperature rise slows until the temperature of the heating element remains relatively constant. Should power be applied to the heating element prior to the water heater being filled with water or should a malfunction occur in which the water in the water heater is not at a level high enough to surround the heating element, a potential condition known as “dry-fire” exists. Because there is no water surrounding the heating element to dissipate the heat, the heating element can heat up to a temperature that causes the heating element to fail. Failure can occur in a matter of only seconds. Therefore, it is desirable to detect a dry-fire condition quickly, before damage to the heating element occurs.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of controlling a fluid-heating apparatus. The fluid-heating apparatus includes a heating element for heating a fluid surrounding the heating element and a control circuit connected to the heating element and connectable to a power source. The control circuit includes a switch connected in a current path from the power source to the heating element back to the power source, and a current sensor. The method includes initiating a heating state of the fluid-heating apparatus by establishing a current in the current path, the establishing act comprising making the switch to allow current in the current path; initiating a non-heating state and ceasing the heating state of the fluid-heating apparatus by ceasing the current in the current path, the ceasing act comprising breaking the switch to not allow current in the current path; applying a voltage to the heating element during the non-heating state; sensing a leakage current of the heating element during the application of the voltage; and determining a degradation of the heating element prior to a failure of the heating element with the sensed leakage current.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a fluid-heating apparatus for heating a fluid. The fluid-heating apparatus includes a vessel, an inlet to introduce the fluid into the vessel, an outlet to remove the fluid from the vessel, a heating element at least partially surrounded by the fluid in the vessel. The heating element includes a wire, an insulating material surrounding at least a portion of the wire, and a sheath surrounding at least a portion of the insulating material. The fluid-heating apparatus further comprises a ground contact in electrical communication with the sheath, and a control circuit connectable to a power source and connected to the heating element. The control circuit includes a current path having a first leg connecting the power source to a first point of the heating element and a second leg connecting the power source to a second point of the heating element, a switch connected in circuit in the first leg, and a current sensor. In one construction, the control circuit is configured to initiate a heating state of the fluid-heating apparatus by establishing a current in the current path, the establishing act including making the switch to allow current in the first current path; initiate a non-heating state and ceasing the heating state of the fluid-heating apparatus by ceasing the current in the current path, the ceasing act including breaking the switch to not allow current in the first current path; connect the power source to the second point of the heating element during the non-heating state thereby allowing a current in the second leg during the non-heating state; sense a leakage current of the heating element during the connection of the power source to the second point of the heating element during the non-heating state; and determine a degradation of the heating element prior to a failure of the heating element with the sensed leakage current.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limited. The use of “including,” “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and can include electrical connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect.
The water heater 100 also includes an electric resistance heating element 140 that is attached to the tank 105 and extends into the tank 105 to heat the water. An exemplary heating element 140 capable of being used in the water heater 100 is shown in
A partial electrical schematic, partial block diagram for one construction of a control circuit 200 used for controlling the heating element 140 is shown in
Referring again to
As just stated, the thermostat switch 210 allows a current through the heating element 140 when the switch 210 is closed. A variable leakage current can flow from the element wire 150 to the sheath 160 via the insulating material 155 when a voltage is applied to the heating element 140. The variable resistor 215 represents the leakage resistance, which allows the leakage path. The resistance between the wire and ground drops from approximately 4,000,000 ohms to approximately 40,000 ohms or less when the heating element 140 degrades due to a failure in the sheath 160. This will be discussed in more detail below.
The control circuit 210 further includes a voltage measurement circuit 220 and a current measurement circuit 225. The voltage measurement circuit 220, which can include a filter and a signal conditioner for filtering and conditioning the sensed voltage to a level suitable for the microcontroller 205, senses a voltage difference between the first and second legs 202 and 203. This voltage difference can be used to determine whether the thermostat switch 210 is open or closed. The current measurement circuit 225 senses a current to the heating element 140 with a toroidal current transformer 230. The toroidal current transformer 235 can be disposed around both legs 202 and 203 to prevent current sense signal overload during the heating state of the water heater 100, and accurately measure leakage current during the non-heating state of the water heater 100. The current measurement circuit 225 can further include a filter and signal conditioner for filtering and conditioning the sensed current value to a level suitable for the microcontroller 205.
During operation of the water heater 100, the sheath 160 may degrade resulting in a breach (referred to herein as the aperture) in the sheath 160. When the aperture exposes the insulating material 155, the material 155 may absorb water. Eventually, the insulating material 155 may saturate, resulting in the wire 150 becoming grounded. This will result in the failure of the element 140.
When the insulating material 155 absorbs water, the material 155 physically changes as it hydrates. The hydrating of the insulating material 155 decreases the resistance 215 of a leakage path from the element wire 150 to the grounded element (e.g., the heating element plug 165 and the coupled sheath 160). The control circuit 200 of the invention recognizes the changing of the resistance 215 of the leakage path, and issues an alarm when the leakage current increases to a predetermined level.
More specific to
In another construction of the water heater 100, the voltage measurement circuit 220 may not be required if the control of the current to the heating element 140 is performed by the microcontroller 205. That is, the voltage measurement circuit 220 can inform the microcontroller 205 when the water heater 100 enters a heating state. However, in some water heaters, the microcontroller 205 receives a temperature of the water in the tank 105 from a temperature sensor and controls the current to the heating element 140 via a relay (i.e., directly controls the state of the water heater 100). For this construction, the voltage measurement circuit 220 is not required since the microcontroller knows the state of the water heater 100.
In yet another construction of the water heater 100, the microcontroller 205 (or some other component) may control the current measurement circuit 225 to sense the current through the heating element 140 only during the “off” state. This construction allows the current measurement circuit 225 to be more sensitive to the leakage current during the non-heating state.
Referring to TABLE 1, the table provides the results of eight tests performed on eight different elements. Each of the elements where similar in shape to the element 140 shown in
A partial electrical schematic, partial block diagram for another construction of the control circuit 200A used for controlling the heating element 140 is shown in
Before proceeding further, it should be understood that the constructions described thus far can include additional circuitry to allow for intermittent testing. For example and as shown in
A partial electrical schematic, partial block diagram for yet another construction of the control circuit 200B used for controlling the heating element 140 is shown in
Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a new and useful water heater and method of controlling a water heater. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20070125764 A1 | Jun 2007 | US |