Patent Application
20240200827
The present invention relates to an electric tankless heating system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an electric tankless heating system having equipment suitable for aiding filling of its working fluid.
In water heating systems, the potential for Legionella is more pronounced in a tank system or a large fluid conductor, e.g., in a tank water heater, etc., due to the low velocity of the contents of the tank water heater and the contents that are disposed in a suitable temperature range for Legionella proliferation. Although one or more temperature sensors may be used for providing feedback to the heating of the contents of the tank water heater to achieve a setpoint temperature, the effect of stratification can cause layers of fluid having different temperatures. Therefore, although portions of the contents of a water heater may be disposed at a setpoint temperature that is unfavorable for Legionella proliferation, there potentially exists other portions that may be disposed at temperatures suitable for Legionella proliferation. Further, in a tank heating system, potable water is drawn from a large reservoir of heated water to meet a hot water demand, increasing the risk of Legionella proliferation as the opportunity for a tank heating system to harbor Legionella is significantly higher than a tankless heating system where hot potable water is prepared just-in-time.
Scaling and corrosion are longstanding problems encountered in the water heating industry which limit the life span of equipment. Although many corrosion and scale inhibitors are known and used in high temperature application, many of these systems have limitations and do not provide the type of protection to allow significant extension of equipment life span. Conventional water heaters cannot store potable water at a very high temp due to the potential for scaling and hence corrosion.
Solar heating systems or heaters have become increasingly popular solutions either as a supplemental heating system or as a sole heating system whether or not municipal electricity is available. Where thermal batteries and swing tanks are involved and are made to function in conjunction with solar heaters, the overall heating solutions are often complicated to set up, involving set up procedures which are not only challenging for trained professionals to set up but also difficult for a user to detect a problem or the root cause of a problem if they malfunction during use. Further, these systems are often not easily scalable as there is very little reuse in the way of common subsystems being sourced as modules that can be added or removed.
Thus, there is a need in the heating art for a system that can be installed and set up on site without significant skills and knowledge on the part of the technician. This ensures the system is set up correctly on site without having to set up at factory, prior to delivery, which can incur significant additional shipping costs due to additional shipping weights caused mainly by working fluids in the system. Further, there exists a need in the heating art for a system configured for aiding its own setup and a system that is also useful for aiding in adopting equipment changes or additions. Further, there exists a need in the heating art for a system that is scalable and a system having subsystems that contribute to meet the overall heating demand in an efficient manner, i.e., according to the respective conditions of the subsystems at the time hot water is demanded.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a heating system including:
In one embodiment, the heating system further includes a secondary pump disposed on the fluid path. In one embodiment, the working fluid is glycol. In one embodiment, the at least one heating subsystem is a heat pump. In one embodiment, the secondary valve is a motorized valve.
An object of the present invention is to provide a heating system having equipment suitable for aiding filling of its working fluid by reducing the number of steps required on the part of a technician while setting up the heating system.
Whereas there may be many embodiments of the present invention, each embodiment may meet one or more of the foregoing recited objects in any combination. It is not intended that each embodiment will necessarily meet each objective. Thus, having broadly outlined the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated, there are, of course, additional features of the present invention that will be described herein and will form a part of the subject matter of this specification.
In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
The present heating system is uncomplicated in its setup and does not require significant training and knowledge on the part of a technician in getting the system set up. This ensures the system is set up correctly on site without having to set up at factory which can incur significant additional shipping costs due to additional shipping weights caused mainly by working fluids in the system. The present heating system is configured to facilitate its own setup during installation or to facilitate its own setup upon adopting changes made to the system, e.g., due to the additions of heating subsystems, making the heating system easily scalable. Further, the heating system includes heating subsystems which cooperate to contribute to meet the overall heating demand in an efficient manner, i.e., according to the respective conditions of the subsystems at the time hot water is demanded.
The term “about” is used herein to mean approximately, roughly, around, or in the region of. When the term “about” is used in conjunction with a numerical range, it modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. In general, the term “about” is used herein to modify a numerical value above and below the stated value by a variance of 20 percent up or down (higher or lower).
The bleed valve 10 is disposed at a level higher than the heating subsystems 16 and the pump 14. In the embodiment shown, the heating system 2 further includes a secondary valve 12 disposed downstream from the bleed valve 10 on the trunk line 22. In order to ensure, during installation, that the air in the trunk line 22 and fluid paths are properly vented, the secondary valve 12 is first closed while the pump 4 is turned on to draw a working fluid from another heating system, e.g., a thermal battery or a network of thermal batteries through the inlet fluid conductor 4. Once the trunk line 22 and fluid paths of the heating subsystems 16 have been sufficiently filled with working fluid, the displaced and now pressurized air escapes the bleed valve 10 and the air previously disposed in the second half of the trunk line 22 and the fluid paths of the heating subsystems 16 is then pushed out of the heating system 2 through the outlet fluid conductor 6. When a continuous activation of the bleed valve has ceased, the first half of the trunk line 22 is considered to have been filled with the working fluid. The secondary valve 12 is then opened to allow the working fluid from the first half 18 of the trunk line 22 to fill the second half 20 and exit through the outlet fluid conductor 6, pushing with it any remaining air pockets out of the outlet fluid conductor 6. In one embodiment, the secondary valve 12 is a motorized valve, allowing the filling process of the heating system to be automated, e.g., upon the detection of a cessation in a continuous actuation of the bleed valve 10. The heating system 2 shown in
The detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which the present disclosed embodiments may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice aspects of the present invention. Other embodiments may be utilized, and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The various embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments. The detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, with the full scope of equivalents to which they may be entitled. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, and that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon studying the above description. The scope of the present disclosed embodiments includes any other applications in which embodiments of the above structures and fabrication methods are used. The scope of the embodiments should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
