Patent Application
20250060112
The present invention relates to an arrangement of multiple heaters in a heating system enclosure. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an arrangement of multiple heaters in a heating system enclosure which allows multiple heaters to be disposed in a compact manner without affecting the operations of the multiple heaters.
Various fossil fuel phase-out initiatives have been made in the heating industry and mandates have been increasingly devised and implemented to phase out the direct or indirect use of fossil fuel in heat production for domestic and/or industrial uses.
Attempts have been made to heat domestic water with alternative means, e.g., with the use of heat pumps having operations that are primarily driven using electricity in the form of pump or compressor operations. Supplemental electric heating elements may also be employed to aid fossil fuel-free domestic water heating systems in meeting heating demands. However, the need to meet heating demands efficiently and solely by using renewable or clean energy has driven designers to produce relatively large heating systems which can potentially take up significant amounts of ground or floor space.
There exists a need for a compact multi-heater heating system capable of meeting a large heating load. There further exists a need for an efficient combination of multiple heating systems to meet a large heating load at a location.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a multi-heater heating system including:
In one embodiment, the multi-heater heating system further includes a slideable support system configured to support and dispose one of the first heater and the second heater inside an enclosure for a normal operation and outside of the enclosure for access to the one of the first heater and the second heater. In one embodiment, the first heater is a heat pump including a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and the expelled air is air mobilized by said fan. In one embodiment, the first heater is further configured to draw air through a second side surface. In one embodiment, the first heater is further configured to draw air through a third side surface. In one embodiment, the multi-heater heating system further includes an enclosure within which the first heater is disposed, wherein the first heater is configured to draw air through a second side surface into the enclosure. In one embodiment, the first heater is configured to draw air through a third side surface into the enclosure. In one embodiment, the first heater is an air to water heat pump.
In accordance with the present invention, there is further provided a multi-heater heating system including a slideable support system configured to support and dispose one of a first heater and a second heater inside an enclosure for a normal operation and outside of the enclosure for access to one of the first heater and the second heater, wherein the first heater is configured for expelling air through a first side surface of the first heater and the second heater is configured to be disposed and stacked above the first heater.
In accordance with the present invention, there is further provided a multi-heater heating system including a slideable support system configured to support and dispose one of a first heater and a second heater inside an enclosure for a normal operation and outside of the enclosure for access to one of the first heater and the second heater, wherein the first heater is configured for expelling air through a first side surface of the first heater and the second heater is configured to be disposed and stacked above the first heater.
An object of the present invention is to provide a compact and stackable multi-heater heating system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a first multi-heater heating system that can be disposed in close proximity with a second multi-heater heating system without negatively affecting the efficiency of either one of the multi-heater heating systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a heating system having a heater that is easily accessible for maintenance and repair.
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:
For an air to water heat pump to function, ambient air is drawn from at least one side surface and expelled through another side surface instead of a top surface. This allows a present multi-heater heating system to have heaters that can be stacked atop one another, saving floor or ground space while allowing the heating system to be disposed in a compact manner. Further, each heater of the present multi-heater heating system is supported by a slideable support system which allows the heater to be supported inside the safety of an enclosure during normal operations of the present multi-heater heating system while allowing the heater to be accessible for service, outside of the enclosure during maintenance or repair of the heater supported thereon. Two instances of a present multi-heater heating system can be disposed in close proximity without causing one heating system to negatively affect the efficiency of another due to the advantages placements of the entry and exit areas of air flows across the enclosure. Spent or expelled air, i.e., the air from which heat has been extracted from a first heating system, is disposed of in a direction that is not directed at a second similar heating system arranged parallel to the first heating system, therefore minimizing the negative influence of the spent air on the ambient air drawn into the second heating system.
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).
When used with an evaporator 30, the fan 10 is operable to supply a stream of air over the evaporator 30, wherein the evaporator 30 and the compressor 32 are fluidly connected in the charging circuit 28 with the heat exchanger 34 being disposed in a manner to transfer heat between a heat transfer fluid disposed in the charging circuit 28 to the heat transfer fluid of a thermal battery. In one embodiment, the heat transfer fluid of heat pump 4 is a refrigerant, e.g., carbon dioxide. A circulation of the heat transfer fluid of the heat pump 4 by the compressor 32 causes the heat transfer fluid to lose heat at heat exchanger 34 before experiencing an expansion at the expansion valve 36 and absorbing heat at the evaporator 30 prior to returning to the compressor 32 which further adds thermal energy to the heat transfer fluid. At heat exchanger 34, heat transfer then occurs from the charging circuit 28 to heat sink loop 38. In heat exchanger 34, thermal energy is transferred from the working fluid in charging circuit 28 to the working fluid of the heat sink loop 38. In one embodiment, the surface 12 through which air is expelled is protected using a protective grille 42. Only one grille 42 is 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.
