Apparatus for generating steam

An apparatus for generating steam, comprising:

• an evaporation surface;
• a heater disposed adjacent to the evaporation surface to heat the evaporation surface;
• a water inlet positioned relative to the evaporation surface so that a supply of water is fed onto the evaporation surface from the water inlet and forms a film of water on the evaporation surface such that (i) said film of water is evaporated from said evaporation surface heated via the heater to generate steam and (ii) impurities in the water that forms the film of water are left behind on said evaporation surface as scale;
• and
• a scale collection region for collecting and retaining the scale left behind on said evaporation surface that becomes dislodged from the evaporation surface, wherein the scale collection region is adjacent to and distinct from the evaporation surface, where no evaporation of said film of water into the generated steam occurs,
• wherein the evaporation surface and the scale collection region adjacent to the evaporation surface are configured with the scale collection region positioned below the evaporation surface during use of the apparatus in an operational position, and wherein during use of the apparatus in the operational position, the scale that becomes dislodged from the evaporation surface (i) falls away from said evaporation surface, via force of gravity, and is dropped into and retained by the scale collection region or (ii) is pushed from said evaporation surface, via the film of water on the evaporation surface or by the steam being generated, into and retained by the scale collection region,
• wherein the scale collection region is at least partially isolated from the heater or remotely located from the heater so that the scale collection region is not heated or is heated to a lower temperature than said evaporation surface, and
• wherein the scale collection region is formed from a material which has a lower thermal conductivity than the evaporation surface.

A method of generating steam comprising the steps of:

• providing an apparatus having a water inlet, an evaporation surface and a heater disposed adjacent to the evaporation surface to heat the evaporation surface, the water inlet being positioned relative to the evaporation surface so that a supply of water is fed onto the evaporation surface from the inlet and forms a film of water on the evaporation surface such that (i) said film of water is evaporated from said evaporation surface heated via the heater to generate steam and (ii) impurities in the water that forms the film of water are left behind on said evaporation surface as scale;
• providing a scale collection region for collecting the scale left behind on said evaporation surface that becomes dislodged from the evaporation surface, wherein the scale collection region is adjacent to and distinct from the evaporation surface, where no evaporation of said film of water into the generated steam occurs, wherein the scale collection region is positioned below the evaporation surface during use of the apparatus in an operational position so that the scale that becomes dislodged from the evaporation surface (i) falls away from said evaporation surface, via force of gravity, and drops into said scale collection region or (ii) is pushed from said evaporation surface, via the film of water on the evaporation surface or by the steam being generated, into the scale collection region;
• and
• providing a scale collection chamber and a channel disposed such that when the apparatus is rotated from the operational position, in which the water is provided to the evaporation surface, into a rest position, in which the water is not provided to the evaporation surface, the scale that becomes dislodged from the evaporation surface will pass along said channel from said scale collection region and into said scale collection chamber which is configured to retain said scale.