Hybrid heat pump water heaters
AssigneeRheem Manufacturing Company
InventorRaheel A. Chaudhry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A water heater can include a tank, an inlet line, and an outlet line, where the inlet line provides unheated water to the tank, and where the outlet line draws heated water from the tank for a hot water demand. The water heater can also include a heat pump disposed adjacent to a first portion of the tank, where the heat pump applies heat to transform the unheated water to heated water in the first portion of the tank. The water heater can further include a resistive heating element disposed within a second portion of the tank, where the resistive heating element further applies heat to transform the unheated water to heated water in the second portion of the tank.
Claims11
A water heater comprising:
- a tank;
- an inlet line that delivers unheated water to the tank;
- an outlet line that draws heated water from the tank for a hot water demand;
- a heat pump disposed adjacent to a first portion of the tank, wherein the heat pump applies heat to transform the unheated water to heated water in the first portion of the tank;
- a supplemental heat source disposed within a second portion of the tank, wherein the supplemental heat source further applies heat to transform the unheated water to heated water in the second portion of the tank;
- a first temperature sensor configured to measure a first temperature toward a top end of the tank;
- a second temperature sensor configured to measure a second temperature toward a bottom end of the tank;
- and
- a controller in electrical communication with the heat pump, the supplemental heat source, the first temperature sensor, and the second temperature sensor, wherein the controller is configured to:
- determine if the first temperature exceeds the second temperature by a predetermined amount;
- and
- if the first temperature exceeds the second temperature by the predetermined amount, activate the supplemental heating source and deactivate the heat pump to equalize a temperature of water in the tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.