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US 11,280,557 B2Granted
Stratifier for tank-type water heater
AssigneeA. O. Smith Corporation
InventorsYingwu Teng, Michael W. Schultz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tank-type water heater includes a storage tank and a heating circuit outside of the tank. The heating circuit includes at least one heat engine and at least one pump for circulating water from the bottom of the tank through the heat engine and back to the top of the tank. A stratifier introduces the heated water from the heating circuit into the top of the tank in a diffuse manner to promote stratification of hot water in the tank.
Claims19
A tank-type water heater comprising:
- a tank for storage of water, the tank including a top, a bottom, and a hot water return spud communicating with a top portion of the water tank;
- a heating circuit including a heat engine outside of the tank, a heating circuit outlet communicating between the bottom of the tank and the heat engine for delivery of water to be heated from the tank bottom to the heat engine, and a heating circuit return including the hot water return spud and communicating between the heat engine and tank for return of water heated by the heat engine to the tank through the hot water return spud;
- a stratifier located at least partially within the hot water return spud and introducing all of the heated water from the heating circuit return into the top portion of the tank in a diffuse manner to promote stratification of hot water in the tank above the heating circuit outlet;
- and
- a pipe nipple coupled to the hot water return spud, wherein a portion of the pipe nipple is positioned within the hot water return spud, and wherein a portion of the stratifier is at least partially received in the pipe nipple.
2 more elements
A method of maximizing hot water stored in a water heater tank, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a tank having a top portion, a bottom portion, a heating circuit return including a hot water return spud joined to the top portion of the tank, the hot water return spud communicating through a wall of the tank with an interior volume of the tank, and a stratifier directly mounted to the hot water return spud and extending from the hot water return spud into the interior volume of the tank in the top portion of the tank;
- (b) filling the interior volume of the tank with water;
- (c) drawing water from the bottom portion of the tank;
- (d) heating the water drawn from the tank in an external heat engine;
- and
- (e) returning all of the heated water from the external heat engine to the top portion of the tank via the heating circuit return and the stratifier in a manner that minimizes turbulence in the water in the tank.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.