US 11,768,012 B2Granted

Hydraulically opened cone vertical tube diffuser with slanted anti-siphon hole

AssigneeUT-Battelle, LLC

InventorsJoseph D. Rendall, Kyle R. Gluesenkamp, Anthony C. Gehl, Jerald A. Atchley

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Abstract

A diffuser for a water heater fill tubes having a tube wall with an outside diameter. The diffuser includes an elongated flexible diffuser body for positioning at the outlet end of the fill tube. The diffuser body has a sealing end for sealing with an outside surface of the fill tube wall closest to the inlet end of the fill tube, and an open end for positioning at an end closest to the outlet end of the fill tube. The open end has a diameter larger than an outside diameter of the tube wall, thereby creating an diffuser water outlet opening between the diffuser body and the tube wall for redirecting radial water flow emanating from the fill tube water outlet opening(s) toward the diffuser outlet opening. A fill tube assembly for a water heater, a water heater, and a method for heating water are also disclosed.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A fill tube assembly for a water heater, comprising:

an elongated fill tube having an interior water flow axis and a tube wall with an inlet end and an outlet end, and an open interior communicating with a water inlet opening at the inlet end and with at least one fill tube water outlet opening in the tube wall for directing water radially outward from the elongated fill tube;
an elongated flexible diffuser body at the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the elongated flexible diffuser body sealing with an outside surface of the tube wall at a sealing end closest to the inlet end of the elongated fill tube, and having an open end at which is an end closest to the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the open end having a diameter larger than an outside diameter of the tube wall, thereby creating a diffuser water outlet opening between the elongated flexible diffuser body and the tube wall for redirecting radial water flow emanating from the at least one fill tube water outlet opening toward the diffuser water outlet opening;
and,
further comprising a plurality of flexible ribs spaced apart on the elongated flexible diffuser body, the plurality of flexible ribs having an elasticity less than an elasticity of the elongated flexible diffuser body.

1 more element

A water heater, comprising:

a tank having a top, bottom and sides, with a tank water inlet and a tank water outlet;
an elongated fill tube connected to the tank water inlet and having an interior water flow axis and a tube wall with an inlet end and an outlet end, and an open interior communicating with a water inlet opening at the inlet end and at least one fill tube water outlet opening in the tube wall for directing water radially outward from the elongated fill tube;
an elongated flexible diffuser body at the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the elongated flexible diffuser body sealing with an outside surface of the tube wall at an end closest to the inlet end of the elongated fill tube, and having an open end which is an end closest to the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the open end having a diameter larger than an outside diameter of the tube wall, thereby creating a diffuser water outlet opening between the elongated flexible diffuser body and the tube wall for redirecting radial water flow emanating from the at least one fill tube water outlet opening toward the diffuser water outlet opening;
and,
further comprising a plurality of flexible ribs spaced apart on the elongated flexible diffuser body, the plurality of flexible ribs having an elasticity less than an elasticity of the elongated flexible diffuser body.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.