Integrated thermosyphon refrigerant heat recovery system and hot water heater
AssigneeGlobal Energy Group, Inc.
InventorThomas H. Hebert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hot water heater with a built in refrigerant heat recovery system is provided. A thermosyphon and coriolus force powered refrigeration heat recovery unit is integrated into the tank of a conventional gas or electric hot water heater. The heat recovery unit is placed beneath the outer skin of the hot water heater to decrease the number of exterior connections and increase the ease of installation. The use of the coriolus effect increases the flow rate and thus the efficiency of the heat transfer system.
Claims20
A heat recovery system for utilizing excess heat produced by an external heat source, said system comprising:
- a hot water tank for storing a reservoir of hot water;
- a thermosyphon system for removing relatively cold water from a lower region of the hot water tank and introducing relatively hot water into an upper region of the hot water tank wherein the thermosyphon system is configured to utilize a coriolus effect to increase a flow rate of the water from the hot water tank through the thermosyphon system.
A hot water heater, said hot water heater comprising:
- a water tank for containing a reservoir of heated water;
- an external cold water inlet for receiving relatively cold water from an external water source;
- an external hot water outlet for providing a supply of hot water from the water tank to an external plumping system;
- an internal cold water outlet for removing relatively cold water from a lower region of the water tank;
- a hot fluid inlet for receiving a relatively hot fluid from an external heated fluid source;
- a heat transfer unit for receiving the relatively cold water from the internal cold water outlet and the relatively hot fluid from the hot fluid inlet and transferring heat from the relatively hot fluid to the relatively cold water;
- an internal hot water inlet for receiving heated water from the heat transfer unit and providing said heated water to an upper region of the water tank;
- and
- a cooled fluid outlet for receiving cooled fluid from the heat transfer unit and returning the cooled fluid to the external heated fluid source;
- wherein the heat transfer system is incorporated within an outer skin of the water heater.
A method of recovering heat produced by an external heat source, said method comprising:
- providing a heated fluid from the external heat source to a water heater having a hot water tank through a hot fluid inlet;
- removing relatively cold water from a lower region of the hot water tank from a tank outlet;
- transferring heat from the heated fluid to the relatively cold water with a heat transfer unit and thereby heating the relatively cold water;
- reintroducing the heated water to an upper region of the hot water tank through a heated water tank inlet;
- and
- returning the cooled fluid to the external heat source through a cooled fluid outlet;
- wherein a thermosyphon effect and a coriolus effect are utilized to remove the relatively cold water from the hot water tank and to reintroduce the heated water into the hot water tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.