Methods, apparatus and articles of manufactures to detect impurity deposits in flow-through water heaters
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsSAADAT HUSSAIN, ALVARO VALLEJO NORIEGA, RODNEY M. WELCH
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Abstract
Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to detect impurities in flow-through water heaters are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a flow-through water heater having a conduit to conduct a fluid flowing therethrough, a heating element extending around at least a portion of the conduit, and first and second temperature measuring elements to determine respective first and second temperatures at different locations on the conduit; and a computing unit to at least detect an impurity deposit in the conduit based on a difference between the first and second temperatures.
Claims16
An apparatus comprising:
- a flow-through water heater including:
- a conduit to conduct a fluid flowing therethrough;
- a heating element extending around at least a portion of the conduit;
- and
- first and second temperature measuring elements to determine respective first and second temperatures at different locations on the conduit;
- and
- a computing unit to at least detect an impurity deposit in the conduit based on a first difference between the first and second temperatures.
A method of detecting an impurity deposit in a flow-through water heater having a conduit to conduct a fluid flowing therethrough, and a heating element in contract with at least a portion of the conduit, the method comprising:
- measuring first and second temperatures at different locations on the conduit;
- and
- detecting the impurity deposit based on a difference between the first and second temperatures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.