Heat pump water heater appliance
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorCraig lung-Pei Tsai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Water heater appliances and methods for operating water heater appliances are provided. A water heater appliance includes a tank defining an interior volume, and a sealed system for heating water within the interior volume. The sealed system includes a compressor operable to compress refrigerant, a first condenser downstream of and in fluid communication with the compressor, and a second condenser downstream of and in fluid communication with the compressor. The first and second condensers are each operable to heat water within the interior volume using energy from the refrigerant. The sealed system additionally includes a valve in fluid communication with the first and second condensers and configured to vary a ratio of refrigerant flow through the first and second condensers.
Claims20
A water heater appliance comprising:
- a tank defining an interior volume;
- and
- a sealed system for heating water within the interior volume of the tank, the sealed system comprising
- a compressor operable to compress a refrigerant;
- a first condenser positioned downstream of and in fluid communication with the compressor;
- a second condenser positioned downstream of and in fluid communication with the compressor, the first and second condensers each operable to heat water within the interior volume of the tank using energy from the refrigerant;
- and
- a valve in fluid communication with the first condenser and the second condenser and configured to vary a ratio of refrigerant flow through the first condenser and through the second condenser.
A method for operating a water heater appliance, the method comprising:
- flowing a refrigerant through a compressor;
- flowing a first portion of the refrigerant from the compressor through a first condenser operable to heat water within an interior volume of a tank of the water heater appliance;
- flowing a second portion of the refrigerant from the compressor through a second condenser operable to heat water within the interior volume of the tank of the water heater appliance;
- and
- varying a ratio of refrigerant flow through the first condenser and through the second condenser using a valve in fluid communication with the first condenser and the second condenser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.