Heat pump water heater
AssigneeRheem Manufacturing Company
InventorsJozef Boros, Troy E. Trant, Hafez Raeisi Fard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat pump water heater has a tank, a burner in communication with a fuel source, a flue, and a heat pump system. The heat pump system has a refrigerant path, at least a portion of which forms an evaporator in thermal communication with the flue. Another portion of the refrigerant path is in thermal communication with the water tank volume so that heat transfers from the refrigerant to the water tank volume.
Claims25
A heat pump water heater, comprising:
- a tank defining a water tank volume for retaining water;
- a burner in communication with a fuel source and proximate the tank so that combustion of fuel from the source at the burner generates heat that transfers to the water tank volume;
- a flue defining a flue volume extending from an area in which the burner is disposed to an area ambient the tank so that the flue conveys exhaust gas resulting from the combustion to the ambient area;
- and
- a heat pump system comprising
- a refrigerant path having a first portion in thermal communication with the flue so that heat transfers from the exhaust gas in the flue volume to refrigerant flowing through the first portion, and a second portion in thermal communication with the tank so that heat transfers from refrigerant flowing through the second portion to the water tank volume when refrigerant flows through the second portion and the water tank volume retains water, and
- a pump disposed in the refrigerant path and actuatable to move refrigerant through the refrigerant path.
A heat pump water heater, comprising:
- a tank defining a water tank volume for retaining water;
- a burner in communication with a fuel source and proximate the tank so that combustion of fuel from the source at the burner generates heat that transfers to the water tank volume;
- a flue defining a flue volume extending from an area in which the burner is disposed to an area ambient the tank so that the flue conveys exhaust gas resulting from the combustion to the ambient area;
- and
- a heat pump system comprising
- a fan actuatable to move air in an air flow path,
- a refrigerant path having a first portion that passes through the air flow path, a second portion in thermal communication with the flue so that heat transfers from the exhaust gas in the flue volume to refrigerant flowing through the second portion, and a third portion in thermal communication with the tank so that heat transfers from refrigerant flowing through the third portion to the water tank volume when refrigerant flows through the third portion and the water tank volume retains water, and
- a pump disposed in the refrigerant path and being actuatable to move refrigerant through the refrigerant path.
A heat pump water heater, comprising:
- a tank defining a water tank volume for retaining water;
- a burner in communication with a fuel source and proximate the tank so that combustion of fuel from the source at the burner generates heat that transfers to the water tank volume;
- a flue defining a flue volume extending from an area in which the burner is disposed to an area ambient the tank so that the flue conveys exhaust gas resulting from the combustion to the ambient area;
- and
- a heat pump system comprising
- a fan actuatable to move air in an air flow path,
- a refrigerant path having a first portion comprising a tubing coil disposed in the air flow path, a second portion comprising a section of tubing adjacent the flue so that heat transfers from the exhaust gas in the flue volume to refrigerant flowing through the second portion, and a third portion comprising a section of tubing adjacent the tank so that heat transfers from refrigerant flowing through the third portion to the water tank volume when refrigerant flows through the third portion and the water tank volume retains water,
- an expansion valve through which the refrigerant flows upstream from the tubing coil to evaporate in the tubing coil, and
- a pump disposed in the refrigerant path downstream from the tubing coil and being actuatable to move refrigerant through the refrigerant path.
A method of constructing a heat pump water heater having a tank of a predetermined size that defines a water tank volume for retaining water, a burner of a predetermined power consumption, the burner being in communication a fuel source and proximate the tank so that combustion of fuel from the source at the burner generates heat that transfers to the water tank volume, and a flue defining a flue volume extending from an area in which the burner is disposed to an area ambient the tank so that the flue conveys exhaust gas resulting from the combustion to the ambient area, comprising:
- selecting a refrigerant path having a first portion in thermal communication with the flue so that heat transfers from the exhaust gas in the flue volume to refrigerant flowing through the first portion, and a second portion in thermal communication with the tank so that heat transfers from refrigerant flowing through the second portion to the water tank volume when refrigerant flows through the second portion and the water tank volume retains water;
- and
- selecting a pump disposed in the refrigerant path and actuatable to move refrigerant through the refrigerant path,
- so that the heat pump water heater has an energy factor greater than 1.0.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.