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US 5,174,121 AGranted
Purified liquid storage receptacle and a heat transfer assembly and method of heat transfer
AssigneeEnvironmental Water Technology, Inc.
InventorSteven L. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat transfer apparatus and method of regulating temperature in a liquid storage receptacle wherein heat is transferred relative the storage receptacle through an enclosed passageway held at a preselect pressure and containing a vaporizable and condensible fluid medium to uniformly and adiabatically transfer heat to an extended conductive surface to bring the conductive surface in isothermic condition and in cooperative relation with a flow-through heat exchanger.
Claims36
A liquid storage receptacle for a liquid purification system comprising:
- liquid plenum storage means adapted to receive and store liquids therein, said liquid plenum storage means having a first thermally conductive plate member extending substantially along a side thereof;
- thermoelectric module means including two different electrical conductors to provide hot and cold sides with one side thereof thermally cooperative with a localized minor portion of the area of said first thermally conductive plate member for said plenum to regulate the temperature of liquid stored in said liquid plenum storage means;
- and,
- a heat transfer means cooperative with the other side of said thermoelectric module means, said heat transfer means including a second longitudinally extending thermally conductive planar surface having an substantially enclosed extended passage conductively cooperative between opposed faces of said second thermally conductive surface intermediate the longitudinal edges of said planar surface, said enclosed extended passage including a fluid medium disposed therein at a preselected pressure to be alternately vaporized and condensed to uniformly and adiabatically transfer the heat from a localized intermediate area between the extremities of said enclosed extended passage along said passage from the other side of said thermoelectrical module to and along said thermally conductive surface to bring it to an isothermic condition;
- and,
- a heat exchange means having a heat exchange barrier cooperative with said isothermic temperature conductive surface to transfer the heat on one side of the heat exchange barrier to the other side of said barrier.
3 more elements
A liquid storage receptacle for a liquid purification system comprising:
- a liquid storage receptacle having at least one insulated liquid receiving plenum with a thermally conductive metal plate member with a first portion of said plate member below and in thermal relation with said liquid receiving plenum and a second portion turned to provide a second thermally conductive surface extending longitudinally along one side of said liquid receiving plenum;
- a thermoelectric module including two different electrical conductors to provide hot and cold sides with one side thereof conductively connected in facing contact with a localized minor portion of the area of said second portion of said plate member to vary the temperature of said liquid plenum through said first and second portions of said plate member therebelow and therealong;
- and,
- a heat transfer assembly including a longitudinally extending conductive planar plate member having opposed faces with one face in facing conductive contact with one side of said thermoelectric module and the opposite face in facing conductive contact with a heat exchange unit, said longitudinally extending conductive plate member including a longitudinally extending recess substantially enclosed therein between said faces intermediate the longitudinally edges thereof and configured to provide two sub-passages longitudinally extending outwardly from a lower communicating centrally disposed apex portion upwardly to subtend an angle of approximately one hundred sixty-five degrees (165.degree. ), said recess incorporating a sealed thermally conductive heat pipe therein of similar configuration which includes a preselected quantity of purified water at a preselected pressure relative to ambient to be evaporated and condensed in said heat pipe to uniformly and adiabatically transfer heat from a localized intermediate area between the extremities of said extended passage along said subpassages from said thermoelectric module to said longitudinally conductive plate member to bring said plate member in isothermic condition;
- said isothermic plate member having a flow-through heat exchanger housing conductively fastened to the other face thereof, said housing including at least one tier of thermally conductive fin members pleated in flow-through arrangement to pass heat conducted thereby to an ambient air flow directed thereover.
2 more elements
A heat transfer assembly cooperative with a planar first surface comprising:
- a heat transfer means cooperative with said first surface to control the heat of said first surface, said heat transfer means including a second planar surface in the form of a plate with opposed faces, one of which thermally communicates with said first surface, said plate having a substantially enclosed longitudinally extended passage cooperative therewith extending between opposed faces thereof intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof, said enclosed extended passage including a fluid medium disposed therein at a preselected pressure to be capable of alternatively vaporizing and condensing to uniformly and adiabatically efficiently transfer the heat from said first surface to a localized area intermediate the extremities of said extended passage in said second surface and along said passage toward said extremities to bring said second surface into an isothermic condition.
A heat transfer method comprising;
- regulating temperature in a first thermally conductive planar platelike zone;
- transferring heat between said first conductive planar platelike zone and a second thermally conductive planar platelike zone through alternative expansion and condensation of a preselected medium in a substantially enclosed thermally passageway centrally disposed intermediate the longitudinal extremities of said second planar platelike zone and maintained at a preselected pressure through a localized area centrally and immediately disposed intermediate the extremities of said narrow passageway and along said passageway toward said passageway extremities to uniformly and adiabatically transfer the heat to said second zone to bring said second zone into an isothermic condition;
- and
- transferring the heat from said isothermic second zone to a third zone to be heated.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.