US 5,293,861 AGranted

Direct contact water heater with hybrid heat source

AssigneesSofame, Gas Metropolitain Inc.

InventorsLuc Mandeville, Michel Dallaire

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Abstract

A direct contact water heater having a hybrid heat source, and its method of operation is described. The water heater is comprised of an elongated vertical tubular housing having a water spray nozzle in an upper end thereof for spraying water substantially uniformly over a top packing of heat exchange bodies. An intermediate space is provided below the packing where external hot recovery gases are admitted into the housing. A burner chamber is provided at the bottom of the housing above a reservoir to provide a primary heat source. Heat from the primary heat source mixes with the hot recovery gases below the packing, and is in counter-current flow with the water percolating through the housing from the packing located at the top of the housing. Two packings of heat exchange bodies may be provided in the tubular housing spaced from one another with the hot recovery gases fed between the two packings and the primary hot gas from the heat source being generated below a lower one of the packings.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A direct contact water heater having a hybrid heat source, said water heater comprising an elongated vertical tubular housing having a water spray nozzle in an upper end thereof for spraying water downwardly on a top packing of heat exchange bodies held in a region of said housing by support means, an exhaust gas flue communicating with said upper end, an intermediate space in said housing below said top packing, a hot recovery gas inlet in a wall of said housing and communicating with said intermediate space to admit a flow of secondary heat in said housing, a burner chamber below said hot gas inlet, a burner connected to said burner chamber for generating a flame in said burner chamber to form a primary heat source and together with said secondary heat constituting said hybrid heat source, said water sprayed on said top packing being firstly heated by hot gases from said hybrid heat source rising from said top packing and then being further heated by said heat exchange bodies where water propagates and falls in droplets by gravity from a lower surface of said top packing and further heated by contact with said rising heat below said top packing and said flame in said burner chamber, said heated water accumulating in a lower reservoir where it is transferred by a pump circuit connected thereto.

A method of heating water in a direct contact water heater column comprising the steps of:

i) providing a packing of heat exchange bodies across an inner space of said column in a top portion thereof;
ii) spraying water substantially uniformly over said packing so that said water percolates in droplets down said inner space of said column to a lower reservoir;
iii) generating heat in said column from a primary heat source in the housing whereby heat will rise therealong and exit at a top end of said column, said heat being displaced in counter-current to said percolating water droplets and heating said heat exchange bodies of said packings;
iv) admitting secondary heat in said housing from an external source, said secondary heat being introduced between said packing and said primary heat source;
and
v) pumping heated water from said lower reservoir.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.