AU2005100449A4

AU2005100449A4 - Auxiliary Device for a Hot Water Device

Info

Publication number: AU2005100449A4
Application number: AU2005100449A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Wen Lung Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-05-26
Filing date: 2005-05-26
Publication date: 2005-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 2013-05-26

Description

AUSTRALIA

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for service: Auxiliary Device For A Hot Water Device Wen Lung Lin Wen Lung Lin WRAY ASSOCIATES Level 4, The Quadrant 1 William Street Perth, WA 6000 Attorney code: WR Details of Associated Provisional Application No(s): The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -2- "Auxiliary Device for a Hot Water Device" Background of the Invention Field of the Invention This invention relates to an auxiliary device for a hot water device, particularly to one possible to make use of heat source in the air or a lukewarm water source to upgrade the operation of a hot water device, for lessening electricity used, keeping safety of the device, making it environment-friendly.

Description of the Prior Art There are many conventional hot water devices widely used, such as a gas water heater, an electric water heater, and a solar-energy water heater.

However, these water heaters all have their own advantages and disadvantages.

For example, a gas water heater has a drawback of gas leaking, consequently involving gas explosion and safety issues about its transportation. In addition, it produces waste gas of carbon dioxide to pollute air, and involving its cost rising up and down.

As for an electric water heater, it needs large amount of electricity, having problems related to energy consumption, too high temperature, and occasional shortage of electricity supply.

As for a solar-energy water heater, it cannot be used in cloudy and rainy days, and moreover, its heat collecting plates also form heat dissipating plates consuming the heat of the water stored in a hot water tank, which can only store a limited amount. Even if an auxiliary heater is used to heat the water after the hot water in the tank is found to be used up, it will take some time to get water heated hot enough for use. Moreover, the heat collecting panels needs a large space, with an auxiliary heater necessary in cloudy and rainy days, and hot water possible to be got from the heat from the solar energy hot water device is limited and not enough for continual use by many persons.

Summary of the Invention Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

The feature of the invention is an auxiliary system combined with an evaporator connected with a compressor for sending out high-temperature and high pressured coolant through a high pressure pipe into a condenser connected both with an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe of a hot water tank so as to perform heat exchange between cool water and the hot coolant. Further a pump pumps a heat source into the pipe route of the auxiliary system in the evaporator for making heat exchange with condensed coolant to let the condensed coolant hotter to return to the compressor for compressing and heating the coolant to a hightemperature and high-pressured coolant, which is then again sent into the condenser for performing heat exchange between the hot coolant and cool water to get hot water to be pumped into the outlet pipe into the hot water tank to be stored. Then the condensed high-pressured coolant flows out the condenser and in the high-pressure pipe and then into the drier, the expansion valve and then into the evaporator to become low-pressured coolant for absorbing heat. As the cool condensed coolant is in advance heated by the heat source in the auxiliary system through heat exchange between the both, in a next round of coolant circulation the compressor only needs to raise the temperature of the coolant to become the same high-temperature and high pressured coolant as before.

Therefore, the auxiliary device in the invention can operate regardless of weather, possible to permit the hot water device to supply stable hot water incessantly all year round.

Brief Description of the Drawings This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: -4- Figure 1 is a diagram of the structure of an auxiliary device for a hot water device in the present invention, using air; Figure 2 is a diagram of the structure of an auxiliary device for a hot water device in the present invention, using water; and, Figure 3 is a diagram of the structure of a solar energy hot water device in the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment A preferred embodiment of an auxiliary device 1 for a hot water device in the present invention, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively illustrating a hot water device using air and that using water, includes a compressor 10, a condenser 11, a drier 12, an expansion valve 13, an auxiliary system 14, and an evaporator as main components.

The compressor 10 is to alter cool coolant into hot and high-pressured coolant, having one end connected to a high-pressure pipe 100 that is connected with the condenser 11. The hot high-pressured coolant flows in the high-pressure pipe 100. The condenser 11 is connected to an inlet pipe 20 and an outlet pipe 21 of a hot water tank 2, and a water pump 22 is provided between the condenser 11 and the hot water tank 2, pumping cool water into the condenser 11 for heat exchange with the hot high-pressured coolant, forming a circulatory hot water heating route. So heated hot water produced by the condenser 11 is sent into the hot water tank 2 via the outlet pipe 21. The hot high-pressured gas coolant in the condenser 11 may be condensed to become high-pressured liquid coolant by heat exchange and to flow through the high pressure pipe 100 to get a little lowered in its temperature, and then into the drier 12, wherein the high-pressured liquidized coolant will get lowered a little in its temperature. Then the highpressured liquidized coolant flows into the expansion valve 13 into the evaporator 15 to become low-pressured gas coolant possible to absorb the heat of the hot water device and subsequently cooled by the fan 16 to be exhausted out into the open air. As the evaporator 15 is connected with the auxiliary system 14 as integral, the already heated hot gas source or liquid hot source is led into the course of the auxiliary system 14 by the pump 140. The auxiliary system 14 includes a pipe route and the pump 140 connected to the pipe route, a partial portion of the pipe route and the evaporator 15 make up a closed area for carrying out heat exchange. The hot gas source led in may be hot air in the atmosphere, or the exhausted out of the device by the fan 16 and hot air produced by the air surrounding the compressor 10. So in other words, the auxiliary system becomes an auxiliary system taking in hot air as liquid heat source. It is possible to converse the hot gas heat energy into a liquid heat source, which may be the hot water heated by gas, boilers, the solar energy, hot couplings, and of course, possible to include the hot water stored in the hot water tank 2 in the device in the invention, and it is an auxiliary device using water as a heat source.

The auxiliary system 14 heats up the low pressured gas coolant in the evaporator 15 to a high temperature, and the heat sucking fan 16 exhausts the heat of the hot coolant and at the same time induces hot air in the environment from an inlet point into the device by means of the air convection. So the auxiliary system 14 can upgrade heating effect, and finally the hot low-pressured gas is drawn back by the compressor 10 through the low pressure pipe 150 to be compressed and raised in its pressure and temperature for next round of circulation.

As can be understood, the auxiliary system 14 can use hot gas or liquid as a heat source for the hot water auxiliary device 1, so the led-in gas heat source may be hot air in the atmosphere, or a hot liquid source converted from hot gas.

At the same time, the led- in liquid source can be hot water heated by gas, a boiler, solar energy, or heat couples. Thus the hot energy brought in by gas or liquid can raise the temperature of the coolant so that the coolant may not lose much temperature during passing through the evaporator 15. In other words, the temperature of the coolant differs from that of the compressor 10 not so much.

So the compressor 10 does not need to produce much larger calorie for raising the temperature, but only a little to produce the same high temperature high pressured gas. Therefore, the electricity used by the compressor 10 may be reduced for a large amount, saving much expense for electricity, preventing -6waste in energy source effectively. As a result, the auxiliary device 1 for a hot water device has an upgraded effect, possible to keep stabilized water temperature, without fear of scalding by carelessness, keeping continual supply of hot water, not giving rise to insufficient supply caused by long heating time.

In general, the auxiliary device 1 has the auxiliary system 14, it can be positioned any where in regardless of a place in the door or out of the door or a weather condition sunny, cloudy or rainy, usable in any season all year around.

Next, Fig. 3 shows an auxiliary system 14 provided with a solar energy heatcollecting device 14, which is composed of a heat collecting panels 170 and a heat-collecting pipe 171. The solar energy heat collecting device 14 has one end connected to the heat collecting pipe 171 and the heat collecting pipe 171 is connected to the pump 140 of the auxiliary system 14, making up a heat circulatory route. The heat source of the auxiliary system 14 is supplied by the solar energy heat collecting device 17, which absorbs solar energy by the heat collecting panels 170 in advance and then heats up the coolant in the heat collecting pipe 171 and then collected to be pumped by the pump 140 in the circulatory route of the auxiliary system 14.

The invention has the following advantages, as can be seen from the foresaid description.

1. It can be positioned indoors or outdoors.

2. It does not be affected by weather condition.

3. It uses electricity very little.

4. It can control the water temperature stable.

It does not cause heat shortage or disruption of hot water.

6. It does not let water produce fur.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

-7- Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims

1. An auxiliary device for a hot water device, said auxiliary device comprising: compressor, a condenser, a drier, an expansion valve, an auxiliary system, and an evaporator; and, characterized by said compressor having one end connected with a high pressure pipe, said high pressure pipe connected to said condenser, said condenser connected with both an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe of a hot water tank, a pump provided to send cool water in said condenser for heat exchange, said condenser conversing the cool water into hot water, the hot water flowing through said outlet pipe into a hot water tank to be stored therein, said condenser cooling the coolant to condensed high- pressured liquid to be sent into said high pressured pipe and then into said drier, said expansion valve and into said evaporator, said evaporator connected with said auxiliary system as integral, said auxiliary system composed of a pipe route and said pump, a partial portion of said pipe route of said auxiliary system and said evaporator making up a closed area for heat exchange, a heat source led into said pipe route of said auxiliary system.

2. The auxiliary device for a hot water device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said heat source led in said auxiliary system is gas already heated.

3. The auxiliary device for a hot water device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said heat source led in said auxiliary system is liquid already heated.

4. The auxiliary device for a hot water device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said hot liquid led into said auxiliary system is heated by a solar energy.

The auxiliary device for a hot water device as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said solar energy is supplied by a solar energy heat collecting device, which is composed of a heat collecting panel and a heat collecting pipe, and said heat collecting panel absorbs solar energy for heating coolant in -9- said heat collecting pipe and then heated coolant is collected to be sent by a pump into said circulatory route of said auxiliary system.

6. An Auxiliary device for a hot ware system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 26th day of May 2005. Wen Lung Lin Applicant Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant