GB2626434A

GB2626434A - A water heating system

Info

Publication number: GB2626434A
Application number: GB2319412.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Reilly Felix; Vilemas Klemensas
Original assignee: Securi Cabin Ltd
Current assignee: Securi Cabin Ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-20
Filing date: 2023-12-18
Publication date: 2024-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 2043-12-18
Also published as: GB2626434B; GB202219251D0; IE20230548A2; IE20230548A3; GB202319412D0

Abstract

A water heating system 1 comprising a housing 2 enclosing a radiator 4, the housing further comprising an inlet 6 for incoming heated air and an outlet 8 for outgoing exhausted air; the system further comprising a water tank 10 in fluid communication with the radiator via a circulation pipe 12, wherein water contained in the radiator is heated by the incoming heated air and the heated water travels to the water tank while cold water in the water tank is drawn into the radiator via the circulation pipe to be heated by the incoming heated air, which may be provided by a hot air blower.

Description

A Water Heating System

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a water heating system. In particular, the invention relates to a water heating system for use with a portable or temporary structure where mains power is not available.

Background to the Invention

Providing hot water to portable or temporary constructions that are not connected to a mains electricity supply, such as portable toilets, portable cabins, portable buildings, and the like, can be quite difficult to achieve without expending large amounts of energy to heat the water and deliver hot water to taps.

US Patent Publication No. US2019212033A1 is directed to hydro-furnaces for vehicles and discloses a furnace system and water heater in which a blower inside the housing pulls air through the heater core whilst a pump circulates water through the heat exchanger to the heater core and then back to the radiator tank to provide a recreation vehicle with both hot water and hot air. However, the system heats the water using a heat exchanger heated directly or indirectly by a burner located in a burner compartment. The burner uses fuel fed from a gas inlet to produce combustion gases to heat the water in the heat exchanger.

US Patent Publication No. U52003113107A is directed to a portable warm water heater system used in portable toilets and appears to describe that the cold-water supply moves from below towards an electric heating element where the water is heated before being pumped to the taps by a user. United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB2394270A is directed to a water heater for portable toilets and appears to disclose an electrically heated thermostatically controlled water heater for use in portable toilets.

Both systems rely solely on power generated by 220V-derived electricity, whether this is via the main electricity supply or via a generator. This makes it very heavy user of energy and it is a problem supplying 220V in a remote setting.

The off-the-shelf diesel hot water systems are indirect hot water systems and normally use a 5KW diesel heater and need a heat exchanger tank, which takes up more space and is less efficient. The water when heated in the heater is circulated with a pump through a coil in the heat exchanger tank and back to the heater again. This system is like a central heating system for hot water in a home and uses more energy having a 12V power unit and using a 5KW diesel heater. The heater unit heats water, and this hot water is circulated through a coil to heat the water in a water storage cylinder.

It is an object of the claimed invention to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned problems.

Summary of the Invention

The water heating system could be used for purposes anywhere where there is no power available. Water is heated by circulating hot air generated by a heated air blower. The heated air blower is typically a 2 KW heater. The hot air is guided back and forth through a radiator several times to exchange the maximum amount of heat into the water. As the water heats up, it rises up in the radiator and into the top of a hot water storage tank. This movement of hot water upwards from the radiator to the hot water storage tank draws cold water from the bottom of the storage tank down to the bottom of the radiator without the need for a circulating pump. This creates a passive circulating loop of water through the system.

The water heating unit is encapsulated by a housing, which, along with the water tank, is fitted within an insulated structure. There is a duct into the structure and then into the housing from the heated air blower heater to deliver hot air to the system. There is another duct out of the insulated housing and out of the insulated structure to the bottom of, for example, a toilet bowl. The water pipe to the toilet bowl passes inside this duct, which permits warm air leaving the housing structure to run alongside the water pipe and prevent the water from freezing in adverse conditions. The hot water storage tank also has a 12V heating element which is powered by surplus power from solar panels (or where power is available) to help keep the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank at the desired level. The heater is controlled by a thermostat which triggers the hot air blower heater to come on when the water temperature drops below a pre-set temperature. The air blower heater runs until the water in the hot water storage tank reaches a pre-set high temperature and shuts off. Alternatively, or in addition, the system can transition from one power source (solar power from a solar panel to the heating element) to the other (hot air from the hot air blower) automatically to heat the water at different times of the year. A solar controller allows the power to flow to the heating element when the voltage of a battery charged by the solar panel indicates it is full. This will heat the water in the water tank. The power continues to flow until the voltage of the power drops to a level that indicates the battery is approximately 85% full. At this point the power to the heating element disconnected and will reconnect again when the battery reaches full capacity again.

In one aspect, there is provided a hot water system as described in the appended claims.

In one aspect, there is provided a water heating system (1) for use with a construction, the system (1) comprising a housing (2) enclosing a radiator (4), the housing (2) further comprising an inlet (6) for incoming heated air and an outlet (8) for outgoing exhausted air; the system (1) further comprising a water tank (10) in fluid communication with the radiator (4) via a circulation pipe (12), wherein water contained in the radiator (4) is heated by the incoming heated air and the heated water travels to the water tank (10) while cold water in the water tank (10) is drawn into the radiator (4) via the circulation pipe (12) to be heated by the incoming heated air.

In one aspect, the heated air is heated by a hot air blower. Preferably, the hot air blower is selected from a diesel-powered hot air blower, an electric blower heater, a gas heater, a wood-fired air heater, and the like. The diesel-powered hot air blower generates heat from the diesel fuel and a 12V or a 24V power unit runs the air blower fan.

In one aspect, the circulation pipe (12) comprises a proximal end (14) connected to a first connector (16) of the water tank (10) and a distal end (18) connected to a distal end (20) of the radiator (4).

In one aspect, the radiator (4) and the circulation pipe (12) are positioned parallel or substantially parallel to each other.

In one aspect, the radiator (4) further comprises a proximal end (22), wherein the proximal end (22) is connected to a second connector (24) of the water tank (10).

In one aspect, further comprises one or more baffles (26) therein.

In one aspect, the water tank (10) further comprises a heating element (28). Preferably, the heating element (28) is selected from a 12V, a 24V, a 48V or a 220V element.

In one aspect, the water heating system further comprises at least one solar panel (40).

In one aspect, the water tank (10) comprises at least two heating elements (28a,28b). Preferably, the at least two heating elements (28a,28b) are connected to a first solar panel (40a) and a second solar panel (40b), respectively, via a solar controller (42,44), respectively. In a further aspect, the solar controller (42) directs energy from the first solar panel (40a) to the heating element (28a).

In one aspect, the solar controller (44) directs energy from the second solar panel (40b) to the heating element (28b).

In one aspect, the solar controller (42) directs energy from the first solar panel (40a) to the heating element (28a) In one aspect, the water heating system (1) further comprises a rechargeable battery (50). Preferably, the rechargeable battery (50) is in communication with the at least one solar panel (40) via the solar controller (42,44).

In one aspect, the water in the water tank (10) is heated by the heating element (28) when the solar panel (40) is generating power and the water in the water tank (10) is heated by the heated air when the solar panel (40) is not generating power.

In one aspect, the water tank (10) further comprises an outlet (30) configured to be attached to a piping system to deliver hot water to a tap in the construction.

In one aspect, the housing (2) is insulated with or is manufactured from an insulating material. Preferably, the insulating material is selected from flexible elastomeric foams, polyethylene, rigid foam, rockwool, polyurethane, polystyrene, and the like.

The water heating system (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the water tank (10) further comprises a thermostat adapted to monitor the temperature of the water in the water tank (10).

S

In one aspect, the water heating system (1) described above further comprises an enclosure (100) enveloping the system (1), the enclosure (100) comprising a first duct (102) in fluid communication with the inlet (6) and a second duct (104) in fluid communication with the outlet (8).

In one aspect, the enclosure (100) is insulated with or is manufactured from an insulating material. Preferably, the insulating material is selected from flexible elastomeric foams, polyethylene, rigid foam, polyurethane, polystyrene, rockwool, and the like.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- IS Figure 1 illustrates a water heating system of the claimed invention in cross-section.

Figure 2 illustrates the solar panel and battery ensemble that can be used with the water heating system of Figure 1.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

The present invention provides a water heating system that uses, for example, a 2KW diesel-powered air blower heater and a radiator in fluid communication with a hot water storage tank directly above it. The radiator is fitted in a housing that guides the hot air from the diesel-powered air blower heater around the radiator to exchange the maximum amount of heat into the water. The heated water in the radiator rises upwards and into the hot water storage tank. As the heated water in the radiator in rises, it is replaced with cooler water coming down to the bottom of the radiator from the bottom of the hot water storage tank, without the need for a circulating pump. As a 2KW air heater is used, much less 12V power from external sources and diesel fuel is required to heat the water. The claimed invention also does not need a heat exchanger tank, which creates a more compact water heating system.

Referring now to the figures, where Figure 1 illustrates a general embodiment of a water heating system of the present invention. Specifically, Figure 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of a water heating system of the present invention and is generally referred to by reference numeral 1. The water heating system 1 of the illustrated embodiment comprises a housing 2 enveloping a radiator 4. The radiator 4 accommodates water to be heated. The water in the radiator 4 is heated by hot air generated by a heated air blower. Typically, the heated air blower is a 2KW diesel-powered heated air blower. The hot air generated by the heated air blower is delivered to the housing 2 through an inlet 6 (see the path of Arrow A). The housing 2 further comprises a plurality of baffles 26 therein, which create resistance for the flowing heated air so that the maximum amount of heat is transferred from the heated air into the water held in the radiator 4. The heated air is guided back and forth through the radiator 4 several times to exchange the maximum amount of heat into the water.

The system 1 further comprises a water tank 10. The water tank 10 comprises a first connector 16 and a second connector 24. The radiator 4 comprises a proximal end 22 and a distal end 20. The proximal end 22 is in fluid communication with the water tank 10 via the second connector 24. As the water in the radiator 4 heats up, it rises upwards within the radiator 4 towards the proximal end 22 (see Arrow B) and enters the water tank 10 via the second connector 24. The heated water is then stored in the water tank 10 (see Arrow C).

This movement of hot water upwards in the radiator 4 then draws cold water from the bottom of the water tank 10 to the distal end 20 of the radiator 4 via a circulation pipe 12 (see Arrow D). The circulation pipe 12 comprises a proximal end 14 that is in fluid communication with the first connector 16 of the water tank 10, and a distal end 18 that is in fluid communication with the distal end 20 of the radiator 4. The rise and fall of water between the water tank 10 and the radiator 4 creates a passive circulation loop of heated and cooler water within the system 1.

Cold water is supplied to the base of the water tank 10 from a holding tank via a conduit 15, which juxtaposes the first connector 16 of the water tank 10.

The water tank 10 further comprises a heating element 28, which is powered by surplus power from a solar panel connected to the system 1, or via mains power when available. The heating element 28 is typically a 12V element that is controlled by a first thermostat. The air blower heater (not shown) is controlled by a second thermostat and is configured to come on when the water in the water tank 10 drops below a pre-set temperature. The air blower heater (not shown) runs until the heated water in the water tank 10 reaches a pre-set (high) temperature and then shuts off.

In one aspect, there is at least two solar panels in the system 1, namely a first solar panel 40a and a second solar panel 40b, connected to at least two heating elements, namely a first heating element 28a and a second heating element 28b, respectively (see Figure 2). For example, the solar panel 40a is connected to the heating element 28a via a solar controller 42, while the solar panel 40b is connected to the heating element 28b via a solar controller 44. In this aspect, there is also provided a lithium battery 50. The lithium battery 50 is typically a 216AH lithium battery, but other suitable batteries can also be used. The solar controllers 42,44 manage the power going to the heating elements 28a,28b. The solar controllers 42,44 send power from the solar panel 28a,28b directly to the heating element 28,28b.

The solar panels 40a,40b operate as two separate lines, one to heat the water in the water tank 10 and the other to charge the battery 50. The separation in to two lines also acts as a redundancy so that if something goes wrong with one of the heating elements 28,28a,28b or one of the solar panels 40a,40b of the system 1, one of the other heating elements 28,28a,28b and one of the other solar panels 40a,40b will keep the system 1 functional.

The lithium battery 50 typically only operates in the top 15% of the battery 50. If one of the heating elements 28 needs a top up, the heating element 28 takes some from the battery 50. If the system 1 has more energy than the heating element 28 needs to reach an optimum temperature, the system 1 will redirect the surplus energy to the battery 50 for storage. Because the heating elements 28a,28b are provided with energy directly from the solar panel 40, there is very little cycling of the battery 50, thus prolonging the life of the battery 50.

The system 1 can be encapsulated within an insulated enclosure 100. The enclosure 100 comprising a first duct 102 configured to provide the heated air blower access into the enclosure 100 and subsequently the housing 2. The housing 2 further comprises an outlet 8 that exhausts the spent heated air from the system 1. The spent heated air (that is, the heated air that has passed around the radiator 4 several times) passes along the outlet 8 and through a second duct 104, which leads to the bottom of, for example, a toilet bowl (see flow path of Arrow A). A water pipe to the toilet bowl passes inside this outlet 8 and out the second duct 104, allowing the spent heated air to pass what remaining heat is left in it to the water pipe and prevent the water pipe from freezing.

There is an inlet pipe on the bottom of the water tank 10 to receive cold water from a holding tank. There is an outlet pipe 30 on the top of the water tank 10 to take the heated water to water taps (see Arrow E).

In use, the system 1 can transition from one power source (solar power from the solar panel 40 to the heating element 28) to the other (hot air from the hot air blower) automatically to heat the water at different times of the year. The solar controllers 42,44 allow the power to flow to the heating element 28a,28b when the voltage of the battery 50 indicates it is full. The power continues to flow until the voltage of the power drops to a level that indicates the battery 50 is approximately 85% full. At this point the power to the heating element 28a,28b is disconnected and will reconnect again when the battery 50 reaches full capacity again.

There is a first thermostat (not shown) controlling the heating element 28 and reading the water temperature in the water tank 10. The first thermostat switches on and off the heating element 28 to keep the water at a preset temperature. Typically the heating element 28 heats the water during the summer months. Typically, in the winter months when there is not much sun to generate power via the solar panels 40a,40b, the heating element 28 is no longer switched on as the solar power is not enough to deliver a full charge to the battery 50. Thus, there is no trigger to direct any power form the battery 50 to the heating element 28.

There is a second thermostat that reads the water temperature in the water tank 10 and controls whether the hot air blower. This second thermostat is set below the temperature level of the first thermostat that controls the heating element 28. When the battery 50 is no longer being charged to and so the heating element 28 is no longer switched on, the water temperature in the water tank 10 drops below the preset temperature and triggers the second thermostat to turn on the hot air blower heater to keep the water at a pre-set temperature. Typically, the hot air blower will do all the water heating during the winter months. The heating element 28 typically becomes active again when the solar power increases to a level that charges the battery 50 to full capacity, which triggers the power to flow to the heating element 28 again.

Some of the advantages of the claimed invention is that a passive circulating loop is created by the rise of the heated water which pulls cooler water from the water tank 4 down into the bottom of the radiator 4. This means that a circulating pump is not required to create a flow of cooler and heated water in the system 1. Thus, less energy is required to be spent to generate hot water and the system 1 can be made more compact, allowing its use in portable and temporary structures such as public or temporary toilets, shower facilities at camp sites or musical festivals, and the like. The system 1 can work remotely and does not need to be connected to a mains power supply or a generator, uses less energy to heat the water, more compact.

In the specification the terms "comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising" or any variation thereof and the terms "include, includes, included and including" or any variation thereof are considered to be totally interchangeable and they should all be afforded the widest possible interpretation and vice versa.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail.

All publications, patents, patent applications and other references mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and the content thereof recited in full.

Claims

Claims 1. A water heating system (1) for use with a construction, the system (1) comprising a housing (2) enclosing a radiator (4), the housing (2) further comprising an inlet (6) for incoming heated air and an outlet (8) for outgoing exhausted air; the system (1) further comprising a water tank (10) in fluid communication with the radiator (4) via a circulation pipe (12), wherein water contained in the radiator (4) is heated by the incoming heated air and the heated water travels to the water tank (10) while cold water in the water tank (10) is drawn into the radiator (4) via the circulation pipe (12) to be heated by the incoming heated air.
2. The water heating system according to Claim 1, wherein the heated air is heated by a hot air blower.
3. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 2, wherein the hot air blower is selected from a diesel-powered hot air blower, an electric blower heater, a gas heater, a wood-fired air heater, and the like.
4. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the circulation pipe (12) comprises a proximal end (14) connected to a first connector (16) of the water tank (10) and a distal end (18) connected to a distal end (20) of the radiator (4).
5. The water heating system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the radiator (4) and the circulation pipe (12) are positioned parallel or substantially parallel to each other.
6. The water heating system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the radiator (4) further comprises a proximal end (22), wherein the proximal end (22) is connected to a second connector (24) of the water tank (10).
7. The water heating system (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (2) further comprises one or more baffles (26) therein.
8. The water heating system (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the water tank (10) further comprises a heating element (28).
9. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 8, wherein the heating element (28) is selected from a 12V, a 24V, a 48V or a 220V element.
10. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, further comprising at least one solar panel (40).
11. The water heating system (1) according to any one of Claims 8 to 10, wherein the water tank (10) comprises at least two heating elements (28a,28b).
12. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 11, wherein the at least two heating elements (28a,28b) are connected to a first solar panel (40a) and a second solar panel (40b), respectively, via a solar controller (42,44), respectively.
13. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 12, wherein the solar controller (42) directs energy from the first solar panel (40a) to the heating element (28a)
14. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 12 or Claim 13, wherein the solar controller (44) directs energy from the second solar panel (40b) to the heating element (28b).
15. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 12, wherein the solar controller (42) directs energy from the first solar panel (40a) to the heating element (28a).
16. The water heating system (1) according to any one of Claims 10 to 15, further comprising a rechargeable battery (50).
17. The water heating system (1) according to Claim 16, wherein the rechargeable battery (50) is in communication with the at least one solar panel (40) via the solar controller (42,44)
18. The water heating system (1) according to any one of Claims 10 to 16, wherein the water in the water tank (10) is heated by the heating element (28) when the solar panel (40) is generating power and the water in the water tank (10) is heated by the heated air when the solar panel (40) is not generating power.
19. The water heating system (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the water tank (10) further comprises an outlet (30) configured to be attached to a piping system to deliver hot water to a tap in the construction
20. The water heating system (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (2) is insulated with or is manufactured from an insulating material.
21. The water heating system (1) of Claim 20, wherein the insulating material is selected from flexible elastomeric foams, polyethylene, rigid foam, rockwool, polyurethane, polystyrene, and the like.
22. The water heating system (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the water tank (10) further comprises a thermostat adapted to monitor the temperature of the water in the water tank (10).
23. The water heating system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an enclosure (100) enveloping the system (1), the enclosure (100) comprising a first duct (102) in fluid communication with the inlet (6) and a second duct (104) in fluid communication with the outlet (8).
24. The water heating system (1) of Claim 23, wherein the enclosure (100) is insulated with or is manufactured from an insulating material.
25. The water heating system (1) of Claim 24, wherein the insulating material is selected from flexible elastomeric foams, polyethylene, rigid foam, polyurethane, polystyrene, rockwool, and the like.