WO1998051970A2

WO1998051970A2 - Localised water heating and dispensing system

Info

Publication number: WO1998051970A2
Application number: PCT/AU1998/000348
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Oliver-Borg
Original assignee: Oliver Borg Antonio
Priority date: 1997-05-12
Filing date: 1998-05-12
Publication date: 1998-11-19
Also published as: AUPO675097A0; WO1998051970A3

Abstract

A stand-alone non-pressurised hot and cold water dispenser including a dispenser body (11) having a water reservoir (14) able to be replenished by an inverted water bottle (13) removably mountable on top of the dispenser body (11); a cold water tank (15), a hot water tank (16), a non-return valve (28) located in a pipe (17) feeding water from the water reservoir (14) to the hot water tank (16) to prevent return of the heated water in the hot water tank (16) to the water reservoir (14) or the cold water tank (15); and an expansion chamber (21) connected to the hot water tank (16) to allow expansion of the heated water and retain water in the hot water tank (16) substantially at atmospheric pressure.

Description

LOCALISED WATER HEATING & DISPENSING SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a localised water heating and dispensing system having all of the components in a localised area

In one particular form the system is a non pressurised "stand-alone" water heating and

dispensing system By "stand-alone" it is meant that the system is not operating under mains

pressure and is not plumbed into the mains water supply

Bottle type water coolers are one form of non pressurised stand-alone water systems that are commonly found and manufactured in a number of countries worldwide and

ordinarily rely on 9 to 22 litre interchangeable bottles of water as the water supply to the

water reservoir of the cooler Water coolers have been used in the USA for several decades, but the basic functions have remained substantially unaltered, delivering cold water, ambient

temperature water, and/or hot water on tap Today manufacturers are merely looking at

enhancing the appearance of the appliance, while some are developing new materials and

designs aimed at reducing the overall weight, facilitating the loading of bottled water onto the unit, and assembling/disassembling the appliance with relative ease for maintenance

purposes and/or modular assemblies

BACKGROUND ART

Essentially, the bottle type water cooler usually incorporates a simple refrigeration

cycle which is controlled by a thermostat and refrigerates the water inside a cold water tank

or reservoir Once the user desired temperature has been reached, the thermostat shuts off the cycle by stopping the compressor When the water temperature rises again, the thermostat initiates the compressor to start working anew An example of such a system is shown in PCT application WO 95/15917 and US Patent No 5,072,590

Combined hot and cold water dispensers of the bottle type are known, such as in EP Patent Application No 400253, which have a second water chamber, being a hot water tank fed from a separate bottle reservoir However, it is also known to situate the hot water tank

underneath the cold water tank Water from the cold water tank would flow directly into the

hot water tank by gravity feed When the heating element is activated, the water is heated to a temperature controlled by a thermostat This temperature is normally more than 74° C,

however, since the behaviour of heated water changes dramatically once it exceeds 84° C,

many manufacturers set this latter temperature as the ceiling As the hot water system is not

pressurised, when the heated water expands it creates a pressure rise, particularly when

exceeding 84° C, and results in the hot water usually flowing back into the cold water tank It follows that the hot water inside the cold water tank creates a temperature rise and once

sensed by the cold water thermostat, the refrigeration cycle starts to operate These

processes are therefore in conflict, since the cold water tank is being chilled while

simultaneously being heated by the received hot water

It may be known to have a non-pressurised system that is able to reach 100° but this

would be expected to include venting directly to the atmosphere and is no more than a

"boiling kettle" system Generally the amount of steam exiting such a system would not be

acceptable in most internal locations DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a hot water system which is capable of heating water in a stand-alone system without having a substantial adverse effect on the cold water In accordance with the invention, there is provided a localised water heating and

dispensing system including a water reservoir, a cold water tank fed from the water

reservoir and the water able to be dispensed to a user through an outlet feeding from the

cold water tank, a hot water tank able to be fed water from the water reservoir or cold

water tank and in which the water is heated and the heated water able to be dispensed to a

user through an outlet feeding from the hot water tank, a non-return valve preventing return of the heated water in the hot water tank to the water reservoir or the cold water tank, and

an expansion chamber connected to the hot water tank to allow expansion of the heated

water

In one embodiment there is a stand-alone non-pressurised hot and cold water

dispenser including a dispenser body having a water reservoir able to be replenished by an

inverted water bottle removably mountable on top of the dispenser body, a cold water tank

at least partially formed by the water reservoir and the water able to be refrigerated and dispensed to a user through an outlet feeding from the cold water tank, a hot water tank

able to be fed by gravity from the water reservoir and in which the water is heated by a

heating means and the heated water is able to be dispensed to a user through an outlet

feeding from the hot water tank, a non-return valve located in a pipe feeding water from

the water reservoir to the hot water tank to prevent return of the heated water in the hot water tank to the water reservoir or the cold water tank, and an expansion chamber connected to the hot water tank to allow expansion of the heated water and retain water in the hot water tank substantially at atmospheric pressure

The water can be fed to the reservoir by bottled water and the bottle may form at least part of the reservoir The hot water tank can be located below the reservoir to allow gravity feed of water to the hot water tank with the expansion chamber being located above the level of the water in the reservoir The expansion chamber may include heat dissipating elements

which allow for condensation of steam fed to the expansion chamber from the hot water tank

and cooling of the expanded heated water and return of the condensed and cooled water to

the hot water tank The expansion chamber can be vented to atmosphere in order to maintain a non pressurised system

The hot water tank is generally placed underneath the cold water tank Water from

the cold water tank flows through a pipe to the hot water tank overcoming a one way valve, which can be situated outside or inside the hot water tank

An outlet pipe on top of the hot water tank delivers the hot water to a hot water

faucet, and another separate pipe can be connected to an expansion chamber that is located

above the water line in the cold water tank and the water reservoir A pipe connected to the

upper part of the expansion chamber includes a venting , open to the atmosphere

In one form of the invention the hot water system includes an electronic thermostat

which senses and controls the hot water temperature accurately and is set to shut off the

electricity to the heating element once the desired temperature is reached of between 93 5 to

100° C The hot water travels to the expansion chamber but even when the critical

temperature is reached does not flow out of the venting drain connected to an upper part of

the expansion chamber The non return valve prevents the hot water flowing out of the hot water tank and migrating back into the cold water tank In one form of the invention, the reservoir is the cold water tank incorporating a refrigeration system to provide cold water at a required temperature directly to a cold water

outlet In another form the replaceable bottle forms a removable reservoir However the reservoir may be a separate rain water tank for example

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order that the invention is more readily understood, particular embodiments thereof will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings,

wherein

Fig 1 is a front view of a localised water heating and dispensing system in accordance

with the invention

Fig 2 is a schematic sectional side view of a hot water system in accordance with a

first embodiment of the invention

Fig 3 is a schematic sectional side view of a hot water system in accordance with a

second embodiment of the invention

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings there is provided a non-pressurised water heating and dispensing system 1 1 comprising a water reservoir 14 being a cold water tank 15 that

receives cold water from a removable inverted bottle 13 having an opening at end of a neck

to allow inversion and feeding into an open top of the dispensing system 1 1 opening to the

water reservoir 14 In position the bottle 13 forms part of the water reservoir 14 which itself

forms part of the cold water tank 15 The system is not plumbed into the mains water supply

and therefore is a non-pressurised stand alone system The water heating and dispensing system 1 1 further includes a hot water tank 16 located lower than the height of the cold water tank 15 and connected thereto by an inlet pipe 17 such that water from the bottom of the cold water tank 15 can gravity feed through the inlet pipe 17 to the bottom of the hot water tank 16. The cold water tank 15 includes a refrigeration system 26 which cools the water below

a water fill line 27 and feeds directly to a cold water outlet 42 allowing the refrigerated cold water to be dispensed to the user. The hot water tank 16 has the water heated therein by

heating means such as electric elements (not shown) so that the water within the hot water

tank 16 is heated to the required temperature. The heated water is able to be dispensed

through a connected hot water outlet 43. An electronic thermostat senses and controls the

hot water temperature and is set to shut off the electricity to the heating element once the

desired temperature of between 93.5° to 100°C is reached. A similar electronic or

mechanical thermostat senses and controls the cold water temperature of the water in the

cold water tank 15 and shuts off the refrigeration system 26 once the desired cooling

temperature is reached.

A non-return valve 28 is located at the end of the inlet pipe 17 adjacent the base of the

hot water tank 16 so as to allow gravity feed of the cold water from the cold water tank 15

to the hot water tank 16 when required, but to prevent the heated water in the hot water

tank 16 returning along the inlet pipe 17 to the cold water tank 15. In this way the

refrigeration system 26 only needs to cool the water in the cold water tank 15 and does not

need to compensate for the heat of any returned heated water.

The water heating and dispensing system 11 also includes an expansion chamber 21,

connected by water expansion pipe 22 from the top of the hot water tank 16, and located

above the water fill line 27 of the cold water tank 15. In this way when the water is filled to the water fill line 27 of the cold water tank 15 the gravity feed through the inlet pipe 17 to the hot water tank 16 and the pressure equalisation only allows water to proceed partially up the water expansion pipe 22 and not into the expansion chamber 21.

Once the water is heated within the hot water tank 16 and particularly when it is heated beyond 84°C the heated water expands. Since the heated water is unable to return

along the inlet pipe 17 due to the non return valve 28, it expands along the water expansion

pipe 22 to the expansion chamber 21. Expansion chamber 21 has a venting pipe 23 so as to prevent pressurisation of the heated water. However the expansion chamber 21 is sized

sufficiently to allow expansion of water as it approaches 100°C without requiring excessive draining through the venting pipe 23.

In order to prevent external heating of the water in the cold water tank 15 the cold

water tank is thermally insulated from the expansion chamber 21 and the hot water tank 16.

Further means for preventing heat conduction along the inlet pipe 17 may be used.

In a second embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 3 the primary elements

are identical to the embodiments shown in Figure 1 and 2 except for the expansion chamber

31 which in this embodiment includes heat dissipating elements in the form of a continuous

coil pipe to provide a larger surface area to dissipate heat. The continuous coil pipe may encircle the cod water tank 15 but the cold water tank 15 is insulated from the expansion

chamber 31 so that it does not receive any of the dissipated heat. Instead the heat is

generally dissipated to the atmosphere. The length of the expansion pipes 31 is sufficient so

as to prevent substantial drainage through the venting pipe 23 at the end of the expansion pipes 31 but sufficient to dissipate the required heat so as to allow for general condensation of escaping steam or slight cooling of the heated water such that it can return via the water

expansion pipe 22 back to the hot water tank 16. It should be evident from the description hereinabove that the present invention provides an improved non-pressurised hot water system which avoids most if not all the disadvantages of the prior art. Of course many modifications of the above described embodiments may be readily envisaged by the person skilled in the art. For example the water to the hot water tank 16 may not pass from the cold water tank but from a separate

reservoir which feeds both the cold water tank 15 and the hot water tank 16. Further the

cold water tank 15 may not include a refrigeration system 26 but merely provide water at

room temperature. The feed from the cold water tank 15 to the hot water tank 16 by the

inlet pipe 17 may be from other positions than the bottom of the cold water tank 15 and to other positions than the bottom of the hot water tank 16.

Claims

1 A localised water heating and dispensing system including a water reservoir 14, a cold water tank 15 fed from the water reservoir 14 and the water able to be dispensed to a user through an outlet 42 feeding from the cold water tank 15,

a hot water tank 16 able to be fed water from the water reservoir 14 or cold water

tank 15 and in which the water is heated and the heated water able to be dispensed to a user through an outlet 43 feeding from the hot water tank,

a non-return valve 28 preventing return of the heated water in the hot water tank 16 to

the water reservoir 14 or the cold water tank 15, and an expansion chamber 21 connected to the hot water tank 16 to allow expansion

of the heated water

2 A system according to claim 1 wherein the water reservoir 14 forms at least part of the

cold water tank 15 and the water in the water reservoir 14 is able to be dispensed to a user

3 A system according to claim 2 wherein the water heating and dispensing system is a self contained unit 1 1 with the water reservoir 14 requiring discrete filling

4 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the water reservoir 14 is filled

by bottled water with the bottle 13 being able to be positioned so as to preferably form at least part of the water reservoir 14

5 A system according to claim 4 wherein the cold water tank 15 or the reservoir 14 are

cooled by a refrigeration system 26

6 A system according to claim 1 wherein the hot water tank 16 is located below the

water reservoir 14 to allow gravity feed of water to the hot water tank 16 and with the expansion chamber 31 located at least partly above the level 27 of the water in the water reservoir 14

7 A system according to claim 6 wherein an water expansion pipe 22 connects a top portion of the hot water tank to the expansion chamber that is located at least partly above the water level in the cold water tank, to limit the discharge from the hot water tank 16

8 A system according to claim 7 wherein the expansion chamber 21 has heat dissipating

elements 31 which allow for condensation of expanded heated water fed to the expansion

chamber from the hot water tank 16 and cooling of the expanded heated water and return of

the condensed and cooled water to the hot water tank 16

9 A system according to claim 8 wherein the expansion chamber includes an extended

pipe 31 which allow for condensation of expanded heated water fed to the expansion

chamber from the hot water tank 16 and cooling of the expanded heated water and return of the condensed and cooled water to the hot water tank 16

10 A system according to claim 9 wherein the expansion chamber is connected to a

venting pipe 23 vented to atmosphere

1 1 A system according to claims 1 or 2 wherein the cold water from the water reservoir

14 flows through a pipe 17 overcoming a one way valve 28 to the hot water tank 16

12 A system according to claim 7 wherein the hot water system includes an electronic

thermostat which senses and controls the hot water temperature accurately and is set to shut

off the heating element once the desired temperature is reached of between 93 5 to 100┬░ C

13 A stand-alone non-pressurised hot and cold water dispenser including a dispenser

body 11 having

a water reservoir 14 able to be replenished by an inverted water bottle 13 removably

mountable on top of the dispenser body 11, a cold water tank 15 at least partially formed by the water reservoir 14 and the water able to be refrigerated and dispensed to a user through an outlet 42 feeding from the cold water tank 15; a hot water tank 16 able to be fed by gravity from the water reservoir 14 and in which

the water is heated by a heating means and the heated water is able to be dispensed to a user

through an outlet 43 feeding from the hot water tank 16;

a non-return valve 28 located in a pipe 17 feeding water from the water reservoir 14

to the hot water tank to prevent return of the heated water in the hot water tank 16 to the

water reservoir 14 or the cold water tank 15; and an expansion chamber 21 connected to the hot water tank 16 to allow expansion

of the heated water and retain water in the hot water tank 16 substantially at atmospheric

pressure.

14. A localised water heating and dispensing system substantially as hereinbefore

described with reference to the drawings.