STEAM GENERATOR

Abstract

The present invention relates to steam generation equipments, and more particularly, to a steam generator. The steam generator includes a first container having a first chamber, and a heating device. The steam generator further includes a second sealed container disposed in the first chamber. The heating device is disposed in the second container, and a kind of low-melting-point (LMP) metal is filled between the heating device and an inner wall of the second container. As compared to the prior art, the heating device of the present invention make no direct contact with water, so it is less liable to damage and safe in use.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to steam generation equipments, and more particularly, to a steam generator that is less liable to damage and safe in use.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

As a kind of equipment that utilizes thermal energy to vaporize water into steam, steam generators are generally equipped with a heating device for heating water. In the prior arts, all the heating devices in the steam generators make direct contact with water so that the water is vaporized into steam as the temperature of the heating devices increases. In this technology, because the heating devices are constantly in contact with the water, they are liable to damage and unsafe in use.

SUMMARY

The objective of the present invention is to provide a steam generator, which can solve the problems of steam generators in the prior arts that they are liable to damage and unsafe in use.

The objective of the present invention is achieved in the following way.

A steam generator includes a first container having a first chamber, and a heating device, wherein the steam generator further comprises a second container disposed in the first chamber and sealed, the heating device is disposed in the second container, and a kind of low-melting-point (LMP) metal is filled between the heating device and an inner wall of the second container.

Further, the heating device is a heating pipe, and the heating pipe has an end adapted to connect to an external power supply and extending out of the first container.

Further, the first container comprises a hollow enclosure and a base plate that is used to seal a lower end of the enclosure, and the base plate is detachably attached to the lower end of the enclosure.

Further, the steam generator includes a valve communicating with the first chamber and disposed at an upper end of the first container.

Further, a first through-hole communicating with the first chamber is defined in an upper end of the enclosure, and the valve is disposed in the first through-hole.

Further, the base plate is formed to have a water inlet for injecting water into the first chamber.

Further, the second container is sealedly attached to an inner surface of the base plate.

Further, the base plate is formed to have an annular protrusion on the inner surface thereof which abuts against an inner surface of the second container.

As compared to the prior art, the heating device of the present invention make no direct contact with water, so it is less liable to damage and safe in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steam generator in according with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention will now be further described in detail with reference to the attached drawing and embodiment thereof. It shall be understood that, the embodiment described herein is only provided to illustrate but not the limit the present invention.

The present invention provides a steam generator. The steam generator includes a first container having a first chamber, and a heating device. The steam generator further includes a second container disposed in the first chamber and sealed. The heating device is disposed in the second container, and a low-melting-point (LMP) metal is filled between the heating device and an inner wall of the second container.

In the present invention, the heating device can liquefy the low-melting-point (LMP) metal by heating the LMP metal so that heat can be conducted to the second container to vaporize the water in the first container. Because, throughout this process, the heating device makes no direct contact with the water, the heating device is less liable to damage and safe in use.

Herein below, a detailed description will be made on implementation of the present invention with reference to embodiment thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steam generator 1 includes a first container 11 and a heating pipe 13 arranged in the first container 11. The first container has a first chamber 111 therein, in which water can be filled. The heating pipe 13 is adapted to heat the first container 11 to vaporize the water in the first container 11 into steam. An end of the heating pipe 13 extends out of the first container 11 and can be directly connected to an external power supply for heating.

To avoid direct contact of the heating pipe 13 with the water in the first container 11, a second container 12 that is sealed is provided in the first container 11. Thus, the interior of the second container 12 is prevented from making contact with the water in the first container 11. The second container 12 has a second chamber 131 therein, in which the heating pipe 13 is arranged; that is, the heating pipe 13 is arranged at a middle portion of the steam generator 1 and located at an innermost position in the steam generator 1. Further, a kind of LMP metal is disposed in the second chamber 131 of the second container 12. Here, the LMP metal is tin (Sn) 14, which is filled in a space between the heating pipe 13 and an inner wall of the second container 12 and also surrounds the heating pipe 13. In this way, as the temperature of the heating pipe 13 increases, the tin 14 which has a low melting point will be molten into liquid-phase tin. Furthermore, during the process of melting, the tin 14 transformed from a solid state to a liquid state, a great amount of heat is absorbed by the tin 14 to drive the temperature of the whole second container 12 to increase, thus vaporizing the water in the first container 11 into steam very quickly. In this embodiment, during the process of vaporizing the water in the first container 11 into steam, the heating pipe 13 makes no contact with the water throughout the process. Instead, it is through liquefaction of the tin 14 that the temperature of the second container 12 is increased. Because the second container 12 is disposed in the first container 11 with an outer surface of the second container 12 being in direct contact with the water, the water can be heated until it is vaporized into steam. In this way, the problems that the steam generator 1 is liable to damage and unsafe in use are solved.

In the present invention, other heating devices may also be disposed in the second container 12 as long as they can liquefy the tin 14 in the second container through heating. Therefore, the heating device is not merely limited to the heating pipe 13 described in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the filler inside the second container 12 is tin 14. Of course, other metal having a low melting point such as tin alloys may also be used. Tin has a melting point of about 231.9° C., and here the LMP metal refer to metal having a melting point lower than 231.9° C.

In this embodiment, both the first container 11 and the second container 12 make direct contact with the water, and the second container 12 also has the heat conduction function. Hence, to prevent damage of the first container 11 and the second container 12 due to contact with water for a long time period, the first container 11 and the second container 12 are made of a stainless steel material.

To facilitate disassembly and assembly of the first container 11, the first container 11 includes an enclosure 112 and a base plate 113. The enclosure 112 is hollow, and when the enclosure 112 and the base plate 113 are assembled together, the hollow portion of the enclosure 112 forms the first chamber 111 of the first container 11. The enclosure 112 defines a first through-hole at an upper end thereof, which communicates with the first chamber 111. The base plate 113 is disposed at a lower end of the enclosure 112 to thereby seal the lower end of the enclosure 112. The base plate 113 and the enclosure 112 are detachably connected together for convenience of subsequent maintenance and replacement.

Specifically, the base plate 113 is placed at the bottom of the enclosure 112 and then connected together with the enclosure 112 by bolts.

In this embodiment, the steam generator 1 further includes a valve 15 that can communicate with the first chamber 111 of the first container 11. The valve 15 is disposed in the first through-hole at the upper end of the enclosure 112 so that the steam generated inside the first container 11 can be spurted out. A water inlet is formed in the base plate 113 to allow the user to inject water into the first container 11 (i.e., into the first chamber 111) through the water inlet.

In this embodiment, the second container 12 is sealedly attached to the base plate 113, and the base plate 113 seals the lower end of the second container 12 to prevent entry of water from the first container 11 into the second container 12.

Specifically, the base plate 113 has an annular protrusion formed on an inner surface thereof, and the lower end of the second container 12 is directly disposed around the annular protrusion with an inner surface of the second container 12 abutting against the annular protrusion, thereby sealing the lower end of the second container 12.

What described above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, but are not to limit scope of the present invention. Rather, all modifications, equivalent replacements and alterations made within the spirits of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A steam generator, comprising: a first container having a first chamber, and a heating device, wherein the steam generator further comprises a second container disposed in the first chamber and sealed, the heating device is disposed in the second container, and a kind of low-melting-point (LMP) metal is filled between the heating device and an inner wall of the second container.

2. The steam generator of claim 1, wherein the heating device is a heating pipe, and the heating pipe has an end adapted to connect to an external power supply and extending out of the first container.

3. The steam generator of claim 1, wherein the first container comprises a hollow enclosure and a base plate that is used to seal a lower end of the enclosure, and the base plate is detachably attached to the lower end of the enclosure.

4. The steam generator of claim 3, further comprising a valve communicating with the first chamber and disposed at an upper end of the first container.

5. The steam generator of claim 4, wherein a first through-hole communicating with the first chamber, is defined in an upper end of the enclosure, and the valve is disposed in the first through-hole.

6. The steam generator of claim 3, wherein the base plate is formed to have a water inlet for injecting water into the first chamber.

7. The steam generator of claim 3, wherein the second container is sealedly attached to an inner surface of the base plate.

8. The steam generator of claim 7, wherein the base plate is formed to have an annular protrusion on the inner surface thereof which abuts against an inner surface of the second container.