Wasted heat recovery
This invention relates to a means for using waste heat to preheat water going to a water heater to reduce the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of the water to a desired level. The invention, further, is portable so that it can be easily moved to accommodate the location of the waste heat source and water heater.
There are several devices on the market that draw waste heat from clothes dryers, furnace flues, and other sources to warm the surrounding air. These devices typically involve installing a diverter unit at some point downstream of the heat source and directing the waste heat into a living space, hence reducing the energy that would need to be supplied to heat the air to the same temperature. While these devices work well for heating air adjacent to the source of waste heat, they are not suitable to preheating water going to a water heater because they are fixed and the water heater may not be in close proximity to the source of waste heat. The current invention eliminates this problem by providing a portable heat exchanger that can be readily moved and connected between the source of waste heat and the water heater.
Several patents have been issued which use waste heat to heat or preheat water, however, these appear to be of the permanent or fixed installation type. These include U.S. Pat. No. 7,360,580, 7,216,696, 6,749,014 and 6,564,755.
The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more fully understood when considered in conjunction with the attached drawings of which:
The present invention is directed to a method of providing preheated water to a domestic or commercial water heater. The invention makes use of hot waste flue gases by using these waste flue gases to heat the air in a plenum chamber and redirecting the heated air through a heat transfer cabinet to preheat the water prior to its introduction into the water heater.
With initial reference to
The heated air from the plenum assembly 1 in
The heat transfer cabinet 9 is made of a framework of wood or other suitable material. The outer covering of the heat transfer cabinet 9 is an insulated shell of exterior grade plywood, metal, molded plastic, fiberglass or other suitable material. The insulation is of sufficient thickness and composition such that heat loss is kept to a minimum. The dimensions of the heat transfer cabinet 9 can be customized so that the insulation is kept from contacting the heat transfer assembly 16 allowing the heated air to circulate freely over and around the tubing of the heat transfer assembly 16. The heat transfer assembly 16 is attached to cross members 19 of suitable material by means of standard tubing brackets 18 and is supported inside the heat transfer cabinet 9 on supports 20 of wood or other suitable material, thereby making it easily removable for inspection or repair.
Claims
1) A portable heat exchanging apparatus for preheating water, said apparatus being made largely of tubing affixed to a framework such that it can be easily moved around to be connected between a source of waste heat and a water heater.
2) A portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the tubing is copper or some other heat conductive material and is of sufficient diameter and length to allow the water moving through the tubing to remain within the framework long enough to absorb heat provided by the waste heat source and increase the temperature of the water by at least 10° F.
3) A portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the blower that moves air from the waste heat plenum to the tubing flow is controlled by a thermostat and switch.
4) A portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the framework is made of wood or other inexpensive, non-heat absorbing material and is mounted on wheels, casters, or other such apparatus that makes it easy to move the heat exchanger to accommodate the location of the waste heat source and the water heater. The framework to also be well insulated to minimize heat escaping from the tubing inside the framework to ambient, while not interfering with the circulation of air around the tubing.
5) A portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which one end of the framework is connected to a source of waste heat, including, but not limited to, exhaust from a clothes dryer, exhaust from a furnace, boiler or other source of home or industrial room heating.
6) A portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which a device is inserted into the tubing to prevent water hammering.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 6, 2009
Publication Date: Jul 29, 2010
Inventor: George Alfonso Varlaro (New York, NY)
Application Number: 12/459,602
International Classification: F24H 1/06 (20060101);