Heat pump water heater and method of making the same
Abstract
An improved heat pump water heater wherein the condenser assembly of the heat pump is inserted into the water tank through an existing opening in the top of the tank, the assembly comprising a tube-in-a-tube construction with an elongated cylindrical outer body heat exchanger having a closed bottom with the superheated refrigerant that exits the compressor of the heat pump entering the top of the outer body. As the refrigerant condenses along the interior surface of the outer body, the heat from the refrigerant is transferred to the water through the outer body. The refrigerant then enters the bottom of an inner body coaxially disposed within the outer body and exits the top of the inner body into the refrigerant conduit leading into the expansion device of the heat pump. The outer body, in a second embodiment of the invention, acts not only as a heat exchanger but also as the sacrificial anode in the water tank by being constructed of a metal which is more likely to corrode than the metal of the tank.
- Inventors:
-
- Oak Ridge, TN
- Knoxville, TN
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 873743
- Patent Number(s):
- 6233958
- Assignee:
- Lockhead Martin Energy Research Corp. (Oakridge, TN)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F24 - HEATING F24H - FLUID HEATERS, e.g. WATER OR AIR HEATERS, HAVING HEAT GENERATING MEANS, IN GENERAL
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- heat; pump; water; heater; method; improved; condenser; assembly; inserted; tank; existing; top; comprising; tube-in-a-tube; construction; elongated; cylindrical; outer; exchanger; closed; bottom; superheated; refrigerant; exits; compressor; entering; condenses; interior; surface; transferred; enters; inner; coaxially; disposed; conduit; leading; expansion; device; embodiment; sacrificial; anode; constructed; metal; corrode; water heater; coaxially disposed; improved heat; cylindrical outer; water tank; heat pump; heat exchange; heat exchanger; interior surface; assembly comprising; expansion device; pump water; closed bottom; conduit leading; elongated cylindrical; tube construction; /62/
Citation Formats
Mei, Viung C, Tomlinson, John J, and Chen, Fang C. Heat pump water heater and method of making the same. United States: N. p., 2001.
Web.
Mei, Viung C, Tomlinson, John J, & Chen, Fang C. Heat pump water heater and method of making the same. United States.
Mei, Viung C, Tomlinson, John J, and Chen, Fang C. Mon .
"Heat pump water heater and method of making the same". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/873743.
@article{osti_873743,
title = {Heat pump water heater and method of making the same},
author = {Mei, Viung C and Tomlinson, John J and Chen, Fang C},
abstractNote = {An improved heat pump water heater wherein the condenser assembly of the heat pump is inserted into the water tank through an existing opening in the top of the tank, the assembly comprising a tube-in-a-tube construction with an elongated cylindrical outer body heat exchanger having a closed bottom with the superheated refrigerant that exits the compressor of the heat pump entering the top of the outer body. As the refrigerant condenses along the interior surface of the outer body, the heat from the refrigerant is transferred to the water through the outer body. The refrigerant then enters the bottom of an inner body coaxially disposed within the outer body and exits the top of the inner body into the refrigerant conduit leading into the expansion device of the heat pump. The outer body, in a second embodiment of the invention, acts not only as a heat exchanger but also as the sacrificial anode in the water tank by being constructed of a metal which is more likely to corrode than the metal of the tank.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2001},
month = {Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2001}
}