Heat pump water heater and method of making the same

Patent · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2001

OSTI ID:873743

Mei, Viung C ^[1]; Tomlinson, John J ^[2]; Chen, Fang C ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge, TN
2. Knoxville, TN

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.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-96OR22464
• Assignee: Lockhead Martin Energy Research Corp. (Oakridge, TN)
• Patent Number(s): US 6233958
• OSTI ID: 873743
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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
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