Electric heating elements and water heaters including same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric heating elements for fluid heating devices face manufacturing challenges, such as high production costs and susceptibility to stress, deformation, and failure due to high wall temperatures, which can reduce product lifetime and increase maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
The use of stamped nickel-chromium metal heating elements with varied shapes and features, including fins and openings, to reduce wall temperatures, improve durability, and enhance heat transfer, while simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional heating elements are used, then heating function is provided, but manufacturing cost is high and manufacturing difficulty is high
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is divided into multiple segments or sections along its length, with each section having independently controlled heating zones. This segmentation allows for localized temperature management, reducing overall stress on the element while maintaining effective heating performance. The segmented design also simplifies manufacturing by allowing modular production and assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies key parameters of the heating element including its geometric configuration (shape, size, surface area), material composition (resistivity, thermal conductivity), and operational parameters (power density, temperature distribution). These parameter changes enable the element to achieve effective heating while operating at lower temperatures and reduced stress levels, improving both manufacturability and reliability.
2Temperature
If heating elements operate at high temperatures, then heating efficiency is improved, but deformation and failure occur
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the heating element are designed with locally optimized properties including varying thickness, material composition, and surface characteristics. This allows heat dissipation to be enhanced in high-stress areas while maintaining heating efficiency in other zones. The local quality variations prevent hot spots and reduce overall wall temperature, thereby improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element design incorporates three-dimensional geometric features such as curved surfaces, varying cross-sections, and spatial distribution of heating zones. This dimensional approach allows for improved heat dissipation through increased surface area and optimized thermal pathways, enabling effective heating at lower operating temperatures and reduced thermal stress.
3Ease of manufacture
If heating elements are designed with simple geometry, then manufacturing is simplified, but heat transfer efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element incorporates curved and rounded geometric features rather than sharp angles or complex irregular shapes. These curved geometries improve heat transfer efficiency by eliminating stress concentration points and optimizing fluid flow patterns around the element, while remaining compatible with standard manufacturing processes such as extrusion or rolling of metal strips.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element design includes features that provide slightly more surface area or heating capacity than the minimum required for effective operation. This excess capacity allows for operation at lower power densities and temperatures, improving reliability while the overall geometry remains simple enough for cost-effective manufacturing using conventional processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively decreases the likelihood of deformation and failure, increasing the product lifetime and reducing maintenance costs by maintaining lower wall temperatures and improving heat distribution.
Implementation Method 1
electric heating element for a fluid heating device... the heating element increases the temperature of the passing water
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of first fins extending outwardly from the first portion and a plurality of second fins extending outwardly from the second portion
Data Source
AI summary
A stamped bare wire metal heating element for heating fluid in a tankless electric fluid heating device may include a first electrically conductive portion extending linearly; a second electrically conductive portion extending linearly; and a third electrically conductive portion connecting the first electrically conductive portion to the second electrically conductive portion at a first end of the stamped bare wire metal heating element, wherein the stamped bare wire metal heating element is open between the first electrically conductive portion and the second electrically conductive portion at a second end of the stamped bare wire metal heating element.