Hot Water Tank Diffuser for Stable Stratification and Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot water storage systems face challenges in achieving uniform sterilization and energy efficiency, as they often result in oversized tanks, inefficient heating, and mixing that disrupts thermal stratification, leading to increased energy costs and incomplete sterilization.
Innovation Solution
A hot water storage tank design with a heat source positioned in the upper portion, a diffuser to minimize mixing, and a controller to optimize heating based on temperature sensors, ensuring efficient heat transfer and reduced energy consumption by pre-heating water before it enters the tank, thereby maintaining a stable thermocline and allowing for selective use of energy sources based on pricing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a heat exchanger is positioned at the bottom of the tank to maximize heat transfer to cold water, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but thermal stratification is disrupted due to convection currents causing mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the heating function from the bottom of the tank and relocates it to the top portion. The heat source is positioned in the upper portion of the tank, heating water locally without creating strong convection currents that would disrupt the thermal stratification of the entire water column.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local heating in the upper portion of the tank rather than uniform heating throughout. This localized approach allows heat transfer to occur efficiently at the heating location while minimizing disturbance to the overall thermal stratification structure of the water column.
2Productivity
If an auxiliary heater is positioned close to the base of the tank to boost heating, then heating speed is improved, but complete sterilization is delayed due to time lag in heating the entire volume
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary heating action by positioning the heat source in the upper portion where water is naturally warmer and rises. This creates a top-down heating pattern that progresses through the water column more uniformly, eliminating the time lag associated with bottom-up heating where the base is heated first but the entire volume takes longer to reach sterilization temperature.
3Quantity of substance
If the tank is oversized to accommodate maximum occupancy, then capacity is improved, but energy efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary heating of excess water
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the heating parameter from uniform heating of the entire tank volume to localized heating in the upper portion. This parameter change allows the system to heat only the necessary volume of water to usable temperature, improving energy efficiency while maintaining the ability to serve maximum occupancy demands.
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
This design ensures rapid and complete sterilization of the tank, reduces energy costs by optimizing heating schedules, and maintains a stable thermocline, providing efficient and cost-effective hot water storage.
Implementation Method 1
at least one heat source positioned in and operable to directly heat water in an upper portion of the primary storage volume
Implementation Method 2
Hot water is less dense than cold water and therefore if left in a tank the two will separate. Hot water will rise to the top of the tank and the cold water will sink to the bottom of the tank
Implementation Method 3
A diffuser may be provided to minimise mixing of water in the tank
Implementation Method 4
The heat transfer device may be configured to enable the transfer of heat from heated water in the upper portion to the drawn water
Implementation Method 5
A controller may be provided which is operable to control the at least one heat source based on a temperature of water in the upper portion of the tank
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a hot water storage tank (202, 302, 402, 502, 602, 702), defining a primly storage volume (204, 304, 404, 504, 604, 704), with at least one heat source (212, 312, 412, 512, 612, 712) positioned in and operable to directly heat water in the upper portion (207, 307, 407, 507, 607, 707) of the primary storage volume (204, 304, 404, 04, 604, 704), and a pump or other means (237, 337, 437, 537, 637) that draws water, from the lower portion (209, 309, 409, 509, 609, 709) of the tank into a heat transfer device (216, 316, 416, 516, 616, 716), situated in said upper portion (207, 307, 407, 507, 607, 707). The heat transfer device (216, 316, 416, 516, 616, 716) is configured to enable the transfer of heat from heated water in the upper portion (207, 307, 407, 507, 607, 707) to the drawn water prior to discharge into the water in the upper portion (207, 307, 407, 507, 607, 707).