Partial Confinement System for Cost-Efficient Localized Water Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural and man-made large water bodies often have temperatures that are not within the comfortable range for recreational activities, making them underutilized throughout the year due to the high costs and inefficiencies of heating entire bodies of water, and existing solutions require complete physical barriers that disrupt water flow and quality.
Innovation Solution
A partial confinement system with two barrier elements positioned from the bottom and surface of the water body, creating a serpentine flow and thermal barrier to maintain a comfortable temperature in a designated area without fully enclosing it, allowing hydraulic connection and minimizing heat loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the entire water body is heated to comfortable temperatures, then recreational usability is improved, but energy consumption and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The water body is divided into a confined zone and an unconfined zone using barrier elements. The confined zone is heated to comfortable temperatures while the unconfined zone remains at natural temperatures, eliminating the need to heat the entire water body and thus reducing energy consumption significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
Heating is applied locally only to the confined zone where recreational activities occur, rather than uniformly heating the entire water body. This localized approach maintains comfortable temperatures in the usage area while minimizing energy consumption in non-usage areas.
2Temperature
If complete physical barriers are used to confine water, then temperature control is improved, but water flow and quality are disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complete barriers that fully enclose the confined zone, the system uses partial barriers that extend only partially through the water column. This allows sufficient temperature control within the confined zone while maintaining partial water flow and hydraulic connection with the unconfined zone, thus preserving water quality.
3Loss of energy
If complete physical barriers are used to enclose the heated area, then heat loss is reduced, but the immersive experience is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier elements extend partially through the water column rather than completely enclosing the heated zone. This partial confinement reduces heat loss to a manageable level while leaving the water body visually open, thereby maintaining the immersive experience of being in a natural water body rather than an enclosed pool.
Solution Approach 2:
The confinement is achieved in the vertical dimension through barrier elements extending from surface to near-bottom, while the horizontal dimension remains open. This dimensional approach allows heat retention through vertical barriers while maintaining horizontal visual openness and immersive experience.
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 system enables cost-effective and efficient heating of a portion of a water body to comfortable temperatures, extending its recreational use year-round while maintaining the immersive experience of being in a larger water body, with significant energy savings compared to heating the entire body.
Implementation Method 1
The partial confinement system (2) allows to create a thermal barrier or 'heat plug' between a partially confined area (3) and the rest of the water volume (1)
Implementation Method 2
At least one heating system (7) configured to increase the temperature of the water flow withdrawn from the water intake point (9) and then returns the heated water flow to the partially confined zone (3)
Implementation Method 3
The localized heating system from the present invention comprises a partial confinement system (2) that allows to create a thermal barrier or 'heat plug' and at the same time provides for a serpentine-style flow between both sides of the partial confinement system (2)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention comprises a system for the localized heating of a portion of water within larger water bodies through a partial confinement of said portion of water without completely interrupting the water flow and where the concept of being in the same water body is maintained, in order to facilitate the practice of recreational activities in a heated environment. The present invention provides a solution to achieve a comfortable temperature of the water for direct contact recreational purposes in a cost-efficient manner, with a partial confinement system that allows creating a heat plug and provides for a serpentine-type flow between both sides of the partial confinement system.