A liquid heater is described including a chamber for receiving a liquid, pairs of electrodes located within the chamber for applying electric current to the liquid, input terminals for connection to a power supply, a plurality of bridge arms connected in parallel to the input terminals, and a control unit for controlling switches of the bridge arms. The plurality of bridge arms include a respective bridge arm for each pair of electrodes and a common bridge arm, and each bridge arm includes a pair of switches and a node located between the switches. A first electrode of each pair of electrodes is connected to the node of the respective bridge arm, and a second electrode is connected to the node of the common bridge arm. The switches have a plurality of different states for selectively connecting pairs of electrodes to the input terminals in one of a plurality of electrode configurations, the electrodes having a different total electrical resistance in each electrode configuration.

A liquid heater is described including a chamber for receiving a liquid, pairs of electrodes located within the chamber for applying electric current to the liquid, input terminals for connection to a power supply, a plurality of switches for connecting the pairs of electrodes to the input terminals, and a control unit for controlling the switches. The switches have a plurality of different states for selectively connecting pairs of electrodes to the input terminals in one of a plurality of electrode configurations, the electrodes having a different total electrical resistance in each electrode configuration. When switching between a first electrode configuration and a second electrode configuration having a second lower total electrical resistance, the control unit controls the switches such that switching between the electrode configurations occurs in response to zero-crossings in a voltage of the power supply or the electrodes of the second electrode configuration are energised with a voltage having a higher duty than the electrodes of the first electrode configuration.

One embodiment of present disclosure discloses an electrode boiler system including a body portion formed to receive the electrolyzed water therein, an electrode portion having a plurality of electrodes disposed in the body portion, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of electrodes contacts the electrolyzed water within the body portion, a first flow path portion through which the electrolyzed water in the body portion flows out and moves after heated by a current applied to the electrode portion, a second flow path portion through which the electrolyzed water flows into the body portion and which is formed to be spaced apart from the first flow path portion, and a control portion to control the current applied to the electrode portion.

A flowmeter for measuring flow of a conductive liquid includes a structure (20, 220) defining a flow path, electrodes in the flow path and electrodes (34a, 34b, 234a, 234b) exposed within the flow path. An electrical circuit (40, 240) applies a voltage between the electrodes so that an electrical current flows along a conduction path between the electrodes within a liquid flowing in the flow path. Means such as temperature sensors (56, 58, 256, 258) are provided for determining a value representing a temperature rise in the liquid passing through a sensing region of the flow path which encompasses at least a part of the. A monitoring circuit (60, 207) determines a value representing the flow rate based on the value representing the temperature, rise the voltage and the current. The flowmeter may be incorporated in an ohmic heater and elements of the ohmic heater may serve as elements of the flowmeter.

An ohmic heater has a structure (20) defining a flow path extending in a downstream direction (D), a first pair of electrodes (34a,34b) and a second pair of electrodes (36a,36b). The electrodes of each pair are adjacent one another in the downstream direction but spaced from one another in a direction perpendicular to the downstream direction; the pairs of electrodes are spaced apart from one another in the downstream direction. An electrical circuit (40,42,44,46,48,50) is operative to apply a voltage (i) between the electrodes (34a,34b) of the first pair; or (ii) between the electrodes (36a,36b) of the second pair; or (iii) between at least one electrode (34a) of the first pair and at least one electrode (36b) of the second pair, and may vary the applied voltage. The heater can meet varying conditions such as changes in conductivity of the liquid flowing through the heater.

A heating system comprising: a liquid supply system; a cell configured to: receive liquid from the liquid supply system, provide heating thereof, and output heated fluid; a work extraction system configured to extract useable work from heated fluid output from the cell; wherein the cell comprises: (i) a housing arranged to define an internal portion for receiving liquid to be heated, and (ii) a plurality of electrodes configured to apply electrical energy to fluid in the internal portion; and wherein the electrodes are configured to apply electrical energy to said fluid in the internal portion to generate one or more bubbles of plasma for releasing energy into said fluid in the internal portion and the housing to provide heating of the fluid in the internal portion.

An instant electrode water is provided. The instant electrode water heater comprises a housing for containing water therein with the housing having a water inlet and a water outlet. A plurality of electrode plates is disposed inside the housing. The electrode plates are placed such that the electrode plates are oriented parallel to each other and have a predetermined distance between two successive electrode plates for directing water received at the water inlet through successive channels, with each channel being formed by two successive electrode plates, to the water outlet. A plurality of electric contacts is disposed in the housing such that each electric contact is in a touching relationship with a respective electrode plate for providing AC electric power thereto. Electric control circuitry is connected to the electric contacts for controllably providing electric power thereto. The electrode plates may be contained in an electrode cartridge which is removably disposed in a cavity of the housing. The electric control circuitry may comprise current sense circuitry for providing a current sense signal indicative of an electric power usage of the electrodes. A microcontroller is connected to the current sense circuitry, an AC electric power supply, and a user interface. The microcontroller determines supply of the AC electric power to the electrodes in dependence upon the current sense signal and the user input signal and provides a supply control signal indicative of the supply of the AC electric power to the electrodes to the AC electric power supply.

A heating device for heating water, having a container having an inlet channel and an outlet channel, two spaced-apart plates which act as electrodes and each comprise an electrical connection for connection to an electrical voltage source for generating a current flow through the water located between the plates, wherein at least one plate is mounted movably in order to change the distance between the plates and thereby the volume provided between the plates. A water-conducting device such as a washing machine, dishwasher or hot beverage maker, includes a flow conducting system and a heating device arranged therein, as described above.

A heating device for heating water having a container having an inlet and an outlet, two spaced-apart plates which act as electrodes and are each connected to an electrical voltage source for generating a current flow through the water located between the plates, and a control device for activating and deactivating a valve at the inlet and for activating and deactivating the voltage source. A water-conducting device, such as a washing machine, dishwasher or hot beverage maker, includes a flow line system and a heating device arranged therein, as described above.

An embodiment of the present disclosure discloses an electrode-based heating device for heating a fluid, the electrode-based heating device including a body part and a heating unit part, wherein the body part is formed such that the fluid is arranged inside the body part, the heating unit part includes a plurality of heating units spaced apart from each other, at least one heating unit of the plurality of heating units is formed such that electrolyzed water is arranged inside the at least one heating unit, and includes an electrode part formed to heat the electrolyzed water, and the fluid and the electrolyzed water are arranged to overlap each other.