Modular reversible water heater design

Abstract

A modular water heater tank design is provided that enhances the longevity and efficiency of domestic hot water heaters. Interchangeable upper and lower pans allow the water tank to be inverted after several years of continuous use. By repositioning the pans, the thermal stress and temperature gradients experienced by the tank are significantly reduced, thereby extending its operational life. Additionally, the salt precipitation within the tank is removed from new lower pan, ensuring improved heat absorption and preventing premature corrosion.

Claims

1. A modular reversible water heater system comprising: a cylindrical liquid filled tank with an inner surface and an outer surface, said liquid filled tank having a tank head on a top and a tank base on a bottom and being constructed from a metal material; an upper cap removably attached over the tank head and a lower heating apparatus enclosure removably attached under the tank base, wherein said upper cap includes a chimney structure configured for conducting products of combustion away from said liquid filled tank and into exhaust pipes, and said lower heating apparatus enclosure accommodates a heat-generating mechanism; wherein after a predetermined period of use in an original orientation, the liquid filled tank is designed to be physically invertible relative to said upper cap and said lower heating apparatus enclosure, and upon said physical inversion, the upper cap and lower heating apparatus enclosure are reattachable to said liquid filled tank in an inverted orientation relative to the original orientation while maintaining the upper cap over the tank base and the lower heating apparatus enclosure under the tank head, said physical inversion repositioning the tank base away from the heat-generating mechanism and the tank head closer to the heat-generating mechanism, thereby mitigating thermal cycling effects on the metal material and optimizing positioning of accumulated salts.

2. A method for enhancing the longevity of a hot water heater, comprising the steps of: providing a tank with an inner surface and an outer surface, said tank having a tank head on a top and a tank base on a bottom and being constructed from a metal material; attaching an upper cap removably attached over the tank head and a lower heating apparatus enclosure removably attached under the tank base, said upper cap configured for conducting products of combustion away from said tank and into exhaust pipes, and said lower heating apparatus enclosure accommodating a heat-generating mechanism; utilizing said hot water heater tank for a predetermined period of time; detaching said upper cap and said lower heating apparatus enclosure from said tank; physically inverting the tank relative to an original orientation such that the tank base is repositioned away from the heat-generating mechanism and the tank head is repositioned closer to the heat-generating mechanism; and reattaching said upper cap to the tank base and said lower heating apparatus enclosure to the tank head such that the upper cap remains over the tank and the lower heating apparatus enclosure remains under the tank after said physical inversion, thereby mitigating the effects of thermal cycling on the metal material and optimizing positioning of accumulated salts.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of utilizing said upper cap to conduct products of combustion away from said tank and into exhaust pipes.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of utilizing said lower heating apparatus enclosure to house the heat-generating mechanism, wherein the heat-generating mechanism comprises an electric heating element or a gas burner for generating heat.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an otherwise conventional gate water heater design according to the PRIOR ART;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an improved modular hot water heater design according to the preferred embodiment shown in a first orientation; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram thereof shown in a second orientation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(5) The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within the Figures. It should be understood that the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent and that the detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word means and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. 112 (f).

(6) The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within the FIG. 2 through FIG. 3.

1. Detailed Description of the Figures

(7) Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate the same parts throughout the several views, an improved modular reversible water heater tank, generally noted as 100, is provided according the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The tank 100 comprises a cylindrical or rectangular sidewall 102 for containing a working volume of water. The sidewall has an upper end 104 opposite a lower end 106.

(8) The upper end 104 is equipped with an upper pan 110. The lower end 106 is equipped with a lower pan 112. The pans 110, 112 are specifically adapted to be removed and reattached on the opposite ends of the tank 100 after a period of continuous use.

(9) The tank sidewall 102 may consists of a steel outer jacket that encloses a pressure-tested water storage tank. This inner tank may be made of high-quality steel with a vitreous glass or plastic layer bonded to the inside surface to prevent rusting. An exhaust flue is directed through the upper pan 110 for discharge of exhaust gases to an exhaust vent. In most designs. The tank 102 may also generally formed of an inner storage tank and the outer tank jacket with a layer of insulation therebetween designed to reduce heat loss (not shown). Both the upper pan 110 and the lower pan 112 may also be made of steel or of steel with a glass or plastic lining or a glass-lined steel tank.

(10) The pans 110, 112 are further affixed to and seal the tank sidewall 102 such as to ensure that the tank can withstand the pressure and temperature of the hot water while resisting rust and corrosion.

2. Operation of the Preferred Embodiment

(11) In operation, a reconfiguration of the modular tank design effectively changes the orientation of the tank, minimizing the impact of extreme temperature gradients and thermal stress. As shown in conjunction with FIG. 3, after a number of years in operation, the placement of the pans 110, 112 are reversed in their location on the tank, ensuring that the original lower pan 112, which is susceptible to extreme thermal cycling, is relocated to the upper end 104 and away from the direct heat source. Similarly the original upper pan 110, having been exposed to reduced stress on the material, is positioned at the lower end 106 and thereby extending the tank's operational life.

(12) By repositioning the upper and lower pans, the invention mitigates the simultaneous expansion and contraction of the steel caused by extreme temperature gradients. This reduction in thermal stress significantly prolongs the life of the tank. Further, the modular design also addresses the issue of salt accumulation within the tank. By inverting the tank end enclosing pans, the salt-covered bottom is moved to the top, where temperature gradients are less severe. This prevents salt from interfering with heat absorption and reduces the risk of corrosion.

(13) The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. The Title, Background, Summary, Brief Description of the Drawings and Abstract of the disclosure are hereby incorporated into the disclosure and are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not as restrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the Detailed Description, it can be seen that the description provides illustrative examples and the various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

(14) The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects described herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims and to encompass all legal equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirement of 35 U.S.C. 101, 102, or 103, nor should they be interpreted in such a way. Any unintended embracement of such subject matter is hereby disclaimed. They are not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to precise forms disclosed and, obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and its various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that a scope of the invention be defined broadly by the Drawings and Specification appended hereto and to their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the invention is in no way to be limited only by any adverse inference under the rulings of Warner-Jenkinson Company, v. Hilton Davis Chemical, 520 US 17 (1997) or Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., 535 U.S. 722 (2002), or other similar caselaw or subsequent precedent should not be made if any future claims are added or amended subsequent to this Provisional Patent Application.