Hydraulically opened cone vertical tube diffuser with slanted anti-siphon hole

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11768012-B2
Application number	US-202117193344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2021
Priority date	Oct 30, 2020
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A diffuser for a water heater fill tubes having a tube wall with an outside diameter. The diffuser includes an elongated flexible diffuser body for positioning at the outlet end of the fill tube. The diffuser body has a sealing end for sealing with an outside surface of the fill tube wall closest to the inlet end of the fill tube, and an open end for positioning at an end closest to the outlet end of the fill tube. The open end has a diameter larger than an outside diameter of the tube wall, thereby creating an diffuser water outlet opening between the diffuser body and the tube wall for redirecting radial water flow emanating from the fill tube water outlet opening(s) toward the diffuser outlet opening. A fill tube assembly for a water heater, a water heater, and a method for heating water are also disclosed.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fill tube assembly for a water heater, comprising:
an elongated fill tube having an interior water flow axis and a tube wall with an inlet end and an outlet end, and an open interior communicating with a water inlet opening at the inlet end and with at least one fill tube water outlet opening in the tube wall for directing water radially outward from the elongated fill tube;
an elongated flexible diffuser body at the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the elongated flexible diffuser body sealing with an outside surface of the tube wall at a sealing end closest to the inlet end of the elongated fill tube, and having an open end at which is an end closest to the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the open end having a diameter larger than an outside diameter of the tube wall, thereby creating a diffuser water outlet opening between the elongated flexible diffuser body and the tube wall for redirecting radial water flow emanating from the at least one fill tube water outlet opening toward the diffuser water outlet opening; and,
further comprising a plurality of flexible ribs spaced apart on the elongated flexible diffuser body, the plurality of flexible ribs having an elasticity less than an elasticity of the elongated flexible diffuser body.

2. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the elongated flexible diffuser body is conical.

3. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the elongated fill tube comprises a plurality of fill tube water outlet openings axially spaced apart at the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the fill tube water outlet openings decreasing in diameter toward the outlet end of the elongated fill tube.

4. The fill tube assembly of claim 3 , wherein the fill tube water outlet openings have an axis between 10 and 80 degrees to the water flow axis of the elongated fill tube.

5. The fill tube assembly of claim 4 , wherein the fill tube water outlet openings are oriented distally toward the outlet end of the elongated fill tube and diffuser water outlet opening.

6. The fill tube assembly of claim 5 , wherein fill tube water outlet openings nearest the outlet end of the fill tube are oriented between 90 and 170 degrees relative to the interior water flow axis of the elongated fill tube.

7. The fill tube assembly of claim 3 , comprising a plurality of the fill tube water outlet openings, and wherein a distance from a fill tube water outlet openings to the elongated flexible diffuser body decreases with a distance of the respective fill tube water outlet opening from the outlet end of the elongated fill tube.

8. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the elongated fill tube comprises an antisiphon water outlet opening at the inlet end of the elongated fill tube, the antisiphon water outlet opening having an axis, the axis of the antisiphon water outlet opening being between 100 and 170 degrees to the interior water flow axis of the elongated fill tube.

9. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sealing end of the elongated flexible diffuser body comprises a detachable connection to the elongated fill tube.

10. The fill tube assembly of claim 9 , wherein the detachable connection is an elastic band.

11. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sealing end comprises a fastener for affixing the sealing end to the elongated fill tube.

12. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser water outlet opening is annular.

13. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an attachment seam between the elongated fill tube and the elongated flexible diffuser body, the attachment seam being elongated and extending longitudinally down the elongated fill tube.

14. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the elongated flexible diffuser body comprises shape memory high temperature silicone.

15. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outlet end of the elongated fill tube is plugged.

16. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outside diameter of the diffuser water outlet opening is 1.5 to 20 times larger than the diameter of the elongated fill tube.

17. The fill tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the elongated fill tube comprises between 1 and 20 fill tube water outlet openings.

18. The fill tube assembly of claim 17 , wherein a sum of the cross sectional areas of the water outlet openings is larger than the cross sectional area of the open interior of the elongated fill tube.

19. A water heater, comprising:
a tank having a top, bottom and sides, with a tank water inlet and a tank water outlet;
an elongated fill tube connected to the tank water inlet and having an interior water flow axis and a tube wall with an inlet end and an outlet end, and an open interior communicating with a water inlet opening at the inlet end and at least one fill tube water outlet opening in the tube wall for directing water radially outward from the elongated fill tube;
an elongated flexible diffuser body at the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the elongated flexible diffuser body sealing with an outside surface of the tube wall at an end closest to the inlet end of the elongated fill tube, and having an open end which is an end closest to the outlet end of the elongated fill tube, the open end having a diameter larger than an outside diameter of the tube wall, thereby creating a diffuser water outlet opening between the elongated flexible diffuser body and the tube wall for redirecting radial water flow emanating from the at least one fill tube water outlet opening toward the diffuser water outlet opening; and,
further comprising a plurality of flexible ribs spaced apart on the elongated flexible diffuser body, the plurality of flexible ribs having an elasticity less than an elasticity of the elongated flexible diffuser body.

20. The water heater of claim 19 , wherein a longest distance from the diffuser water outlet opening to a bottom of the tank is between πD D /4 and πD D /2, where D D is the diameter of the open end of the elongated flexible diffuser body.

21. A method of heating water, comprising the steps of:
providing a water heater according to claim 19 ;
supplying water to the water heater through the tank water inlet and the elongated fill tube, wherein water will emerge from the elongated fill tube and be directed by the elongated flexible diffuser body to the diffuser water outlet opening; and,
removing heated water from the tank water outlet.

22. The method of claim 21 , further compromising the step of removing the fill tube from the water heater, placing the diffuser onto the fill tube adjacent the outlet end, flexing the diffuser body to a contracted state, and placing the fill tube and the diffuser into the water heater tank.

23. The method of claim 21 , further compromising the step of removing an existing water heater fill tube from the water heater, providing the fill tube with the elongated flexible diffuser body, flexing the elongated flexible diffuser body to a contracted state, and placing the fill tube and the elongated flexible diffuser body into the water heater tank.

24. A diffuser for a water heater fill tube having a tube wall with an outside diameter, the diffuser comprising an elongated flexible diffuser body for positioning at an outlet end of the water heater fill tube, the elongated flexible diffuser body having a sealing end opening for mating and sealing with an outside surface of the tube wall at a sealing end closest to an inlet

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Rendall Joseph D
• Gluesenkamp Kyle R
• Gehl Anthony C
• Atchley Jerald A

Classifications

• F24H9/0015 Primary

  in water channels · CPC title

• F24H1/186 Primary

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F24H9/133

  Storage heaters · CPC title

• F24H9/2035

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F28D2020/0069

  Distributing arrangements; Fluid deflecting means · CPC title