Apparatus and methods for pre-heating water with air conditioning unit or heat pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945582-B2
Application number	US-201615207170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2016
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

Water heater apparatus includes a tank for storing water; a heat exchanger associated with the tank and being operative to receive refrigerant and transfer heat therefrom to the tank, the heat exchanger representatively being a heat conductive tube externally wrapped around the tank in heat conductive contact therewith; air conditioning apparatus operative to utilize refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant circuit portion of the air conditioning apparatus, the refrigerant circuit portion being in fluid communication with the heat exchanger; and a control system operative to selectively cause a portion of the flowing refrigerant to pass through the heat exchanger, or cause essentially the entire flow of the refrigerant to bypass the heat exchanger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for heating water, comprising:
an air conditioning apparatus operative to utilize refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant circuit portion of said air conditioning apparatus to regulate the temperature of air being delivered to a conditioned space;
a tank for storing water;
a heat exchanger associated with said tank and being operative to receive refrigerant and transfer heat therefrom to said tank, the heat exchanger comprising a first end forming a part of the refrigerant circuit portion and a second end forming a part of the refrigerant circuit portion,
a first valve disposed at the first end of the heat exchanger and arranged to control flow of refrigerant at the first end of the heat exchanger;
a second valve disposed at the second end of the heat exchanger and arranged to control flow of refrigerant at the second end of the heat exchanger; and
a bypass circuit forming a part of the refrigerant circuit portion and arranged to selectively flow refrigerant in a manner bypassing the heat exchanger, the first valve, and the second valve.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bypass circuit comprises a bypass valve arranged to control flow of refrigerant bypassing the heat exchanger.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a temperature sensor disposed to measure a temperature of water in the tank; and
a control system operative to selectively operate the first and second valves.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the bypass circuit comprises a bypass valve arranged to control flow of refrigerant bypassing the heat exchanger, and
wherein when the temperature sensor detects a water temperature below a desired temperature, the control system controls both the first valve and the bypass valve to direct hot refrigerant through the heat exchanger.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein when the temperature sensor detects a water temperature below a desired temperature, the control system controls both the first valve and the bypass valve to simultaneously direct only a portion of hot refrigerant through the heat exchanger and direct only a portion of hot refrigerant through the bypass circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning apparatus comprises:
a condenser in an outdoor unit; and
an evaporator coil in an indoor unit, the bypass circuit placing the condenser coil and the evaporator coil in communication.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the air conditioning apparatus comprises a reversing valve, and
wherein when the temperature sensor is above a desired temperature and heated air is desired, the control system switches the reversing valve to direct hot refrigerant from the compressor to the evaporator coil, the evaporator coil functioning as an air heating coil.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein when the temperature sensor is above a desired temperature and heated air is desired, the control system controls the bypass valve and at least one additional valve to direct only a portion of the hot refrigerant through the evaporator coil and to direct all the hot refrigerant flow through the bypass circuit.

9. The apparatus for heating water of claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning apparatus comprises a heat pump.

10. The apparatus for heating water of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is the sole source of heating water in said tank.

11. The apparatus for heating water of claim 1 , comprising a second tank for storing water, said second tank for storing water being piped in series with said tank for storing water, and wherein the second tank is devoid of an external refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger.

12. An apparatus for heating water, comprising:
an air conditioning apparatus operative to utilize refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant circuit portion of said air conditioning apparatus to regulate the temperature of air being delivered to a conditioned space;
a tank for storing water;
a heat exchanger associated with said tank and being operative to receive refrigerant and transfer heat therefrom to said tank, the heat exchanger comprising a first end forming a part of the refrigerant circuit portion and a second end forming a part of the refrigerant circuit portion,
a regulator valve disposed at the first end of the heat exchanger and arranged to control flow of refrigerant at the first end of the heat exchanger;
a solenoid valve disposed at the second end of the heat exchanger and arranged to control flow of refrigerant at the second end of the heat exchanger; and
a check valve arranged in parallel with the solenoid valve to cooperate with the solenoid valve to control flow of refrigerant at the second end of the heat exchanger.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , comprising:
a bypass circuit forming a part of the refrigerant circuit portion and arranged to selectively flow refrigerant in a manner bypassing the heat exchanger, the first valve, and the second valve, the bypass circuit comprises a bypass valve arranged to control flow of refrigerant bypassing the heat exchanger.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a control system in communication with the regulator valve and the bypass valve, wherein when a water temperature is below a desired temperature, the control system controls both the regulator valve and the bypass valve to direct hot refrigerant through the heat exchanger.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the air conditioning apparatus comprises:
a condenser in an outdoor unit; and
an evaporator coil in an indoor unit, the bypass circuit placing the condenser coil and the evaporator coil in communication.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , comprising:
a temperature sensor disposed to measure a temperature of water in the tank; and
a control system operative to selectively operate the regulator and solenoid valves.

17. An apparatus for heating water, comprising:
a tank for storing water;
a heat exchanger associated with said tank and being operative to receive refrigerant and transfer heat therefrom to said tank;
an air conditioning apparatus operative to utilize refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant circuit portion of said air conditioning apparatus to regulate the temperature of air being delivered to a conditioned space, said refrigerant circuit portion being in fluid communication with said heat exchanger;
a valve system comprising a plurality of valves disposed about the refrigerant circuit portion to direct the refrigerant flowing through the circuit portion;
a control system operative to control the valve system to selectively cause at least a portion of the flowing refrigerant to pass through said heat exchanger; the control system arranged in a manner that:
a) when the apparatus is in an air cooling only mode, the control system controls the valve system to direct refrigerant from a compressor sequentially through a condenser coil, through a bypass circuit bypassing the heat exchanger, through an expansion valve, and through an evaporator coil to the compressor;
b) when the apparatus is in a water heating and air cooling mode, the control system controls the valve system to direct heated refrigerant from the compressor sequentially through the condenser coil, a portion of the refrigerant through the heat exchanger, through an expansion valve, and through an evaporator coil to the compressor;
c) when the apparatus is in an air heating only mode, the control system controls the valve system to direct the refrigerant from the compressor sequentially through the evaporator coil functioning as an air heating coil, through an exp

Assignees

• Rheem Mfg Co

Inventors

• Leete Klint E
• Hawkins Timothy B
• Babb Jeremy L

Classifications

• F28D1/06

  with the heat-exchange conduits forming part of, or being attached to, the tank containing the body of fluid · CPC title

• F24D2200/123

  Compression type heat pumps · CPC title

• F24D15/04

  using heat pumps · CPC title

• F24H6/00

  Combined water and air heaters · CPC title

• F24H4/02 Primary

  Water heaters · CPC title