Other

David Seitz

Seitz, David E.

David E Seitz

James Huntington Dabney

Louis Everett

Thomas L Harman

Donald Kuhnel

Michael A Carr

David P Sharp

Louis J Everett

Thomas L Harmon

Rodney H Neumann

James Dabney

A water heater () is suitable for point-of-use applications. The water heater includes a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a controller connected to the first and second temperature sensors. The controller is configured to receive the signals generated by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor and to detect a flow condition of water within the heat without using mechanical flow detection means and without supplying stand-by heating by adding an absolute value of the sensed change in temperature of water at the first temperature sensor to the absolute value of the sensed change in temperature of water at the second temperature sensor to yield a sum and then comparing the sum to a reference temperature.

Tankless water heater

A water heater with a housing having an internal chamber, an inlet port, and an outlet port; a heating element coupled to the housing; a water inlet line; a water outlet line; an inlet temperature sensor within the water inlet line; an outlet temperature sensor within the water outlet line; and a controller electrically connected to the inlet temperature sensor, the outlet temperature sensor, and the electrically power heating element. The controller is operable to detect a flow condition without using mechanical flow detection means and without supplying stand-by heating by adding an absolute value of the sensed change in temperature of water flowing upstream from the inlet port to the absolute value of the sensed change in temperature of the water flowing downstream from the outlet port to yield a sum and comparing the sum to a reference temperature.

A water heater () is suitable for point-of-use applications. The water heater includes a tank housing () and one or more electrically powered heating elements (). A water inlet line () and a water outlet line () may be molded as a unitary structure with the tank housing. The water outlet line includes a lower port () and an upper port () for mixing water in the outlet line. The housing may be mounted such that its axis is either vertical or horizontal.

A flow-through instantaneous fluid heater system is designed to satisfy the need for a heater not limited by being connected to a storage tank and which can be made using a plastic casing, incorporating cool-down when out of service and with features of venting and simplified flushing and draining. The system incorporates the use of one or more compartments, usually assembled in two compartment modules connected in series. Each compartment includes a casing having a hollow cylindrical interior region. An inlet aperture is located at one end of the casing and an outlet aperture is located at the other end of the casing. The lower end of each casing is closed by a removable base and the upper end of the casing is closed by a top plate and a heating element. The heating element is positioned axially in the interior region of the compartment. The heating element is activated by a control system which senses and compares temperatures of the water at the compartment outlets. The control system uses temperature comparisons to detect flow through the system to determine whether the heating elements should be activated to maintain the fluid at a stand-by temperature or at an operational temperature.

Thermo-plastic heat exchanger

An improved system, method and apparatus for control of an instantaneous flow-through fluid heater system is disclosed. The control incorporates a logic control method providing modulation of power in small steps to a plurality of heating elements retaining responsiveness to closed-loop control needs without inducing light flicker. Further, the life of the coils of heating circuit electromechanical relays are extended by energizing the coils with a pulse-width-modulated drive decreasing in duty cycle and thus the latent coil heat when an increase in mains voltage is sensed. The life of the contacts of same relays are extended by inhibiting heating element triac drive immediately upon sensing loss of relay coil power, such as by an over temperature limit switch opening, thus ensuring that relay contacts open with zero heating element current. In addition to the software &ldquo;watchdog timer&rdquo; internal to the microcontroller, a redundant fail-safe circuit external to the microcontroller prevents a program lockup condition from leaving any heating element triac or relay drive in an energized state. A combination of control hardware and program provide self-diagnostic detection of an inoperative thermistor, stuck relay, or a failed triac or heating element. An improved means of sensing water level is disclosed incorporating a low-level, high frequency signal, allowing detection of non-conducting distilled water and the reliable detection of water in the presence of main-frequency currents as would exist in ungrounded sheathed heating elements with electrical leakage or as would exist with bare-elements.

Fluid heating control system

An electrically powered water heater includes a plurality of heating elements for substantially instantaneous heating of fluid passing through the heater. A controller for powering the plurality of heating elements is responsive to a temperature sensor in fluid communication with the heated fluid. The temperature sensor activates each of the plurality of heating elements for a predetermined period of time that is preferably no more than 32 half cycles. The controller activates a second heating element after a delay of preferably no more than 8 half cycles after activating a first heating element. The predetermined period of time for activating each of the plurality of heating elements may be substantially equal, such that each heating element contributes substantially equally to the heating of fluid. In one embodiment, the heater housing is provided with a plurality of chambers, and a heating element is provided within each of the plurality of chambers.

Fluid heater with improved heating elements controller

The present invention provides a flow-through instantaneous fluid heater system designed to satisfy the need for a heater not limited by being connected to a storage tank and which can be made using a plastic casing, incorporating cool-down when out of service and with features of venting and simplified flushing and draining. The system incorporates the use of one or more compartments, usually assembled in two compartment modules connected in series. Each compartment includes a casing having a hollow cylindrical interior region. An inlet aperture is located at one end of the casing and an outlet aperture is located at the other end of the casing. The lower end of each casing is closed by a removable base and the upper end of the casing is closed by a top plate and a heating element. The heating element is positioned axially in the interior region of the compartment. The heating element is activated by a control system which senses and compares temperatures of the water at the compartment outlets. The control system uses temperature comparisons to detect flow through the system to determine whether the heating elements should be activated to maintain the fluid at a stand-by temperature or at an operational temperature.

Growing community of inventors

San Antonio, TX, United States of America

David E Seitz