DUAL FUEL AIR CONDITIONING CIRCUIT-BASED WATER HEATER
First Claim
1. Apparatus for heating a liquid using either combustible fuel or electricity, said apparatus comprising:
- a fuel-fired liquid heater having a tank for storing liquid for selective outflow from said tank, a fuel burner operative to create hot combustion gases, and a flue, extending through the interior of said tank, for receiving the hot combustion gases and transferring heat therefrom to liquid disposed within said tank; and
an electrically powered air conditioning refrigerant circuit having a condenser portion including a piping structure disposed in an interior portion of said liquid heater and operative to transfer rejected condenser portion heat to liquid in said tank during operation of said air conditioning circuit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fuel-fired water heater is coupled to an electrically powered air conditioning refrigerant circuit in a manner permitting water to be heated with either combustible fuel or electricity. In one embodiment a condenser piping section is externally coiled around the water heater tank, in direct thermally conductive contact therewith, and in another embodiment the condenser piping section is disposed in the interior of the tank and is coiled around the water heater flue in a laterally outwardly spaced relationship therewith. In various depicted arrangements thereof the other refrigerant circuit components are compactly supported on the water heater.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. Apparatus for heating a liquid using either combustible fuel or electricity, said apparatus comprising:
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a fuel-fired liquid heater having a tank for storing liquid for selective outflow from said tank, a fuel burner operative to create hot combustion gases, and a flue, extending through the interior of said tank, for receiving the hot combustion gases and transferring heat therefrom to liquid disposed within said tank; and an electrically powered air conditioning refrigerant circuit having a condenser portion including a piping structure disposed in an interior portion of said liquid heater and operative to transfer rejected condenser portion heat to liquid in said tank during operation of said air conditioning circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A water heater operable using either combustible fuel or electricity, comprising:
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a tank for storing water to be heated, said tank having an exterior surface portion; a jacket structure extending outwardly around said exterior surface portion of said tank and forming therebetween an insulation space; a combustion chamber disposed beneath said tank; a fuel burner disposed within said combustion chamber and operative to create hot combustion products therein; a flue, communicating with said combustion chamber and extending through the interior of said tank, for receiving the hot combustion products and transferring heat to water disposed within said tank; and an electrically powered air conditioning refrigerant circuit having a condenser portion including a piping structure disposed within an interior portion of said water heater and operative to transfer rejected condenser portion heat to water in said tank during operation of said refrigerant circuit. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification