Swimming pool high velocity heating system

• US 6,354,573 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2000
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alphatech, Inc. (BAE Systems Plc)
• Original Assignee: Alphatech, Inc. (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Morando, Jorge A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUSHEY, CHARLES S
• Application Number:
  US09/668,062
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 261/29, 261/35, 261/36.1, 261/77, 261/128, 261/130, 261/131, 261/141, 261/121.1, 449/3
• US Class Current: 261/128
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2035/99 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/232 using flow-mixing means for introducing the gases, e.g. baffles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/21 with submerged injectors, e.g. nozzles, for injecting high-pressure jets into a large volume or into mixing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/314 wherein additional components are introduced at the circumference of the conduit
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/32015 Flow driven
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/91 using gas or liquid injected into the material, e.g. using liquefied carbon dioxide or steam
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/129 Systems for heating the water content of swimming pools solar collectors using pools F24S10/17, F24S10/10; by solar radiation F24S20/02
• CPC Class Codes: F28C 3/06 the heat-exchange media being a liquid and a gas or vapour temperators for cooling steam F22

Abstract

A jet reactor pump as used to circulate heated water into a swimming pool at near sonic velocity to heat the swimming pool water.

Claims

1. A method for heating a body of a liquid from a first lower temperature T₁, to a second higher temperature T₂, comprising the steps of:

compressing a gas;

heating the compressed gas to a third temperature T₃, higher than a second higher temperature T₂;

introducing the compressed heated gas into an elongated heating conduit disposed in a body of a liquid having a lower temperature T₁ such that the gas expands to induce a flow of the liquid in the heating conduit and raises the temperature of the flowing liquid in the heating conduit to a temperature greater than said second temperature T₂, and then delivering the heated flowing liquid from the heating conduit into the body of the liquid to raise the temperature thereof toward temperature T₂ at a heat transfer rate that is in accordance with the velocity of the heated liquid flowing from the heating conduit into the body of the liquid.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, including the step of using a jet reactor pump to circulate the liquid in the body of liquid.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, including the step of heating and compressing air.

4. Apparatus for heating and circulating a liquid in a container having an initial temperature T₁, comprising:

an elongated heating conduit having a liquid inlet opening disposed beneath the surface of a liquid in a container of the liquid, the liquid having a lower temperature T₁;

the heating conduit having a liquid outlet opening for discharging liquid received in the inlet opening along a path of motion, to a location beneath the surface of the liquid in the container;

means for compressing a gas;

means for heating the compressed gas to a temperature T₃, which is greater than the temperature T₁ of the liquid in the container;

a plurality of gas-discharge nozzles in the heating conduit disposed around the path of motion of the liquid flowing through the elongated heating conduit;

a gas delivery conduit connected to the heating conduit for delivering heated, compressed gas to the gas-discharge nozzles such that the heated gas induces a flow of liquid from the inlet opening to the outlet opening of the heating conduit and heats the induced liquid flowing through the heating conduit to a temperature greater than temperature T₁; and

the outlet opening of the elongated conduit being disposed to introduce the heated liquid flowing from the conduit into the body of liquid to heat the body of liquid to temperature T₂ at a heat transfer rate that is in accordance with the velocity of the heated liquid flowing from the outlet opening of the heating conduit into the body of the liquid.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, including a temperature feedback valve means for measuring the internal water temperature in the pool of water, and means connecting the feedback valve means to the heating means for controlling the heat input into the compressed air that accommodates the difference between the internal water temperature T₁ and a desired water temperature T₂.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, in which the feedback valve is operative to signal the heating means to heat the water at an accelerated rate when the difference between T₁ and T₂ is greater than a desired Δ

T, and at a standby rate when the temperature difference is relatively stable.