Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
21~5229
FLUID HEATING SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid
heating system and, more particularly, to a fluid
heating system incorporating a heat exchanger in the
form of a plurality of coils through which the fluid
to be heated is circulated with the coils being
immersed in a heating fluid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous systems have been developed for
heating fluids such as water. When high volumes of
hot water are required within a short period of time,
while at other times smaller volumes are required,
such as in apartment buildings or health clubs, the
necessary equipments to achieve such heating needs
must be sized so as to be able to supply hot water at
a high and uniform temperature during the peak
periods. Systems of this kind have previously been
used and comprise generally a boiler and a heat
exchanger, whereby heat in the form of hot water or
oil is caused to circulate through a first piping
system extending from the boiler to the heat
exchanger so as to heat a fluid circulating in a
second piping system.
Such heating requirements are also
necessary in restaurants and other establishments
employing automatic equipments having intermittent
demands for hot water. This caused a major problem
since it was necessary to provide the system with a
boiler which is used at full capacity only
intermittently.
An example of a similar system is disclosed
in United States Patent No. 2,781,174 (Smith) in
which a dual system for heating water is presented.
This system comprises a boiler and a water heater.
2l2522g
United States Patents No. 361,803 (Andrews)
and No. 3,341,122 (Whittell) disclose a water heater
having two circuits in which the secondary circuit is
generally arranged with a continuous coil of pipes
through which water is permitted to pass for heating.
United States Patent No. 1,617,513
(Hartmann) discloses an apparatus for super-heating
steam by means of a high pressure medium. This patent
shows an incoming water pipe which is subdivided into
a plurality of coils in the secondary circuit.
However, since there is no means to adequately force
the heat exchange between the primary and the
secondary circuits, heat exchange in such a system is
not appropriate.
United States Patent No. 4,347,972
(Hillerstroman et al.) discloses an apparatus for
producing hot water. This system also comprises a
primary and a secondary circuit. However, the primary
circuit only comprises a single coil pipe in which
the exchange is possible.
United States Patent No. 4,084,546
(Schneebergen et al) shows a heat exchanger formed by
two cylindrical shells defining annular chambers.
This system uses mainly steam for heating the
secondary circuit. Therefore, there is no particular
problem with appropriate heat exchange.
Those systems are cumbersome because a
large heat exchanger and a high capacity boiler are
necessary for appropriate heat exchange between the
primary and the secondary circuits since, as
mentioned hereinabove, the heat exchange is not
optimum and the boiler must be sized to be able to
produce heat to meet short term demand.
Canadian Patent Application No. 2,028,693
which was laid-open on April 27, 1992 in the name of
Pierre Lambert discloses a fluid heating system to be
used in connection with a boiler or the like and
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which incorporates a heat exchange system which
comprises a primary fluid circuit connected to the
boiler and a secondary fluid circuit supplying the
necessary heated fluid. The secondary fluid circuit
comprises a plurality of coiled tubes through which
the fluid to be heated is circulated with the coiled
tubes being submerged in a tank through which the
heating fluid coming from the boiler is circulated
for allowing heat to be exchanged from the primary
system's tank fluid to the fluid circulating in the
coiled tubes of the primary circuit. Furthermore, a
turbulence means in the form of a perforated pipe was
added to the first circuit to increase such heat
exchange. As opposed to the heating system of
Canadian Patent Application No. 2,028,693, it is
noted that prior fluid heating systems comprised a
primary circuit made of coiled tubes containing the
heating fluid which would heat by heat exchange the
fluid to be heated contained in the tank of the
secondary circuit, whereby the heat transfer would
occur from the coiled tubes to the tank.
Also, prior heating systems use coiled
tubes which have large radii and in which the coils
are in contact successively one with another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present
invention to provide an improved fluid heating
system.
It is also an aim of the present invention
to provide a fluid heating system which is very
efficient and thus economical.
It is a further aim of the present
invention to provide a fluid heating system in which
the heating fluid is itself heated upstream of the
heat exchanger by a heating source, such as a boiler,
having a smaller heat output than that required with
conventional fluid heaters.
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It is a still further aim of the present
invention to provide a fluid heating system in which
the fluid can be rapidly heated.
It is a still further aim of the present
invention to provide a fluid heating system which
will heat a large quantity of fluid in a short period
of time.
It is a still further aim the present
invention to provide a fluid heating system which can
provide additional hot fluid supply when needed for
general purposes.
It is still a further aim of the present
invention to provide a fluid heating system connected
to a boiler or the like which will supply hot fluid
for a considerable time after the boiler has been
shut down.
It is a still further aim of the present
invention is to provide a fluid heating system in the
form of an energy accumulation system connected to a
boiler or the like supplying hot fluid without the
necessity of oversizing the boiler to meet short term
demand and with effective heating performances.
It is a still further aim of the present
invention to provide an energy accumulation system of
the type described which will obviate the use of a
larger boiler to meet short term demand.
It is a still further aim of the present
invention to provide a heating system in which
maximum efficiency is obtained when the fluid to be
heated is water.
Therefore, in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided a fluid heating device
comprising a container means, primary fluid circuit
means having first inlet and outlet means, secondary
fluid circuit means having second inlet and outlet
means, a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated
circulating respectively in said primary and
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,_
secondary fluid circuit means, said secondary fluid
circuit means comprising at least one coiled tubing
means extending in said tank means between said
second inlet and outlet means and adapted so that
said fluid to be heated circulates therein from
bottom to top and so as to be substantially immersed
in said heating fluid, said heating fluid being
supplied to and withdrawn from said tank nmeans
respectively by said first inlet and outlet means so
that said heating fluid flows from bottom to top in
said tank means, flow distribution means provided in
said tank means between said first inlet means and
said coiled tubing means being adapted for
substantially uniformly distributing said heating
fluid transversely throughout said tank means while
causing turbulence in said heating fluid so that said
heating fluid substantially uniformly heats said
coiled tubing means thereby improving the heat
exchange between said primary and secondary fluid
circuit means.
Also in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided a fluid heating device
comprising a container means, primary fluid circuit
means having first inlet and outlet means, secondary
fluid circuit means having second inlet and outlet
means, a heating fluid and a fluid to be heated
circulating respectively in said primary and
secondary fluid circuit means, said secondary fluid
circuit means comprising a series of coiled tubing
means extending substantially parallel in said tank
means between said second inlet and outlet means and
adapted so that said fluid to be heated circulates
therein from bottom to top and so as to be
substantially immersed in said heating fluid, said
heating fluid being supplied to and withdrawn from
said tank nmeans respectively by said first inlet and
outlet means so that said heating fluid flows from
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bottom to top in said tank means, each of said coiled
tubing means having slightly spaced apaart coils and
defining a substantially limited gyratory radius in
order that said flui dto be heated flows therein with
a substantially high centrifugal acceleration,
whereby a heat exchange efficiency between said
primary and secondary fluid circuit means is above
100%.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the nature
of the invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration
a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic isometric view of a
fluid heating device in accordance with the present
invention incorporating a heat exchanger;
Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of an
injection plate of the fluid heating device of Fig.
l;
Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a
suction plate of the fluid heating device of Fig. l;
and
Fig. 4 is a schematic elevational view
partly broken away of a fluid heating device similar
to Fig. 1 and showing in more details some of the
coiled tubes thereof, but wherein there is provided
directly in the heat exchanger, as opposed to the
heating device of Fig. 1, a heating device for the
heating fluid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with the present invention,
Figure 1 is a schematic isometric view of a fluid
heating device D in accordance with the present
invention in the form of a heat exchanger. The fluid
heating device D comprises a tank 10 in the form of a
cylindrical shell having rounded upper and lower end
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portions 12 and 14, respectively, for closing the
cylindrical shell or side walls of the tank 10. The
fluid heating system is of the heat exchanger type
and comprises a primary circuit 16 and a secondary
circuit 18 through which are respectively circulated
the heating fluid and the fluid to be heated. The
heating fluid which will circulate generally in bulk
in the tank 10 is fed thereto by way of a first inlet
pipe 20 which extends through the lower end 14 of the
tank 10 for supplying the heating fluid in the tank
10 downwardly towards the rounded lower end 14 so
that the heating fluid is distributed throughout the
lower end 14 of the tank, as sho~l by arrows 22. The
heating fluid circulated in the primary circuit 16
is, upstream of the first inlet pipe 20, heated by a
boiler (not shown) or other heat generating means.
Once the heating fluid of the primary
circuit 16 has exited the first inlet pipe 20 at the
lower end 14 of the tank 10, it is redirected
upwardly (arrows 22) by the dome-shaped lower end 14
towards an injection plate 24 which extends
transversely to the tank 10 and which defines a
series of openings 26, as best seen in Figure 2. The
downwardly extending end of the first inlet pipe 20
coupled with the hole distribution in the injection
plate 24 ensure that the heating fluid of the primary
circuit 16 is transversely distributed throughout the
tank 10. The injection plate 24 further ensures that
the heating fluid of the primary circuit 16
circulates above the injection plate 24 with
turbulence. The heating fluid of the primary circuit
16 flows upwardly in the tank 10 right up to a
suction plate 28 which defines a series of generally
uniformly radially distributed openings 30, as best
seen in Figure 3. The heating fluid of the primary
circuit 16 exits the tank 10 through a first outlet
pipe 32 extending through the upper end 12 of the
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~
tank 10. The heating fluid exiting the tank 10
returns through conduits (not shown) to the boiler,
or the like, so that it can be reheated prior to
returning to the tank 10 through the first inlet pipe
20, whereby the primary circuit 16 is normally a
closed circuit.
It is noted that the tank 10 is provided
with standard fittings, such as a safety valve 34
provided at the upper end 12 thereof and a drain plug
36 provided at the lower end 14 of the tank 10.
It is further noted that, for illustration
purposes, only some of the openings 26 and 30 defined
respectively in the injection plate 24 and in the
suction plate 28 are shown in Figure 1 and, for a
complete illustration of these openings 26 and 28,
reference is made respectively to Figures 2 and 3.
The secondary circuit 18 comprises a
plurality of coiled tubes 38 which receive the fluid
to be heated by the primary circuit, such as cold
water from the public waterworks system, with only
one such coiled tube 38 being shown in Figure 1.
Lower ends 40 of the coiled tubes 38 are all
connected to a lower end 42 of a second inlet pipe 44
which extends longitudinally through the tank 10 from
the upper end 12 thereof so as to receive therein-the
fluid to be heated for distribution at the lower end
42 thereof to the lower ends 40 of the various coiled
tubes 38. The fluid to be heated then circulates
upwardly through the coiled tubes 38 right up to
upper ends 46 of the coiled tubes 38 which are all
connected to a second outlet pipe 48. Figure 4
illustrates a variant 10' of the tank 10 of Figure 1
with the tank 10' further including at its bottom
heating elements 49 in replacement of or in addition
to the boiler which must be used in the fluid heating
device D of Figure 1. Figure 4 better illustrates the
secondary circuit 18 including the coiled tubes 38,
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the lower ends 40 of the coiled tubes 38 in fluid
communication with the lower end 42 of the second
inlet pipe 44, and the upper ends 46 of the coiled
tubes 38 in fluid communication with the second
outlet pipe 48.
Accordingly, the coiled tubes 38 of the
secondary circuit 18 are immersed in the heating
fluid of the primary circuit 16 which circulates
generally in the tank 10.
An expansion area 50 is provided at the
upper end 12 of the tank 10, above the suction plate
28, in order to allow room for any dissolved air
liberated in the tank 10 by the heating fluid, e.g.
water, of the primary circuit 16. An air vent (not
shown) is provided at the upper end 12 of the tank 10
to allow for the evacuation from the tank 10 of any
excess air. The size and shape of the tank 10 as well
as the number of coiled tubes 38 depend on the
quantity of hot water necessary for a specific
application. The material used for the manufacture of
the tank 10 should be chosen while taking into
account the temperature and pressure involved. Thus,
for different system capacities and applications, the
size and the number of coiled tubes 38 will vary.
A supporting structure 52 provided in the
tank 10 for supporting the coiled tubes 38 comprises
a central column 54 and a series of vertically spaced
apart and horizontally extending X-shaped frameworks
56 which are centrally connected to the central
column 54 and which extend between the coils of the
coiled tubes 38 for the support thereof in the tank
10 .
With reference to Figure 2, the openings 26
of the injection plate 24 are grouped in a series of
staggered rows with each grouping including, in the
illustrated embodiment, five staggered openings 26.
Each grouping of five openings 26 is located
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oppositely below a respective coiled tube 38, as it
is illustrated in Figure 1 for one such grouping and
one such coiled tube 38. Accordingly, with the
injection plate 24 of Figure 2, the secondary circuit
18 comprises eleven coiled tubes 38 which extend
vertically above the eleven groupings of five
openings 26 shown in the injection plate 24 of Figure
2. The injection plate 24 and the distribution of the
openings 26 thereof will ensure a better distribution
of the heating fluid of the primary circuit 16 on the
various coiled tubes 38 of the secondary circuit 18.
The suction plate 28 withdraws the heating
fluid in a substantially homogeneous manner from the
portion of the tank 10 located below the suction
plate 28 in order to ensure that the heating fluid of
the primary circuit 16 is removed uniformly from the
whole area of the tank 10, and not only from a
central portion thereof.
With the second inlet pipe 44 and second
outlet pipe 48 extending in a substantially
diametrically opposed manner in the tank 10, the
length of the coiled tubes 38 will all be
substantially identical as, for instance, a coiled
tube 38 located, as in Figure 1, close to the second
inlet pipe 44 will include a short lower end 40 but a
long upper end 46. This is well seen in the
embodiment of Figure 4 which illustrates four coiled
tubes 38 distributed within the tank 10' and
connected to the second inlet and outlet pipes 44 and
48, respectively.
The turbulence created in the heating fluid
of the primary circuit 16 by way of the injection
plate 24 improves the heat exchange between the
primary and secondary circuits 16 and 18 thereby
considerably reducing the size of the heat exchanger
since the temperature of the water within the tank 10
is substantially uniform. The turbulence caused by
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the injection plate 24 will create a high velocity of
heating fluid of the primary circuit 16 from the
lower portion of the tank 10 which will allow for the
heating fluid to replace fluid in the vicinity of the
coiled tubes 38 which has been cooled by the transfer
of heat between the primary and secondary circuits.
The cooled fluid of the primary circuit 16 then
escapes upwardly at the upper end 12 of the tank 10.
Due to the aforementioned turbulence, the colder
fluid of the primary circuit 16 which, normally due
to its relatively greater density, would move down
will be forced upwards through the tank 10. By doing
so, an optimum heat exchange is achieved between the
primary and secondary circuits 16 and 18. The
turbulence in the heating fluid of the primary
circuits 16 also causes the air to separate from the
water when water is used as a heating fluid, with the
liberated air being vented from the tank 10.
Using the fluid heating device D of Figure
1, the following results have been obtained. The tank
10 has substantially a diameter of 24 inches and a
straight height of 68 inches with an additional 6
inches at the lower end 14 thereof and additional 4
inches at the upper end 12 of the tank 10. There are
twenty coiled tubes 38 each having an inside diameter
of 0.3125 inch. The outer diameter of the coiled tube
38 is 4.375 inches and the thickness of the copper
tubing is 0.375 inch, whereby the mean diameter of
the coiled tube 38 is 4 inches. There are a 100
gallons per minute ~GPM) circulating in the twenty
coiled tubes 30, that is 454.6 liters per minute.
Thus, there is five gallons per minute (or 20 liters)
circulating in each coiled tube 38. The cross-
sectional opening in the coiled tube 38 is 0.4948315
cm2. The length of each coiled tube 38 is a hundred
feet and the fluid to be heated circulates in a
coiled tube 38 in 3.981293 seconds. The fluid to be
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heated therefore circulates in the coiled tube 38 at
a speed of 27 560896 km/hr. The centrifugal
acceleration in the coiled tube 38 is 1153.7665
meter/sec2, or 117.61127G.
Therefore, with reference to Figure 1, 100
GPM are introduced in the second inlet pipe 44 for
distribution by way of the manifold provided at the
lower end 42 to the various coiled tubes 38. The
tests having been made with city water, the water
introduced in the secondary circuit 18 has a
temperature of 55F. With respect to the primary
circuit 16, the heating fluid which is water in the
present example is supplied to the tank 10 by the
first inlet pipe 20 at a rate of 45 GPM and at a
temperature of 100F (12 psi).
Under these conditions, the heated water
exiting at a flow of 100 GPM from the secondary
circuit 18 at the second outlet pipe 48 thereof had a
temperature of 145F with the heating fluid of the
primary circuit 16 exiting the tank 10 at the first
outlet pipe 32 with a temperature of 145F.
Accordingly, the heating water of the primary circuit
16 flowing at 45 GPM underwent a temperature loss of
15F, whereas the heated water of the secondary
circuit 18 flowing at a 100 GPM benefited from a 90F
increase. It is believed that part of the increase in
temperature of the water circulated in the secondary
circuit 18 results from a heat transfer with the
water of the primary circuit 16 and furthermore that
an additional increase in the temperature of the
water contained in the secondary circuit 18 results
from the high speed and molecular agitation of the
water circulated in the secondary circuit 18 in view
of the small curvature/gyratory radius of the coils
of the coiled tube 38.
It is noted that the fluids circulating in
the secondary circuit 18 can be water, oil, glycol or
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any other appropriate fluid, although the optimum
output has been obtained with water, either in a
liquid or vapor state. It is further noted that it is
also possible to cool the fluid of the secondary
circuit 18 if the primary circuit 16 is connected to
a cooling unit.
Again, the dome-shaped lower end 14 of the
tank 10 ensures that the stream of heating fluid
flowing downwardly from the first inlet pipe 20 is
redirected by the dome-shaped lower end 14 upwardly
in the tank 10 in a substantially uniform fluid
diffusion on a surface perpendicular to the axis of
the tank 10.
It is also noted that the transverse
dimensions of the X-shaped groupings of the openings
26 of the injection plate 24 are substantially
identical to the diameter of the coiled tubes 38
located thereabove. The injection plate 24 forces the
heating fluid of the primary circuit in the tank 10
at high speed, such as a water hose nozzle, so as to
produce turbulence in the tank 10 thereby ensuring a
stirring of the heating fluid of the primary circuit
16 around and within the coiled tubes 38 of the
secondary circuit 18 and thus a uniform temperature
about the coiled tubes 38. This ensures an optimal
gain of energy in the fluid of the secondary circuit
18.
With respect to the suction plate 28 best
illustrated in Figure 3, the openings 30 are defined
radially with respect to a central axis of the
suction plate 28 thereby ensuring a uniform
withdrawal of the fluid of the primary circuit 16
from the tank 10.
The coiled tubes 38 are characterized by a
small tubing diameter as well as a small gyratory
radius. A small tubing diameter is necessary in order
to maximize the exchange surface per unit of volume
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of water, or other fluid, circulated in the secondary
circuit 18. The small gyratory radius causes
molecular agitation in the water of the secondary
circuit 18 and, it is believed, increases the heat
gain.
The primary circuit 18 has a minimum
pressure of 12 psi and a maximal pressure governed by
safety factors concerning the various equipment parts
of the system. The minimum temperature at the entry
of the primary circuit 16 is 160F when using copper
coiled tubes 38. If another material should be used
for the coiled tubes 38, the minimum temperature of
the primary fluid has to be readjusted in order to
obtain a specific heat coefficient superior to 0.302
W/C. Under this temperature, the reaction within the
heat exchanger is not as significant and the fluid
heating device D of the present invention acts more
as a standard heat exchanger.
From the above example and test results, it
is easily understood that the efficiency is well
above 100%. As such results have been obtained when
standard city water has been used as the fluid
circulating in the secondary circuit 18, it is
believed that the water used as the secondary fluid
is characterized by properties which, under certain
conditions, add energy to the system. The water used
as a secondary fluid is that of the city waterworks
and thus issues from rivers, lakes and other bodies
of water. As it is well known, such bodies of water
contain approximately 0.015% of deuterium, that is
one gallon of deuterium per 6,500 gallons of ordinary
water. As it is also well known, the fusion of two
atoms of deuterium produces a large quantity of
energy without producing any harmful radiation. Cold
fusion has been previously obtained in laboratories
although none of the tests realized in such
laboratories used a principle resembling, from close
14
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or afar, the process embodied in the above heating
fluid system D. From the test results set forth
hereinabove, the temperature differential in the
primary circuit 16 is 15 with a flow of 45 GPM,
whereas the water in the secondary circuit 18 is
characterized by a positive temperature differential
of 90F with a flow of 100 GPM. This will indicate an
efficiency of 1330% (i.e. in the primary: 45 GPM x 10
lb. water/min. x 15F = 6,750 BTU; and in the
secondary: 100 GPM x 10 lb. water/min. x 90F
90,000 BTU).
It is believed that the combined effect of
the large speed of the secondary fluid with the small
gyratory diameter of the coiled tubes 38 produces a
centrifugal force on the secondary fluid within the
coiled tubes 38 which, it is believed, acts on the
molecules of the water in the secondary circuit 18 in
such a way as to give these molecules a homogeneous
distribution and alignment in the coiled tubes 38
which possibly catalyses an energy producing reaction
in the water of the secondary circuit 18, such as a
cold fusion reaction.
As opposed to standard heat exchangers, it
is again noted that the fluid of the secondary
circuit 18 circulates in the coiled tubes 38 and,
furthermore, circulates co-current with the fluid of
the primary circuit 16, that is from the bottom
towards the top of the tank 10. The second inlet pipe
44 and the second outlet pipe 48 of the secondary
circuit 18 are made of copper having a two-inch
diameter and are used for respectively distributing
and collecting the secondary fluid from the secondary
circuit 18. In each of the second inlet and outlet
pipes 44 and 48, there is defined on a distance of
approximately eight inches a number of holes equal to
the number of coiled tubes 38 present in the
secondary circuit 18, with these holes having a
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diameter corresponding to the diameter of the tubing
of the coiled tubes 38. The lower and upper ends 42
and 46 of the coiled tubes 38 are then secured, e.g.
by welding, respectively to the second inlet and
outlet pipes 44 and 48. The short distance and the
small surface about which are connected the coiled
tubes to the second inlet pipe 44 produce a mixing of
the secondary fluid and a homogeneous distribution
thereof in the coiled tubes 38. It is noted that the
coils of each coiled tube 38 has a pitch of 0.625
inch for permitting a better circulation of the
heating fluid of the primary circuit 16 between the
coils of the coiled tubes 38 and ensure a uniform
temperature therein.
The efficiency obtained with the present
fluid device D is presently explained by a combined
effect of the centrifugal acceleration of the water
in the coiled tubes 38 and of the vibrations of the
deuterium molecules contained in the water of the
secondary circuit 18 due to the contribution of
outside heat from the primary circuit 16, all of this
permitting an interaction between the atoms, the
molecules having been permitted, due to the length of
the coiled tubes 38, to become oriented in a
homogeneous fashion under the effect of the
centrifugal acceleration.
Regarding the coiled tubes 38, it is
contemplated to replace the illustrated tubes of
annular cross-section with tubing having a crescent-
shaped cross-section with the convex portion thereof
being oriented outwardly of the coiled tube, whereas
the concave portion of the coiled tube being inwardly
directed.
Obviously, the heated fluid of the
secondary circuit 18 exiting the second outlet pipe
48 is then available for domestic or other use, such
as domestic hot water and domestic heating. If the
16
``- 2125229
heated fluid is only used for domestic heating, the
secondary circuit is closed, whereas if some or all
of the heated water is used for instance as domestic
hot water it will be necessary to periodically add
fresh water to the secondary circuit 18. Obviously,
where the heated fluid is used as domestic hot water,
the fluid circulating in the secondary circuit 18 is
water, whereas other fluids, such as oil, could also
be circulated in the secondary circuit 18 for
instance in closed circuits used for heating a
dwelling.
