Water heaters with computing elements as a network
View Patent ↗An electric water heater with a computing device used to heat water from a residential or industrial water tank while executing useful computational tasks for a network. It includes a water tank, a heat exchanger, a computing device, a connectivity system to connect the computing device to a network, the network supplying computing tasks to the computing device, such that running the computing tasks results in a heat production, and a temperature control system to control the heat production from the computing device responsive to the water and heat exchanging fluid temperatures. The computational tasks are defined by one or more network user.
1 . A water heater for receiving a computing device and for using heat produced by said computing device to heat water of in said water heater, the water heater comprising:
a water tank having a top wall, a bottom wall, at least one side wall, a height defined by a distance between the top and bottom walls and a width defined by a length of the water tank perpendicularly to said height, said water tank comprising at least one water temperature gauge, an upper electric heating element, an upper side opening for receiving and being imperviously sealable by the upper electric heating element, a lower electric heating element, a lower side opening for receiving and being imperviously sealable by the lower electric heating element, a cold water inlet through the top wall, a hot water outlet through the top wall, and a cold water pipe connected to said cold water inlet, extending downwardly in said water tank and having a cold water outlet inside the water tank below a heat exchanger tank;
the heat exchanger tank having a width smaller than the width of the water tank, having a shape able to withstand water pressure when said water tank is in operation, mounted into the top wall and imperviously sealing the top wall of said water tank, and extending downwardly inside the water tank to above the upper electric heating element so as to be immersed in said water tank when said water tank is filled with the water, thereby exchanging heat between the inside of the heat exchanger tank and an upper portion of the water tank above the upper electric heating element by conduction through the heat exchanger tank,
wherein said heat exchanger tank is for containing a dielectric heat exchanging fluid maintained at normal atmospheric pressure,
wherein said heat exchanger tank comprises at least one impervious connector pass-through, at least one heat exchanger temperature sensor, and a top access door for allowing access to an inside of said heat exchanger tank without draining said water tank, without depressurizing said dielectric heat exchanging fluid and without draining said dielectric heat exchanging fluid;
an insulating layer enclosing said water tank, wherein said insulating layer is adjacent to said heat exchanger tank;
wherein said heat exchanger tank is further for receiving a computing device being immersible in said heat exchanger tank through the top access door and being accessible through the top access door without draining said dielectric heat exchanging fluid, wherein said computing device comprises a processor for processing computing tasks; and
a connectivity system to connect said computing device to a computer network supplying said computing tasks to said computing device such that running said computing tasks results in a heat production.
2 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a temperature controller to control said heat production from said computing device responsive to at least one of a water temperature reading from said at least one water temperature gauge and a heat exchanger temperature reading from said at least one heat exchanger temperature sensor, said temperature controller comprising at least one of: (a) a temperature relay sending to said computer network said water temperature reading and said heat exchanger temperature reading; (b) a control signal generator sending to said processor a task processing control signal; and (c) a software that maximizes the use of said computing device to warm water and minimizes the use of the upper or lower electric heating elements, in order to maximize computations and minimize energy demand.
3 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said heat exchanger tank bordering said water tank further comprises a heat exchanging fluid pressure sensor and a pressure and volume controller to control a pressure and a volume of said heat exchanging fluid in said heat exchanger by controlling at least one of a temperature of said heat exchanging fluid or a volume of said heat exchange.
4 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said dielectric heat exchanging liquid is mineral oil.
5 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said water tank further comprises at least one water pressure sensor, said temperature controller being operable to control an internal water pressure of said water tank.
6 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a security lock system to prevent unauthorized access to said computing device.
7 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said heat exchanger tank further comprises a plurality of fins on an outer surface, said outer surface being in contact with water from said water tank.
8 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said water heater has a temperature controller set to a standby water temperature above about 50 degrees Celsius, and said water heater has a rate of heat loss through said insulation to the ambient at room temperature with said computing device being configured to supply heat to said water tank at a rate matching the rate of heat loss.
9 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said hot water outlet further comprises a mixing valve connected to said cold water inlet, said mixing valve being controlled by said temperature controller to add cold water to said hot water outlet to obtain a desired output temperature.
10 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said upper and lower electric heating elements are controlled by said temperature controller to further produce heat when said computing device is unable to produce sufficient heat to keep said hot water between a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold.
11 . The water heater as defined in claim 1 , wherein said hot water outlet from said water tank is connected to a second water tank, said water tank being used as a preheater for said second water tank.
12 . A system comprising:
a computer network;
a plurality of water heaters comprising a computing device and for using heat produced from said computing device to heat water of in said water heater, each water heater from said plurality of water heater being connected to said computer network through a connectivity system, said water heater comprising:
a water tank having a top wall, a bottom wall, at least one side wall, a height defined by a distance between the top and bottom walls and a width defined by a length of the water tank perpendicularly to said height, said water tank comprising at least one water temperature gauge, an upper electric heating element, an upper side opening receiving and being imperviously sealed by the upper electric heating element, a lower electric heating element, a lower side opening receiving and being imperviously sealed by the lower electric heating element, a cold water inlet through the top wall, a hot water outlet through the top wall, and a cold water pipe connected to said cold water inlet, extending downwardly in said water tank and having a cold water outlet inside the water tank below a heat exchanger tank;
the heat exchanger tank having a width smaller than the width of the water tank having a shape able to withstand water pressure when said water tank is in operation, mounted into the top wall and imperviously sealing the top wall of said water tank, immersed in said water tank and extending downwardly inside the water tank to above the upper electric heating element,
wherein said heat exchanger tank contains a dielectric heat exchanging fluid maintained at normal atmospheric pressure,
wherein said heat exchanger tank comprises at least one impervious connector pass-through, at least one heat exchanger temperature sensor, and a top access door for allowing access to an inside of said heat exchanger tank without draining said water tank, without depressurizing said dielectric heat exchanging fluid and without draining said dielectric heat exchanging fluid;
an insulating layer enclosing said water tank, wherein said insulating layer is adjacent to said heat exchanger tank;
a computing device immersed in the dielectric heat exchanging fluid of said heat exchanger tank, wherein said computing device comprises a processor for processing computing tasks, the computing device being removable through the top access door and being accessible through the top access door without draining said dielectric heat exchanging fluid; and
said connectivity system to connect said computing device to said computer network, said computer network supplying said computing tasks to said computing device such that running said computing tasks results in a heat production;
one or more user computing devices connected to said computer network and receiving computational results defined by a plurality of computational tasks performed by said plurality of water heaters;
a network task controller assigning computational tasks to the plurality of water heaters; and
a network control interface, whereby users of the computer network submit computational tasks to be assigned to the plurality of water heaters.
13 . The system as defined in claim 12 , wherein each of said connectivity system is operable to send a task request to said computer network when said water heater has a heat demand.
14 . The system as defined in claim 12 , further comprising an external third party user connected to said computer network, wherein a result of said at least one computational task from said plurality of computational tasks is communicated directly to said external third party user.
15 . The system as defined in claim 12 , wherein said network task controller is operable to assign said computational tasks to a specific water heater of said plurality of water heaters.
16 . The system as defined in claim 15 , wherein said network task controller is in communication with a temperature controller of said specific water heater to determine control parameters.
17 . The system as defined in claim 15 , wherein said network task controller is operable to assign said computational tasks based on availability determined by a demand in heated water.
18 . The system as defined in claim 12 , wherein said network task controller is operable to predict a demand in heated water through a predictive algorithm.
19 . The system as defined in claim 18 , wherein said predictive algorithm uses at least one of a water heating data internal to the household of a water heater and a data set of data external to said household.