Power plants – Motive fluid energized by externally applied heat – Process of power production or system operation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-12
2004-02-24
Nguyen, Hoang (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Motive fluid energized by externally applied heat
Process of power production or system operation
C060S670000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06694739
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally concerns portable fluid heaters, and more specifically, an efficient, portable fluid heater that can also be used in the field to heat and sterilize water, to generate electrical power, and to heat a microclimate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Outdoor enthusiasts, particularly those who enjoy backpacking and the like, frequently include items such as portable cook stoves, water bottles, and cooking utensils in the equipment that they carry in their pack. With the ever increasing availability of portable consumer electronics, it is becoming more and more common for such outdoor enthusiasts to also carry various consumer electronic devices when hiking. Global positioning satellite (GPS) receivers and cellular phones are two examples of electronic devices that outdoor enthusiasts often include in their gear. Particularly for backpacking enthusiasts, the size and weight of any equipment carried is of primary importance. Furthermore, equipment that is multifunctional is highly desirable, because such equipment can reduce the number of different pieces of gear.
Lightweight, portable cook stoves are well known in the art and are often required for overnight trips in wilderness areas where natural fuel is limited or where concerns about forest fires preclude building a campfire for outdoor cooking. Such stoves are available for use with a variety of different fuels, including white gas, butane/propane, kerosene, and other less common combustibles, such as hexamine fuel tablets. Generally such stoves are designed to support a cooking utensil, such as an appropriately sized metal pan or cup. While such devices are quite functional, they tend to be somewhat inefficient, as the flame first heats a portion of the cook stove, which in turn transfers heat to the cooking utensil holding the food or liquid to be heated. Often a significant portion of the cooking utensil is exposed to the ambient environment, so that a substantial portion of the thermal energy produced by the flame is transferred to the ambient environment, instead of to the food or liquid being heated.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a more efficient device to replace prior art cook stoves. Ideally, such a device should not require that a separate cooking utensil be employed for heating food or water. Furthermore, such a device should be more thermally efficient than prior art cook stoves, by minimizing the portion of thermal energy transferred to the ambient environment rather than to the food or liquid being heated. Preferably, such a device should be able to heat liquid within a conventional plastic water bottle of the type already commonly carried by outdoor enthusiasts, eliminating the need for carrying cooking utensils such as pots and/or pans.
Another item that is often carried when hiking is a portable water filter or other device for purifying or sterilizing water. Concerns about giardia and other potentially harmful bacteria that are frequently found in water sources have prompted people to either carry water from home, or to use such filters that eliminate bacteria larger than a given filter porosity from the water drawn out of streams or lakes. Those who are outdoors for extended periods of time will generally prefer to carry portable means for purifying water, in order to reduce the amount of potable water that must be carried. Also, devices that simply purify water by filtering out harmful bacteria will not have an effect on viral agents, as viruses are significantly smaller than bacteria. Several portable water treatment devices, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,273,649; 5,268,093; 5,244,579; and 3,635,799 have been developed for treating water from local sources, such as streams or lakes, so that it can be safely ingested. However useful these devices are, they require the outdoor enthusiast to include yet another item of equipment in the gear that is carried. While it is possible to simply boil water in a conventional pot over a conventional stove, it is desirable to eliminate gear that can be viewed as redundant. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a device that can be used for both heating water for cooking purposes and for sterilizing water, without requiring any pot.
A further item that is often used for outdoor activities is a warming device. For example, many outdoor enthusiasts and outdoor sports fans carry one or more hand warmers in addition to multiple layers of clothing. Some of theses hand warmers burn a carbon stick inside an insulated container that fits in a jacket pocket or at the foot of a sleeping bag. The amount of heat produced can not be easily regulated, and the carbon stick typically does not last more than an hour or two. As a result, the user may have to carry many carbon sticks if the user will be outdoors for a long time. Moreover, the heat produced is concentrated in a single area, such as a pocket, and does not readily provide heat to other portions of the outdoor enthusiast's body. Other warming packs produce heat as a result of a chemical reaction, such as those packs used by skiers in jackets, gloves, and boots. However, again, the amount of heat produced can not be easily regulated, the heat-producing reaction typically does not last more than a few hours, and the heat is not uniformly distributed very far the warming pack. Thus, again the outdoor enthusiast must to carry multiple packs for extended periods outdoors or to warm various parts of the body. It would be desirable to utilize a single heating device, or at least the same type of fuel, for warming the outdoor enthusiast as well enabling the outdoor enthusiast to cook and boil drinking water.
Finally, as noted above, outdoor enthusiasts are likely to include portable consumer electronics such as GPS receivers and cell phones within the assortment of gear that they carry. To increase the operating time of such devices on trips that may extend over several days, additional batteries must be carried. However, spare batteries are relatively heavy and increase the number of pieces of equipment that must be carried. It would therefore be desirable to provide a device that can not only heat water for cooking, purify water as required, and keep the outdoor enthusiast warm, but can also recharge the batteries used in portable electronic devices.
The prior art does not teach or suggest a replacement for a portable device that can provide the multifunctional capabilities discussed above. It will therefore be apparent that such a device would have considerable utility for both outdoor sports and military-related activities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accord with the present invention, a portable water heating apparatus adapted to couple with a portable reservoir employed for carrying and storing water, and adapted to be used with a source of heat is defined. The apparatus includes a fluid heating channel adapted to be coupled in fluid communication with the portable water reservoir disposed above the heat exchanger, and a heat exchanger adapted to absorb thermal energy from a source of heat. The heat exchanger is disposed adjacent to and in thermal contact with the fluid heating channel so that heat is readily transferred from the heat exchanger to the fluid heating channel. Water disposed within the fluid heating channel is thus heated. The heated water and/or steam is introduced into the portable water reservoir. Heating of the water contained within the portable water reservoir continues until a desired temperature is achieved.
Preferably, the portable water reservoir has an opening at one end that is sealingly engaged by a cap included on the water heating apparatus, and the water reservoir is then inverted so that the opening sealed by the cap faces downward. The cap has a fluid inlet through which the heated water flows into the portable water reservoir from the fluid heating channel and a fluid outlet through which the cool water in a lower portion of the water reservoir flows into the fluid heating channel.
Preferably, a seal between the
Beckius Robert
Call Charles J.
Hong Seung-Ho
Merrill Ezra
Powell Michael R.
Anderson Ronald M.
MesoSystems Technology, Inc.
Nguyen Hoang
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