Abstract:
Techniques for reducing head loss in certain water-recirculation or other systems are detailed. A motorized diverter valve may be used to divert water away from a heat exchanger when the exchanger is not in use, for example. Instead, the diverted water may flow through a lower-loss system to the next downstream component of the system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/616,487, tiled Mar. 28, 2012, having the same title as appears above, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by this reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to reducing head loss in pumping systems and more particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to reducing head loss in recreational water recirculation systems especially when associated heating devices are not in use. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Pool and spa water recirculation systems often include mechanisms for heating the recirculating water. Such mechanisms, together with other components of the systems, increase resistance to water flow and thus create head loss in the systems. Consequently, additional energy must be employed to overcome this loss in order to maintain a desired flow rate of the water. 
         [0004]    Unlike many components of recreational water recirculation systems, heating mechanisms often may be used only for limited periods of time. Water nevertheless typically is routed through the heating mechanisms even if no heating is occurring. Not only does such routing create unnecessary head loss, it also can reduce useful lives of the heat exchangers of the heating mechanisms. These heat exchangers often are made of copper or alloys (e.g. cuprous nickel) or other materials susceptible to degradation via erosion or corrosion when contacted with the recirculating water. This is true even if the heat exchangers are downstream of filters within the recirculation systems and hence receive only filtered water. 
         [0005]    There thus is a need for techniques for, and methods of, reducing head loss and unnecessary component degradation in water recirculation systems for, e.g., pools and spas. In particular, when water-heating mechanisms are inactive, routing water through the mechanisms nonetheless is inefficient and should be avoided. Such avoidance may serve to reduce head losses through the systems, allowing higher flow rates and less time and energy needed to “turnover” a pool or spa (i.e. filter a quantity of water substantially equaling all of the water therein). It also may function to increase useful lives of heat exchangers by not flowing water therethrough when unnecessary to do so. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides the needed techniques and methods together with equipment to accomplish them. For example, a diverter valve may be employed to divert water away from a heat exchanger when the exchanger is not in use. The diverted water instead may pass through a lower head loss piping arrangement to the next downstream component of a water-recirculation system. By contrast, the diverter valve may allow water to pass into the heat exchanger when the heating mechanism is active. Additionally, in at least some cases the diverter valve may allow water to (1) pass into the heat exchanger when the system has requested that heating occur and the heating, mechanism is preparing to activate, to heat the water or (2) bypass the heat exchanger even when the heating mechanism is active, if the water flow to the heater is deemed excessive. 
         [0007]    Some versions of the invention include a mechanized diverter valve. Preferably the valve is located at, adjacent, or near an inlet to a heating mechanism, although it need not necessarily have any particular positioning relative to the mechanism. The diverter valve similarly may he positioned either within or without a heater enclosure as appropriate or desired. Its mechanization may include a solenoid-activated motor or other means allowing automatic operation. An electrical or electronic controller also preferably controls operation of both the diverter valve and the heating mechanism so as to allow coordination of their operation. Such a controller may be external to the heating mechanism or, alternatively, part of heater user-interface circuitry, an ignition control module, or other circuitry within the heating mechanism. 
         [0008]    It thus is an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide techniques for reducing head loss in fluid-circulation systems. 
         [0009]    It is also an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide techniques for reducing head loss in systems for recirculating recreational water such as that found in swimming pools and spas. 
         [0010]    It is another optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide techniques for diverting water away from heating mechanisms when the mechanism are inactive or are saturated with flow). 
         [0011]    It is an additional optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide techniques for automatically adjusting position of a diverter valve based on a heating status of a heating mechanism. 
         [0012]    It is moreover, an optional, non-exclusive object of the present invention to provide diverter valves allowing diversion of water away from heat exchangers as appropriate to reduce erosion or corrosion of the exchangers. 
         [0013]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will he apparent to those skilled in the appropriate art with reference to the remaining text and the drawings of this application. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a generally-schematicized view of an exemplary system of components consistent with the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a generally-schematicized view of the system of  FIG. 1  illustrating a circulation path when liquid is diverted from the heating mechanism of the system. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a generally-schematicized view of the system of  FIG. 1  illustrating a circulation path when liquid is not diverted from the heating mechanism of the system. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4A  is a generally-schematicized view of a first alternate system of components consistent with the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4B  is a generally-schematicized view of a variant of the first alternate system of components of  FIG. 4A . 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a generally-schematicized view of a second alternate system of components consistent with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]    Depicted in  FIG. 1  is exemplary system  10  including heating mechanism  14 , diverter valve  18 , and plumbing assembly  22 . Heating mechanism  14  may be any existing or hereinafter-created equipment for heating liquid and preferably is a water heater or heat pump configured for use as part of a water-circulation system for a pool or spa. It may, but need not, include a heat exchanger susceptible to erosion, corrosion, or other degradation when contacted over time by pool or spa water. As shown in  FIG. 1 , heating mechanism may include liquid inlet  11  and liquid outlet  12 . 
         [0021]    Diverter valve  18  may be any valve or equivalent device adapted to change a direction or path of liquid flowing therethrough. Valve  18  may be manually operated. Preferably, however, it is automatically actuated by, for example, a solenoid or other controllable device. Valve  18  may be motorized and contain a ratchet mechanism for maintaining diverter  24  (see  FIGS. 2-3 ) in a particular position until another movement command is received. Any electrical communication with the actuator of valve  18  may be via wire or wirelessly. 
         [0022]    In at least some embodiments of system  10 , plumbing assembly  22  may comprise fittings  26  and  30  together with center joining tube  34  and t-fitting  38 . Fitting  26  joins diverter valve  18  to inlet  11 , while fitting  30  connects outlet  12  to t-fitting  38 . Center joining tube  34  connects diverter valve  18  with t-fitting  38 . As shown, therefore, diverter valve  18  includes one inlet  42  and first and second outlets  46  and  50 , respectively. T-fitting, by contrast, includes two inlets  54  and  58  and one outlet  62 , Center joining tube  34  includes inlet  66  and outlet  70 . Plumbing assembly  22  may, if desired, be included within a manifold of heating mechanism  14 . Alternatively, it may be positioned elsewhere relative to the mechanism  14 . 
         [0023]    Liquid, typically pool or spa water, exits the pools or spa, passes through any number of devices designed to positively affect its characteristics for recreational usage, and then arrives at inlet  42  of diverter valve  18 . If diverter  24  assumes a first position as shown in  FIG. 2 , it blocks first outlet  46  and thus prevents the liquid from entering inlet  11 , shunting the liquid instead to second outlet  50 . From there the liquid may flow through center joining tube  34  from its inlet  66  to its outlet  70 , into t-fitting  38  through its inlet  54 , and exit t-fitting  38  via outlet  62  for downstream travel. In this manner, diverter valve  18  diverts liquid away from heating mechanism  14  when desirable to do so. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  details diverter  24  of valve  18  in a second position in which it blocks second outlet  50 . This blockage prevents liquid from exiting valve  18  via the second outlet  50 , thereby routing all of the liquid through first outlet  46  into inlet  11  of heating mechanism  14 . If mechanism  14  is active, it may heat (or otherwise act upon) the liquid before allowing it to exit via outlet  12 . Liquid exiting the outlet  12  may enter t-fitting through its inlet  58  and exit its outlet  62  for downstream travel. Hence, then diverter  24  is in its second position, no by-passing of heating mechanism  14  occurs. 
         [0025]    Yet alternatively, diverter  24  may assume other positions. For example, diverter  24  may be positioned intermediate the first and second positions so as to allow some flowing liquid to enter inlet  11  of heating mechanism  14  while also permitting some flowing liquid to by-pass mechanism  14  and instead travel to center joining tube  34 . Diverter  24  conceivably could, in some instances, partially or wholly block inlet  42  of diverter valve  18 . 
         [0026]    Preferably, though, diverter valve  18  is controllable so as to by-pass heating mechanism  14  when the heater is inactive, when the mechanism  14  is saturated with excessive liquid flow, in both cases, or otherwise as desired. Valve  18  thus advantageously includes an automatically-controllable actuator for diverter  24 . As noted above the actuator be an electrical device such as a solenoid, although hydraulic or other non-electric actuators may be utilized instead. 
         [0027]    FIG,  4 A illustrates first alternate system  10 ′ of the invention. System  10 ′ may be similar to system  10 , substituting check valve  74  for t-fitting  38 . As depicted in FIG,  4 A, check valve  74  may include two inlets  78  (connected to center joining tube  34 ) and  82  (connected to outlet  12  via a one-way flow component) and one outlet  86 . Alternatively, variant check valve  74 ′ may include a single inlet  82 ′ and one outlet  86 ′ and be connected in series between outlet  12  and inlet  58  of t-fitting  38  (see  FIG. 4B ). Inclusion of such a check valve  74  or  74 ′ may be especially beneficial when outlet  86  or  86 ′ leads to a downstream chlorinator or other device for chemically treating water, as chemically treated water preferably should be prevented from entering heating mechanism  14  via outlet  12 . This is particularly true when a circulation system is de-activated, as treated water not yet dispersed into a pool or spa may both have significant concentration of chemicals and be subject to back-pressure pushing it toward outlet  12 . 
         [0028]    Shown in  FIG. 5  is a second alternate system  10 ″ consistent with the present invention. It too may be similar to system  10  but include flow sensor  90  plumbed in series between inlet  11  of heating mechanism  14  and first outlet  46  of diverter valve  18 . Flow sensor  90  may be a meter an indicator, or both a meter and indicator and if desired may be installed elsewhere within system  10 ″. 
         [0029]    In general, plumbing assembly  22  preferably provides less head loss than does heating mechanism  14 , Therefore, diverting liquid away from mechanism  14  and routing it wholly through plumbing assembly  22  should reduce head loss in any of systems  10 ,  10 ′, or  10 ″, a goal of the invention. Even if head loss of plumbing assembly  22  equals or exceeds that of heating mechanism  14 , however, its use as a by-pass may continue to be beneficial in prolonging the useful life of the mechanism  14 , Any or all components of systems  10 ,  10 ′, or  10 ″ may be provided as retrofit kits for existing mechanisms  14  or as part of new construction. 
         [0030]    The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the Invention.