Title of Invention

"A BOILER"

Abstract

The invention falls into the field of boilers made of polymeric matrix composite materials. The said boiler is constituted of two layers composed, in order from the inside to the outside, of a first layer (4) made of thermoplastic or elastomeric matrix material, and a second layer (5) composed of a plurality of filaments or strips of a synthetic material covered with resins which agglomerate by means of reticulation or fusion. The said first laser is built as a single body and is designed to come into direct contact with the water and the said second layer is also built as a single body and is designed to create structural resistance for the said boiler.

Full Text

DESCRIPTION Technical field The invention relates to a polymeric matrix composite material boiler for use, in particular, in a water heater. Background Art For some time now, the applicant has been increasingly interested in the use of synthetic polymeric matrix materials as suitable materials for manufacturing components for containing water, for sanitary purposes, heated by either gas or electricity. This interest arises from a number of advantages that these materials have in comparison with the metallic materials used until now. A first drawback of the metal boilers traditionally used in water heaters is constituted by the phenomenon of electrolytic corrosion which occurs on the internal surfaces of the said boilers To counteract the said electrolytic corrosion which occurs, protective systems are adopted, such as the application of suitable internal claddings or special sacrificaI or impressed current anodes. A further drawback of the traditional metal boilers is the negative environmental effects caused during the production phase by the use of chemical substances to prepare the metal surfaces. A still further drawback is constituted by the short working life of the traditional metal boilers. When selecting materials, the designs proposed until now for the manufacture of synthetic material boilers for water heaters have tended, in general, to prefer materials with particular mechanical features and particular forms of structural strengthening. The international patent application PCT/IT97/00186, for example, examines the use of alloy polymeric materials modified with other technical polymers since the said materials have positive mechanical stress resistance features, which are due also to the addition of reinforcing agents. The international patent application PCT/EP98/07982, proposes a way of reaching the considerable mechanical resistance features of a boiler for water heaters made of a synthetic material with structural reinforcing ribs. In particular, the prior document PCT/IT97/00186 discloses, as possible embodiment of the invention, a boiler in which the boiler body can be made in two or more partial shells welded together, for example, by heat welding or by press-fitting or gluing. The prior document PCT/EP98/07982 discloses, for a boiler body constituted by two semi-shells, two joining belts as coupling means of said two semi-shells, one of said joining belts comprising an annular groove for the housing, during the welding process of the semi-shells, a welding material. Therefore, in both prior documents indicated, the boiler used is manufactured by means of the joining together of at least two components by welding or using adhesives: it is obvious that the the surfaces of reciprocal junction between the said at least two components represent a weak point in the boiler and, consequently, can generate potentially dangerous situations for the user due to the pressure which develops, in particular conditions, inside the boiler during the heating process or when the water is stored in the said boiler. The applicant note that it is very interesting to use a blend of polymers in order to utilize the higher mechanical and thermal properties but, also, it is important to note that the polymers do not are, in general, miscible each other; this aptitude is called compatibility. A way for to increase the reciprocal compatibility of the polymers is the treatment of a blend of polymers by a compatibilizing agent which is an additive which has the property to have structures which are compatible with every component of said blend. According to the present invention there is provided a boiler (2), for use, in particular, in a water heater, fitted with a heating element (3) and of the kind made entirely of a polymeric matrix composite materials comprising a first layer (4) made of thermoplastic or elastomeric plastic materials (and a second layer (5) made of composite material consisting of a plurality of filaments or synthetic strips wrapped around the first layer (4) the first layer (4) is made of two or more components fixed together by welding, adhesive or any other method while the second layer (5) is manufactured as single body. Disclosure of Invention A first aim of this invention is to make it possible to manufacture a boiler made of a synthetic polymeric material as a single body without a structurally weak design. A second aim of the boiler in question in this invention is that the production costs shall be similar to those of a boiler with an identical capacity but made of metal. Further aims are constituted by the ease with which the components can be recycled and a guaranteed working life of at least ten years. Furthermore, the said aims are achieved with the least impact on the environment possible during the production phase and with the energy consumption, both during the production phase and when the water heater fitted with the boiler is in use, being extremely low in comparison with the other water heaters available on the market. The boiler in question in the present invention, for use, in particular, in a water heater, fitted with a heating element and of the kind made entirely of a polymeric matrix composite material comprising a first layer made of plastic material having characteristics which make it suitable for contact with water for sanitary purposes and a second layer made of composite material consisting of high-tensile fibres, is characterised in that: - the first layer is made of thermoplatic or elastomeric matrix material; -the second layer is composed of a plurality of filaments or synthetic strips wrapped around the first layer, the said filaments or strips being covered with resins which agglomerate by means of reticulation or fusion; the said second layer being manufactured as a single body and designed to create a structural resistance for the boiler; - the said first and second layers being detachable from each other only after the said boiler has been destroyed, the said destruction being such as to allow the said boiler to be recycled at the end of its working life. These and other characteristics will better emerge in the description that follows of a preferred embodiment of this invention provided in the form of a non-limiting example with accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows a boiler fitted into an electric water heater; - Figure 2 shows, schematically and out of scale, a section of the boiler. With reference to figure 1, the number 1 is used to denote a water heater in which a boiler 2 is fitted. Inside the boiler 2 is a heating element 3, of an electric kind. In figure 2, the number 4 indicates a first layer which comes into direct contact with the hot water or the water to be heated and the number 5 denotes a second layer which is outside the first. The first layer 4 is made of a thermoplastic matrix material constituted of polyolefinic, homopolymeric, copolymeric, metalocenic resins or PET (Polyethylene Therephthalate)-based resins, or PPE/PPO (Polyphenylenether/Polyphenylenoxide)-based resins or even, a mixture of other compatible polymeric materials or those which have been made compatible, either semi-crystalline ones or amorphous ones. The first layer 4 can also be made of an elastomeric matrix material constituted of PB (Polybuthene) or PIB (Polyisobutylene)-based resins or even a mixture with other compatible polymers or those which have been made compatible, either semi-crystalline ones or amorphous ones. The material of the first layer 4, which comes into direct contact with the water, has a high level of resistance to the thermal expansion and the cyclical mechanical warping due to the water pressure. The second layer 5 is realised by a plurality of filaments or synthetic strips wrapped around the firs t layer 4 and the said filaments or strips are covered by resins. These resins are of agglomerate kind and the process of agglomeration can be by reticulation or fusion; the reticulation, in particular, is a chemical process by which a molecolar structure with a spatial growth whith filiform or mesh shaped pattern is obtained. The two layers 4 and 5, both being in a single body, are completely detachable from each other. One layer 6 of the water heater 1 containing the boiler 2 is wrapped around the outside of the said boiler and is designed to provide thermal insulation for the said boiler; the layer 6 being detachable from the external surface of the second layer 5. The words polymers and the plastic materials can be meant as synonyms and the polymers (or plastic materials) are materials which are consisted of two or more molecules of the same original compound. The elastomers are polymers which have the characteristic of a significant elastic stretchings which are fully reversible. A first advantage of the boiler in question in the present invention is that the second layer, designed to supply the necessary structural resistance for the said boiler, guarantees, at the least, a bursting value, when hot, of no less than 30 bar at 70°C and a number of mechanical fatigue cycles, from 1 to 8 bar, of more than the 20,000 required by the specific safety standards. A second advantage is constituted by the fact that the industrial cost of the boiler object of the present invention is substantially identical to that of a boiler with the same capacity but made entirely of metal. A further advantage is constituted by the ease with which the single components when ground up or the entire boiler unit in question in this invention can be recycled. A still further advantage is constituted by the low impact on the environment during the production phase and the energy consumption during both the production phase and when the said boiler is in use, which is extremely low in comparison to that of other products available on the market today. Other further advantages are constituted by the physical lightness of the unit and the lack of any element designed to combat the corrosion of the internal surface of the boiler. Lastly, the boiler object of the present invention has the further advantage that its heat production levels, as well as its mechanical performance levels, are no lower than those of the metal boilers. A further embodiment, not shown, envisages the application of a layer composed of a plurality of filaments or strips of synthetic material covered with resins which agglomerate by means of reticulation or fusion outside the said polymeric material boiler, for use, in particular, in a water heater, fitted with a heating element and which is preferably, but not exclusively, electric and characterised by the fact that it is assembled from two or more elements fitted together by welding , adhesive, or another method. The said covering is applied to the said composing elements when fully assembled. The said layer and the boiler created after the full assembly of the said two or more elements are fitted together in such a way as to allow their total separation. In this description, specific reference has been made to a water heater inside which the boiler object of the present invention is fitted, however, the said boiler can naturally also be used beneficially in fields of application other than that of the water heater. WE CLAIM:- 1. A boiler (2), for use, in particular, in a water heater, fitted with a heating element (3) and of the kind made entirely of a polymeric matrix composite materials comprising a first layer (4) made of thermoplastic or elastomeric and a second layer (5) made of composite material consisting of a plurality of filaments or synthetic strips wrapped around the first layer (4) the first layer (4) is made of two or more components fixed together by welding, adhesive or any other method while the second layer (5) is manufactured as single body. 2. A boiler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic material of which the first layer (4) is constituted are composed of conventional polyolefinic resins, homopolymeric resins, copolymeric resins, metalocenic resins or polyethylene therephtalate-based resins or polyphenylenether/ polyphenylenoxide-based resins or, even, a mixture of compatible polymeric materials or those which have been made compatible, either semicrystalline ones or amorphous ones. 3. A boiler, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastomeric materials of which the first layer (4) is constituted are conventional materials composed of polybuthene or polyisobutylene-based resins or, even, a mixture of compatible polymeric materials or those which have been made compatible, either semicrystalline ones or amorphous ones. 4. A boiler as claimed in claims 1 and 5, wherein the filaments or strips of the second layer (5) are constituted of fiber glass, carbon or a type of fabric. 5. A boiler as claimed in claims 1, 5 and 6, wherein the filaments or synthetic strips of the second layer (5) are covered by a pre-impregnation, with conventional resins which are either of a heat-setting kind or of a thermoplastic matrix kind. 6. A boiler (2), for use, in particular, in a water heater, fitted with a heating element, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

in-pct-2002-00712-del-abstract.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-claims.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-correspondence-others.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-correspondence-po.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-description (complete).pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-drawings.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-form-1.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-form-19.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-form-2.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-form-3.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-form-5.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-gpa.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-101.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-105.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-210.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-220.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-301.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-304.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-308.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-332.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-pct-409.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-petition-137.pdf

in-pct-2002-00712-del-petition-138.pdf