thermoelectric water chiller and heater apparatus

Abstract

The appliance provides chilled water, heated water, or both chilled and heated water simultaneously. The primary intended use is in military vehicles, but the appliance may be used in any environment where heated and/or chilled liquid is desired.

1 . An apparatus for providing hot and/or cold liquid comprising:
 a hot bottle receiver;   a cold bottler receiver;   one or more thermoelectric modules having a hot side and a cold side;   a boiler in thermal communication with the thermoelectric module hot side;   a condenser in thermal communication with the thermoelectric module cold side;   one or more first counter-flow refrigerant thermosyphon ducts extending between said boiler and said hot bottle receiver and configured for concurrently directing refrigerant vapor from said boiler to said hot bottle receiver and condensed refrigerant from said hot bottle receiver to said boiler;   an auxiliary condenser comprising a fan and a modular fintube assembly juxtapositioned along said one or more first thernosyphon ducts and configured for condensing refrigerant vapor therein; and   one or more second counter-flow refrigerant thermosyphon ducts extending between said condenser and said cold bottle receiver and configured for concurrently directing refrigerant vapor from said cold bottle receiver to said condenser and condensed refrigerant from said condenser to said cold bottle receiver.   
   
   
       2 . An apparatus for providing hot and/or cold liquid comprising:
 a plurality of thermoelectric modules aligned side-by-side, and having substantially flat, coplanar hot side surfaces, and substantially flat, coplanar cold side surfaces;   a hot bottle receiver positioned above the said thermoelectric modules, and a cold bottle receiver positioned below said thermoelectric modules;   a boiler comprising a single boiler module having a substantially flat, planar exterior surface portion juxtapositioned against the flat, coplanar hot side surfaces of all of said plurality of thermoelectric modules;   a condenser assembly comprising one or more modules having a substantially flat, planar surface portion juxtapositioned against the flat, coplanar cold side surfaces of said thermoelectric modules;   one or more first counter-flow refrigerant thermosyphon ducts extending between said boiler and said hot bottle receiver and configured for concurrently directing refrigerant vapor from said boiler to said hot bottle receiver and condensed refrigerant from said hot bottle receiver to said boiler;   an auxiliary condenser comprising a fan and a modular fintube assembly juxtapositioned along said one or more first thermosyphon tubes and configured for condensing refrigerant vapor therein; and   a second counter-flow refrigerant thermosyphon duct extending between said condenser and said cold bottle receiver and configured for concurrently directing refrigerant vapor from said cold bottle receiver to said condenser and condensed refrigerant from said condenser to said cold bottle receiver.   
   
   
       3 . An apparatus of  claim 2  comprising three said thermoelectric modules and wherein said condenser assembly comprises three said condenser modules aligned end-to-end along said substantially flat, coplanar cold side surfaces of said thermoelectric modules. 
   
   
       4 . An apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said condenser assembly comprises a single condenser module having a substantially flat, planar exterior surface portion juxtapositioned against the flat, coplanar cold side surfaces of said thermoelectric module. 
   
   
       5 . An apparatus of  claim 4  comprising three said thermoelectric modules. 
   
   
       6 . An apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said fintube assembly comprises a plurality of fins each of which physically contacts and substantially envelopes said one or more first thermosyphon ducts.