Faraday Effect Circulating Heat System and Method

Abstract

A Faraday heating system that can be used to heat and circulate a working fluid through a space for heating. Several permanent magnets are mounted on a non-magnetic disk. The magnets are mounted with the north and south poles alternating. A highly conductive metal tube is mounted in proximity to the magnets so that when the disk is rotated, the magnetic field lines cut the tube inducing eddy currents in the tube. This causes the tube to heat. Liquid is pumped through the tube and is heated. The heat transfer can be controlled by changing the speed of rotation of the disk. The heated liquid can then be pumped, or otherwise circulated, through a standard liquid heating system. Information from one or more thermostats can be fed back to a motor controller to increase or decrease the speed of rotation of the disk as more or less heat is needed.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A device for heating comprising:
 a non-magnetic disk holding a plurality of magnets mounted in alternating north-south configuration around its periphery;   a metal tube in proximity to said magnets;   a motor with a shaft attached to said non-magnetic disk configured to rotate said disk;   a pump attached to a closed-loop circulating liquid heating system, wherein liquid is pumped through said metal tube to be heated and thence through the liquid heating system;   whereby, when said motor rotates the disk, the metal tube heats due to Faraday Effect transferring heat to said liquid thereby raising its temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said liquid is water. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the metal tube is copper. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the metal tube forms a partial circle in proximity to the magnets on the periphery of the disk. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4  wherein the metal tube also forms a partial circle in proximity to the periphery of the disk on an opposite side of the disk. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the motor is a variable speed motor. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6  further comprising a thermostat in said heating system that reports temperature to a speed controller attached to said motor. 
     
     
         8 . A device for heating comprising:
 a rigid frame holding a plurality of magnets mounted in alternating north-south configuration on at least one of its surfaces;   a metal tube in proximity to said magnets;   a motor configured to move said magnets with respect to the metal tube;   a pump attached to a liquid heating system, wherein liquid is pumped through said metal tube and heated by Faraday Effect and thence through the liquid heating system.   
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8  wherein said liquid is water. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 8  wherein the metal tube is copper. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 8  wherein the motor is a variable speed motor. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 8  further comprising a thermostat in said heating system that reports temperature to a speed controller attached to said motor. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 8  wherein the rigid frame is a non-magnetic disk, and the metal tube forms a partial circle in proximity to the magnets on the non-magnetic disk. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13  wherein the magnets are mounted in a ring on said non-magnetic disk. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14  wherein there is a plurality of rings of magnets on said non-magnetic disk. 
     
     
         16 . A method of heating a space comprising:
 attaching a plurality of permanent magnets to at least one surface of a disk;   providing a metal tube in proximity to said magnets;   rotating said disk;   pumping a working fluid through said metal tube causing it to become heated;   pumping said heated working fluid through a space heating system to heat a space.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the working fluid is water. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the metal tube is copper tubing. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the disk is rotated by a variable speed motor. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising providing a thermostat that feeds temperature data to a motor controller that controls speed of the variable speed motor.