Comprehensive Heat Recovery and Reuse

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The Winston Works have designed, developed, patented and prototyped three waste heat exchangers for all size homes and buildings and for individual fixtures. Energy costs for heating cold water is about $100 Billion a year in North America, the heat energy then drains into the environment.

1. ‘Drainergy’ is for shower and running sink type drainwater flow.

2. ‘HeatBank’ is for all types and kinds of waste heat including all drainwater from shower, sinks, tubs wash machines and toilets, and all gaseous waste heat including from clothes dryer and burner exhausts, air vents, refrigeration,

3. ‘HeatClamp’ attaches to an existing, operating drainpipe, without disruption.

All three are pre-heaters for any type hygienic hot water heater. They can be retrofitted and work in vertical and horizontal drainage systems.

With widespread use, they provide massive reductions in energy use and cost, peak power and transmission losses, greenhouse gases, pollution, smog and environmental degradation,.

Unique plastic+copper designs, they combine high performance with low cost for fast payback.

Manufacturing uses common tools with low skill and capital requirements. Robust design needs no heat fasteners or adhesives.

Drainergy (vertical) is a copper drainpipe copper with a copper slit-sleeve wrapped around it for double wall protection against cross-contamination. The sleeve has longitudinal grooves open at each end for leaks to be visible. Both are inside a plastic tube with external water fittings and one-piece O-ring gasket in between. The gasket lies along each side of the slit and circles inside each end. The gasket is compressed in place on assembly to seal the space against normal cold water pressure. A series of spaced and notched flow compensator rings along the length spread out the cold water flow to be annular. Mesh-like sheets between generate turbulence.

Drainergy (horizontal) has a composite drainpipe where a concave strip of copper is recessed across a gap in a plastic pipe. An outer second copper strip with shallow grooves nests against the first for double wall protection and leak detection. An outer plastic tube with water fittings on an optional manifold, has an O-ring circumscribing the copper and is compressed in place on assembly by inserting an upper compression shoe.

HeatBank (vertical and horizontal) uses the same heat exchanger design as the vertical Drainergy but passes through a tank of the fresh water with an outlet to any water heater.The plastic tube extends through at one end for a water inlet and it has holes along its length controlled by floating flap valves that are moved solely by convection currents so that the tank water can only be heated, and not cooled by cold drainwater.

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Winston Mackelvie
  • Type of entry:
    individual
  • Profession:
    Engineer/Designer
  • Winston's favorite design and analysis tools:
    Fusion 360
  • Winston's hobbies and activities:
    Inventing
  • Winston belongs to these online communities:
    Facebook, Twitter
  • Winston is inspired by:
    While under construction, my shower was drained directly to the outdoors. In winter I could see my money for the water heater's propane being totally wasted as the hot drainwater melted ice which would soon freeze over, and I could witness the noxious fumes from the heater. Multiplied by the tens of millions of homes. Had to try something.
  • Software used for this entry:
    Artboard
  • Patent status:
    patented