Corrosion prevention for heat exchanger devices and pool heaters

Abstract

Disclosed herein are heat exchanger devices comprising an outer shell defining an interior chamber that is configured to pass a heat transfer fluid therethrough, a tube at least partially disposed within the interior chamber and in thermal communication with the heat transfer fluid, the tube being connected to a pool and configured to flow water from the pool therethrough such that the water flowing through the tube exchanges heat with the heat transfer fluid, and a coating disposed on an interior surface of the tube contacting the water from the pool, the coating comprising Nickel. The coating can comprise an additive, such as an electroless Nickel coating. The coating can also be selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Boron Nitride (BN), Silicon Carbide (SiC), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), carbon (C), and carbon allotropes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat exchanger device comprising:
 an outer shell defining an interior chamber that is configured to pass a heat transfer fluid therethrough;   a tube at least partially disposed within the interior chamber and in thermal communication with the heat transfer fluid, the tube being connected to a pool and configured to flow water from the pool therethrough such that the water flowing through the tube exchanges heat with the heat transfer fluid; and   a coating disposed on an interior surface of the tube contacting the water from the pool, the coating comprising Nickel.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 1 , wherein the coating further comprises phosphorus. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 2 , wherein the coating comprises phosphorus in an amount from approximately 1% to approximately 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the coating. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises Nickel in an amount from approximately 80% to approximately 99% by weight, based on the total weight of the coating. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises an additive. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 5 , wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Boron Nitride (BN), Silicon Carbide (SiC), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), carbon (C), and carbon allotropes. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises an electroless Nickel coating. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 1 , wherein the tube comprises Copper. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 1 , wherein the coating confers erosion resistance to the tube that is from approximately 1.7 to approximately 3.0 times greater than the erosion resistance of the tube without the coating, in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials G73 Standard Test Method for Liquid Impingement Erosion using a Rotating Apparatus (2017). 
     
     
         10 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 1 , wherein the coating confers corrosion resistance to the tube that is from approximately 20% to approximately 2000% more corrosion resistant than the tube without the coating, in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials B368 Copper-Accelerate Acid Salt Spray Test (2014). 
     
     
         11 . A pool heater comprising:
 a heat source configured to provide heat to a heat transfer fluid; and   a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the heat source, the heat exchanger comprising:
 an outer shell defining an interior chamber that is configured to pass the heat transfer fluid therethrough from the heat source; 
 a tube at least partially disposed within the interior chamber and in thermal communication with the heat transfer fluid, the tube being connected to a pool and configured to flow water from the pool therethrough such that the water flowing through the tube exchanges heat with the heat transfer fluid; and 
 a coating disposed on an interior surface of the tube contacting the water from the pool, the coating comprising Nickel. 
   
     
     
         12 . The pool heater of  claim 11 , wherein the coating comprises an additive. 
     
     
         13 . The pool heater of  claim 12 , wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of:
 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Boron Nitride (BN), Silicon Carbide (SiC), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), carbon (C), and carbon allotropes.   
     
     
         14 . The pool heater of  claim 11 , wherein the coating comprises an electroless Nickel coating. 
     
     
         15 . The pool heater of  claim 11 , wherein the tube comprises Copper. 
     
     
         16 . The pool heater of  claim 11 , wherein the coating confers erosion resistance to the tube that is from approximately 1.7 to approximately 3.0 times greater than the erosion resistance of the tube without the coating, in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials G73 Standard Test Method for Liquid Impingement Erosion using Rotating Apparatus (2017). 
     
     
         17 . The pool heater of  claim 11 , wherein the coating confers corrosion resistance to the tube that is from approximately 20% to approximately 2000% more corrosion resistant than the tube without the coating, in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials B368 Copper-Accelerate Acid Salt Spray Test (2014). 
     
     
         18 . A heat exchanger device configured to heat pool water, the heat exchanger device comprising:
 a first chamber defining a first volume that is configured to pass the pool water therethrough, the first chamber having an inner surface comprising a coating; and   a second chamber defining a second volume that is configured to pass a heat transfer fluid therethrough to thereby effect a heat exchange between the heat transfer fluid and the pool water.   
     
     
         19 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 18 , wherein the coating is selected from the group consisting of: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Boron Nitride (BN), Silicon Carbide (SiC), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), carbon (C), and carbon allotropes. 
     
     
         20 . The heat exchanger device of  claim 18 , wherein the coating comprises an electroless Nickel coating.