Liquid heating appliances

摘要

The liquid heating apparatus comprises a primary chamber 14 containing a superheated liquid under pressure and an adjacent secondary chamber 15 through which a second liquid is passed in use to be selectively heated by heat exchange with the superheated liquid. The primary chamber is thermally insulated, ideally by a side wall 21 including heat transfer shunts (TS, figure 2a-b) that are selectively actuated to provide a thermal bridge between the superheated liquid and the second liquid. Preferably the second liquid is mains water received at an inlet 10. The water can be pre-heated by an aerial heat exchanger 11 and fluid heat exchanger 12 prior to reaching the apparatus. The apparatus may include a heat exchanger 16 receiving fluid from solar panels and a further heat exchanger 18 to further preheat the water prior to selective exchange with the superheated liquid. The apparatus may comprise a thermally insulated outer casing 13. A liquid chilling apparatus is also claimed.