De-aerator for a water heating system

摘要

The invention relates to a de-aerator for removing dissolved gasses from water in a water heating system, and to a water heating system comprising such a de-aerator. In one embodiment, a de-aerator (10) is disclosed which comprises a vessel (14) defining a chamber (16) for receiving water which has been heated by a primary water heater (18), an inlet (20) through which water can be supplied into the chamber and an outlet (22) through which the water can exit the chamber; and a vent (24) through which gas can exit the chamber. A diameter of the chamber decreases in a direction from the inlet towards the outlet; and the vessel has a side wall (26) extending between the inlet and the outlet which defines a boundary of the chamber, the side wall being curved and having a non-constant radius of curvature, the radius of curvature being smaller in the region of the outlet than in the region of the inlet; so that water supplied into the chamber is accelerated as it flows from the inlet towards the outlet, to thereby promote de-aeration of the water, gasses coming out of solution from the water exiting the chamber through the vent.