I wouldn't think so, but if somebody's tried it, the proof of the pudding....
To save me reading the whole thread, what is the advantage of the Willis system? Where does the heat come from?
Willis Heating System
- Thread starter JohnW2
- Start date
To save me reading the whole thread, what is the advantage of the Willis system? Where does the heat come from?
It's just an alternative method as far as I can see.
It is a self contained immersion heater.
We have already established that the heat, will not pass down, through the water, due to stratification. While copper will conduct the heat down beyond the boundary, the copper is quite thin, so the conduction will be minimal.
Do you mean 'above the level of the bottom of the Willis heater'? If so, that's what I'vv been saying all along, but some seem to disagree.
As I have said repeated, at no point have I been thinking about or writing about 'vertical immersion heaters'.
Indeed ('qualitatively) - but, as I implied, I believe that the change in viscosity of water with changing temp is so trivial as to be irrelevant to this discussion.
I'm glad you agree with me.
Exactly what I've always been saying.
If I understand you correctly, that is, again, what I have been saying all along - that, just as with a horizontal immersion, a Will heater can heater water in the main cylinder below the level of the Wallis heater.
Than makes two of us, including in relation to some of the comments that the authors describe as "obvious"?
So would I.
Yes, I would say that's how the diagram should have been coloured, but that doesn't alter many failure to understand how it is possible that the depicted system could 'work'. In particular, I'm finding it hard to see how your 'levelling' argument could explain how it would work, because I would have thought that the 'circulation' would stop once one got to this point....
My intuition would certainly have said 'no' (well 'not significantly')
Which has no relevance, because it makes no difference. An immersion heater, can only normally heat the water to the lower limit of its element. However, a Willis system, can heat water down to the lower level of its bottom pipe.
As I asked before, what do you mean by "it's bottom pipe"? Do you mean "the bottom of the Willis Heater"? If so, the situation is exactly the same with a horizontal immersion.
Why? There will be actual movement of the water, it will rise out of the small tank, along, down, and into the larger cylinder. Where else can the rising flow of water go?
Yes, the cold/lower/Willis pipe.
I see no reason why it should 'rise' any more once the situation I illustrated is achieved - since the water in the pipe above it is at essentially the same temp as the water in the heater.
It is EFLI's theory/explanation you are arguing with - not mine.
In that case, as I said, it's surely exactly the same with a horizontal immersion in the cylinder, isn't it?
My levelling argument was not referring to that situation.
So would mine.
In which case, surely the same must apply to Willis.
I can understand why I'm getting confused, since there appears to be a fair bit of inconsistency, contradiction and 'wriggling' around ...
So which is it - can a Willis heater significantly heat water in the main cylinder below the level of the Willis heater, OR NOT ?
True, since we were not considering 'that situation' at the time. However, why should your argument work (be 'correct') in one situation but not another?
Exactly my point.
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