How the IOT "CTE" Direct Contact Gas-Fired Water Heater delivers unrivaled Performance and Efficiency.

Incoming water is introduced into the top of the direct contact water heater through a series of calibrated dispersion nozzles. Cold water travels down through a bed of multifaceted stainless steel packing rings which break the water into smaller and smaller droplets.
A burner is mounted on top of the direct contact unit, firing downward through a centrally located flame tube. The flame tube is cooled by incoming cold water, and all of the fuel gasses are consumed within this flame tube. The design allows all combustion to take place within a dry and cool direct contact environment, and produces very low levels of nitrous oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO).
Heat from the flame enters the lower chamber from the bottom of the flame tube, and travels slowly upward through the packing rings. Efficient direct contact heat transfer occurs as the descending water comes in contact with the rising hot gasses as both pass through the bed of packing rings in opposite directions.
This "rain" of hot water then falls into the lower chamber and is pumped out to a storage tank. Water temperatures up to 185*F are available within a minimum of 30 seconds after the unit starts. Outlet water temperature is set with a valve controlling the incoming water flow.
More incoming water results in cooler outlet water temperatures, and less incoming water produces hotter outlet water temperatures. The products of combustion are vented out of the top of the direct contact unit, and this exhaust is typically within a few degrees of incoming water temperature.

The Result
The IOT CTE direct contact gas fired water heater produces water instantaneously. There is no fuel consumed for warm-up or idle time. No energy is lost through steam conversion or within a direct contact heat exchanger. Virtually all of the fuel energy is transferred to the water.

CTE Technology
Developed from direct contact water heating science that was first introduced more than two decades ago, Complete Thermal Exchange (CTE) Direct Contact has revolutionized high efficiency water heating methods. CTE technology has rapidly become the new standard in energy savings.
While traditional direct contact water heating offers energy savings from 40% to nearly 60% over conventional boiler systems, IOT CTE gas fired direct contact water heaters, using CTE technology feature a 99.7% efficiency rating throughout each phase of its operation cycle. The sustained efficiency of IOT CTE gas fired direct contact water heaters are clearly the most energy efficient method of hot water production on the market today.

No Scale Build-Up
The CTE gas fired direct contact water heater's unique design prevents scale build-up because there are no "hot spots" internally or externally, and because calcium is prevented from completely falling out of suspension during operation. As a result, if you have hard water entering the CTE gas fired water heater, you will have the same hard water coming out.

Complete Combustion = Complete Water Quality
While many traditional-method direct contact water heaters spray water directly on the flame - sometimes called "flame quenching" - using CTE direct contact technology, avoids this process altogether. According to the Industrial Heating Equipment Association's " Combustion Technology Manual", flame quenching promotes incomplete combustion, and produces alcohols, aldehyde, formic acid, higher order acids, carbon monoxide, as well as carbon dioxide and water vapor. Because it uses CTE direct contact technology, it maintains 99.7% combustion efficiency, while maintaining water quality at all times. In addition, CTE direct contact water heater has a built-in fail-safe system for heating water that maintains water quality despite any type of failure.