CN106440357B

CN106440357B - Water tank and heat pump water heater

Info

Publication number: CN106440357B
Application number: CN201610894029.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 曹亚男; 许勇; 李涛
Original assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai; Gree Wuhu Electric Appliances Co Ltd
Current assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai; Gree Wuhu Electric Appliances Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-10-14
Filing date: 2016-10-14
Publication date: 2021-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2036-10-14
Also published as: CN106440357A

Abstract

The invention relates to a water tank and a heat pump water heater comprising the same. According to one aspect of the present invention, a water tank (10) is provided, the water tank comprising a tank liner (20) and a safety valve (30) in communication with the tank liner, the safety valve being configured to automatically open to drain pressure relief when an internal pressure of the tank liner rises above a first predetermined value, the water tank further comprising a heating device (40) configured to automatically open when the internal pressure of the tank liner rises above a second predetermined value. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat pump water heater comprising a water tank as described above. According to the invention, the self-expansion-preventing function of the water tank can be ensured, so that the water tank can adapt to a complex use environment with low temperature.

Description

Water tank and heat pump water heater

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of water tanks, in particular to a water tank capable of automatically relieving pressure based on the pressure of the water tank and a heat pump water heater with the water tank.

Background

The tank liner is usually suspended in the tank housing and covered with a top cover after the foaming process, whereby the tank liner is completely fixed in place. Generally, the water tank is firm in interior and stable in structure, and the water tank liner cannot be burst or damaged under certain pressure. However, in a low-temperature environment and when the water tank is not used for a long time, the water in the tank liner may freeze, and the volume of the water may expand after freezing, so that the pressure of the tank liner may increase sharply, and the tank liner may be damaged.

It should be noted here that the technical contents provided in this section are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding the present invention, and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

To solve or partially solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the related art, the present invention provides a water tank having a self-expansion prevention function and being adaptable to a complicated, low-temperature use environment, and a heat pump water heater including the same.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a water tank is provided. The water tank comprises a water tank inner container and a safety valve, and the safety valve is communicated with the water tank inner container. The safety valve is configured to automatically open to discharge the pressure when the internal pressure of the tank inner is increased to be greater than a first predetermined value. The water tank further includes a heating device configured to automatically turn on when the internal pressure of the water tank inner bladder rises above a second predetermined value.

Preferably, in the water tank, the safety valve is arranged at the lower part or the middle part of the water tank inner container.

Preferably, in the above-described water tank, the safety valve is further configured to automatically close when the internal pressure of the tank liner decreases to less than a third predetermined value.

Preferably, in the above-described water tank, the first predetermined value is equal to the second predetermined value so that the opening of the safety valve is performed in synchronization with the opening of the heating device.

Preferably, in the water tank, the heating device comprises an electric tracing band and/or a heat exchange coil arranged on the outer side of the inner container of the water tank, and the heating device is automatically turned off after being turned on for a preset time.

Preferably, in the above-described water tank, the water tank further includes a water inlet valve configured to be closed to stop water inflow when the safety valve is opened.

Preferably, in the above water tank, the water tank further includes a drain valve configured to be opened for a predetermined time when the safety valve is opened to assist the safety valve in draining the pressure.

Preferably, in the above-described water tank, the safety valve is implemented as a pressure relief valve that incorporates a pressure-sensitive device and is capable of automatically opening or closing in response to a change in the internal pressure of the water tank liner.

Preferably, in the above-described water tank: the safety valve is implemented as an electrically controlled valve, and the water tank further includes a pressure sensor adapted to sense an internal pressure of the tank inner and transmit a pressure sensing signal to the controller, and a controller controlling opening and closing of the safety valve according to the pressure sensing signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a heat pump water heater is provided. The heat pump water heater comprises the water tank.

According to the invention, when water freezes and the internal pressure of the water tank inner container increases, the safety valve is automatically disconnected and the heating device is opened to melt the ice, so that the internal pressure of the water tank inner container is reliably reduced, and the problem that the water tank is easy to burst under the working condition of low temperature and no use is avoided. Therefore, the water tank is ensured to have a self-expansion prevention function, so that the water tank can adapt to a complex use environment with low temperature.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a water tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a modified example of a water tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating another modification of a water tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The invention is described in detail below with the aid of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. The following detailed description of the invention is merely for purposes of illustration and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

Referring to fig. 1 (fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a water tank according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention), a water tank 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be a pressurized water tank and may include a tank liner 20 and a safety valve 30.

The safety valve 30 communicates with the tank liner 20. The safety valve 30 may be configured to automatically open to drain pressure when the internal pressure of the tank liner 20 rises above a first predetermined value.

In some examples, the relief valve 30 may be implemented as a relief valve (mechanical relief valve) that incorporates a pressure sensing device itself and is capable of automatically opening or closing in response to changes in the internal pressure of the tank bladder 20.

The first predetermined value can be determined according to the size of the water tank, the material of the water tank and the amount of reserved air in the water tank, and in some examples, the first predetermined value can be 0.27-0.37MPa, and is preferably 0.28 MPa.

In a preferred example, the safety valve 30 is provided at a lower or middle portion of the tank liner 20. In particular, the safety valve 30 is provided at a lower portion of the tank liner 20 (as shown in fig. 1). In this way, the situation that the safety valve cannot function because the safety valve is easily blocked when the safety valve is arranged at the upper part because the ice firstly floats on the top of the water tank inner container can be avoided.

The safety valve 30 may also be configured to automatically close when the internal pressure of the tank liner 20 decreases to less than a third predetermined value. Here, it is to be noted that the third predetermined value is smaller than the first predetermined value. In this way, water in the tank liner 20 can be prevented from being unnecessarily drained while ensuring safety of the tank.

In a preferred example, the water tank 10 further comprises a heating device 40. The heating device 40 may be configured to be automatically turned on when the internal pressure of the tank inner 20 is increased to be greater than a second predetermined value. In this way, the internal temperature of the tank liner can be raised, the ice in the tank liner can be melted, and the internal pressure of the tank liner can be rapidly reduced. The second predetermined value and the third predetermined value can also be determined comprehensively according to the size of the water tank, the material of the water tank and the amount of reserved air in the water tank, and in some examples, the second predetermined value can be 0.21-0.38MPa, and is preferably 0.21 MPa. The third preset value is preferably 0.12-0.14MPa, and more preferably 0.128 MPa.

The second predetermined value may be equal to the first predetermined value such that the opening of the safety valve 30 is performed in synchronization with the opening of the heating device 40.

The heating means 40 may include an electric tracing band and/or a heat exchanging coil disposed at the outer side of the tank inner 20. Here, it should be noted that, in the case that the water tank 10 is used for a heat pump water heater, the heat exchange coil may be a heat exchange coil for heating water in the water tank 10 when the heat pump water heater is in normal operation.

The heating device 40 may be automatically turned off after being turned on for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 to 10 minutes).

The tank 10 also includes an inlet valve 50. The water inlet valve 50 may be configured to close to stop the water inlet when the safety valve 30 is opened. In this way, the water tank can help to reduce the water quantity in the water tank liner, thereby also playing the role of self-protection and difficult bursting of the water tank.

After the water inlet valve 50 is closed, the water inlet valve 50 can remain closed until the user turns on the hot water function of the water heater, which can ensure that the volume of water in the tank liner 20 is less than the tank liner volume so that the next time even ice forms will not cause the internal pressure to be excessive.

The water tank 10 may also include a drain valve 60. As shown in fig. 1, the drain valve 60 may be disposed adjacent to the inlet valve 50, and particularly, the drain valve 60 may be disposed on a pipe for the drain valve 60. The drain valve 60 may be configured to open when the relief valve 30 opens to assist the relief valve 30 in draining water to relieve pressure. In this way, make the water in the inner container of water tank flow out under the liquid level pressure drive in order to reduce the water volume in the inner container of water tank, can strengthen the drainage pressure release from this for can reduce the internal pressure of inner container of water tank more fast. In some examples, the drain valve 60 may be automatically closed after being opened for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 to 5 minutes).

In some examples, a controller may be provided. The controller may communicate with the safety valve 30 and with other components including the heating device 40, the water inlet valve 50, and the drain valve 60, and may uniformly and coordinately control the operations of these components.

Referring to fig. 2 (fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a modification of the water tank according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention), in the water tank 10 according to the modification, a drain valve 60 for assisting the drain relief of the relief valve 30 is omitted. In this way, the structure of the water tank can be simplified while maintaining a predetermined drain relief effect.

Referring to fig. 3 (fig. 3 is a schematic view showing another modification of the water tank according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention), in the water tank 10 according to the another modification, instead of the pressure relief valve which is incorporated with a pressure sensing device itself and is capable of automatically opening or closing in response to a change in the internal pressure of the tank liner 20, the safety valve 30 may be implemented as an electrically controlled valve. The electrically controlled valve is for example a solenoid valve or a motor controlled valve. In this further variation, the water tank 10 may further include a pressure sensor 70 (a separate pressure sensor) and a controller 80. The pressure sensor 80 is adapted to sense the internal pressure of the tank liner 20 and transmit a pressure sensing signal to the controller 80. The controller 80 may control the opening and closing of the relief valve 30 according to the pressure sensing signal, and/or the controller 80 may uniformly and coordinately control the operations of the other constituent components.

The controller 80 may be a separate component or may be integrated with the pressure sensor 80 or the relief valve 30.

According to the invention, a heat pump water heater comprising the water tank as described above is also provided.

It is noted that, throughout this document, relational terms such as "first," "second," and "third," and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. In addition, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Finally, it should be noted that: it is obvious that the above embodiments/examples are only examples for clearly illustrating the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art in light of the above description. All embodiments/examples need not be, and cannot be, exhaustive herein. And obvious variations or modifications of the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A water tank (10) comprising a tank liner (20) and a safety valve (30) in communication with the tank liner, characterized in that the safety valve is configured to automatically open to drain pressure relief when the internal pressure of the tank liner rises above a first predetermined value, and the water tank further comprises a heating device (40) configured to automatically open to melt ice in the tank liner to reduce the internal pressure of the tank liner when the internal pressure of the tank liner rises above a second predetermined value.

2. The water tank (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the safety valve (30) is provided at a lower or middle portion of the tank inner container (20).

3. The water tank (10) of claim 1, wherein the safety valve (30) is further configured to automatically close when the internal pressure of the tank bladder (20) decreases to less than a third predetermined value.

4. The water tank (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said first predetermined value is equal to said second predetermined value, so that the opening of said safety valve (30) is synchronized with the opening of said heating means (40).

5. The water tank (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating means (40) comprises an electric tracing band and/or a heat exchange coil arranged outside the tank inner container (20), which is automatically turned off after a predetermined time of being turned on.

6. The water tank (10) of claim 1, further comprising a water inlet valve (50) configured to close to stop water inlet when the safety valve (30) is opened.

7. The water tank (10) of claim 1, further comprising a drain valve (60) configured to open for a predetermined time when the safety valve (30) is open to assist the safety valve in draining pressure relief.

8. The water tank (10) according to any of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the safety valve (30) is implemented as a pressure relief valve incorporating pressure sensing means and being able to open or close automatically in response to a change in the internal pressure of the tank liner.

9. The water tank (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that:

the safety valve (30) is embodied as an electrically controlled valve, and

the water tank further includes a pressure sensor (70) adapted to sense an internal pressure of the water tank inner bladder and transmit a pressure sensing signal to the controller, and a controller (80) controlling opening and closing of the safety valve according to the pressure sensing signal.

10. A heat pump water heater, characterized in that it comprises a water tank (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.