Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
  • H05B3/00—Ohmic-resistance heating
  • H05B3/60—Heating arrangements wherein the heating current flows through granular powdered or fluid material, e.g. for salt-bath furnace, electrolytic heating

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a cumulative heat generating system according to the preamble of claim 1.
• conventional heat generating systems which, for example, are used in hot sanitary water and/or heating systems, are supplied with liquid fuels, such as gas oil, or gaseous fuels, such as methane.
• liquid fuels such as gas oil, or gaseous fuels, such as methane.
• methane for a liquid fuel use it is necessary to provide large storing vessels or tanks.
• a conventional fuel burning process involves a generation of unburnt gases holding noxious substances, which unburnt gases require moreover a outlet stack or fume chimney.
• the unburnt gases must have a high temperature, which negatively affects the thermal efficiency of the system and its operating cost.
• Electrolytic devices and methods have been furthermore extensively used for making hydrogen, oxygen, chlorine, sodium hydroxide, for affinating and passivating metals and depositing alloys, such as for chromium plating applications and the like.
• generation of electric power from alternative sources, such as solar panels, eolic generators and the like. In general, these alternative power sources are used for heating small amounts of water to rather low temperatures, and are frequently used as back-up system in conventional hot sanitary water generating systems and/or in domestic or industrial heating systems.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide a system for generating cumulative heat, which system:
• the above mentioned aim is achieved by a system for generating cumulative heat having the features of claim 1.
• the cumulative heat generating system according to the present invention provides a lot of important advantages.
• electrolyte it is possible to use simple distilled water, demineralized water or water having an electric resistivity suitable for the electrolytic process, the cost of which is very small and which can be either stored in low amounts, for example of the order of few liters, or produced in situ, starting from the water system supplied water or from a water store dedicated to the electrolysis device.
• the subject system can be power supplied by a rather unexpensive electric power derived from alternative sources such as solar panels, aeolic generators and so on.
• the condensating water which represents the sole residue of the burning process, can be advantageously recycled by re-supplying it to the water tank of the electrolysis device.
• a use of hydrogen and oxygen as a fuel or combustible gas requires only small modifications to conventional burners or boilers.
• a further important advantage is that in the burning process no unburnt gases or noxious substances are generated. Accordingly, the inventive system is per-se not polluting and does not generate noxious polluting substances. The absence of unburnt gases, in particular, allows to omit discharging or outlet chimneys therefor.
• the thermal efficiency is greatly improved.
• the temperature of the heated fluid such as water, for example to about 40°C.
• Such a temperature would allow to directly supply, for example, coil heating systems, such as floor heating systems and the like.
• the hydrogen and oxygen making cost can be considered as negligible.
• a further advantage is that, in order to accumulate the generated heat, it is possible to connect to the burner-combustor assembly, any suitable conventional heat accumulators, of any suitable configuration or operating principle.
• the heat generating system according to the invention can be advantageously used in conventional systems, other of recent construction or already existing, for producing hot sanitary water and/or for heating applications, and this in a very simple manner, without requiring any intensive fitting operations.
• electrolyte is merely used water having a suitable electric resistivity.
• said gases are at first separately collected in suitable accumulators and then supplied to the burner in an individually adjustable manner.
• the heat generated in the combustor or combustion chamber is accumulated in a heat accumulator coupled to said burner-combustor assembly.
• a heat accumulator including a substance suitable to change the physical status thereof depending on the temperature thereof is used.
• electric power generated by alternative electric power sources such as solar panels, aeolic generators or the like, or an electric power derived from relieved rate networks, such as the night electric power of France and Germany is used.
• the electric power for power supplying the electrolysis device is supplied at a low voltage, for example of the order of 2-24 V, preferably 2-12V and, more preferably, of 2-4 V.
• the electrolysis device is advantageously power supplied in an adjustable manner, and by using a battery of electric accumulator assembly.
• a processing device to process the system or stored water to a suitable electric resistivity electrolyte, as claimed in claim 9, it is possible to omit any distilled water storing tank.
• the burning condensating water is advantageously reused as an electrolyte.
• the heating generating systems according to the invention can be advantageously used in or for domestic or industrial systems for making hot sanitary water and/or heating systems, as well as in air heating systems, radiating heating systems and so on, as claimed in claim 11.
• the heat generating systems according to the invention can be moreover advantageously used in industrial systems for heating or thermally processing fluids at conventional temperatures, and higher temperatures, with very high thermal efficiencies and without any additional costs for achieving the mentioned high temperature, which allows to carry out novel processing methods, which could not be carried out, at a like low cost, in the prior art.
• Said system substantially comprises a gaseous fuel supply 2, and an assembly 3 including a burner 4 and associated combustion chamber or combustor 5.
• the gaseous fuel supply 2 comprises a "fuel generator” in the form of an electrolysis device, i.e. a device for carrying out an electrolysis of an electrolyte, including, for example, a suitable electric resistivity water.
• a suitable electric resistivity water must be intended as including distilled water, demineralized water and the like.
• the electrolysis device 2 can be of any suitable type, for example of a ion exchange membrane type.
• the electrolysis device 2 in particular, is supplied, at its positive and negative poles 6 and 7, with an electric power preferably supplied by an alternative electric power source, in the embodiment being shown solar panels 8, eolic generators or the like, or, for example in a case of a relieved rated or tariff electric power, such as for the night electric power in France and Germany, directly from the network terminals 9 and 10, through the commutating switch 11.
• the reference number 12 indicates a battery assembly which can be supplied by the panels 8.
• the reference number 13 indicates an adjusting member.
• the electric power is supplied to the electrolysis device 2 at a low voltage, for example from 2 to 24 V, preferably from 2 to 12 V and, more preferably from 2 to 24V.
• a low voltage for example from 2 to 24 V, preferably from 2 to 12 V and, more preferably from 2 to 24V.
• known transformer-rectifier assemblies, or the like, per se known and not shown in any further details will be used.
• said solar panel 8 and aeolic generators will not be disclosed in further details since they are well known.
• the reference number 20 shows a tank holding a suitable electric resistivity water therein, operating as an electrolyte, which is supplied to the electrolysis device 2.
• the reference number 21 shows a known device for processing water for example coming from the water system duct 22, to allow said water to be used as said suitable electric resistivity water forming the electrolyte. If necessary, said device 21 can also supply the water processed thereby directly to the electrolysis device 2 or tank 20.
• said tank 20 communicates with a duct 23 coupled, at the other side thereof, to a condensating water collecting tank 24 for collecting the condensating water formed in burning of the hydrogen-oxygen mixture in the burner/combustion chamber or combustor 4/5 assembly.
• the heat generated by the mixture burnt in the chamber 5 is accumulated in a heat accumulator 25 which can have any suitable configuration for optimally exploiting the high temperature heat generated in the combustion chamber or combustor 5.
• the heat accumulator 25 can then be used to supply heat, through any suitable heat carrier, such as water, to any desired thermal utilizers, such as the heat radiators of a domestic or industrial heating system, supply hot sanitary water, perform thermal processes on fluids in chemical or the like systems, said utilizers being generally indicated by 26.
• the system according to the present invention operates as follows:
• the hydrogen and oxygen generated by the electrolysis performed in the electrolysis device 2 are supplied, upon suitably mixing them, to the burner 4 and burnt herein, to provide a temperature of about 2,000°C.
• the burner 4 and burnt herein to provide a temperature of about 2,000°C.
• the condensating water which represents the sole burning or combustion product, is collected in the tank 24 and re-supplied as an electrolyte to the electrolysis device 2 through the duct 23.
• the electric power for performing the electrolysis is supplied as above stated.
• the high burning heat is advantageously accumulated in the heat accumulator 25, optionally in a plurality of not shown accumulators.
• the absence of any unburnt gases overcomes the prior requirements of evacuating the high temperature burnt gases, so as to prevent any known corrosion phenomena related to a condensation of aggressive substances from occurring.
• this aspect greatly improves, per se, the thermal efficiency. Said thermal efficiency is further enlianced since the burning temperature is much greater than the burning temperatures of prior combustors of conventional systems, thereby it is possible to use a heat amount much greater than that which can be used in conventional systems.
• the unburnt gases and noxious substances having been eliminated, it is possible to derive greater heat amounts, since the temperature of the derived hot water can be brought to a low value, such as, for example, 40°C, which could not be previously obtained because of the necessary (high) minimum temperatures of the outlet gases.
• a low temperature can be advantageous, among the other things, for prior low temperature heating systems.
• the cumulative heat generating systems according to the present invention can be optimally used in domestic and industrial systems for providing hot sanitary water and/or for heating applications, which can be made, as conventional, by any desired components and circuits. These systems have not been disclosed in further details since they are well known.

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• Electrolytic Production Of Non-Metals, Compounds, Apparatuses Therefor (AREA)
• Breeding Of Plants And Reproduction By Means Of Culturing (AREA)

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• 2000
  • 2000-08-03 IT IT2000MI001809A patent/IT1318716B1/it active
• 2001
  • 2001-08-01 EP EP01971845A patent/EP1312243A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-08-01 WO PCT/EP2001/008918 patent/WO2002013577A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

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