EP1593915A1

EP1593915A1 - Thermo-refrigerator unit for cooling, heating and sanitary hot water production

Info

Publication number: EP1593915A1
Application number: EP05076045A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Francesco Mancarella
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-05-04
Filing date: 2005-05-04
Publication date: 2005-11-09
Also published as: ITMI20040205U1

Abstract

The purpose of this invention is to propose a product that satisfies the energetic necessities for heating, air conditioning and sanitary hot water, in the typical applications of the residential (autonomous installations in single apartments or homes) and tertiary (autonomous installations for offices, shops, etc.) sectors, in which the reduced overall dimensions and installation/application requirements similar to those of the known wall-mounted boiler make this product a rational and logistical solution to the technical problems found with the solutions proposed by the known technique.

A thermo-refrigerator unit for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic uses and cold water for air conditioning/cooling purposes, obtained through a suitable thermo-hydraulic integration and interconnection of a water refrigerator operating with a compression refrigerating cycle and a boiler, everything inside a single containment framework so that constitutes a compact and rational system.

The various possibilities, with or without external ducts, foreseen for the cooling air flow both entering and exiting the unit, necessary for complying with the cooling function of the condenser of the unit's refrigerator section during the cooling/conditioning operating mode, make the thermo-refrigerator unit suitable for supplying multiple solutions to the various and specific installation and application needs.

Description

The object of this invention is a thermo-refrigerator unit for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic uses and cold water for air conditioning/cooling purposes, particularly suitable for applications in the residential and tertiary sectors.
It is common knowledge that currently there are significant problems in rationalizing thermo-refrigerator units, the reason being that as of today it has not been possible to integrate the various functions in a rational mode so as to optimise the logistic of the heat transfers and of the consumptions.
Today's technological solutions offer units or systems where the section designed for production of hot water is separate from the one that produces cold water.
As a result, the two systems are integrated during the installation phase, with the consequent need for spaces that are not rationalized and long installation times. The purpose of this invention is to provide a solution to the aforementioned problems by offering a compact thermo-refrigerator unit for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic purposes as well as cold water for air conditioning/cooling systems. This unit groups together in a single configuration all those components necessary for the thermo-hydraulic functions, thus producing an ensemble made up of several components that interact with each other, obtaining a final product that maintains the typical technical requirements for the installation and application of the known wall-mounted or base boilers, widely used for the autonomous heating of residential and tertiary units.
Within the scope of the above-mentioned task, a special purpose of this invention is to obtain a thermo-refrigerator unit wherein it is possible to maintain the typical installation and system application requirements of the abovementioned existing technology for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic purposes used extensively in the residential and tertiary sector.
Within the scope of the above-mentioned task, a special purpose of this invention is to provide a thermo-refrigerator unit in which it is possible to reduce the overall dimensions, integrating and optimising the position of the various elements making up the unit, thus obtaining a compact and rational assembly.
Within the scope of the above-mentioned task, a salient purpose of this invention is to propose innovative and special solutions for the path of the intake and discharge cooling air flow required for the cold water production cycle.
Within the scope of the above-mentioned task, a special purpose of this invention is to realize a system with high energetic efficiency through the suitable thermal recovery of the energy produced during the thermodynamic cycle.
Within the scope of the above-mentioned task, a particular purpose of this invention is to realize a thermo-refrigerator unit that, for its peculiar construction characteristics, is capable of ensuring the highest guarantees in terms of reliability and safety.
This thermo-refrigerator unit for production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic uses and cold water for air conditioning/cooling systems is easy to make, using components and materials readily available on the market and, in addition, it is very competitive from an economic point of view.
The above-listed task, the aeraulic and energetic characteristics, as well as the purposes mentioned above and others still, which will be highlighted in more detail below, are achieved by a thermo-refrigerator unit for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic uses and cold water for air conditioning/cooling purposes illustrated with the aid of the enclosed drawings, which are supplied for information purposes only and are not meant to be limitative, where:
figure 1 represents a schematic front view of the inside of the thermo-refrigerator unit in the version without connections to external ducts, in other words the version in which the ducts outside the unit for the cooling air flow are not foreseen;
figure 2 is a schematic representation of the abovementioned unit with the inclusion of an additional heat exchanger for recovery of the condensation heat produced during the cooling thermodynamic cycle;
figure 3 represents a front view of the unit illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2, indicating the various possibilities (direction and orientation) of the inlet air flow used to cool the condenser of the thermo-refrigerator unit;
Figure 4 represents a section view of the abovementioned unit, showing the various possibilities, direction and orientation, of the inlet air flow as well as of the outlet air flow;
Figure 5 represents a schematic front view of the inside of the thermo-refrigerator unit in the version that can be connected to external ducts, if necessary and outside the unit, for both the inlet air flow and the outlet air flow;
Figure 6 is a schematic representation of the unit shown in Figure 5, with the inclusion of an additional heat exchanger for the recovery of condensation heat produced during the cooling thermodynamic cycle;
Figure 7 represents a section view of the unit shown in figure 5 or in figure 6, with the various possibilities for the paths of the inlet and outlet air flow through the interspaces and the internal ducts duly foreseen inside the same thermo-refrigerator unit;
Figures 8, 9 and 19 represent the unit shown in Figure 5 or in Figure 6, in which there are not connections to external ducts for the cooling air flow but rather two grills, one for the inlet and the other for the outlet of the cooling air flow;
Figures 10, 11, 12 and 13 represent the thermo-refrigerator unit shown in figure 5 or in figure 6, with the ducted outlet of the cooling air flow;
Figures 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 represent the thermo-refrigerator unit shown in Figure 5 or in figure 6, with the ducted inlet and outlet of the cooling air flow.
With special reference to the numeric symbols in the above-mentioned figures, the thermo-refrigerator unit for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic uses and cold water for air conditioning/cooling purposes, according to the invention, includes a containment framework, globally indicated with reference number 20, inside of which is contained heat exchanger 1 (between air and refrigerant fluid), which acts as a condenser.
Heat exchanger 1 is connected to compressor 2 and, through the positioning of pressure reducer 4, to heat exchanger 3 (between the water and the refrigerant fluid), which acts as an evaporator.
Compressor 2 can also be connected to heat exchanger 21 between the water and the refrigerant fluid that acts as a condenser, and it is foreseen as an alternative to condenser 1 to carry out heat recovery by transferring the condensation heat, produced in the refrigerating cycle, to the water of the circuit for heating and production of hot water for sanitary/domestic purposes. Valves system 22 (either solenoid or three-way) allows the hydraulic management of the heat recovery function, directing the flow of the refrigerant fluid towards condenser 21 or towards condenser 1.
Compressor 2 is also operationally connected to evaporator 3, in which the water of the cooling circuit is forced by pump 5.
The cooling circuit can also be equipped with inertial tank 6 connected to the suction side of pump 5 and to the water return piping of the air conditioning/cooling hydraulic circuit.
Framework 20 also contains boiler 8, complete with burner, heat exchanger between water and combustion products and, if necessary, a fan properly fitted in the combustion circuit.
The boiler is connected to water/water heat exchanger 9 for the production of hot water for sanitary/domestic purposes; the thermo-hydraulic management of the heating or domestic/sanitary hot water functions is carried out operationally by means of the three-way valve, indicated by the number 13.
The water flow inside the hot circuit (for heating and production of hot water for sanitary/domestic uses) is forced by pump 11.
The combustion is regulated through the relevant electronic control unit and gas valve 12.
Boiler 8 is connected to duct 10 for the evacuation of flue gas: the other end of this duct is connected to the exhaust terminal or to an additional external duct for the remote discharge of flue gas. The intake of combustive air is carried out using the described hclow inlet or outlet ducts of the cooling air flow of the unit, as a result the positioning of the relevant terminal or intake point is to be considered in relation to the configuration adopted for the abovementioned ducts.
Condenser 21, which carries out the thermal recovery, is connected to the hot water circuit, consequently it is also used as an alternative to the boiler for heating of the water.
The two hydraulic circuits of the hot water for heating and of the cold water for conditioning/cooling functions, can be interconnected in order to obtain common hydraulic connections for hot/cold water; one for water supply to the user and one for water return to the thermo-refrigerator unit. For this purpose, inside the thermo-refrigerator unit specific valves 18 (two flow valves or alternatively one three-way valve) are foreseen, whose function is to prevent hot water from flowing into evaporator 3 or cold water from flowing into boiler 8; obviously, in this case the use of one function (heating or cooling) automatically excludes the other. With this configuration, however, it is possible to produce both cold water and hot water for sanitary/domestic purposes at the same time.
The hydraulic cooling circuit can also be separated from the heating circuit. In this case, valves 18 are no longer necessary and the unit is factory-equipped with two hydraulic connectors for the air conditioning/cooling user circuit and with two connectors for the heating user circuit. As a result, in this configuration the thermo-refrigerator unit can produce both cold water and hot water at the same time, regardless of whether it is for heating or for sanitary/domestic purposes.
The thermo-refrigerator unit with the interconnected internal circuits of hot water and cold water, is equipped with expansion tank 7 common to both circuits, which in turn can be connected to inertial tank 6; in case of the version with separate hydraulic circuits for hot and cold water, in addition to expansion tank 7 relative to the cold water circuit, a second expansion tank is foreseen for the heating circuit.
The cooling air flow on heat exchanger 1 is forced by electrical fan 14, which conveys or pulls the air so as to direct the air flow onto heat exchanger 1 and to contrast the aeraulic resistances present in the inlet and outlet ducts of the cooling air.
According to what is shown particularly in figures 4, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15 a proper air space 19 is conceived inside the thermo-refrigerator unit in order to allow the air flow pulled in by electrical fan 14 inside the same unit, through one or in general the various possibilities contemplated for the same thermo-refrigerator unit and illustrated in the aforementioned figures or in figure 2. Specifically, air vents 23 indicated in figures 4 and 7 are provided for this purpose, and they are distributed more or less evenly along the part of the containment structure adjacent to the perimeter of the thermo-refrigerator unit that rests against the wall to which it is mounted.
For the version of the thermo-refrigerator unit not connected to external ducts, according to figures 8, 9 and 19 two grilles are provided, one for the inlet 16 and the other 17 for the discharge of cooling air; the lins of the aforesaid grilles are properly shaped for the purpose of preventing the mixing of the two air flows (inlet and outlet).
For the thermo-refrigerator unit version that can be connected to external ducts, according to figures 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 various configurations are foreseen with external ducts 24 for the air discharge and intake grill for the cooling air or ducts for air intake too, as well as air space 19 described above that allows the flow, inside the same unit, of the air pulled in by electrical fan 14.
The unit's connections to ducts 24 for the outlet and the inlet of cooling air flow can be positioned in the front, in the rear, on the sides, on the top or on the bottom of the unit.
The positioning of these ducts can be changed however, just like the circuit for the cooling air flow can be changed.
Completing the assembly electrical board 15 is foreseen for the control and the management of the thermo-refrigerator unit.
According to the description above, the invention achieves its intended purposes.
Specifically, a compact thermo-refrigerator unit is made, in which the various components are positioned in a rational mode inside a single containment framework contributing to a considerable simplification of the installation conditions.
The invention, as it is conceived, is subject to numerous modifications and variants, all within the scope of the inventive concept.
In addition, all construction components can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.
In practice, different types of materials, as well as different sizes and shapes, can be used as long as they are compatible with the specific use, according to the needs.

Claims

Thermo-refrigerator unit for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic uses as well as cold water for air-conditioning/cooling purposes, wherein through a proper arrangement of its components aimed at optimising the logistic of heat exchanges and rationalizing as well as simplifying the installation conditions, it allows the production of a compact system of reduced envelope dimensions, maintaining the installation and application requirements of the typical wall-mounted or basement boiler, which represents the existing technology for the production of hot water for heating and sanitary/domestic purposes widely used in the residential and tertiary sectors.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to the previous claim, characterized in that it contains the following components in the same framework:

(a) a refrigerator section for the production of cold water, consisting of a refrigerant vapour compressor whose supply section is connected to a condenser, which in turn is connected, by means of a pressure reducer, to an evaporator, inside of which the fluid (water) of the conditioning/cooling user system is cooled; this fluid is forced by a pump that can pull water from an accumulation/inertial tank; the inlet section of the aforesaid compressor is connected to the evaporator; the refrigerator section mentioned above can include a second water-cooled condenser for the thermal recovery of condensation heat, with the subsequent transfer of the recovered thermal energy to the hot water circuit, as well as a system of solenoid valves fitted in the refrigerant circuit, through which the thermal recovery of the condensation heat is managed;

(b) A boiler for the production of hot water for heating or for sanitary/domestic purposes, consisting of a combustion chamber, a burner, an electronic control unit, a gas valve to control the flow of gas to the burner, a heat exchanger between the water and the combustion products, a possible fan properly installed in the combustion circuit, a heat exchanger for the production of hot water for sanitary purposes, a three-way valve for the hydraulic management of the heating function or production of hot water for sanitary/domestic purposes and a pump for the circulation of water in the heating circuit;

(c) an electrical panel for the general control/management of the unit and the necessary safety devices of the boiler and of the refrigerator section;

in which the said refrigerator section and boiler can have separate hydraulic circuits or interconnected circuits by means of suitable valves (check valves or three-way valves), whose function is to prevent hot water from flowing into the evaporator or cold water from flowing into the boiler, so as to provide common hydraulic connections for the heating and air conditioning/cooling circuit;
in which the said refrigerator section and boiler include a common expansion tank in case of interconnected hydraulic circuit or two expansion tanks connected to the respective cooling and heating circuits in case these circuits are separated.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to one or more previous claims, characterised in that it includes an electrical fan to force the cooling air flow through the condenser and to contrast the aeraulic resistances present in the possible ducts.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to one or more previous claims, wherein the improvement comprises special and suitable internal ducts and air spaces in the same unit to allow the conveyance of cooling air on the condenser.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to one or more previous claims, wherein the improvement comprises an discharge grille and an intake grille or, as an alternative, a number of air vents more or less distributed on the containment framework for inlet of the cooling air flow.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to one or more previous claims, characterized in that it includes the possibility to connect the unit to external ducts for the discharge of the cooling air flow.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to one or more previous claims, characterized in that it includes the possibility to connect the unit to external ducts for the intake of the cooling air flow.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to one or more previous claims, characterized in that the connection interfaces for the external ducts, of intake and discharge air flow, can be positioned in various configurations with respect to the abovementioned framework.
Thermo-refrigerator unit, according to the previous claims, characterized in that it uses the intake or discharge duct of the cooling air flow of the unit for the intake of combustive air, consequently the relative intake terminal can be positioned differently depending on the configuration adopted for the abovementioned ducts, and also in that it includes a duct for the discharge of flue gas; this duct is connected at one end to the boiler and at the other end to the exhaust terminal or to a outlet duct outside the unit.
Thermo-refrigerator unit for the production of hot water for heating and for sanitary/domestic uses and cold water for air conditioning/cooling purposes, according to one or more previous claims, everything as described and illustrated in detail, for the specified purposes.