ES2847048T3 - Hot water appliance and hot water system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A hot water system (100, 200), wherein the system comprises: a hot water appliance comprising: a housing (10) having a first water inlet port (11), a second water inlet port water (13) and a water outlet hole (12); a heat source (20) disposed in the housing; a hydraulic assembly arranged in the casing and comprising a heat exchange pipe (143) to allow the water passing through it to absorb the heat generated by the heat source, a first pipe section (141) connected a second pipe section (142) connected with the second water inlet port and communicating with the heat exchange ducting with the first water inlet port and communicating with the heat exchange ducting; wherein the first pipe section and the second pipe section are arranged in parallel; a circulation pump (51) arranged in the heat exchange pipe; a flow sensor (53) disposed in the first pipe section; and an electrically operated valve (54) disposed in the second pipe section; and the hot water apparatus further comprises a controller electrically connected with the circulation pump, the flow sensor and the electrically operated valve; wherein the hot water system further comprises; a cold water pipe (81) connected to the first water inlet port (11) of the hot water appliance; a hot water pipe (82) connected to the water outlet port (12) of the hot water appliance; and a return water pipe (83) having one end connected to the second water inlet port (13) of the hot water appliance and the other end connected to the hot water pipe (82), characterized in that the pump The circulation valve (51) is capable of operating in normal mode and boost mode, and because the controller is configured to control the electrically actuated valve (54) to close in order to block the flow of water in the second pipe section (142) and to activate the circulation pump (51) to operate in the boost mode when the controller detects that there is a water flow in the first pipe section (141) by means of the flow sensor (53).

Description

description

Hot water appliance and hot water system using the same

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of hot water systems and, more particularly, to a water preheating circulation assembly suitable for a domestic hot water system.

Background of the invention

When opening a hot tap to turn on a domestic hot water appliance, such as a gas water heater, the user often has to wait a long time for hot water to come out of the hot water tap. This is because, on the one hand, a large amount of cold water remains in the water pipes inside or outside the appliance, and this amount of cold water has to be drained first and then the hot water comes out; On the other hand, at the beginning of the start-up of the gas water heater, for safety reasons, a blower will first be activated to extract the residual gas inside the combustion chamber and the flue pipes, and the combustion burner. It will turn on after the waste gas is fully replaced by fresh air, during the period, the hot tap continuously outputs cold water. Obviously, the large volume of cold water drained causes a waste of water resources. Also, this will lead to a bad user experience, for example, when the user wants to take a shower in winter, the user has to wait a long time to get hot water.

One of the applicants of the present application has ever filed a patent application which has been published under the number CN 105299875 A and describes a gas water heating apparatus having a preheating function. The apparatus is provided with a water pump and a water tank to preheat the cold water in the pipes before a user can use it, so that hot water can be supplied immediately when the user opens the hot water tap, improving thus the user experience. However, in this invention, the water pump is only mounted in the water preheating circuit and would not work when there is a need to provide domestic hot water at a certain point of water consumption.

Chinese patent CN 103712329 B discloses a gas water heater with preheating function. The gas water heater has a cold water inlet pipeline 31 where a water pump 11 is mounted, a pipe section with a flow sensor 4 mounted on it connected between the cold water inlet pipeline 31 and the network of water, and another pipe section with an electromagnetic water valve 7 mounted thereon connected between the cold water inlet pipe 31 and the return pipes 10. When the flow sensor 4 detects the cold water inlet, the The water pump 11 is activated and the electromagnetic water valve 7 is activated to open in order to allow the passage of water from the return pipes to enter the apparatus to be preheated.

During the supply of hot water, a user can feel the water sometimes hot and sometimes cold due to the instability of the water pressure, which obviously reduces the comfort of the user. Also, in summer, the water outlet temperature of the gas water heater may be higher than the preset outlet temperature. This is because the inlet water temperature is relatively high and the ambient temperature is high, therefore, even if the gas water heater is operating with minimal workload, the water temperature can reach and exceed easily preset outlet temperature. Especially for a constant temperature water heater that can output water with a constant temperature preset by the user. In this case, the temperature of the water coming directly from the hot tap of a certain water consumption point is often higher than the preset outlet temperature, resulting in a bad user experience or even burning the user.

In view of this, it is necessary to improve the existing hot water apparatus to solve the above problems.

Compendium of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hot water system using a hot water appliance capable of providing domestic hot water instantly when there is a demand for hot water at a point of water consumption, and at the same time ensuring that the temperature of Hot water outlet can be stably maintained at a preset outlet temperature.

According to the present invention, there is provided a hot water system including a hot water appliance, a cold water pipe connected to the first water inlet hole of the hot water appliance, a hot water pipe connected to the outlet hole of water from the hot water appliance; and a return water pipeline having one end connected to the second water inlet port of the hot water apparatus and the other end connected to the hot water pipeline. The hot water appliance includes a housing, a heat source, and a hydraulic assembly. The housing has a first water inlet port, a second water inlet port, and a water outlet port. The heat source is arranged in the housing. The hydraulic assembly is arranged in the housing and includes a heat exchange pipeline to allow the water pass through it in order to absorb the heat generated by the heat source, a first section of pipe connected with the first water inlet hole and communicating with the heat exchange pipeline, and a second section of pipe connected with the second water inlet hole and in communication with the heat exchange pipeline, in which the first pipe section and the second pipe section are arranged in parallel. There is a circulation pump in the heat exchange pipeline. A flow sensor is arranged in the first pipe section. An electrically actuated valve is provided in the second pipe section. Where the circulation pump is capable of operating in a normal mode and in a boost mode; and the hot water apparatus further includes a controller electrically connected to the circulation pump, the flow sensor, and the electrically actuated valve; and wherein the controller is configured to control the electrically actuated valve to close in order to block the flow of water in the second section of the pipeline and to activate the circulation pump in order to operate in the boost mode. when the controller detects that there is a flow of water in the first pipe section through the flow sensor.

Wherein, the controller activates the circulation pump to operate in a normal mode upon receiving a trigger signal, at this time, the electrically actuated valve is in an open state and the water is pumped through the second pipe section towards the heat exchange pipeline.

In one embodiment, the hot water appliance further includes a timer electrically connected to the controller; When a predetermined time is reached, the controller receives the timer trigger signal.

In a preferred or alternative embodiment, the hot water appliance further includes a wireless communication module electrically connected to the controller, and the controller receives the trigger signal through the wireless communication module.

Preferably, the hot water appliance further includes a temperature sensor arranged in the heat exchange duct; and the controller is configured to detect the temperature of the water within the heat exchange pipeline through the temperature sensor and to deactivate the operation of the circulation pump when the sensed temperature reaches a predetermined threshold.

Preferably, the controller includes an apparatus control unit and a pump control unit electrically connected to the apparatus control unit; wherein the apparatus control unit is electrically connected to the flow sensor, and the pump control unit is electrically connected to the circulation pump and the electrically actuated valve.

In a preferred embodiment, the electrically actuated valve includes a motor electrically connected to the controller and a valve coupled to the motor, wherein the motor is actuated by the controller to control the valve to open or close.

Compared with the state of the art, the present invention has the advantages that: since the circulation pump is arranged in the heat exchange pipeline, the pressure stability of the supplied cold water can be ensured. Also, since the circulation pump operates in boost mode, it can create higher pressure in the cold water to further increase the cold water supply. Therefore, even in hot summer, when the ambient temperature is close to the user-preset outlet water temperature, the gas water heater hot water outlet temperature can be constantly kept at the preset value, thus avoiding discomfort to the user due to overheated water.

Brief description of ^the drawings

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic operating principle diagram of a hot water system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic operating principle diagram of a hot water system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe in detail the preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the embodiments cannot be used to restrict the present invention. Changes such as structure, method, and function that are obvious to those skilled in the art are also protected by the present invention.

The hot water system of the present invention is suitable for domestic applications and can be used to provide domestic hot water and / or space heating. The hot water system includes a hot water appliance. The hot water appliance can be a gas water heater fired with fuel gas, or it can be an appliance for heating water by heat exchangers, such as a hot water heater. solar or a heat pump. Gas water heating appliances are used to heat domestic water by burning fuel gas in order to meet the hot water needs of users, such as gas water heaters that provide domestic hot water or gas boilers that can provide both domestic hot water as space heating needs. A gas water heater will be exemplified to explain the present invention in detail in the following embodiments.

With reference to Figure 1, a hot water system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, includes a gas water heater, a cold water pipeline 81 connected to a water inlet of the gas water heater (a first water inlet hole 11 which will be described in detail later) for providing cold water. A hot water pipe 82 connected to a water outlet of the gas water heater (an outlet port 12 to be described in detail later) to produce hot water, and a return water pipe 83 connected between the gas heater. gas water and hot water pipeline. 82. The return water pipe 83 is connected to a second water inlet port 13 (described in detail below) of the gas water heater. The cold water pipeline 81, the hot water pipeline 82 and the return water pipeline 83 can be formed by a single water pipe, or they can be composed of several water pipes connected in series. The hot water pipeline 82 is primarily provided to allow the flow of hot water discharged from the gas water heater when the gas water heater is operating, and when the gas water heater is not operating, the water that remains in the hot water pipeline gradually cools down to room temperature which is equal to the temperature of the water that remains in the cold water pipeline 81. The hot water system 100 also includes a series of water consumption points 91 ( only one is shown in the figure), and the hot water pipe 82 is connected to the pipe joints at the water consumption points.

The gas water heater includes a casing 10, and a heat source 20, a heat exchanger 30, a gas extraction device 40, and a hydraulic assembly are all arranged in the casing. The housing 10 is arranged at the bottom thereof with the first water inlet hole 11, the second water inlet hole 13 and a water outlet hole 12. The first and second water inlet holes and the hole Water outlet can take the form of pipe joints. The heat source 20 can be a burner composed of several burner blades (not shown) arranged side by side. Each burner blade can be provided with a gas-air mixture passageway where gas supplied through a gas pipeline (not shown) mixes with the primary air to form a gas-air mixture which is then sent to the fire holes at the top of the burner blade to be burned to generate heat. Heat exchanger 30 is mounted above burner 20 and may be in the form of a finned tube heat exchanger, i.e. several fins (not shown) are arranged in a heat exchanger shell with an exchange duct 143 heat spreading across the fins. Similarly, the heat exchange duct 143 may be formed by a single water pipe, or it may be composed of several water pipes connected in series. The burner 20 burns the air-gas mixture and generates high temperature flue gas. When the flue gas passes through the heat exchanger 30, the flue gas dissipates heat towards the fins, and the heat is further transferred to the water flowing through the heat exchange duct. Next, the gas extraction device 40 collects the combustion gases and discharges them to the outside.

The hydraulic assembly includes the heat exchange duct 143 which has one end that connects to the water outlet port 12, a first section of pipe 141 connected to the first water inlet port 11 and which communicates with the exchange duct heat exchanger 143, and a second section of pipe 142 connected to the second water inlet port 13 and communicating with the heat exchange duct 143. The water flowing through the heat exchange duct 143 is heated by heat exchanger 30 and then enters the hot water pipeline 82 through the water outlet hole 12, thus exiting domestic hot water at the water consumption point 91. The first pipe section 141 and the second pipe section pipe 142 are arranged in parallel. The first and second pipe sections 141,142 can be formed of a single water pipe or a part of the single water pipe, or they can be composed of multiple water pipes connected in series.

A flow sensor 53 is provided in the first pipe section 141 to detect the flow of water in the first pipe section. An electrically actuated valve 54 is provided in the second pipe section 142. In this embodiment, the electrically actuated valve 54 includes a motor and a valve coupled to the motor. The motor can be a stepper motor with a motor shaft coupled to the valve, whereby the valve is driven by the rotation of the motor shaft to generate linear motion, so that the valve opens and closes. In this embodiment, the electrically actuated valve 54 is in a normally open state. A circulation pump 51 is provided in the heat exchange pipeline 143. The circulation pump 51 is a booster pump capable of operating in a normal mode and a booster mode. When operating in boost mode, the circulation pump creates higher pressure in the water flowing in the pipe, resulting in a higher water flow rate than in normal mode. A temperature sensor 52 is provided in the heat exchange duct 143.

A controller is also provided in the housing 10. In this embodiment, the controller includes an appliance control unit 61 and a pump control unit 62 electrically connected to the pump control unit. appliance 61. The appliance control unit 61 is configured to control the operation of most electrical devices of the gas water heater, such as controlling the ignition of the ignition unit (not shown) of the burner, the operation of the proportional gas valve (not shown), etc. Apparatus control unit 61 is also electrically connected to flow sensor 53 and temperature sensor 52. Pump control unit 62 is electrically connected to circulation pump 51 and electrically actuated valve 54 to control operation of these two devices. The appliance control unit 61 and the pump control unit 62 may each be a logic control circuit made up of various electronic components connected according to certain wiring patterns; or it can also be a microcontroller (MCU) that stores program instructions; or they can be embedded chips with a specific use, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

In this embodiment, a timer 71 and the appliance control unit 61 are electrically connected by electrical wires or cables. The timer may be an electronic timer, which is arranged outside of the housing 10 and has a time setting interface. The user can preset a time to preheat the remaining water in the pipes. When the preset time is reached, the timer 71 will transmit a trigger signal to the appliance control unit 61, then the appliance control unit 61 activates the circulation pump 51 to operate. A wireless communication module 72 is also connected to the appliance control unit 61 via electrical wires or cables. In this embodiment, the wireless communication module 72 can be a Wi-Fi module, which can perform wireless communication with a mobile terminal (not shown) through a wireless router (not shown). For example, the mobile terminal can be a smartphone with the installation of a suitable application (APP) for the control of the gas water heater, and the user can start the preheating cycle of the hot water system at any time. you want through the app. Meanwhile, the apparatus control unit 61 receives the trigger signal from the user's smartphone through the wireless communication module 72, in order to activate the circulation pump 51 to operate. In this embodiment, the gas water heater is equipped with both the timer and the wireless communication module to allow the user to selectively trigger the operation of the circulation pump. However, in alternative embodiments, the gas water heater can only be equipped with one of the timers and the wireless communication module in order to reduce costs.

When hot water is needed at the water consumption point 91, the cold water in the cold water pipeline 81 enters the heat exchange pipeline 143 through the first water inlet hole 11 and the first pipe section 141 The appliance control unit 61 sends a corresponding signal to the pump control unit 62 when the flow sensor 53 detects that there is a flow of water in the first pipe section 141. In response to receiving the signal, the pump control unit 62 controls the electrically actuated valve 54 to close in order to cut off the flow of water in the second pipe section 142, and at the same time to activate the circulation pump 51 to operate in boost mode. After being heated by the heat exchanger 30, the water flows out of the gas water heater through the water outlet port 12, and is supplied to the water consumption point 91 through the hot water pipeline 82 Since the circulation pump 51 is arranged in the heat exchange duct 143, the stability of the supplied cold water pressure can be ensured. Also, since the circulation pump operates in boost mode, it can create higher pressure in the cold water to further increase the cold water supply. Therefore, even in hot summer, when the ambient temperature is close to the user-preset outlet water temperature, the gas water heater hot water outlet temperature can be constantly kept at the preset value, thus avoiding discomfort to the user due to overheated water.

The user can preset the time to start the preheat cycle within the hot water system using the timer 71, or turn on the preheat cycle through a specific application on the smartphone. When the appliance control unit 61 receives the trigger signal from the timer 71 or the wireless communication module 72, it sends a corresponding signal to the pump control unit 62, and then the pump control unit 62 activates the pump. circulation 51 to operate in normal mode. If the electrically actuated valve 54 is in the closed state at this time, the pump control unit 62 actuates the electrically actuated valve to open the same; if the electrically actuated valve 54 is in the normally open state at this time, the pump control unit 62 does nothing to the electrically actuated valve. Therefore, the water in the second pipe section 142 flows through the heat exchange pipeline 143 and enters the hot water pipeline 82 through the water outlet port 12 after being heated by the exchanger. 30, and then passes through the return water pipeline 83 and goes back to the gas water heater through the second water inlet hole 13. In this way, the water remaining in the pipes is You can heat continuously by repeating the preheat cycle. At the same time, the appliance control unit 61 monitors the temperature of the water in the water preheating circuit by means of the temperature sensor 52. When the sensed temperature reaches a predetermined threshold, the appliance control unit 61 turns off the water pump. circulation 51 through the pump control unit. 62, and cuts off the gas supply and stops the burner operation, thus preventing the water within the preheating circuit from overheating and preventing the user from being burned when the user opens the hot tap.

Figure 2 shows a hot water system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The main difference with the embodiments described above is that, the controller includes only the appliance control unit 61, in other words, the pump control unit 62 in the previous embodiments is integrated into the Apparatus control unit 61. Since the operation performed by the present controller is similar to that performed by the controller composed of the apparatus control unit and the pump control unit as described in the previous embodiments, Applicant does not it will repeat them in the future. In the present embodiment, the appliance control unit 61 is electrically connected to the circulation pump 51, the temperature sensor 52, the flow sensor 53, the electrically actuated valve 55, the timer 71 and the wireless communication module 72 using wires or cables. Furthermore, the electrically operated valve 55 in this embodiment is in the form of a solenoid valve, that is, it does not require a motor, instead, the opening and closing operation of the valve is controlled by electromagnetic force.

It should be understood, however, that while numerous features and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only and changes, especially, may be made in detail. in matters of number, shape, size and arrangement of parts, within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broader general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims (7)

re iv in d ic a tio ns 1. A hot water system (100, 200), in which the system comprises: a hot water appliance comprising: a housing (10) having a first water inlet port (11), a second water inlet port (13), and a water outlet port (12); a heat source (20) arranged in the housing; a hydraulic assembly arranged in the casing and comprising a heat exchange pipe (143) to allow the water passing through it to absorb the heat generated by the heat source, a first pipe section (141) connected with the first water inlet hole and communicating with the heat exchange pipeline pipeline a second section of pipe (142) connected with the second water inlet hole and communicating with the heat exchange pipeline; wherein the first pipe section and the second pipe section are arranged in parallel; a circulation pump (51) arranged in the heat exchange duct; a flow sensor (53) arranged in the first pipe section; Y an electrically actuated valve (54) disposed in the second section of pipe; and the hot water apparatus further comprises a controller electrically connected with the circulation pump, the flow sensor and the electrically actuated valve; wherein the hot water system further comprises; a cold water pipe (81) connected to the first water inlet hole (11) of the hot water appliance; a hot water pipe (82) connected to the water outlet port (12) of the hot water appliance; Y a return water pipe (83) having one end connected to the second water inlet hole (13) of the hot water appliance and the other end connected to the hot water pipe (82), characterized in that the circulation pump (51) is capable of operating in normal mode and in boost mode, and because The controller is configured to control the electrically actuated valve (54) to close in order to block the flow of water in the second pipe section (142) and to activate the circulation pump (51) in order to operate in boost mode when the controller detects that there is a flow of water in the first pipe section (141) via the flow sensor (53). A hot water system according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller is further configured to activate the circulation pump in order to operate in a normal mode upon receiving a trigger signal, at this time, the actuated valve it is electrically controlled to be in an open state, and the water is pumped through the second pipe section into the heat exchange pipeline. A hot water system according to claim 2, characterized in that the hot water appliance further comprises a timer (71) electrically connected to the controller; When a preset time is reached, the controller is further configured to receive said timer trigger signal. A hot water system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the hot water appliance further comprises a wireless communication module (72) electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is further configured to receive said trigger signal through the wireless communication module. A hot water system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hot water appliance further comprises a temperature sensor (52) arranged in the heat exchange duct; and the controller is further configured to detect the temperature of the water within the heat exchange pipeline by the temperature sensor and to deactivate the operation of the circulation pump when the sensed temperature reaches a predetermined threshold. A hot water system according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller comprises an appliance control unit (61) and a pump control unit (62) electrically connected to the appliance control unit; wherein the apparatus control unit is electrically connected to the flow sensor, and the pump control unit is electrically connected to the circulation pump and the electrically actuated valve. A hot water system according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrically actuated valve comprises a motor electrically connected to the controller and a valve coupled to the motor, wherein the motor is actuated by the controller to control that the valve is open or close.