ES2883592T3 - Heavy-duty heat pump housing - Google Patents

Abstract

Outer casing for a heat pump, the outer casing being able to include an outdoor unit with at least one heat exchanger, which is circulated by air, at least one fan, which draws air through the heat exchanger and transports it to the outside through a casing opening, as well as a plurality of additional appliance components, wherein - the outer casing is formed by a rigid parallelepiped-shaped frame (2), a base, side parts (3), a cover (4 ) top, a front face (5) and a rear face (6), - the frame (2) is fixed at the base and the side parts (3) and the upper cover (4) are fixed to the frame (2), - on the front face (5) and the rear face (6) of the outer casing there are openings and these openings are permeable to air through protective grids or heat exchangers, however, impenetrable for objects or animals, - the face (5) front and (6) back face remaining, so c as the top cover (4), the base and the side parts (3) are waterproof, - the top cover (4) as well as the side parts (3) are fastened to the frame (2) at the top, - the positive-fit connections (7) are bolted connections, - the side parts (3) are positively connected at the sides with the frame (2), - the positive-fit connections (8) are screw connections latching, - and the side parts (3) are fitted on the bottom side in the frame (2), characterized in that the edge (9) on the bottom side is configured so that the side part (3) opens by pressure from inside.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Reinforced heat pump casing

The invention relates to a construction of a reinforced heat pump casing of an air-to-water heat pump that is located outdoors. In such a heat pump, the heat pump circuit with the working fluid, as well as the fans are located in the outdoor area and only the contacts for the heat circuit for home heating and, given the In this case, the cold circuit for air conditioning is introduced in the building.

Air-to-water heat pumps of this type that are located outside can, in this case, be placed at a distance from the house or on the roof or be mounted on the outside wall. They usually feature a fan, which blows against the heat exchanger surfaces. The casings, in which the heat pumps are located, are not always easily accessible.

In the past, such appliances mainly functioned with safety cooling media, which in the event of a leak have lost their cooling media, which, however, otherwise did not represent a health or safety problem, but after repair of the leak only had to be filled. In modern times, however, these safety cooling media have been found to destroy the ozone layer and their use has been severely restricted or even banned altogether. The replacement working fluids used, unfortunately, no longer exhibit such advantageous safety properties.

Some of these replacement working fluids are flammable, explosive, sometimes also slightly poisonous. For this reason, leak tightness and leak detection have been improved. Furthermore, the desire has arisen to no longer place such heat pumps inside residential buildings, but outside in order to be safe in the event of an emerging safety problem inside the building. With this, the fundamental security problem was transferred to the outer zone, in which the external conditions are less controllable and the propensity, therefore, tends to grow.

In very rare cases, environmental conditions may occur, which cause damage to the interior of the placement casing. In case, in this case, a larger leak is set in the working fluid circuit, in which, due to the working pressure, an explosive working medium-air mixture is quickly created, they are possible explosions and deflagrations with low intensity, which require special safety measures.

Corresponding devices have become known from the prior art. Thus, document US 2005/204767 A1 and document WO 2018/164434 A1 respectively show devices in which

- the outer casing is formed by a rigid frame in the shape of a parallelepiped, a base, side parts, a top cover, a front face and a rear face,

- the frame is fixed at the base and the side parts and the top cover are fixed to the frame

- on the front face and the rear face of the outer casing there are openings and these openings are permeable to air through protective grids or heat exchangers, however impenetrable for objects or animals, - the remaining front face and rear face, as well as the top cover, the base and the side parts are configured waterproof,

- the top cover as well as the side parts are force-fitted to the frame,

- the force-fit joints are bolted joints,

- the side parts are positively connected at the sides with the frame,

- the joints (8) in form fit are hook joints,

- and the side parts are fitted on the bottom side in the frame.

The object of the invention is to provide a housing which, on the one hand, safely absorbs and diverts energy in the event of such disturbances, on the other hand, however, allows accessibility for maintenance measures and which can be Assemble on site from individual transportable parts. This mission is solved by means of an external casing for a heat pump, the external casing being able to include an external unit with at least one heat exchanger, which is circulated by air, at least one fan, which extracts the air through the heat exchanger and conveys it to the outside through a housing opening, as well as a plurality of additional appliance components, where

- the outer casing is formed by a rigid frame in the shape of a parallelepiped, a base, side parts, a top cover, a front face and a rear face,

- the frame is fixed at the base and the side parts and the top cover are fixed to the frame,

- on the front face and the rear face of the outer casing there are openings and these openings are permeable to air through protective grids or heat exchangers, however impenetrable for objects or animals, - the remaining front face and rear face, as well as the top cover, the base and the side parts are configured waterproof,

- the top cover as well as the side parts are fastened to the frame at the top,

- the force-fit joints are bolted joints,

- the side parts are positively connected at the sides with the frame,

- the joints (8) in form fit are hook joints,

- the side parts are fitted on the bottom side in the frame,

- and the bottom side edge (9) is configured such that the side part (3) opens from the inside by pressure.

In this way, in the event of a sudden overpressure arising inside the outer casing, it results that the side parts open at the edge of the bottom side in the frame and a pressure equalization takes place. The side parts themselves are held securely by the force-fit joints applied above and cannot be released. In this way, pieces are prevented from being thrown out. A further energy reduction takes place through the form-fit joints on the sides of the frame, which deform plastically and thereby absorb energy.

Other configurations of the invention relate to the joints. In this case, closable screw connections are preferably chosen for the force-fit connections. On the bottom side, the side parts are only engaged so that they are easily released in the event of internal overpressure emerging, according to a kind of controlled breaking point, however, from the outside they are not easy to remove.

Other configurations refer to the side parts themselves. These can be chosen from sheet steel with energy-absorbing structures, as is also customary in automobile construction.

The invention is explained in more detail by means of Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. They show:

- Fig. 1, a schematic representation of an outer casing,

- Fig. 2, a schematic representation of the fixings on the upper face,

- Fig. 3, a schematic representation of the side fixings,

- Fig. 4, a schematic representation of the fixings of the lower face.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an outer casing for an air-to-water heat pump, however the invention is not limited to such simple heat pump systems. The outer casing 1 has a frame 2, which is made up of 12 crossbars, 4 above, 4 laterally and 4 below. These crossbars can be made of angle profiles or hollow profiles, which are usually welded at their corners, other fastening possibilities are conceivable. It is only important that these crossbars and their joints are stable even in cases of overpressure and do not give way.

On the frame 2 two lateral parts 3 are fixed, the upper part 4, the front 5 and the rear face 6. The frame itself is mounted on the base (not shown), this base may also consist of a lower part with vibration damping feet. In the event of an overpressure situation, it must be avoided that parts are released and can be projected. While the front 5 and rear face 6, however, are permeable to air, they nevertheless include individual parts such as heat exchangers, ventilation grills and fans, they must be properly fixed to the frame. They cannot be released.

Also the upper part 4 must be fixed correctly, this takes place with force-fit connections on the frame, usually with screw connections, which can be secured against unauthorized interventions with locks.

For this, Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of the fixings 7 of the upper face. The side parts 3 are also fixed at the top with force-fit connections to the frame 2, usually with screw connections, which can be secured against unauthorized intervention with locks. These fixings, they are conceived as in the upper part 4 in the sense that they are not released under action of considerable force, but rather deform at most.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of the side fixings 8. By way of example, hooks are used here, which in the event of an action of force from the directions of the inner face, can be slightly deformed or can detach and release the side part. The hooks are, in this case, fixed to the frame. The number of these side catches depends on the size of the respective outer shell, priority should be given to a plurality of small catches. As long as the hooks are dimensioned to break off as a predetermined breaking point, they should be fixed on the side parts 3, while only the suspension for the hooks is configured on the frame.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of the fixings 9 of the lower face. For example, here a step or a chamfer is provided on the side part 3, the side part 3 being only loosely inserted into the frame 2. In addition, the underside mounting has a sensor 10, which generates a signal while the side part is in the place provided in the frame and when this signal is missing, it triggers an alarm. Such a sensor can be formed, for example, by a pair of RFIP elements, which is applied to the frame and under the bezel on the side.

In case an overpressure event occurs, first of all, the lateral part 3 bulges a little. In this case, at least some of the side fixings come off, both of which absorb energy. By shortening the lateral part 3, the lateral part 3 is pushed out of the lower fixing 9 and the sensor generates a signal, which can be evaluated as an alarm signal. During the rest of the course of the overpressure event the side part 3 can fold outwards, creating an opening in the lower region, which is large enough to reduce the overpressure. By bending the lateral part outward, additional energy is absorbed as deformation energy.

Furthermore, provision can be made for the side parts to be reinforced by means of punching, bending and the application of preforms, so that during the opening process they can absorb additional energy in the form of deformation energy. The resistance, opposite to the bending process of the side parts, in this case, however, cannot be made too great, so that the top face, the front face or the back face is damaged. In the case of a reinforcement of the side parts, therefore, the remaining parts must also be correspondingly reinforced.

Reference symbol list

1 outer shell

2 frame

3 side parts

4 top

5 front

6 back face

7 upper face fixing

8 side fixing

9 underside fixing

10 sensors

Claims (4)

1. Outer casing for a heat pump, the outer casing being able to include an outdoor unit with at least one heat exchanger, which is circulated by air, at least one fan, which draws air through the heat exchanger and transported to the outside through a housing opening, as well as a plurality of additional device components, where - the outer casing is formed by a rigid frame (2) in the shape of a parallelepiped, a base, side parts (3), a top cover (4), a front face (5) and a rear face (6), - the frame (2) is fixed at the base and the side parts (3) and the top cover (4) are fixed to the frame (2), - on the front face (5) and the rear face (6) of the outer shell there are openings and these openings are permeable to air through protective grilles or heat exchangers, however impenetrable to objects or animals, - the remaining front face (5) and rear face (6), as well as the top cover (4), the base and the side parts (3) are configured waterproof, - the top cover (4) as well as the side parts (3) are force-fitted to the frame (2) at the top, - the force-fit connections (7) are bolted connections, - the side parts (3) are positively connected at the sides with the frame (2), - the joints (8) in form fit are hook joints, - and the side parts (3) are fitted on the bottom side in the frame (2), characterized by what the bottom side edge (9) is configured such that the side part (3) opens by pressure from the inside. 2. Outer casing according to claim 1, characterized in that the force-fit connections (7) can be locked by means of locking devices. Outer casing according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the lateral parts (3) have breakage zones, which are designed in such a way that they absorb energy in the event of deformation. Outer casing according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that bottom-side sensors (10) are provided, which detect an opening of the positive-fit connections and output a signal.