FR3001791B1 - DEVICE FOR GENERATING A HOT AIR CURTAIN - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (1) for generating a hot air curtain comprising means (2) for generating an air flow (3) and heating means (4), the latter comprising a boiler (5) heating a heat transfer fluid which travels in a circuit (6) comprising heat diffusion means (7), said circuit (6) being exposed to the air flow (3), characterized in that the circuit (6) is closed and comprises a closed expansion vessel (8) disposed at the highest point of the circuit (6).

Description

The present invention relates to the field of air curtains, in particular curtains of hot air, which can be used in particular to propel hot air, for example at the entrance or an opening of a room . The invention relates more particularly to a device in which a boiler is integrated in a device for generating a curtain of hot air.

Traditionally, a curtain of hot air is set up at an opening of a room to be kept open, in order to maintain a pleasant temperature inside the room, even in winter.

Indeed, placed above an opening, the air curtain can propel an air space preferably over the entire width of said opening, so as to block any heat exchange between the inside of the local heated and outside where the temperature can be very low.

In a variant, the air curtain can be generated laterally.

It is particularly known, in the state of the art, to provide curtains hot air electric heating or curtains hot air heated with hot water.

Concerning the latter type of hot air curtains, these generally comprise, on the one hand, a fan propelling a heated air in contact with a circuit in which circulates hot water or another heat transfer fluid and, on the other hand, a boiler. Indeed, the latter is necessary to allow to heat the water.

The boiler is usually deported from the hot air curtain. Indeed, the boiler is usually used to heat the entire room.

Thus, patent document GB 1 455 371 discloses an air curtain unit comprising means for heating water either with gas or with oil.

A boiler is equipped with an expansion tank whose role is to compensate for variations in volume that the water undergoes when the latter is heated.

There are two types of expansion vessel: the open expansion vessel and the closed expansion vessel.

With regard to the open expansion vessel, it is disposed in the open air, generally at the highest point of the installation.

An open expansion tank is a reserve of water for installation. However, the main drawback of this system lies in the fact that the heating water is capable of continuously absorbing oxygen from the air.

The closed expansion vessel consists of a closed envelope comprising a bladder, or membrane, filled with air at a certain pressure. When the heating system is filled with water, it partially fills the closed expansion vessel to a minimum pressure that is calculated when sizing the expansion vessel. This volume of water serves as a reserve for the installation. When the latter is switched on, the increase in temperature and pressure causes the water to dilate, which results in an increase in the volume occupied by the water in the vessel, thus compressing the bladder.

However, this system has the disadvantage of requiring to purge the circuit regularly.

The present invention overcomes the various disadvantages of the state of the art. More particularly, it is a compact device for generating a curtain of hot air and directly incorporating the heating means of a heat transfer fluid, usually water, the device does not require purging. To this end, the present invention relates to a device for generating a hot air curtain comprising means for generating an air flow and heating means, the latter comprising a boiler heating a heat transfer fluid which travels in a circuit comprising heat diffusion means, said circuit being exposed to the air flow. In particular, said circuit is closed and comprises a closed expansion vessel disposed at the highest point of the circuit.

Advantageously, said heat diffusion means comprise at least one element, each element comprising a hot water inlet tube and a water outlet tube, the two tubes being parallel and horizontal and being connected by a multiplicity smaller section tubes, the latter being exposed to said flow of air.

According to another particularity of the invention, the tubes of smaller section have a U shape.

Interestingly, the hot water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe are connected by a bypass.

Preferably, the device according to the invention consists of a plurality of elements comprising a hot water inlet tube and a water outlet tube connected by a plurality of smaller section tubes, the latter being exposed to said auditory system. air flow, said elements being distributed over a height corresponding to the height of an opening at which the air curtain is propelled.

Also advantageously, the water is pushed through the boiler, that is to say that the circulator is disposed upstream thereof, so as to cause any air bubbles contained in said boiler , in order to evacuate them through the expansion tank. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description of the invention, with reference to the single appended figure which represents an embodiment of the invention, the latter not being limiting. .

As shown in the single figure, the present invention relates to a device 1 for the generation of a hot air curtain, in particular for blocking heat exchange between the interior of a heated room, for example a shop , and outside, especially at a door kept permanently open.

More precisely, the device 1 according to the invention comprises, on the one hand, means 2 for generating an air flow 3, of fan type 21, and, on the other hand, heating means 4.

Said heating means 4 comprise a boiler 5, for increasing the temperature of a heat transfer fluid, the latter preferably consisting of water.

Such a boiler 5 may, preferably but not exclusively, consist of an electric boiler.

According to another embodiment, the boiler 5 is a gas boiler.

In a particularly preferred manner, when the boiler 5 consists of a gas boiler, the device 1 according to the invention may also comprise means for adjusting the power of the burner of said boiler 5.

The heat transfer fluid, heated by the heating means 4, in particular, by the boiler 5 moves in a circuit 6, which comprises means for diffusing heat 7 and is exposed to the air stream 3 generated in particular by at least a fan 21.

The coolant is pushed to the boiler 5 via a circulator 14 disposed on the circuit upstream thereof.

Particularly advantageously, the circuit 6 of the device 1 for generating a hot air curtain according to the invention is closed, so as to obtain a compact and, therefore, compact assembly incorporating on the one hand the curtain of hot air and, on the other hand, the boiler 5.

The device 1 according to the invention further comprises a closed expansion vessel 8, which is disposed at the highest point of the circuit 6 in which circulates the coolant.

Such an expansion vessel 8 makes it possible in particular to compensate for the variations in volume experienced by the heat transfer fluid, generally water, following temperature fluctuations in the circuit 6.

The expansion vessel 8 of the device 1 according to the invention is particularly advantageous because it consists of an interesting compromise between the open expansion vessels and the closed expansion vessels comprising a membrane or a bladder. As a result, the closed expansion vessel 8 of the present device 1 is not in contact with the oxygen of the air; thus, the circuit water does not absorb this oxygen. On the other hand, the absence of a membrane makes it possible to avoid purging the circuit regularly.

According to a particular embodiment, the heat diffusion means 7 comprise at least one element 9, the latter being constituted at least by a hot water inlet pipe 10 and a water outlet pipe 11, these the last being parallel and horizontal.

The inlet and outlet tubes 11 and 10 are advantageously connected by a plurality of tubes 12, these preferably having a section smaller than that of the tubes 10 and 11 and preferably having a shape of U.

Advantageously, all of these tubes 12 U is exposed to the air flow 3, so as to allow the generation of the curtain of hot air.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the device 1 for generating a hot air curtain comprises a plurality of elements 9, each consisting of two tubes 10 and 11, respectively inlet and outlet water, interconnected by tubes preferably U, said elements 9 being advantageously distributed over the entire height of an opening, type door, so as to obtain a curtain of hot air over the entire height.

Thus, heat exchanges between the inside and the outside of the room are avoided, and in particular the heat remains inside.

Particularly advantageously, the two inlet tubes 10 and water outlet 11, are connected by a bypass 13, visible in the accompanying figure.

The presence of such a bypass allows an automatic purge of the circuit 6 in which circulates the coolant, including water.

Consequently, the entire device 1 can be provided to the user with the circuit 6 already comprising the coolant, for example water, at a minimum pressure, this being calculated during the design of the device 1.

In the example as described, the hot air flow 3 generated via the fan 21 is horizontal.

However, such an example should not be understood as limiting the invention, and it is also conceivable that the flow of hot air 3 is generated vertically. In this case, the heat diffusion means 7 are positioned above an opening, in particular a door.

The device 1 for generating a hot air curtain according to the present invention may advantageously be arranged in a cabinet, not shown in the attached figure, said cabinet preferably comprising two separate compartments. In this case, one of the compartments contains the heating means 4 while the second incorporates the heat diffusion means 7 and the means 2 for generating the air flow 3.

This cabinet can be positioned on one side or the other of an opening of a room, for example a door. In this case, the air curtain is propelled horizontally, as shown in the attached figure. In another embodiment, the cabinet is positioned above the opening and the hot air curtain is then propelled vertically.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples illustrated and described above which may have variants and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (4)

1. Device (1) for the generation of a hot air curtain comprising means (2) for generating an air flow (3) and heating means (4), the latter comprising a boiler ( 5) heating a heat transfer fluid which travels in a circuit (6) comprising heat diffusion means (7), said circuit (6) being exposed to the air flow (3), characterized in that the circuit (6) is closed and comprises a closed expansion vessel (8) disposed at the highest point of the circuit (6); in that said heat diffusion means (7) comprise at least one element (9), each element (9) comprising a hot water inlet pipe (10) and a water outlet pipe (11) , these two tubes (10, 11) being parallel and horizontal and connected by a plurality of tubes (12) of smaller section, the latter being exposed to said air flow (3); and in that said hot water inlet pipe (10) and said water outlet pipe (11) are connected by a bypass (13). 2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the tubes (12) of smaller section have a U-shape. 3. Device (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2 characterized in that it consists of a plurality of elements (9) comprising a hot water inlet tube (10) and a tube water outlet (11) connected by a plurality of tubes (12) of smaller section, the latter being exposed to said air flow (3), said elements (9) being distributed over a height corresponding to the height of an opening at which the air curtain is propelled. 4. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that it comprises a circulator (14) disposed on the circuit upstream of the boiler (5).