JP2004218411A - Snow melting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a snow melting apparatus of excellent heat efficiency capable of efficiently performing snow melting work. <P>SOLUTION: This snow melting apparatus is provided with a body 12 into which snow to be melted is thrown; a hot water storage tank 14 made of a metallic material and arranged almost at the center of a lower face inside the body; a combustion duct 20 disposed in the hot water storage tank: a burner 22 for supplying hot air to the combustion duct; one or a plurality of pipelines 16 extending from the hot water storage tank to an upper part in the body; a pump 18 interposed at the pipeline; one or a plurality of shower parts 16a provided at the suitable parts of the pipeline; an exhaust duct 24 extending from the combustion duct to the outside of the hot water storage tank to allow exhaust gas from the combustion duct to pass through; and a blower 26 disposed in the body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to snow melting devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a snow melting apparatus with good thermal efficiency that can perform snow melting work efficiently.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In snowy areas, it is an important issue how to treat the accumulated snow. As a device for treating snow that has accumulated, there is a snow melting device that throws snow into a tank or a container and melts it. The snow melting equipment has a built-in type that directly heats the snow put in a tank or container, a type that melts the snow by spraying a hot water shower, and a built-in hot water pipe that melts the snow using the heat from the hot water pipe. Various types such as types have been developed and are commercially available.
[0003]
These conventional snow melting devices have drawbacks such as insufficient heat efficiency, a small amount of snow melting in terms of time and cost required for snow melting, and the present situation is that no satisfactory snow melting device can be found. Therefore, the present inventor has proposed a snow melting apparatus having good thermal efficiency and capable of efficiently performing a snow melting operation (see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-337543 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention is an improvement of the above-described snow melting apparatus proposed by the present inventors, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a snow melting apparatus with good thermal efficiency that can perform a snow melting operation more efficiently.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The snow melting apparatus according to claim 1 of the present application includes a main body into which snow to be melted is poured, a hot water storage tank made of a metal material arranged substantially at the center of a lower surface inside the main body, and a hot water storage tank. An arrangement of a combustion duct, a burner for supplying hot air to the combustion duct, one or more pipes extending from the hot water tank to an upper portion in the main body, a pump interposed in the pipe, And one or more shower units provided at appropriate locations, and pumps hot water in the hot water tank heated by heat from the combustion duct with the pump, sprinkles water from the shower unit, and It is characterized by melting snow.
[0007]
The snow melting apparatus according to claim 2 of the present application, wherein a main body into which snow to be melted is put, a plurality of metal material hot water storage tanks vertically spaced inside the main body, and the hot water storage A combustion duct disposed in each of the tanks, a burner for supplying hot air to each of the combustion ducts, a first pump disposed at a bottom of the main body, a discharge port of the first pump, A first pipe member connecting the top of the hot water storage tank located at the uppermost position among the plurality of hot water storage tanks; and in each of the plurality of hot water storage tanks, a top of the hot water storage tank located at the upper side and immediately below the top thereof. The top of the located hot water storage tank is connected by a pipe member, and the pipe member connected to the top of the lowermost hot water storage tank of the plurality of hot water storage tanks is at a corner of the bottom inside the main body. In the provided hot water storage area A second pump is disposed in the hot water storage area, and a pipe member to which one or a plurality of shower units are attached extends upward from a discharge port of the second pump. Things.
[0008]
The snow melting apparatus according to claim 3 of the present application is the snow melting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the exhaust duct extends from the combustion duct to the outside of the hot water storage tank, and passes exhaust gas from the combustion duct. A blower disposed in the main body, exhausting exhaust gas into the main body from a plurality of exhaust ports provided in the exhaust duct, melting the snow in the main body by the hot air, and reducing the temperature. The exhaust gas is discharged to the outside of the main body from a number of openings provided in a side wall of the main body using the blower.
[0009]
The snow melting apparatus according to claim 4 of the present application is the snow melting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat dissipating means includes a portion projecting outward from the combustion duct into the hot water storage tank. And / or heat collecting means constituted by a portion projecting inward into the combustion duct is provided in the combustion duct.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, a snow melting apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A snow melting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is generally denoted by reference numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a main body 12 into which snow to be melted is put. The main body 12 has a box-like shape formed by a bottom wall and a side wall, and an openable lid 12a is provided on the top of the main body 12. The main body 12 may be formed of concrete or a metal material such as steel.
[0011]
The snow melting apparatus 10 also includes a hot water storage tank 14 arranged substantially at the center of the lower surface inside the main body 12. The hot water storage tank 14 also has a box-like shape formed by a bottom wall and a side wall, similarly to the main body 12, and a net 14a is provided at the top. Hot water storage tank 14 is preferably formed of a metal material to facilitate the transfer of heat to the snow to be melted.
[0012]
Two pipes 16 connected to the end of the hot water tank 14 extend to the upper part of the side wall of the main body 12 and extend therefrom to the opposite end of the main body 12 in parallel with the bottom wall. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the system of the piping 16 (in FIG. 3, the hot water storage tank 14 and the piping system are shown by solid lines, and other components are shown by broken lines). As described later, a pump 18 for pumping hot water melted in the hot water storage tank 14 is interposed in the pipe 16. In each pipe 16, one or more shower parts 16a for spraying hot water flowing in the pipe are arranged at appropriate locations.
[0013]
The snow melting apparatus 10 also includes a combustion duct 20 disposed inside the hot water storage tank 14. The combustion duct 20 has a cylindrical shape, and extends from one end of the hot water storage tank 14 to the other end. The combustion duct 20 is also formed of a metallic material to facilitate the transfer of heat to the snow that is to be melted. Hot air is supplied to the combustion duct 20 from a burner 22 disposed outside the main body 12.
[0014]
The snow melting apparatus 10 further includes an exhaust duct 24 for passing exhaust gas from the combustion duct 20. The exhaust duct 24 is connected to the end of the combustion duct 20 on the side opposite to the burner 22, exits the hot water storage tank 14, and extends in a horizontal direction substantially parallel to the hot water storage tank 14 on the side where the burner 22 is located. In the main body 12, a plurality of exhaust ports 24a for discharging exhaust gas are provided. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a system of the exhaust duct 24 (in FIG. 4, the combustion duct 20 and the exhaust duct are shown by solid lines, and other components are shown by broken lines). A blower 26 is provided in the main body 12 for moving the exhaust gas whose temperature has been reduced by melting the snow to below the main body 12.
[0015]
The use of the snow melting apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described. First, after water is put into the hot water storage tank 14, snow to be melted is put into the main body 12. Next, the openable lid 12a is closed. Thereafter, the burner 22 is ignited. Then, the water in the hot water storage tank 14 is heated to become hot water, and the pump 20 is operated to spray hot water from the shower section 16a to melt the snow in the main body 12. At the same time, the exhaust gas is discharged from the exhaust port 24a to melt the snow in the main body 12. The exhaust gas whose temperature has been lowered by melting the snow is moved downward by the blower 26 and discharged to the outside through a number of openings 12 b provided in the side wall of the main body 12.
[0016]
Next, tests performed to demonstrate the effects of the snow melting apparatus 10 of the present invention will be described. The dimensions (length x width x height) of the main body of the device used for the test were 5.0m x 2.7m x 2.4m. First, after 2.5 snow pieces of 10 ton dump trucks were put into the main body, the burners were ignited. Thirty minutes after the ignition, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank reached 25 ° C. By operating the circulation pump, hot water is pumped to the shower section and sprinkled over the snow in the main body. One hour later, a cavity appears in the snow inside the main body (at this time, the temperature of the hot water is 15 ° C.), and further 30 minutes later, the outer portion of the snow inside the main body begins to melt and collapse (at this time, the hot water temperature). Is 17 ° C). The amount of snowmelt at this time is about 50% to 60%. One and a half hours later, the temperature of the hot water was 22 ° C. and the amount of snowmelt was 80%. Then, 4 hours and 30 minutes after the burner ignition, the amount of snowmelt became 90%.
[0017]
5 to 8 are views showing a part of a snow melting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The snow melting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 has the same structure as that of the second embodiment except that the heat release means 30 or the heat collecting means 32 is provided in the combustion duct 20. This is substantially the same as the snow melting apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.
[0018]
The heat dissipating means 30 is configured by a portion projecting outward from the combustion duct 20 into the hot water tank 14 in order to efficiently transfer heat in the combustion duct 20 to water (hot water) in the hot water tank 14. The heat dissipating means 30 shown in FIG. 5 is formed by attaching a semicircular plate to the outer wall of the combustion duct 20. The shape of the plate may be any shape other than a semicircle. The heat radiating means 30 shown in FIG. 6 is formed by making a plurality of holes at predetermined locations on the outer wall of the combustion duct 20 and connecting adjacent holes with a pipe arranged outside the combustion duct 20.
[0019]
The heat trapping means 32 is constituted by a portion projecting inward into the combustion duct 20 in order to efficiently transfer heat in the combustion duct 20 to water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 14. The heat collecting means 32 shown in FIG. 7 is formed by providing a groove on the outer wall of the combustion duct 20. The shape of the groove may be any shape other than those shown. The heat trapping means 32 shown in FIG. 8 is formed by making a plurality of holes at predetermined locations on the outer wall of the combustion duct 20 and connecting adjacent holes with a pipe arranged inside the combustion duct 20. . The heat trapping means 32 may have another shape, for example, a plate projecting inward into the combustion duct 20 as shown in FIG.
[0020]
5 to 8 (except for FIG. 5 (c)), only one of the heat radiating means 30 and the heat collecting means 32 is shown, but both the heat radiating means 30 and the heat collecting means 32 are connected to one snow melting apparatus. (See FIG. 5C), or a different form of heat radiating means 30 or heat collecting means 32 may be provided in one snow melting apparatus.
[0021]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a snow melting apparatus 40 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The snow melting apparatus 40 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of hot water storage tanks 14 (three in FIG. 9) in which combustion ducts 20 are arranged are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. Except for this, it is substantially the same as the snow melting apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0022]
The snow melting device 40 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 9. The snow melting device 40 includes a first hot water storage tank 14 </ b> A in which a first combustion duct 20 </ b> A is disposed in the main body 12 in order from top to bottom. And a second hot water storage tank 14B in which the second combustion duct 20B is disposed, and a third hot water storage tank 14C in which the third combustion duct 20C is disposed. A first burner 22A is connected to the first combustion duct 20A, a second burner 22B is connected to the second combustion duct 20B, and a third burner 22C is connected to the third combustion duct 20C. Each of the hot water storage tanks 14A to 14C is firmly fixed to a predetermined location in the main body 12 by a fixture (not shown).
[0023]
A first pump 42 is disposed at the bottom in the main body 12, and a discharge port of the first pump 42 and a top of the first hot water storage tank 14 </ b> A are connected by a first pipe member 44. Also, the top of the first hot water storage tank 14A and the top of the second hot water storage tank 14B are connected by a second pipe member 46, and the top of the second hot water storage tank 14B and the top of the third hot water storage tank 14C are connected to a third pipe. They are connected by a member 48. Further, a fourth pipe member 50 connected to the top of the third hot water storage tank 14 </ b> C extends into a hot water storage area 52 provided at one corner of the bottom of the main body 12. On the other hand, a second pump 54 is disposed in the hot water storage area 52, and a fifth pipe member 56 extends upward from a discharge port of the second pump 54. Alternatively, a plurality of (three in FIG. 9) shower units 58 are provided.
[0024]
In FIG. 9, an exhaust duct for discharging exhaust gas, an exhaust port, and a blower for moving the exhaust gas are not shown, but the snow melting device 40 is provided with the exhaust duct, the exhaust port, and the blower. You may.
[0025]
The use of the snow melting apparatus 40 configured as described above will be described. First, after putting water into each of the hot water storage tanks 14A to 14C, snow to be melted is put into the main body 12. Next, the openable lid 12a is closed. Thereafter, the burners 22A to 22C are ignited. Then, the water in each of the hot water storage tanks 14A to 14C is heated and becomes hot water. On the other hand, the snow injected into the main body 12 is partially melted, and water is collected at the bottom in the main body 12. However, the water collected at the bottom in the main body 12 is sucked by the first pump 42 and the first hot water is stored. It is pumped into the tank 14A. The water pumped into the first hot water storage tank 14A is warmed, sequentially sent into the second hot water storage tank 14B and the third hot water storage tank 14C, and warmed each time, so that the second hot water storage tank is higher than the first hot water storage tank 14A. The temperature of the water in the third hot water tank 14C is higher than that of the water in the third hot water tank 14B than in the second hot water tank 14B. The warm water thus sequentially heated is sent to the hot water storage area 52 via the fourth pipe member 50. Then, the hot water in the hot water storage area 52 is sucked by the second pump 54 and sprinkled from the shower unit 58 to melt the snow in the main body 12. When the snow melting device 40 is provided with an exhaust duct, an exhaust port, and the like, the snow in the main body 12 is also melted by the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port.
[0026]
Next, tests performed to demonstrate the effects of the snow melting apparatus 40 of the present invention will be described. The dimensions (length × width × height) of the main body of the apparatus used for the test were 6.0 m × 2.5 m × 2.5 m, and one hot water tank was arranged inside the main body (FIG. 5 and FIG. 5). The effect obtained by arranging the combustion duct (provided with the heat radiating means 30 and the auxiliary heat means 32 shown in FIG. 8) in the hot water tank and circulating water (hot water) was confirmed. In addition, two shower units were installed. First, after putting snow for 2.5 11t dump trucks into the main body, the burner was ignited. Thirty minutes after the ignition, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank was 25 ° C., and the temperature of the hot water sprinkled from the shower part was 23 ° C. (the amount of snowmelt was 20%). One hour later, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank was 31 ° C, and the temperature of the hot water sprinkled from the shower section was 29 ° C (30% of snowmelt). One and a half hours later, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank was 25 ° C, and the temperature of the hot water sprinkled from the shower section was 22 ° C (40% of snowmelt). Here, the temperature of the hot water has dropped because the snow inside the main body has begun to melt. Two hours later, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank was 16 ° C, and the temperature of the hot water sprinkled from the shower section was 14 ° C (snow melting amount 60%). Two and a half hours later, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank was 35 ° C., the temperature of the hot water sprinkled from the shower section was 30 ° C., and the snow that had been input was completely melted (the amount of snow melted was 100%). In this way, by circulating the water, it was possible to melt the snow of 2.5 11t dump trucks in 2.5 hours.
[0027]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments of the invention, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, which are also included in the scope of the invention. Needless to say, it is.
[0028]
For example, in the above-described embodiment, a mechanism for melting snow by spraying warm water from the hot water storage tank 14 and a mechanism for melting snow by exhaust gas from the exhaust duct are provided. May be configured.
[0029]
Further, in the above embodiment, two pipes 16 and two exhaust ducts 24 are provided. However, the number of pipes 16 and exhaust ducts 24 may be one or three or more. Further, the arrangement shapes of the pipe 16 and the exhaust duct 24 are merely exemplary, and may be different from those illustrated. Furthermore, the shapes of the main body 12, the hot water storage tank 14, and the combustion duct 20 are merely examples, and different shapes may be adopted.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the snow melting apparatus of this invention, it is equipped with the mechanism which melts snow by the sprinkling of the warm water from the hot water tank, and melts the snow around the hot water tank by the heat transfer from the hot water tank itself and also melts the snow by the water spray. This allows efficient snow melting work. Further, when a mechanism for melting snow by the exhaust gas from the exhaust duct is further provided, the hot air of the exhaust gas can be used for melting the snow, so that a more efficient snow melting operation can be performed. In addition, when the heat radiating means and / or the heat collecting means are provided, the combustion duct can effectively utilize heat to perform an efficient snow melting operation. Further, in a configuration in which a plurality of hot water storage tanks are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, the temperature of the water is increased stepwise, so that the temperature of the water can be raised in a short time, and thus the time required for the snow melting operation can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional front view showing a snow melting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional side view of the snow melting apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a water sprinkling mechanism of the snow melting apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view for explaining an exhaust gas release mechanism of the snow melting apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 5A and 5B are views showing one form of heat radiating means provided in a combustion duct of the snow melting apparatus, wherein FIG. 5A is a partial perspective view, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state provided with both of them.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing another embodiment of the heat radiating means provided in the combustion duct of the snow melting apparatus, where FIG. 6A is a partial perspective view and FIG. 6B is a sectional view.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are views showing one form of heat trapping means provided in a combustion duct of the snow melting device, wherein FIG. 7A is a partial perspective view and FIG.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing another form of the heat trapping means provided in the combustion duct of the snow melting device, wherein FIG. 8A is a partial perspective view and FIG. 8B is a sectional view.
FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional front view showing a snow melting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10, 40 Snow melting device 12 Main body 14, 14A, 14B, 14C Hot water storage tank 16 Piping 18, 42, 54 Pump 20, 20A, 20B, 20C Combustion duct 22, 22A, 22B, 22C Burner 24 Exhaust duct 26 Blower 30 Radiator 32 Heat capture means

Claims (4)

The body into which snow to be melted is thrown in,
A hot water storage tank made of a metal material disposed substantially at the center of the lower surface inside the main body,
A combustion duct disposed inside the hot water storage tank,
A burner for supplying hot air to the combustion duct,
One or more pipes extending from the hot water tank to an upper portion in the main body,
A pump interposed in the piping,
And one or more shower units provided at appropriate places in the piping,
A snow melting apparatus, wherein hot water in the hot water tank heated by heat from the combustion duct is pumped by the pump and sprinkled from the shower section to melt snow in the main body. The body into which snow to be melted is thrown in,
A plurality of metal material hot water storage tanks vertically spaced inside the main body,
Combustion ducts respectively arranged inside each of the hot water storage tanks,
A burner for supplying hot air to each of the combustion ducts,
A first pump located at the bottom of the body;
A first pipe member that connects a discharge port of the first pump and a top of a hot water tank located at an uppermost position among the plurality of hot water tanks,
In each of the plurality of hot water tanks, the top of the hot water tank located on the upper side and the top of the hot water tank located immediately below the hot water tank are connected by a pipe member,
A pipe member connected to the top of the lowermost hot water tank among the plurality of hot water tanks extends into a hot water storage area provided at a corner of the bottom inside the main body,
A snow melting apparatus, wherein a second pump is disposed in the hot water storage area, and a pipe member to which one or a plurality of shower units are attached extends upward from a discharge port of the second pump. An exhaust duct extending from the combustion duct to the outside of the hot water storage tank and passing exhaust gas from the combustion duct;
A blower arranged in the main body,
Exhaust gas is discharged into the main body from a plurality of exhaust ports provided in the exhaust duct, and the hot air melts snow in the main body, and the exhaust gas whose temperature has been reduced is discharged from the main body using the blower. The snow melting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the snow is discharged to the outside of the main body through a number of openings provided in a side wall of the snow melting apparatus. A radiator configured by a portion protruding into the hot water tank outward from the combustion duct, and / or a heat trapping unit configured by a portion protruding inward into the combustion duct is provided on the combustion duct. The snow melting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the snow melting apparatus is provided.

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