JP2013012365A - Anti-freezing heater device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an anti-freezing heater device that reduces power consumption of the heater to save energy.SOLUTION: An anti-freezing heater device includes a heater body 1 and a metal cover 30. The heater body 1 installed on the outer peripheral surface of a pipe 10 is covered with a metal cover 30 having a cross section being substantially U-shaped, via a gap 31. Heat released from the heater body 1 to the surrounding is insulated by the gap 31 of an air layer and is reflected and shielded by the metal cover 30, to increase a temperature of the gap 31 inside the metal cover 30 higher than that when the metal cover 30 does not exist, allowing the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 to be heated to increase a temperature of water inside the pipe 10. An experimental result shows that, when the metal cover 30 was provided in the heater body 1 of 12 W, the temperature of water inside the pipe 10 was increased more at an in-chamber temperature of -20°C, as compared to the case where a standard product of 16 W in wattage was used. Thus, the device can save power consumption by as much as 25% to achieve energy saving.

Description

  The present invention relates to a freeze prevention heater device used for preventing freezing of water in a water supply / drain pipe piped in a water heater.

This type of heater used for the purpose of preventing freezing of pipes for water supply and drainage in a water heater is a rectangular parallelepiped case in which a heating element is accommodated and an insulating filler is filled in the case. 10 shows an existing heater body 1 of this type, FIG. 10 (a) shows a plan view of the heater body 1, and FIG. 10 (b) shows a front view of the heater body 1.
The heater main body 1 is made of ceramic and has a rectangular parallelepiped case 2, and a heating element 3 which is housed in the case 2 and leads the lead wires 4 to the sides from both ends of the case 2. And in the form which protects this heat generating body 3, it is comprised in the case 2 with the filler 5 which consists of an insulating and cement agent.

  Further, grooves (not shown) are provided on both sides of the case 2, and the lead wires 4 of the heating elements 3 are respectively led outward through the grooves. The groove portion on the base side of the lead wire 4 is sealed with silicon resin, and the sealed portion is used as a sealing portion 6.

Since the heater body 1 is attached to a pipe piped in the water heater, the shape of the other surface side of the heater body 1 is formed with a recess 7 having a substantially semicircular cross section as shown in FIG. Has been. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, a recess 7 having a substantially triangular cross section is also provided.
13 and 14, the concave portion 7 side of the heater body 1 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the pipe 10 so that the longitudinal direction of the copper pipe 10 and the longitudinal direction of the heater body 1 are aligned. The heater body 1 is mounted on the surface of the pipe 10 from above with a mounting bracket (not shown).

In the water heater, a plurality of heater bodies 1 are arranged at the main points of the pipe 10, and the heater bodies 1 are connected in series or in parallel. And if the temperature in a water heater falls to the predetermined temperature preset, a power supply will be supplied to the heat generating body 3 of the heater main body 1 by the control part outside a figure, and the heat of this heater main body 1 will be heat-transferred to the pipe 10. This prevents the water in the pipe 10 from freezing.
Further, when the temperature rises to a predetermined temperature, the water in the pipe 10 is not frozen, and the energization to the heating element 3 of the heater body 1 is cut off.

  An example of this type of heater is Patent Document 1 shown below.

JP-A-10-284230

In this patent document 1, the same kind of heater as the heater body 1 is used, and when the heater is heated, the surface temperature is kept low, and even if the surrounding low heat-resistant parts come into contact, it is not damaged. In order to do so, a heater cover is provided to cover the heater.
This heater cover is designed to prevent the surrounding heat-resistant parts from coming into direct contact with the heater, which is a heating element, and to prevent the heater cover from being damaged even if the surrounding low-heat resistant parts are in direct contact with the heater cover. Is.

  In particular, in Patent Document 1, damage is prevented even when surrounding low heat-resistant parts come into contact with the heater cover. For this reason, the heater cover is made of mica having a poor thermal conductivity. Further, as will be described later, in the present invention, a member that covers the heater main body 1 is used in the same manner as the heater cover of Patent Document 1, but the object and effect of the member of the present invention and the heater cover of Patent Document 1 are used. Are completely different from each other, and the technical idea is fundamentally different.

  The present invention has been provided in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a freeze prevention heater device aimed at saving energy by suppressing power consumption of a heater.

  Therefore, in the freeze prevention heater device according to claim 1 of the present invention, the heater body 1 as a heat source for preventing freezing of water flowing in the pipe 10 and the substantially entire heater body 1 through the gap 31 are disposed. And a metal cover 30 for covering.

According to the freeze prevention heater device of the first aspect of the present invention, the heater main body 1 as a heat source for preventing freezing of water flowing in the pipe 10 and the substantially entire heater main body 1 through the gap 31. By providing the metal cover 30 to cover, the heat radiated from the heater body 1 to the surroundings is insulated by the air gap 31 and the heat is reflected and shielded by the metal cover 30. The temperature of the gap 31 in the metal cover 30 becomes higher than that in the case where the metal cover 30 is not present, and this heat heats the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10, whereby the water temperature in the pipe 10 can be warmed.
As a result of the experiment, in the case where the metal cover 30 is provided and the heater main body 1 of 12 W is used, the temperature in the tank is −20 ° C. and the water temperature of the pipe 10 is increased compared to the standard product having a wattage of 16 W. We were able to. Therefore, the power consumption of the heater body 1 is 12 W, and the power consumption can be suppressed by 25% compared to the conventional 16 W, so that energy saving can be achieved.
Here, when the heater body 1 is used in a water heater, it has the following advantages as compared with the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. In the said patent document, it is the structure which interrupts | blocks the heat radiation from the heater main body 1 with the heater cover made from mica, The amount of heat radiated from a heater cover decreases, and the problem shown below will be exhibited.
That is, when the heater body 1 is covered with a heater cover and only the pipe 10 is heated by the heater body 1, the amount of heat radiation to the entire hot water heater is reduced, and the temperature in the hot water heater is reduced. There is a problem that an electronic component such as an IC that controls the hot water heater breaks down at a low temperature such as below freezing.
In contrast to the technical idea of Patent Document 1, the present invention uses a metal cover (metal cover 30) as a cover that covers the heater main body 1. This is because the cover itself has good thermal conductivity. By providing, not only the heat from the heater body 1 is simply blocked by the metal cover 30, but also the heat conducted to the metal cover 30 through the air layer (gap 31) from the surface of the metal cover 30 in the water heater. This is different from the technical idea of Patent Document 1 in that it radiates heat.
By dissipating heat from the surface of the metal cover 30, the temperature in the water heater can be raised to some extent, so that damage to electronic components such as ICs in the water heater can be prevented even if the ambient temperature falls below freezing. That is, this metal cover 30 has the function or effect of two birds with one stone to prevent damage to electronic components in the water heater.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the freeze prevention heater apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the freeze prevention heater apparatus in embodiment of this invention to the pipe. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which attached the freeze prevention heater apparatus in embodiment of this invention to the pipe. It is a figure for measuring the temperature of each part at the time of not using the metal cover in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for measuring the temperature of each part at the time of using the metal cover in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the temperature of each part in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of the metal cover in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the further another example of the metal cover in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure at the time of using the metal cover shown in FIG. 8 in embodiment of this invention. (A) and (b) are the top views and front views of an existing heater. It is a side view of the heater which made the cross section of the recessed part substantially semicircle shape. It is a side view of the heater which made the cross section of the recessed part substantially triangular shape. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the heater to the pipe. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the heater to the pipe.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, the heat of the existing heater body 1 is transmitted from the heater body 1 to the pipe 10 in the same manner as in the prior art to prevent the water in the pipe 10 from freezing.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a freeze prevention heater device. This freeze prevention heater device has a heater body 1 attached to a pipe 10 and a metal having a substantially U-shaped cross section covering substantially the entire heater body 1. It is comprised with the cover 30. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the heater body 1 is covered with a metal cover 30, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view thereof.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the metal cover 30 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface and the front and rear surfaces of the heater body 1 with a gap 31 with respect to the heater body 1.

  In addition, although the metal fitting for attaching the heater main body 1 to the pipe 10 and the metal fitting for attaching the metal cover 30 to the pipe 10 are not shown, the description is omitted because the fitting is not the gist of the present invention.

When the heater body 1 is energized, the heater body 1 generates heat, and the generated heat is conducted to the pipe 10 and water is heated in the pipe 10. Further, the contact between the heater body 1 and the pipe 10 is a line contact or a point contact, and when there is no metal cover 30 of the present invention, the structure is the same as that of the prior art. The heat conduction is not very efficient.
However, in the present invention, the heater main body 1 is covered with the metal cover 30, so that the wattage (power consumption) of the conventional heater main body 1 may be smaller and energy saving can be achieved.

The results of an experiment with the configuration shown in FIG. 3 will be described below. FIG. 4 shows an experimental apparatus for measuring the temperature of the water in the heater body 1, the pipe 10 and the pipe 10 when the ambient temperature is changed from 3 ° C. to minus 20 ° C. In the case of FIG. The case where the conventional 16 W heater body 1 is used without using the metal cover 30 is shown.
A pedestal 52 is placed on the bottom surface of the experimental tank 51, and a pipe 10 bent or bent into a substantially U-shape is disposed on the pedestal 52, and the heater body 1 is placed at a substantially central portion of the pipe 10. It is arranged.

  In FIG. 4, point P1 is a point for measuring the temperature of the heater body 1, and points P2 and P3 are points for measuring the surface temperature of the pipe 10, at a location about 100 mm away from the central portion of the heater body 1. It is said. Point P4 is located in the pipe 10 and measures the temperature of the water in the pipe 10. The pipe 10 has a diameter of 15 mm and contains 40 cc of water. Point P5 is a point for measuring the temperature inside the tank 51.

The temperature measurement at each point P1-5 uses a known temperature sensor, and measures the temperature of each part when the temperature inside the tank 51 is changed from 3 ° C to -20 ° C. The heater body 1 used in FIG. 4 is a standard product with a power consumption of 16 W. When this standard product is used, and when the metal cover 30 is used with a 12 W heater body 1 with a lower power consumption than the standard product. By comparing the measurement results of the temperature of each part, we intend to demonstrate energy saving.
FIG. 5 shows the same configuration as in FIG. 4, but the configuration when the heater body 1 is covered with the metal cover 30.

  FIG. 6A shows a standard product (heater actually used in a water heater) whose input wattage (power consumption) of the heater body 1 is 16 W, and results of measuring the temperature of each part in the state of FIG. FIG. 6B shows the result of measurement with the input wattage (power consumption) of the heater main body 1 set to 12 W without covering the heater main body 1 with the metal cover 30. Further, C in FIG. 6 shows a measurement result when the heater body 1 having a wattage of 12 W is covered with a metal cover 30.

  In FIG. 6, the set temperature in the tank is gradually lowered from 3 ° C. to −20 ° C. over 12 hours, and is kept at −20 ° C. for 2 hours after the temperature in the tank reaches −20 ° C. “Heater body temperature”, “max temperature” indicates the highest temperature of the heater body 1 after energization, and the bath temperature is 0 ° C., −10 ° C., −20 ° C., −20 ° C. saturation point The temperature at is shown on the left side. As the temperature in the tank decreases, the temperature of the heater body 1 gradually decreases.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the “left and right pipe temperatures” are originally the left and right temperatures, but the left and right temperatures were almost the same. It is described. “Max temperature” indicates the maximum temperature after energization. The temperature of the pipe 10 gradually decreases as the temperature in the tank decreases.
“Water temperature” indicates the temperature of the water in the pipe 10, and “max temperature” indicates the highest temperature after energization in the same manner as described above. As the tank temperature decreases, the water temperature also decreases. When the tank temperature is 0 ° C, the water temperature in the pipe 10 is 25.3 ° C and the tank temperature is- Measurement results were obtained that the water temperature was 15.6 ° C. at 10 ° C., the water temperature was 4.2 ° C. when the bath temperature was −20 ° C., and the water temperature was 4.2 ° C. when the bath temperature was −20 ° C.

  By using a 16 W standard product for the heater body 1, heat from the heater body 1 is transmitted to the pipe 10, and the temperature in the tank (atmosphere temperature) becomes −20 ° C. due to this heat transfer, Even when −20 ° C. is maintained for 2 hours, the water temperature in the pipe 10 is both 4.2 ° C., which prevents the water in the pipe 10 from freezing.

6B shows the case where the wattage of the heater body 1 is simply 12 W from 16 W of A, and the measurement result is that the water temperature is 19.7 ° C. and the bath temperature when the bath temperature is 0 ° C. When the temperature is -10 ° C, the water temperature is 10.1 ° C, when the bath temperature is -20 ° C, the water temperature is 0.6 ° C, and when the bath temperature is -20 ° C, the water temperature is 0.3 ° C. It was.
Therefore, when the power consumption (wattage) of the heater body 1 is simply 12 W, the water temperature in the pipe 10 is near freezing point when the temperature in the tank is −20 ° C., which is much lower than the standard product of 16 W. And it was difficult to actually use.

On the other hand, the measurement result when the wattage of the heater body 1 is set to 12 W which is the same as B and the metal cover 30 is covered on the heater body 1 is shown in FIG. That is, when the temperature in the tank is −10 ° C., the water temperature is 17.3 ° C., the temperature in the tank is −20 ° C., the water temperature is 5.6 ° C., and the temperature in the tank is kept at −20 ° C. for 2 hours. In the state, the water temperature was 5.6 ° C., and the water temperature was higher than that of the standard product of 16 W.
In addition, the power consumption of the heater body 1 is 12 W, and the power consumption can be reduced by 25% with respect to 16 W, thereby saving energy.

  Here, by covering the heater body 1 with the metal cover 30, the 12W heater body 1 that consumes less power than the 16W standard product may be considered as follows. That is, the heat radiated from the heater body 1 to the surroundings is insulated by the air gap 31 and the heat is reflected and shielded by the metal cover 30 so that the temperature of the gap 31 in the metal cover 30 is the metal. It becomes higher than the case where the cover 30 does not exist, and it is considered that this heat heats the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 to warm the water temperature in the pipe 10.

  In addition, as a material of the metal cover 30, any of stainless steel, iron, aluminum, copper, and brass may be used. The same effect can be obtained even when the metal cover 30 having an inverted U-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 7 is used for the metal cover 30 having a substantially U-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. Obtained.

8 and 9 show still another example of the metal cover 30. Instead of the metal cover 30 having both sides open as shown in FIG. 1, a metal cover 30 having both sides closed is used. This is the case. A groove 34 through which the lead wire 4 of the heater body 1 is inserted is formed in the side pieces 33 on both sides of the metal cover 30, and the lower part of the groove 34 communicates with the shape of the surface of the pipe 10. A curved notch 35 is formed.
Even in such a case, the same result as that shown in FIG. 3 was obtained.

Here, as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the heat dissipation from the heater body 1 is blocked by the heater cover made of mica, the amount of heat dissipated from the heater cover is reduced, and the following problems are presented. Become.
That is, when the heater body 1 is covered with a heater cover and only the pipe 10 is heated by the heater body 1, the amount of heat radiation to the entire hot water heater is reduced, and the temperature in the hot water heater is reduced. There is a problem that an electronic component such as an IC that controls the hot water heater breaks down at a low temperature such as below freezing.

In contrast to the technical idea of Patent Document 1, the present invention uses a metal cover (metal cover 30) as a cover that covers the heater main body 1. This is because the cover itself has good thermal conductivity. By providing, not only the heat from the heater body 1 is simply blocked by the metal cover 30, but also the heat conducted to the metal cover 30 through the air layer (gap 31) from the surface of the metal cover 30 in the water heater. This is different from the technical idea of Patent Document 1 in that it radiates heat.
By dissipating heat from the surface of the metal cover 30, the temperature in the water heater can be raised to some extent, so that damage to electronic components such as ICs in the water heater can be prevented even if the ambient temperature falls below freezing. That is, this metal cover 30 has the function or effect of two birds with one stone to prevent damage to electronic components in the water heater.

1 Heater body 10 Pipe 30 Metal cover 31 Crevice

Claims (1)

A heater body (1) as a heat source for preventing freezing of water flowing in the pipe (10);
A freeze prevention heater device comprising a metal cover (30) covering substantially the entire heater body (1) through a gap (31).

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