JP4123201B2 - Hot water storage water heater - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water storage hot water supply apparatus including a hot water storage tank that stores a heat storage fluid, and a heat exchanger for heating that exchanges heat between the heat storage fluid and the fluid to be heated in the hot water storage tank. The present invention relates to prevention of an air lock phenomenon that occurs in the side circulation flow path.

  The inventor has arranged a hot water storage tank for storing the heat storage fluid therein, a fluid heating channel for sending the lowest heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank to the upper portion of the hot water storage tank, and the fluid heating channel. Provided with a heating means for heating the heat storage fluid flowing in the flow path, and a hot water supply heat exchanger which is of a counterflow type and exchanges heat between the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank and the hot water supply water. The heating channel is provided with a supply port for supplying the heat storage fluid, and during the construction work for filling the heat storage fluid into the hot water storage tank, the heat storage fluid is supplied from the supply port to the heating means side. An application has been filed for a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus characterized in that the hot water storage tank is filled after being pumped (Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-043311).

  However, according to the above apparatus, the air lock phenomenon in which air stays on the fluid heating flow path side where the heating means is disposed can be eliminated. If the hot water storage tank is filled with the heat storage fluid from the fluid heating channel side before the air in the side circulation channel is discharged, the air also enters the primary circulation channel side where the hot water supply heat exchanger is installed. It has been found that an air lock phenomenon occurs in which stagnation occurs.

  In order to eliminate this stagnation of air, a circulation channel that allows air to escape from the air in the primary-side circulation channel toward the air holes formed in the hot water storage tank is formed, or the air is halfway in the circulation channel. At the closed location where air is accumulated, an air vent valve or the like for discharging the air at the location to the outside is provided and designed and constructed so that the air does not stay. These design and construction have the problem that the construction cost for the equipment construction becomes expensive because an engineer with specialized technical skills is required. In addition, when parts for removing air are used, the construction cost further increases.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to take the above-mentioned points into consideration, and by configuring the heat storage fluid to be filled in the order of the heat exchanger for heating and the hot water storage tank from the primary side circulation flow path, It is an object of the present invention to provide a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus that can be easily filled with a heat storage fluid.

Above, in order to achieve the object, adopting the technical means described below. That is, in the invention described in claim 1, the hot water storage tank (10) for storing therein the heat storage fluid heated by the heating means (20) comprising the heat pump cycle, and the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank (10) The first circulation part (30a, 60a) that circulates and the second circulation part (30b, 60b) where the heated fluid circulates are provided adjacent to each other, and the heat storage fluid and the heated fluid are opposed to each other. A heat exchanger for heating (30, 60) configured to exchange heat between the two,
Heat storage stored in the hot water storage tank (10) that is configured so that the downstream end of the first circulation part (30a, 60a) communicates with the lower part of the hot water storage tank (10) and is heated by the heating means (20). Among the fluids, a hot water storage type comprising a primary-side circulation channel (11, 11a) configured such that at least one of a high-temperature heat storage fluid and an intermediate-temperature heat storage fluid flows to the first circulation part (30a, 60a) side. In the water heater,
The primary circulation passage (11, 11a) has a supply passage (81) whose upstream end is connected to a water supply source and a switching valve (82) for switching the flow direction of the heat storage fluid for heat storage. Heat storage fluid supply means (81, 82) for supplying fluid is provided,
When the hot water storage tank (10) is filled with the heat storage fluid, the heat storage fluid is supplied from either the upstream portion or the downstream portion of the heating heat exchanger (30, 60), and the heating heat exchanger It is characterized by being configured to fill the hot water storage tank (10) side after being pumped to the (30, 60) side.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the heat storage fluid supply means (81, 82) for supplying the heat storage fluid to the primary side circulation channel (11, 11a) is provided. Since the heat storage fluid is pumped from the heating heat exchanger (30, 60) side by the pressure feeding means such as the air in the primary side circulation channel (11, 11a) is sent to the hot water storage tank (10) side. There is no occurrence of an air lock phenomenon in the piping path, and the heat storage fluid can be easily filled. Furthermore, the switching valve (82) can be easily switched to the heating heat exchanger (30, 60) side, and the air in the pipe can be easily pushed out by using the water pressure.

In the invention according to claim 2, thermal storage fluid supply means (81, 82) when filling the thermal storage fluid in the hot water storage tank (10), the heating heat exchanger heat storage fluid (30, 60) is configured to be supplied to the side.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, specifically, the heat storage fluid is supplied to the heating heat exchanger (30, 60) side, so that the heat storage fluid exchanges heat for heating. Since the air is sent into the hot water storage tank (10) so as to send out the air in the pipe path on the side of the vessel (30, 60), the air lock phenomenon does not occur in the pipe path and the filling operation can be facilitated.

Characterized in that in the invention according to claim 3, the heat storage fluid supply means (81, 82), the heat storage agent supplying means for supplying a heat storage agent to test Kyuryuro (81) (80) is provided It is said. According to invention of Claim 3 , if water-soluble heat storage agents, such as ethylene glycol aqueous solution and propylene glycol aqueous solution, are used, it can pump easily with a water pressure. Thereby, the filling operation | work of the fluid for thermal storage can be performed easily.

In the invention according to claim 4 , the heat storage fluid supply means (81, 82) includes, in the supply flow path (81), a storage container (80 a) that stores the heat storage fluid, and the storage container (80 a) A pressure feeding means (84) for pumping the heat storage fluid to the outside is provided. According to the invention of claim 4 , in the above-mentioned claim 3 , the water pressure is used for pumping. However, for example, a pumping means (84) such as a pump can be easily pumped toward the heating means (20) during filling. Can be.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the hot water storage tank (10) is configured to be at atmospheric pressure or extremely low pressure. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the pressure resistance design of a conventional high-pressure (for example, 170 kPa) tank is not required, the hot water storage tank itself can be formed of resin. In this case, a press process and a welding process that are generally required for stainless steel processing are not required, and the manufacturing cost can be kept lower than before. Further, unlike the high-pressure tank, it is not necessary to form a cylindrical shape from the viewpoint of pressure resistance, and the degree of freedom in designing the tank shape can be increased.

In the invention according to claim 6 , the heating means (20) is a supercritical heat pump cycle in which the high-pressure side pressure of the refrigerant is equal to or higher than the critical pressure, and heats the heat storage fluid with the refrigerant whose pressure is increased to the critical pressure or higher. It is characterized by.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the supercritical heat pump type heating means (20) using a refrigerant such as carbon dioxide, the boiling temperature is increased to about 90 to 95 ° C. Since the generation of bubbles from the side is high, even if the bubbles accumulate in the heat exchanger (30, 60) for heating and an air lock phenomenon occurs, according to the present invention, the bubbles are easily stored in the hot water storage tank ( 10) It can be driven out to the side, which is preferable.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each said means shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means of embodiment mentioned later.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus in a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to the present embodiment is used for general households, and uses a heat storage fluid stored in the hot water storage tank 10 as a heat source to exchange heat with hot water supply water, in a kitchen, a washroom, a bathroom, and the like. In addition to the hot water supply function, the hot water filling of the bathtub and the function of chasing the hot water filled bath water are provided.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the hot water supply function includes a hot water storage tank 10 that stores heat storage fluid therein, a heat pump unit 20 that is a heating means for heating the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10, and a hot water storage tank 10. The hot water supply heat exchanger 30, which is a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the heat storage fluid and the hot water supply water, the hot water supply pipes 32 and 33, and a control device (hot water supply control unit 41) for controlling the operation of the hot water supply system. , And the heat source control unit 42).

  The hot water filling and reheating function for the bathtub includes a reheating heat exchanger 60 that is a heating heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 and the bath water, and hot water filling for the bathtub. It is comprised from the hot water supply piping 32a and 33a for. The hot water storage tank 10 of the present embodiment is opened to the atmosphere through the air hole 10a, and the interior of the hot water storage tank 10 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. The hot water storage tank 10 is formed of, for example, a resin material and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  Further, in order to reduce the heat stored in the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 from being released into the atmosphere from the wall surface of the hot water storage tank 10, the outer periphery of the hot water storage tank 10 is covered with a heat insulating material such as glass wool or urethane. May be. Here, the hot water storage tank 10 is configured to be opened to the atmospheric pressure, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to have an extremely low pressure (for example, 10 kPa).

  Further, the heat storage fluid used is mainly composed of water, and a preservative, an antifreezing agent and the like are added as necessary. In addition to these, a heat storage material having a high specific heat may be encapsulated by a technique such as a microcapsule and dispersed in water, or may be made into a thriller and flowable. In this embodiment, only tap water is filled as a heat storage fluid without adding a heat storage agent such as an antiseptic or an antifreezing agent. However, in the case of tap water only, it is necessary to take measures such as anti-freezing operation so that there are no problems caused by freezing in winter.

  Further, on the outer wall surface of the hot water storage tank 10, a plurality of (seven in this example) hot water storage thermistors 55 which are water temperature sensors for detecting the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage fluid or the hot water storage temperature are arranged in the vertical direction (the hot water storage tank 10. Temperature information at each water level of the heat storage fluid filled in the hot water storage tank 10 is output to the hot water supply control unit 41 described later.

  Therefore, based on the temperature information from the plurality of hot water storage thermistors 55, the hot water supply control unit 41 and the hot water heated above the hot water storage tank 10 and the low temperature heat storage fluid before being heated below the hot water storage tank 10 Can be detected, and the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid at each water level can be detected. Of the plurality of hot water storage thermistors 55, the hot water storage thermistor 55 provided at the uppermost part has a function of detecting the temperature of hot water discharged from the hot storage fluid.

  The heat pump unit 20 that heats the heat storage fluid uses a supercritical heat pump cycle in which, for example, carbon dioxide gas is used as a refrigerant so that the refrigerant pressure on the high-pressure side becomes equal to or higher than the critical pressure of the refrigerant. As is well known, this heat pump cycle includes refrigeration cycle functional parts such as a compressor, a heat storage heat exchanger, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and an accumulator (not shown). Incidentally, the compressor (not shown) is driven by a built-in electric motor (not shown), compresses the gaseous refrigerant sucked from the accumulator to a critical pressure or more, and discharges it.

  The heat storage heat exchanger (not shown) exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the heat storage fluid. For example, a refrigerant passage (not shown) through which the refrigerant flows and a heat storage fluid passage (not shown) through which the heat storage fluid flows are provided. Is a counterflow type heat storage heat exchanger (not shown) that is provided in a double-pipe structure and is configured such that the flow direction of the refrigerant and the flow direction of the heat storage fluid are opposed to each other. The expansion valve (not shown) depressurizes the refrigerant flowing out from the heat storage heat exchanger and supplies it to the evaporator (not shown). An evaporator (not shown) evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by an expansion valve (not shown) by heat exchange with the atmosphere. An accumulator (not shown) gas-liquid separates the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator, sucks only the gas-phase refrigerant into the compressor, and stores excess refrigerant in the cycle.

  In addition, a heat storage fluid passage (not shown) of the heat storage heat exchanger is connected to the hot water storage tank 10 via the fluid heating passage 21, and an electric pump (not shown) is operated to store heat in the hot water storage tank 10. The working fluid circulates. The upstream end of the fluid heating channel 21 is connected to the bottom 10 b of the hot water storage tank 10, and the downstream end of the fluid heating channel 21 is connected to the upper part 10 c of the hot water storage tank 10. As a result, the heat storage fluid heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the heat storage heat exchanger (not shown) is sent to the upper part 10c of the hot water storage tank 10, so that the upper part in the hot water storage tank 10 moves from the upper side to the lower side. The heat is then stored in the heat storage fluid.

  The heat pump unit 20 is operated by a control signal from a heat source control unit 42 described later, and outputs an operation state to the heat source control unit 42. In addition, the AC power is used as the power source, and the heat storage operation for boiling the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 is performed mainly using the midnight power in the midnight time zone where the rate setting is the cheapest. Even in the belt, when the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid decreases, the boiling operation is controlled. Incidentally, according to the supercritical heat pump cycle, a heat storage fluid having a temperature higher than that of a general heat pump cycle (for example, 85 to 90 ° C.) can be stored therein.

  Next, the primary-side circulation passage 11 causes the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 to flow through the first circulation part 30a of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30, which will be described later, and hot water supply water and heat flowing through the second circulation part 30b. It is a circulation channel on the heat source side for returning the exchanged heat storage fluid to the lower part 10e in the hot water storage tank 10. The primary-side circulation flow path 11 includes a high-temperature take-out pipe 12, an intermediate-temperature take-out pipe 13, an outgoing pipe 14, a return pipe 15, a high / medium-temperature mixing valve 16 that is a flow rate adjusting means, and a first circulation pump 17. Yes.

  The high-temperature take-out pipe 12 is a pipe for taking out a high-temperature heat storage fluid among the heat storage fluid stored in the hot water storage tank 10, and an upstream end is connected to an upper portion 10 d in the hot water storage tank 10. The medium temperature take-out pipe 13 is a pipe for taking out the medium temperature heat storage fluid having a lower temperature than the high temperature heat storage fluid among the heat storage fluid stored in the hot water storage tank 10. The upstream end is connected between 10d and the lower part 10e.

  The upstream pipe 14 has an upstream end connected to an outlet side of a high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 described later, and a downstream end connected to an upstream end of the first circulation part 30 a of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30. The return pipe 15 has an upstream end connected to the upstream end of the first circulation part 30 a and a downstream end connected to the lower part 10 e in the hot water storage tank 10. The forward pipe 14 is provided with a thermistor 54 before heat exchange, which is a pre-heat exchange water temperature sensor for detecting the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid to be circulated through the first flow part 30a of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30. The temperature information in 14 is output to a hot water supply control unit 41 described later.

  Next, the high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 is provided at a downstream junction of the high temperature take-out pipe 12 and the intermediate temperature take-out pipe 13 and is a hot water temperature of a heat storage fluid that is circulated to the first flow part 30a of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30. The mixing ratio of the high-temperature heat storage fluid taken out from the high-temperature take-out pipe 12 and the medium-temperature heat storage fluid taken out from the medium-temperature take-out pipe 13 is adjusted by adjusting the ratio of the respective opening areas. I try to adjust it.

  The high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 is electrically connected to a hot water supply control unit 41 described later, and is controlled based on the temperature information of the heat storage fluid detected by the hot water storage thermistor 55 and the thermistor 54 before heat exchange. Is done. Incidentally, in this embodiment, when the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid detected by the hot water storage thermistor 55 (in the vicinity of the intermediate temperature extraction pipe 13) is lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 30 ° C.), the high temperature extracted from the high temperature extraction pipe 12 is high. The heat storage fluid is controlled to flow to the first flow part 30a.

  On the other hand, when the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid detected by the hot water storage thermistor 55 (in the vicinity of the intermediate temperature extraction pipe 13) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 30 ° C.), Control is performed so that both the medium-temperature heat storage fluid taken out from the medium-temperature take-out pipe 13 and the high-temperature heat storage fluid taken out from the high-temperature take-out pipe 12 are mixed and distributed to the first flow part 30a.

  Furthermore, the high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 adjusts the temperature of the hot water of the heat storage fluid flowing through the first flow portion 30a detected by the thermistor 54 before heat exchange so as to be equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, thereby adjusting the second flow portion 30b. The hot-water supply water that flows through the water is prevented from becoming below a predetermined temperature (for example, about a set temperature + 5 ° C.). Thus, more medium temperature heat storage fluid in the vicinity of a predetermined temperature (for example, 30 ° C.) than the high temperature heat storage fluid is circulated to the first flow part 30a. Further, the high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 performs feedback control based on the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid before heat exchange detected by the thermistor 54 before heat exchange.

  The first circulation pump 17 is arranged in the middle of the return pipe 15 and is a pump for circulating the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 to the hot water supply heat exchanger 30. And hot water supply control mentioned later so that a rotation speed is controlled based on the hot water temperature of the hot water for hot water exchanged from the 2nd circulation part 30b of the heat exchanger 30 for hot water supply detected by the thermistor 52 after heat exchange mentioned later. The unit 41 is electrically connected.

  In addition, the return pipe 15 is provided with a thermistor 56 after primary heat exchange for detecting the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid after the heat exchange, and based on the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid after the heat exchange, the primary side circulation channel 11. The flow rate of circulating the gas may be controlled by the first circulation pump 17. That is, by setting a restriction value for the number of rotations of the first circulation pump 17 so that the hot water temperature returned to the lower portion 10e in the hot water storage tank 10 does not exceed the predetermined temperature, the hot water temperature below the predetermined temperature is set in the hot water storage tank 10. Can be returned to the lower portion 10e. Further, a drain plug 18 is provided in the primary side circulation channel 11 and the fluid heating channel 21, and the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 and the primary side circulation channel 11 is manually drained as necessary. To be able to.

  Next, the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 is connected to the first circulation part 30a connected to the primary-side circulation passage 11 and through which the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 flows, and to the water supply pipe 31 and the hot water supply pipe 32. The second circulation part 30b is arranged in the vertical direction outside the hot water storage tank 10. The downstream end of the first circulation part 30 a is connected to the return pipe 15 so as to communicate with the lower part 10 e of the hot water storage tank 10, and the upstream end of the first circulation part 30 a is connected to the forward pipe 14.

  On the other hand, as for the 2nd circulation part 30b, the upstream end is connected to the piping 31 for water supply, and the downstream end is connected to the piping 32 for hot water supply. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 flows in the flow direction of the heat storage fluid flowing from the top to the bottom through the first circulation part 30 a and the second circulation part 30 b from the bottom to the top. It is a counterflow type heat exchanger with which the flow direction of the hot water for water which flows toward opposes.

  Further, the upstream of the water supply pipe 31 is connected to a water pipe so that the tap water is led to the second circulation part 30b. Note that a water supply thermistor 51 is provided in the water supply pipe 31 so that temperature information of tap water is output to a hot water supply control unit 41 described later. Further, the hot water supply pipe 32 has a flow rate adjusting valve 34 for adjusting the flow rate of the hot water supplied by the second circulation part 30 b, and a hot water supply at a junction of the downstream end of the hot water supply pipe 32 and the water supply pipe 31. A hot water supply mixing valve 35 serving as temperature adjusting means is provided. A hot water supply pipe 33 is connected to the outlet side of the hot water supply mixing valve 35.

  The hot water supply pipe 33 is a hot water supply pipe that leads to a hot water tap (not shown) such as a kitchen, a washroom, and a bathroom. A hot water supply thermistor 53 and a flow rate counter 58 are provided in the middle thereof. The hot water supply thermistor 53 provides temperature information in the hot water supply pipe 33, and the flow rate counter 58 provides flow information in the hot water supply pipe 33 to the hot water supply control unit 41 described later. I am trying to output. The hot water supply pipe 32 is provided with a post-heat exchange thermistor 52 that detects the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid heat-exchanged by the hot water supply heat exchanger 30, and temperature information in the hot water supply pipe 33 is described later. The data is output to the control unit 41.

  The flow rate adjustment valve 34 is a valve that adjusts the flow rate that flows through the second flow unit 30b, and is controlled by a hot water supply control unit 41, which will be described later, so that the flow rate that flows through the second flow unit 30b is less than or equal to a predetermined flow rate. That is, control is performed based on the hot water temperature of the hot water detected by the thermistor 52 after heat exchange so that the flow rate does not become excessive due to variations in the water pressure of the supplied water and the pressure loss in the hot water supply path.

  The hot water supply mixing valve 35 is a temperature adjustment valve that adjusts the temperature of hot water for hot water discharged from the hot water supply pipe 33, and by adjusting the ratio of the respective opening areas, the hot water supply water exchanged with the inner pipe 30b It is controlled to adjust the mixing ratio with tap water to the set temperature. The hot-water supply mixing valve 35 is electrically connected to a hot-water supply control unit 41, which will be described later. The hot-water supply water temperature information detected by the hot-water supply thermistor 51, the post-heat exchange thermistor 52, and the hot-water supply thermistor 53 is used. Controlled based on.

  Incidentally, the hot water temperature of the hot water supplied by the second circulation part 30b that is circulated to the hot water mixing valve 35 is set to, for example, about a set temperature + 5 ° C. That is, the flow rate circulating through the primary circulation path 11 and the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid detected by the thermistor 54 before heat exchange are controlled. The hot water supply mixing valve 35 performs feedback control based on the hot water temperature of hot water supply water detected by the hot water supply thermistor 53.

  Next, components on the bath water replenishment function side will be described. The primary side circulation channel 11a circulates the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 to the first circulation part 60a of the reheating heat exchanger 60, which is a heat exchanger to be described later, and circulates the second circulation part 60b. This is a circulation flow path for returning the heat storage fluid heat-exchanged with the bath water to be returned between the upper part 10d and the lower part 10e of the hot water storage tank 10. The primary-side circulation flow path 11a includes the high-temperature take-out pipe 12, the forward pipe 14a, the return pipe 15a, and the second circulation pump 17a.

  The upstream pipe 14 a has an upstream end connected to the middle of the high temperature extraction pipe 12, and a downstream end connected to the upstream end of the first circulation part 60 a of the reheating heat exchanger 60. The upstream end of the return pipe 15 a is connected to the upstream end of the first circulation portion 60 a, and the downstream end thereof is connected to the central portion 10 f with respect to the height direction in the hot water storage tank 10. Further, the second circulation pump 17a is arranged in the middle of the return pipe 15a, and is a pump for circulating the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 to the reheating heat exchanger 60.

  And it connects electrically to the hot water supply control part 41 mentioned later so that a rotation speed may be controlled based on the reheating temperature detected by the reheating thermistor 71 mentioned later. Incidentally, the flow rate of the high-temperature heat storage fluid to be distributed to the reheating heat exchanger 60 is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the second circulation pump 17a so that the reheating temperature does not exceed an abnormally high temperature (for example, 60 ° C.). is doing.

  Next, the reheating heat exchanger 60 has the same configuration as the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 described above, and is connected to the primary-side circulation flow path 11a so that the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 flows. It has the 1 distribution part 60a and the 2nd distribution part 30b connected to the bath water circulation circuit 61, and is arrange | positioned in the up-down direction outside the hot water storage tank 10. FIG. And the downstream end of the 1st distribution part 60a is connected to return pipe 15a so that it may connect with central part 10f of hot water storage tank 10, and the upstream end of the 1st distribution part 30a is connected to forward pipe 14a.

  On the other hand, the second circulation part 30 b has an upstream end and a downstream end connected to the bath water circulation circuit 61. As a result, the reheating heat exchanger 60, like the hot water heat exchanger 30, flows in the direction of the heat storage fluid flowing from the top to the bottom as shown by the arrows in FIG. And a counter-flow heat exchanger in which the flow direction of the bath water flowing from the bottom to the top in the second circulation portion 60b is opposed.

  Next, the bath water circulation circuit 61 includes a forward pipe 62 that guides the bath water in the bathtub to the upstream end of the second circulation part 60b, a return pipe 63 that guides the bath water heat-exchanged in the second circulation part 60b into the bathtub, and A bypass pipe 64 is used. The forward pipe 62 is provided with a water pressure sensor 65, an on-off valve 66, a third circulation pump 67, a bath water temperature thermistor 68, a flowing water switch 69, and a reheating three-way valve 70 in order from the upstream side. Further, the return pipe 63 is provided with a recirculating thermistor 71 on the downstream side.

  The water pressure sensor 65 is a sensor that detects the amount of hot water in the bathtub filled with hot water, in other words, the water pressure for obtaining the water level in the bathtub. The on-off valve 66 is an electromagnetic valve that opens and closes the bath water circulation circuit 61, and the third circulation pump 67 is an electric pump that pumps the bath water in the bathtub to the reheating heat exchanger 60. The bath water temperature thermistor 68 is a water temperature sensor that detects the hot water temperature of the bath water flowing through the forward pipe 62.

  The flowing water switch 69 is a flowing water sensor for detecting whether or not bath water and hot water supply water to be described later are circulating in the direction of the reheating three-way valve 70. The reheating three-way valve 70 is a switching valve for switching the flow direction to either one of the bypass pipe 64 that causes the bath water to flow to the reheating heat exchanger 60 or bypasses the reheating heat exchanger 60. . The reheating thermistor 71 is a water temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the bath water flowing through the return pipe 63, and is the bath water temperature that is returned into the bathtub.

  The water pressure sensor 65, the flowing water switch 69, the bath water temperature thermistor 68, and the reheating thermistor 71 are configured to output their volume information, flowing water information, and temperature information to the hot water supply control unit 41 described later. The three-circulation pump 67 and the reheating three-way valve 70 are controlled by a hot water supply control unit 41 described later. In addition, when detecting the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub after filling with hot water, the flow direction of the reheating three-way valve 70 is switched to the bypass pipe 64 side and the third circulation pump 67 is operated, so that the bath in the bathtub is operated. Water is circulated in the order of the forward pipe 62, the bypass pipe 64, the return pipe 63, and the bathtub, and the hot water temperature of the bath water is detected by the bath water temperature thermistor 68.

  Further, when reheating, the flow direction of the reflowing three-way valve 70 is switched to the reheating heat exchanger 60 side, so that the bath water in the bathtub flows in the forward pipe 62, the reheating heat exchanger 60, and the return pipe. It is circulated in the order of 63 and in the bathtub, and is controlled to circulate until the hot water temperature of the bath water detected by the bath water temperature thermistor 68 reaches a predetermined temperature.

  Next, the component in the hot water filling function to a bathtub is demonstrated. This hot water filling function is to mix hot water and tap water through the hot water supply pipes 32a and 33a and discharge to the bathtub, so that hot water and hot water including hot water can be poured. Yes. Specifically, hot water supply pipes 32 a and 33 a branched from the hot water supply pipe 32 are connected to a branch point 62 a provided in the bath water circulation circuit 61.

  A hot water filling mixing valve 35a, which is a hot water temperature adjusting means, is provided at the junction of the downstream end of the hot water supply piping 32a and the water supply piping 31, and a hot water supply piping 33a is provided on the outlet side of the hot water filling mixing valve 35a. It is connected. The hot water supply pipe 33a is provided with a hot water supply hot water supply thermistor 53a, a hot water supply open / close valve 57, a hot water supply flow rate counter 58a, and a check valve 59 in this order from the upstream side.

  The hot water filling mixing valve 35a is a temperature adjustment valve that adjusts the hot water temperature of hot water to be discharged from the hot water supply pipe 33a in the same manner as the hot water supply mixing valve 35 described above, and adjusts the respective opening area ratios. Thus, the mixing ratio between the hot water supply water and the tap water exchanged by the inner pipe 30b is adjusted to be adjusted to the set temperature. Furthermore, the hot water filling mixing valve 3a is electrically connected to a hot water supply control unit 41 described later, and hot water supply water detected by the above-described hot water supply thermistor 51, the post-heat exchange thermistor 52, and the hot water hot water supply thermistor 53a. It is controlled based on the temperature information.

  The hot water filling on / off valve 57 is an electromagnetic valve that is controlled by a hot water supply control unit 41 described later and opens and closes the mixed hot water flowing through the hot water supply pipe 33a. The hot water flow rate counter 58a detects the flow rate of the mixed hot water flowing through the hot water supply pipe 33a, and outputs the flow rate information detected by the hot water flow rate counter 58a to the hot water supply control unit 41 described later. Yes. The check valve 59 is a valve for preventing the bath water in the bath water circulation circuit 61 from flowing into the hot water supply pipe 33a.

  When the hot water filling on / off valve 57 is opened to fill the bathtub with hot water, hot water, or hot water, the on / off valve 66 is also controlled to open and detected by the water pressure sensor 65. When the water level reaches a predetermined level, the hot water on / off valve 57 and the on / off valve 66 are closed, and the set hot water is filled in the bathtub. Further, the hot water and the hot water are controlled so that the mixed hot water having a predetermined flow rate is discharged based on the flow rate information detected by the hot water filling flow rate counter 58a.

  Next, the hot water supply control unit 41 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and a built-in ROM (not shown) is provided with a preset control program, and the thermistors 51 to 55, 53a, 68, 71, the flow rate information from each flow rate counter 58, 58a, the operation signal from the operation switch provided on the operation panel (not shown), etc., in the primary side circulation passages 11, 11a, the bath water circulation circuit 61. Inside, the hot water supply pipes 32, 32a, 33, 33a are configured to control various actuators.

  Similarly to the hot water supply control unit 41, the heat source control unit 42 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and a built-in ROM (not shown) is provided with a preset control program, not shown. The actuators in the heat pump unit 20 are controlled based on temperature information from various thermistors. In this heat source control unit 42, a hot water storage thermistor (the uppermost part) that detects the temperature of the heat storage fluid after heating in order to keep the hot water temperature of the heat storage fluid heated by the heat storage heat exchanger (not shown) at a constant temperature. Based on the detected temperature 55, the rotational speed of an electric pump (not shown) is controlled.

  Here, the components required when performing the filling operation | work which fills the thermal storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10 after construction of this apparatus which is the principal part of this invention are demonstrated. In the present embodiment, tap water is used as the heat storage fluid so that tap water is introduced into the primary circulation channels 11 and 11a. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, it comprises a supply flow path 81 for supplying a heat storage fluid and a switching valve 82 for switching the flow direction.

  And the supply flow path 81 is provided so that the piping 31 for water supply and the high temperature extraction pipe | tube 12 of the primary side circulation flow paths 11 and 11a may be connected, and the non-return valve 83 is provided in the upstream. The switching valve 82 is provided in the middle of the upstream side of the high-temperature take-out pipe 12 that is upstream of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60, and one is connected to the downstream end of the supply flow path 81. ing.

  The switching valve 82 is controlled in flow direction by the hot water supply control unit 41 so that the hot water storage tank 10, the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 30 communicate with each other during normal operation. 81 and the primary-side circulation passages 11 and 11a are controlled to communicate with each other. Therefore, in other words, it can be said that the switching valve 82 is a feed port for the livestock heat fluid.

  In the present embodiment, the switching valve 82 and the supply flow path 81 are referred to as heat storage fluid supply means in the claims. By the way, the high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 normally adjusts the temperature to adjust the mixing ratio between the high temperature heat storage fluid taken out from the high temperature take-out pipe 12 and the medium temperature heat storage fluid taken out from the intermediate temperature take-out pipe 13 as described above. Although it is a valve, at the time of a filling operation, when a changeover switch (not shown) is operated, one of the high temperature side 100% opening and the medium temperature side 100% opening is set to open 100%.

  Next, the filling operation of the heat storage fluid into the hot water storage tank 10 after the construction of the present apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. First, when a test operation switch (not shown) is operated, the hot water supply control unit 41 switches the switching valve 82 in the flow direction in which the supply flow path 81 and the primary-side circulation flow paths 11 and 11a communicate with each other. Then, when the changeover switch is operated so that the high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 has a 100% opening degree on the high temperature side, tap water is introduced from the water supply pipe 31 into the primary side circulation channels 11 and 11a.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, tap water from the water supply pipe 31 is indicated by arrows a → arrow b → arrow c → reheating heat exchanger 60 → arrow d → hot water storage tank 10; The hot water storage tank 10 is filled with tap water by pumping in the order of arrow a → arrow b → arrow c1 → arrow c2 → heat exchanger 30 for hot water supply → arrow d2 → hot water storage tank 10. Thereby, the air in the flow path during this time is pumped by the tap water pressure, so that it is sent to the hot water storage tank 10 side and discharged from the air hole 10a to the outside. Accordingly, air is evacuated from the primary side circulation passages 11 and 11a.

  Note that when the high / medium temperature mixing valve 16 is 100% open on the medium temperature side, the arrow c1 shown in the figure is closed, so that no livestock heat fluid flows through the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 side, so It is pumped only to the heat exchanger 60 side. Then, tap water is supplied until the hot water storage tank 10 is full, and when full tank is detected, the test operation switch is operated to switch the flow direction of the switching valve 82 to the normal time side and the filling operation is completed. . Thereafter, the heat pump unit 20 is operated to perform a boiling operation of the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank 10, whereby a high temperature (for example, 85 ° C.) heat storage fluid is stored.

  Then, using the stored high-temperature heat storage fluid as a heat source, the first circulation pump 17 and the second circulation pump 17a are operated to circulate the heat storage fluid in the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60. Sometimes, the circulation channel can be formed without the occurrence of an air lock phenomenon in which air stays in the primary-side circulation channels 11 and 11a. Then, the hot water supplied from the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 is mixed with tap water to supply hot water to a hot water supply target area such as a kitchen, a washroom, and a bathtub, and bath water is supplied by the reheating heat exchanger 60. I can catch up.

  In this embodiment, only the tap water is used as the livestock heat fluid. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, as shown in FIG. You may comprise so that a thermal storage agent may be added to. As described above, the heat storage agent supply means 60 contains any one of the preservatives, antifreezing agents, and the like as the heat storage agent. When the heat storage fluid is filled in the hot water storage tank 10, A predetermined amount of heat storage agent is supplied to the tap water flowing through the path 81. Thereby, livestock heat agent can be easily supplied to tap water. In addition to the preservative and the antifreeze agent, for example, a water-soluble heat storage agent such as an ethylene glycol aqueous solution or a propylene glycol aqueous solution may be used.

  According to the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus of the first embodiment described above, when the hot water storage tank 10 is filled with the heat storage fluid, the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchange of the primary circulation paths 11 and 11a. By supplying the heat storage fluid from the upstream portion of the water heater 60 and pumping it to the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60 side, the hot water storage tank 10 side is filled. Since the air in the primary side circulation passages 11 and 11a is sent to the hot water storage tank 10 side by pumping the heat storage fluid from the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60 side with the water pressure, it is normal. No air lock phenomenon occurs in the piping path, and the heat storage fluid can be easily filled.

  Further, specifically, the primary side circulation passages 11 and 11a are constituted by the supply passage 81 for supplying the heat storage fluid and the switching valve 62 for switching the flow direction, so that the heat storage fluid exchanges heat for hot water supply. Since the air is sent into the hot water storage tank 10 so as to send out the air on the side of the heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60, the air lock phenomenon does not occur in the piping path and the filling operation can be facilitated.

  Further, the upstream end of the supply flow path 81 is connected to a water supply source, and the heat storage agent supply means 60 for supplying the heat storage agent to the supply flow path 81 is provided. If a water-soluble heat storage agent such as a glycol aqueous solution or a propylene glycol aqueous solution is used, it can be easily pumped to the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60 side by tap water pressure. Thereby, the filling operation | work of the fluid for thermal storage can be performed easily.

  In addition, since the hot water storage tank 10 is configured to be at atmospheric pressure or extremely low pressure, a pressure resistance design like a conventional high pressure (for example, 170 kPa) tank is unnecessary, and therefore the hot water storage tank itself is formed of resin. Can do. In this case, a press process and a welding process that are generally required for stainless steel processing are not required, and the manufacturing cost can be kept lower than before. Further, unlike the high-pressure tank, it is not necessary to form a cylindrical shape in terms of pressure resistance, and the degree of freedom in designing the tank shape can be increased.

  In addition, in the supercritical heat pump type heat pump unit 20 using a refrigerant such as carbon dioxide, since the boiling temperature is as high as about 90 to 95 ° C., the occurrence of bubbles from the heat storage fluid side is high. In addition, even if air bubbles are accumulated in the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60 and an air lock phenomenon occurs, the air bubbles can be easily expelled to the hot water storage tank 10 side according to the present embodiment. Is preferred.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the switching valve 82 as the heat storage fluid supply means, the supply flow path 81, and the heat storage agent are added to the high-temperature take-out pipe 12 that is the upstream portion of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60. Although the supply means 60 was provided, it is not restricted to this, You may provide in the return pipes 15 and 15a which are the downstream parts of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the supply flow path 81 is provided so as to connect the water supply pipe 31 and the return pipes 15 and 15a of the primary-side circulation flow paths 11 and 11a. The switching valve 82 is provided in the middle of the return pipes 15, 15 a that are downstream of the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60, and one of them is connected to the downstream end of the supply flow path 81. Yes. The switching valve 82 is controlled by the hot water supply control unit 41 so that the hot water storage tank 10, the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 30 communicate with each other at normal times. It controls so that the path | route 81 and the primary side circulation flow paths 11 and 11a may connect.

  According to the above configuration, when filling the hot water storage tank 10 with livestock heat fluid, as shown in FIG. 4, tap water is supplied from the water supply pipe 31 to the arrow a → arrow b → hot water supply heat. Pump 30 is pumped in the order of arrow 30 → arrow c → arrow d → hot water storage tank 10, arrow a → arrow b 1 → reheating heat exchanger 60 → arrow d → hot water storage tank 10, and tap water is supplied into the hot water storage tank 10. The tank is filled up. Thereby, the air in the flow path during this time is pumped by the tap water pressure, so that it is sent to the hot water storage tank 10 side and discharged from the air hole 10a to the outside. Accordingly, air is evacuated from the primary side circulation passages 11 and 11a.

  Thereby, the air in the primary side circulation channels 11 and 11a is sent to the hot water storage tank 10 side by pumping the heat storage fluid from the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60 side with the water pressure. Therefore, there is no occurrence of an air lock phenomenon in the piping path at normal times, and the heat storage fluid can be easily filled.

(Third embodiment)
In the above embodiment, the upstream end of the supply flow path 81 is configured to be connected to the water supply pipe 31. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the heat storage agent is a fluid heat storage agent, a storage that stores the fluid heat storage agent. The container 80a may be connected to the upstream end of the supply flow path 81, and the fluid heat storage agent in the storage container 80a may be supplied as heat storage fluid into the primary-side circulation flow paths 11 and 11a.

  However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the supply flow path 81 is provided with a pumping pump 84 that is a pumping means for pumping the fluid heat storage agent from the storage container 80 a. When the hot water storage tank 10 is filled with a heat storage fluid, the switching valve 62 communicates with the hot water supply heat exchanger 30, the reheating heat exchanger 60, and the supply flow path 81 in the same manner as in the above embodiment. By switching to the flowing direction and operating the pressure feed pump 84, the hot water storage tank 10 can be filled with the heat storage fluid after being pumped to the hot water supply heat exchanger 30 and the reheating heat exchanger 60 side. Thereby, there exists an effect similar to 1st, 2nd embodiment.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the hot water storage tank 10 does not necessarily need to use a resin material, and may be formed of a metal material. Moreover, the shape of the hot water storage tank 10 may not be a rectangular parallelepiped shape but may be a cylindrical shape, for example. In addition, although the hot water storage tank 10 is formed in an open air type, a hot water storage tank having a sealed type structure may be used. In this case, however, parts for protecting the tank such as a pressure reducing valve and a pressure relief valve are required.

  In the above embodiment, the heat pump unit 20 using carbon dioxide as a refrigerant has been described as a heat source device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a general heat pump cycle using a refrigerant such as chlorofluorocarbon or alternative chlorofluorocarbon may be used.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a form figure which shows the water conveyance form of the fluid for livestock heat when filling the fluid for livestock heat in the hot water storage tank 10 in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the hot water storage type hot-water supply apparatus in the modification of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the hot water storage type hot-water supply apparatus in the modification of 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Hot water storage tank 11, 11a ... Primary side circulation flow path 20 ... Heat pump unit (heating means)
30 ... Heat exchanger for hot water supply (heat exchanger for heating)
30a, 60a ... 1st distribution part 30b, 60b ... 2nd distribution part 60 ... Reheating heat exchanger (heat exchanger for heating)
80 ... thermal storage agent supply means 80a ... storage container 81 ... supply flow path (heat storage fluid supply means)
82. Switching valve (heat storage fluid supply means)
84: Pressure feed pump (pressure feed means)

Claims (6)

A hot water storage tank (10) for storing therein a heat storage fluid heated by heating means (20) comprising a heat pump cycle;
A first circulation part (30a, 60a) through which the heat storage fluid in the hot water storage tank (10) circulates and a second circulation part (30b, 60b) through which the heated fluid circulates are provided adjacent to each other, and the heat storage fluid And a heated heat exchanger (30, 60) configured so that the fluid to be heated and the fluid to be heated are opposed to each other,
The downstream end of the first circulation part (30a, 60a) is configured to communicate with the lower part of the hot water storage tank (10), and the hot water storage tank (10) is heated by the heating means (20). of the heat storage fluid which is stored, the high temperature of at least one of said first flow portion of the thermal storage fluid in the heat storage fluid and medium temperature (30a, 60a) primary is configured to flow to the side side circulating passage (11 11a), a hot water storage type hot water supply device comprising:
The primary circulation path (11, 11a) has a supply flow path (81) whose upstream end is connected to a water supply source and a switching valve (82) for switching the flow direction of the heat storage fluid to store heat. Heat storage fluid supply means (81, 82) for supplying a working fluid is provided,
When the heat storage fluid is filled in the hot water storage tank (10), the heat storage fluid is supplied from either the upstream portion or the downstream portion of the heating heat exchanger (30, 60), and the heating storage fluid is supplied. A hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus configured to fill the hot water storage tank (10) side after being pumped to the heat exchanger (30, 60) side. Before Symbol heat storage fluid supply means (81, 82) supplies said when filling the thermal storage fluid in the hot water storage tank (10), a heat storage fluid to the heating heat exchanger (30, 60) side The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus is configured as described above.   The heat storage fluid supply means (81, 82) is provided with heat storage agent supply means (80) for supplying a heat storage agent to the supply flow path (81). Hot water storage water heater.   The heat storage fluid supply means (81 82) pressure-feeds the storage container (80a) for storing the heat storage fluid and the heat storage fluid in the storage container (80a) to the supply channel (81). The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a pressure feeding means (84).   The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hot water storage tank (10) is configured to have an atmospheric pressure or an extremely low pressure.   The said heating means (20) is a supercritical heat pump cycle in which the high-pressure side pressure of the refrigerant is equal to or higher than the critical pressure, and heats the heat storage fluid with the refrigerant whose pressure is increased to the critical pressure or higher. The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus as described in any one of thru | or 5.

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