JP7206943B2 - Storage hot water heater - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage hot water heater.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a power generation unit, a hot water storage unit having a hot water storage tank, and heats water in the lower part of the hot water storage tank using waste heat generated by the power generation unit during power generation to produce hot water. and a heat recovery circuit for returning hot water, and in which piping for returning hot water to the upper part of the hot water storage tank is in heat exchange contact with the hot water storage tank.

JP 2010-270942 A

A lower pipe connected to the lower part of the hot water storage tank is likely to be exposed to low temperatures. In winter, there is a concern that the lower pipe may freeze.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a hot water storage type hot water heater which has a simple structure and is advantageous in preventing freezing of the lower piping of the hot water storage tank. do.

A hot water storage type hot water heater according to the present invention has a cylindrical tank body and a lower end plate joined to the lower end of the tank body. A lower pipe having one end and a thermal connection portion thermally connected to the surface of the tank body, wherein the pipe forming the thermal connection is connected without other members It is in contact with the surface of the tank body.
Further, a hot water storage type hot water heater according to the present invention includes a hot water storage tank having a cylindrical tank body, a lower end plate joined to a lower end of the tank body, a first end connected to the lower end plate, A lower pipe having a thermal connection part thermally connected to the surface of the tank body, a first heat insulating material covering the thermal connection part, and a body heat insulating material covering the tank body. The first heat insulating material is formed integrally with the body heat insulating material via a detachable connecting part, and the first heat insulating material can be removed from the body heat insulating material by cutting off the connecting part. be.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hot water storage type hot water heater which has a simple configuration and is advantageous in preventing freezing of the lower pipe of the hot water storage tank.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a hot water storage tank unit included in the hot water storage type water heater according to Embodiment 1; 2 is an exploded perspective view of a hot water storage tank unit provided in the hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Fig. 2 is a front view of a hot water tank unit included in the hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of a side cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of a side cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a hot water storage tank unit included in the hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 2;

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Elements that are common or correspond to each figure are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are simplified or omitted.

Embodiment 1.
1 is a perspective view of a hot water storage tank unit 1 included in a hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the hot water tank unit 1 included in the hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 3 is a front view of the hot water storage tank unit 1 included in the hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 1. FIG. As shown in these figures, the hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 1 includes a hot water storage tank unit 1 . The hot water storage tank unit 1 includes a hot water storage tank 10, a heat insulating material covering the hot water storage tank 10, and a lower pipe 30. - 特許庁In the present embodiment, a head heat insulator 21 , a front body heat insulator 22 , a rear body heat insulator 23 , and a bottom heat insulator 24 are provided as heat insulators covering the hot water storage tank 10 . 2 is an exploded view showing a state in which the head heat insulating material 21, the front body heat insulating material 22, and the rear body heat insulating material 23 are removed from the hot water storage tank 10. As shown in FIG.

Hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank 10 by forming a temperature stratification in which the upper side has a higher temperature and the lower side has a lower temperature due to the difference in the specific gravity of the water depending on the temperature. For example, the hot water storage tank 10 can store low-temperature water supplied from a water source such as an external water supply on the lower layer side, and store high-temperature water heated by a heating means (not shown) on the upper layer side. The heating means may have any structure, and may be, for example, a heat pump unit that heats water using a refrigerating cycle, or an electric heater arranged in the hot water storage tank 10 .

The hot water storage tank unit 1 includes an exterior body (not shown) that forms an outer shell. 1 to 3 show the state in which the exterior body is removed. The exterior body has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The exterior body is made of metal, for example. The hot water storage tank 10 is arranged inside the exterior body while being covered with the heat insulating material. A plurality of legs 9 are installed under the hot water tank 10. - 特許庁These legs 9 support and fix the hot water storage tank unit 1 to the ground or a pedestal. In the following description, as a general rule, the vertical direction is specified based on the attitude of the hot water storage tank unit 1 installed as shown in FIG. Various functional components such as pipes, pumps, valves, heat exchangers, and sensors are arranged inside the exterior body, but description and illustration of components other than the lower pipe 30 are omitted.

The hot water tank 10 is made of metal such as stainless steel. As shown in FIG. 2, the hot water storage tank 10 has a cylindrical tank body 10a, an upper end plate 10b, and a lower end plate 10c. The hot water storage tank 10 is installed in such a posture that the central axis of the tank body 10a is parallel to the vertical line. The upper end plate 10b is joined to the upper end of the tank body 10a so as to block the opening of the upper end. The lower end plate 10c is joined to the lower end of the tank body 10a so as to block the opening of the lower end. Each of the upper end plate 10b and the lower end plate 10c has a bowl-like shape.

Each of the head heat insulating material 21, the front body heat insulating material 22, the rear body heat insulating material 23, and the bottom heat insulating material 24 is made of foamed plastic such as foamed polystyrene or foamed polyurethane, and is molded into a predetermined shape. It is The head heat insulating material 21 covers an area including at least a portion of the upper end plate 10b that forms the head of the hot water storage tank 10 . A front body heat insulating material 22 and a rear body heat insulating material 23 cover the tank body 10a. The front body heat insulating material 22 covers about half of the front side of the tank body 10a. The rear body portion heat insulating material 23 covers approximately half the circumference of the rear side of the tank body portion 10a. The bottom heat insulating material 24 covers an area including at least a portion of the lower end plate 10c forming the bottom of the hot water storage tank 10 . In the present embodiment, the heat insulating material covering the hot water storage tank 10 is roughly divided into the four heat insulating materials described above. It is not limited. Also, as the heat insulating material covering the hot water storage tank 10, materials other than foamed plastic (for example, glass wool, vacuum heat insulating material, etc.) may be used.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of a side cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower pipe 30 includes a first end 30a connected to the lower end plate 10c, a thermal connection 30b thermally connected to the surface of the tank body 10a, and a first It has a second end 30c which is the opposite end to the end 30a. The lower pipe 30 is made of metal, for example. The thermal connection portion 30b forms a part of the lower pipe 30 in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the side surface of the pipe forming the thermal connection portion 30b is in contact with the surface of the tank body portion 10a without any other member, so that heat can be conducted between the two. Instead of such a configuration, the pipe forming the thermal connection portion 30b and the surface of the tank body portion 10a may be in contact with each other via a thermally conductive material so that heat can be conducted between them. Examples of thermally conductive materials that can be used include metal members, ceramic members, thermally conductive greases, thermally conductive adhesives, and thermally conductive sheets. The second end 30c is connected to functional components such as pumps, valves, heat exchangers, or other piping (not shown).

When the hot water storage type hot water heater is used, the low temperature water at the bottom of the hot water storage tank 10 flows out of the hot water storage tank 10 through the lower pipe 30, or the low temperature water supplied from the water source flows through the lower pipe 30 into the hot water storage tank. It flows into 10. The temperature in the hot water storage tank 10 increases from bottom to top. Therefore, the temperature of the surface of the tank body 10a is higher than the temperature of the surface of the lower end plate 10c. As a result, heat flows from the tank body portion 10a to the thermal connection portion 30b, and the thermal connection portion 30b is heated by the heat of the tank body portion 10a. Moreover, the thermal connection portion 30b in the present embodiment extends linearly along the axial direction of the tank body portion 10a. As a result, the thermal connection portion 30b can be more reliably brought into contact with the surface of the tank body portion 10a over the entire length of the thermal connection portion 30b, and the formation of a gap therebetween can be more reliably prevented. Therefore, the amount of heat conducted from the tank body 10a to the thermal connection portion 30b can be increased.

The hot water storage tank unit 1 is often installed outdoors. If the thermal connection part 30b were not provided, the low-temperature water in the lower pipe 30 could freeze when the outside air temperature drops below freezing in winter. In contrast, in the present embodiment, provision of the thermal connection portion 30b allows the low-temperature water in the lower pipe 30 to be heated by the heat of the tank body portion 10a. Therefore, freezing of the low-temperature water in the lower pipe 30 can be reliably suppressed. Further, according to the present embodiment, the above effects can be achieved with a simple configuration without increasing the number of parts. Furthermore, unlike the case where, for example, an anti-freezing heater is provided, the above effects can be achieved without consuming power.

Lower pipe 30 in the present embodiment does not have a portion in contact with the surface of lower end plate 10c. That is, the lower pipe 30 is not thermally connected to the lower end plate 10c other than the first end portion 30a is connected to the lower end plate 10c, and does not conduct heat with the lower end plate 10c. are arranged as Since the temperature of the lower end plate 10c is lower than that of the tank body 10a, if the lower pipe 30 is in contact with the lower end plate 10c, the heat of the lower pipe 30 flows to the lower end plate 10c, and the lower pipe 30 is heated by the lower end plate 10c. may be cooled. In contrast, in the present embodiment, cooling of the lower pipe 30 by the lower end plate 10c can be reliably prevented, which is more advantageous in preventing freezing of the lower pipe 30. FIG.

The storage-type water heater of the present embodiment includes a first heat insulating material 22b that covers the thermal connection portion 30b. The thermal connection portion 30b is arranged between the tank body portion 10a and the first heat insulating material 22b. In the present embodiment, the provision of the first heat insulating material 22b provides the following effects. It is possible to prevent the heat of the thermal connection portion 30b heated by the tank body portion 10a from dissipating to the outside air. Therefore, it is more advantageous to prevent freezing of the lower pipe 30 . In particular, in the present embodiment, since the thermal connection portion 30b is in contact with the first heat insulating material 22b, it is possible to more reliably prevent the heat of the thermal connection portion 30b from dissipating to the outside air.

The thermal connection portion 30b may be fixed to the tank body 10a, or may be in contact with the tank body 10a without being fixed. When the thermal connection portion 30b is not fixed to the tank body portion 10a, the thermal connection portion 30b can be pressed against the tank body portion 10a by the first heat insulating material 22b. Separation from the trunk portion 10a can be more reliably prevented.

The first heat insulating material 22b in the present embodiment is formed integrally with the front body heat insulating material 22. As shown in FIG. That is, the first heat insulating material 22b is a part of the front body heat insulating material 22. As shown in FIG. As a result, in this embodiment, the above effects can be achieved without increasing the number of parts.

The lower pipe 30 in this embodiment has a first horizontal portion 30d, a vertical portion 30e, a second horizontal portion 30f, and a third horizontal portion 30g. One end of the first horizontal portion 30d is connected to the first end portion 30a via a bent portion. The first horizontal portion 30d extends horizontally at a position lower than the lowest portion of the lower end plate 10c. Regarding the horizontal position, the first horizontal portion 30d extends outward from the surface of the tank body 10a from the first end 30a. A lower end of the vertical portion 30e is connected to the other end of the first horizontal portion 30d via a bent portion. The vertical portion 30 e extends vertically upward from the bent portion outside the bottom heat insulating material 24 . One end of the second horizontal portion 30f is connected to the upper end of the vertical portion 30e via a bent portion. The second horizontal portion 30f extends horizontally from the bent portion to approach the surface of the tank body portion 10a. A lower end of the thermal connection portion 30b is connected to the other end of the second horizontal portion 30f via a bent portion. The thermal connection portion 30b extends vertically upward from the bent portion. One end of the third horizontal portion 30g is connected to the upper end of the thermal connection portion 30b via a bent portion. The third horizontal portion 30g extends from the bent portion in a direction away from the surface of the tank body portion 10a. The second end portion 30c is positioned at the tip of the third horizontal portion 30g.

The thermal connecting portion 30b, the second horizontal portion 30f, the third horizontal portion 30g, and the second end portion 30c are positioned above the mating surfaces of the bottom heat insulating material 24 and the front body heat insulating material 22. As shown in FIG.

The front body heat insulating material 22 has an opening 22a and a notch 22c. The second horizontal portion 30f corresponds to a portion extending from the thermal connection portion 30b to the outside of the front body heat insulating material 22 through the notch portion 22c. The third horizontal portion 30g corresponds to a portion extending from the thermal connection portion 30b to the outside of the front body heat insulating material 22 through the opening 22a. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 22a is a hole penetrating from the inner surface to the outer surface of the front body heat insulating material 22. As shown in FIG. The notch portion 22c has a shape obtained by notching a portion of the lower end portion of the front body heat insulating material 22, which serves as a mating surface with the bottom heat insulating material 24. As shown in FIG. A first heat insulating material 22b is positioned between the opening 22a and the notch 22c.

An assembly process for manufacturing the hot water storage tank unit 1 is as follows, for example. First, the bottom heat insulating material 24 covering the lower end plate 10c is attached to the hot water storage tank 10. As shown in FIG. Next, the lower pipe 30 is connected to the lower end plate 10c. In this state, a water pressure inspection is performed to confirm the welded portion of the hot water storage tank 10 . If this inspection is passed, the step of attaching the remaining heat insulating material parts, that is, the head heat insulating material 21, the front body heat insulating material 22, and the rear body heat insulating material 23, to the hot water storage tank 10 is carried out.

Thus, the lower pipe 30 is already attached to the hot water tank 10 when the front body heat insulating material 22 is attached to the hot water tank 10 . As described above, part of the lower pipe 30 is located above the position of the mating surface between the bottom heat insulating material 24 and the front body heat insulating material 22 . Therefore, when attaching the front body heat insulating material 22 to the hot water tank 10, it may be necessary to avoid the lower pipe 30, which may cause deterioration in assembly workability.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, the front body heat insulating material 22 is provided with the opening 22a and the notch 22c, so that the lower pipe 30 can be removed when the front body heat insulating material 22 is attached. The avoidance operation becomes easy, and deterioration of the assembly workability can be reliably suppressed. In particular, in this embodiment, when attaching the front body heat insulating material 22, by moving the front body heat insulating material 22 in the horizontal direction with respect to the hot water storage tank 10, the second horizontal portion 30f and the third horizontal portion The portion 30g can be inserted into the notch 22c and the opening 22a, respectively. As a result, when attaching the front body heat insulating material 22, it is not necessary to lift the front body heat insulating material 22 to avoid the lower pipe 30, so that the assembling workability can be further improved. An effect similar to the above effect can be obtained even when the front body heat insulating material 22 has only one of the opening 22a and the notch 22c.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a part of a side cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the first heat insulating material 22b may have at least one protrusion 22d in contact with the thermal connection portion 30b. The convex portion 22d protrudes from the inner wall surface 22e of the first heat insulating material 22b. The convex portion 22d is elastically deformable. The convex portion 22d is compressed by being pressed against the thermal connection portion 30b. The restoring force of the compressed convex portion 22d presses the thermal connection portion 30b against the surface of the tank body portion 10a. In the present embodiment, even if the thermal connection portion 30b is not fixed to the tank body portion 10a, the thermal connection portion 30b is secured to the tank body portion 10a by the restoring force of the compressed convex portion 22d. You can more reliably prevent you from leaving. In addition, the deformation of the convex portion 22d can absorb variations in the dimensions of each part and variations in assembly, so that the thermal connection portion 30b can be securely attached to the surface of the tank body portion 10a without being affected by these variations. It is possible to press. When the protrusions 22d are provided at a plurality of locations, the above effects can be obtained more reliably.

Embodiment 2.
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6, focusing on differences from the first embodiment described above, and the description of the same or corresponding parts will be simplified or omitted. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the hot water storage tank unit 1 included in the hot water storage type hot water heater according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the first heat insulating material 22b can be removed from the front body heat insulating material 22. As shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the first heat insulating material 22b is removed from the front body heat insulating material 22. As shown in FIG. When the first heat insulating material 22b is removed from the front body heat insulating material 22, the front body heat insulating material 22 is formed with a notch 22f. The notch 22f has a vertically elongated shape. The thermal connection portion 30b, the second horizontal portion 30f, and the third horizontal portion 30g of the lower pipe 30 are located inside the notch portion 22f. The first heat insulating material 22b can be attached to the front body heat insulating material 22 by inserting the first heat insulating material 22b into the notch 22f. When the first heat insulating material 22b is attached to the front body heat insulating material 22, the opening 22a is formed by the portion of the cutout 22f above the first heat insulating material 22b, and the first cutout 22f A notch portion 22c is formed by a portion below the heat insulating material 22b.

In this embodiment, by removing the first heat insulating material 22b from the front body heat insulating material 22, the lower pipe 30 can be removed from the hot water tank 10 without removing the front body heat insulating material 22 from the hot water tank 10. . Thereby, since the lower pipe 30 can be easily replaced, the maintenance of the lower pipe 30 can be easily performed.

The first heat insulating material 22b may be configured as a separate body from the front body heat insulating material 22 . That is, the first heat insulating material 22b may be manufactured as a component separate from the front body heat insulating material 22. As shown in FIG. This makes it possible to easily manufacture the first heat insulating material 22b. In this case, the first heat insulating material 22b may be of the same material as the front body heat insulating material 22, or may be of a material different from that of the front body heat insulating material 22.

Alternatively, a detachable connecting portion may be provided between the first heat insulating material 22b and the front body heat insulating material 22, and the first heat insulating material 22b and the front body heat insulating material 22 may be integrally formed. In this case, for example, when the lower pipe 30 needs to be replaced, the first heat insulating material 22b can be removed from the front body heat insulating material 22 by disconnecting the connecting portion. The connecting portion may be formed to be thinner than other portions, for example. By doing so, the connecting portion can be easily separated when necessary.

1 hot water storage tank unit 9 legs 10 hot water storage tank 10a tank body 10b upper end plate 10c lower end plate 21 head heat insulating material 22 front body heat insulating material 22a opening 22b first heat insulating material 22c cut Notch portion 22d Protruding portion 22e Inner wall surface 22f Notch portion 23 Rear body heat insulating material 24 Bottom heat insulating material 30 Lower pipe 30a First end 30b Thermal connection 30c Second end 30d first horizontal section, 30e vertical section, 30f second horizontal section, 30g third horizontal section

Claims (8)

A hot water storage tank made of metal and having a cylindrical tank body and a lower end plate joined to the lower end of the tank body;
a lower pipe having a first end connected to the lower end plate and a thermal connection portion thermally connected to the surface of the tank body;
with
A hot water storage type water heater, wherein the pipe forming the thermal connection part is in contact with the surface of the tank body without any other member interposed therebetween. a hot water storage tank having a cylindrical tank body and a lower end plate joined to the lower end of the tank body;
a lower pipe having a first end connected to the lower end plate and a thermal connection portion thermally connected to the surface of the tank body;
a first heat insulating material covering the thermal connection;
a trunk heat insulating material covering the tank trunk;
with
The first heat insulating material is formed integrally with the body heat insulating material via a separable connecting portion,
A hot water storage type hot water heater, wherein the first heat insulating material can be removed from the body heat insulating material by disconnecting the connecting portion. 3. The hot water storage type hot water heater according to claim 1, wherein the lower pipe does not have a portion in contact with the surface of the lower end plate. 2. The hot water storage type water heater according to claim 1, further comprising a first heat insulating material covering said thermal connecting portion. The hot water storage type hot water heater according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the thermal connecting portion is in contact with the first heat insulating material. The hot water storage type hot water heater according to any one of claims 2, 4, and 5, wherein the first heat insulating material has at least one convex portion in contact with the thermal connection portion. A trunk heat insulating material covering the tank trunk,
5. The hot water storage type water heater according to claim 4, wherein the first heat insulating material is configured separately from the body heat insulating material. A trunk heat insulating material covering the tank trunk,
The body heat insulating material has an opening or a notch,
The hot water storage according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lower pipe has a portion extending from the thermal connection portion through the opening or the cutout portion to the outside of the body heat insulating material. water heater.

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