JPH0740926Y2 - Water heater - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a hot water supply device.

(Prior Art) As a conventional example of a water heater, there is, for example, JP-A-55-89653. The apparatus configuration is shown in FIG. 4, in which reference numeral 31 is a hot water supply heat source unit, and in this hot water supply heat source unit 31, a compressor 32, a hot water supply heat exchanger 33 acting as a condenser, and a throttle 34, the air heat exchanger 35 acting as an evaporator is connected by a series of refrigerant pipes to form a refrigeration cycle. On the other hand, in the figure, reference numeral 36 denotes a hot water storage tank, a water supply pipe 37 is connected to a lower position of the hot water storage tank 36, and a hot water supply pipe 38 is connected to an upper position thereof. Water circulation pipes 39 are provided, which connect the and the heat exchangers 33 to the hot water supply heat exchanger 33, respectively. A pump 40 is installed in this water circulation pipe 39.
By operating this pump 40, the stored hot water in the hot water storage tank 36 circulates from the lower side to the upper side through the hot water supply heat exchanger 33, and at this time, the refrigeration is performed. The circulating water is heated by the heat of condensation in the hot water supply heat exchanger 33 in the cycle.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional water heater, the hot water storage tank 36
The hot water stored in the
Since it employs a configuration in which the heat of condensation of the refrigeration cycle is used to heat, there is a drawback that sufficient energy efficiency (hereinafter referred to as EER) cannot be obtained, especially when the set temperature is high. This is because, in the refrigeration cycle as described above, when the stored hot water temperature is low, a sufficient EER can be obtained, but the EER sharply decreases as the stored hot water temperature rises. Further, in the hot water supply device, the set temperature is set with reference to the highest hot water temperature required for use, and since the entire amount in the hot water storage tank 36 is heated to the set temperature, low temperature hot water is required. In doing so, high-temperature hot water having a high energy unit price as described above is used by being mixed with tap water, and wasteful energy is also used in this respect.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and an object thereof is to provide a hot water supply device capable of improving energy efficiency and saving energy as compared with the prior art.

(Means for Solving Problems) Therefore, in the hot water supply device of the present invention, a plurality of hot water storage tanks 1 each having a hot water supply port 3 and a hot water supply port 2 are arranged in parallel, and each hot water supply port is provided.
While 3a to 3c are connected to the hot water supply pipe 5, each of the water supply ports 2a to 2c is connected to the water supply pipe 4 to which a water supply pressure is applied, and the hot water in each hot water storage tank 1a to 1c is supplied to the heating unit 11 by the heat pump system. A hot water supply device that circulates and circulates heat through the circulation paths 13 and 16, wherein the hot water heated by the heating unit 11 is provided at the bottom of some of the hot water storage tanks 1a to 1c. An electric heater 25 that uses late-night power is arranged to heat up to a higher temperature, and each of the water supply ports 2a to
A hot water storage tank in which the 2c is provided with open / close valves 21a to 21c for switching between communication with the water supply pipe 4 and disconnection, and when the high-temperature hot water discharge request is made, the electric heater 25 is provided. Open / close valve 21c provided for water inlet 2c of 1c
On the other hand, when a low-temperature hot water discharge request is made, the open / close valves 21a, 21b provided for the water supply ports 2a, 2b of the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b not provided with the electric heater 25 are opened. It is characterized by the provision of a control device that operates.

(Operation) In the hot water supply device described above, the hot water heated to a certain temperature by the heating unit 11 of the heat pump system,
It is possible to supply the hot water to each hot water storage tank 1a, 1b, 1c, and in some of the tanks 1c, the electric heater 25 provided at the bottom of the hot water storage tanks 1c can further heat the hot water to a higher temperature. That is, while the low temperature hot water is obtained by the heating unit 11 of the heat pump system within the favorable temperature range of the EER, the high temperature hot water is obtained by heating the low temperature hot water by the electric heater 25, thereby performing an energy efficient heating operation. Is possible. Moreover, in the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b, and 1c, both the high-temperature hot water and the low-temperature hot water are stored in separate hot water storage tanks, so that even if they are stored for a long time, the two do not mix. For that reason, both the hot water temperature and the hot water amount are not required so much, and in the morning to the daytime, low water with a low energy unit price is used. It is also possible to perform an efficient use operation, such as using high-temperature hot water during the evening to night hours.

The hot water and low temperature hot water are stored in separate hot water storage tanks 1a,
Since it is possible to select hot water from 1b and 1c and to discharge the hot water, it is possible to save energy by properly using the hot springs without mixing them due to use.

(Embodiment) Next, a specific embodiment of the hot water supply device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a main part of the hot water supply device according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, this hot water supply device has a plurality of hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b, 1c arranged side by side,
Each hot water storage tank 1a, 1b, 1c has a water inlet 2a at its lower end,
2b and 2c are formed, and hot water supply ports 3a, 3b and 3c are formed at the upper ends of the water supply ports 2a, 2b and 2c, respectively.
The hot water supply ports 3a, 3b, 3c are connected to the hot water supply pipe 5, respectively. In addition, the water supply port 2 of each hot water storage tank 1a, 1b, 1c
On-off valves 21a, 21b, 21c are connected to a, 2b, 2c, respectively. This is because the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1a connected to the opening / closing valve 21a that is selectively opened when the scallop (not shown) on the tip side of the hot water supply pipe 5 is opened. The tap water is supplied through the pipe 4 so that hot water can be supplied in a push-up manner. Further, an electric heater 25, which operates only at midnight, is arranged at the bottom of a specific tank 1c among the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b, 1c.

When there is a request for high-temperature hot water to be used for bathing, etc. from evening to night, the hot water storage tank 1c provided with the electric heater 25 is provided with respect to the water supply port 2c of the hot water storage tank 1c in order to discharge hot water. While opening the above-mentioned open / close valve 21c, for example, when there is a low-temperature hot water discharge request in the use from morning to daytime, to discharge hot water from the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b in which the electric heater 25 is not provided, A control device is provided for controlling the opening / closing valves 21a, 21b provided for the water supply ports 2a, 2b of the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b.

On the other hand, in FIG. 1, 6 is each hot water storage tank 1a, 1 described above.
It is an auxiliary tank having a smaller capacity than b and 1c, and this auxiliary tank 6 is provided with an intake port 7 and a water supply port 8 at its lower end side, and these intake ports 7 and 8 are The heating forward pipe 9 and the heating return pipe 10 are connected to a hot water supply heat exchanger 11 as a heating unit of the heat pump system, and a water circulation path is formed between the auxiliary tank 6 and the hot water supply heat exchanger 11. Has been done. The hot-water supply heat exchanger 11 functions as a condenser in a refrigeration cycle, and is connected to a compressor, an evaporator, a pressure reducing mechanism, and the like (not shown) by a refrigerant pipe, thereby constituting a heat pump system. That is, when the compressor is operated to circulate the refrigerant, the hot water supply heat exchanger 11 condenses the refrigerant, and the heat of condensation is applied to the hot and cold water circulating in the hot water supply heat exchanger 11. , This hot water is designed to be heated.

A hot water supply port 12 formed on the upper side of the auxiliary tank 6 is connected to the hot water supply pipe 5 by a hot water supply connection pipe 13. In addition, the auxiliary tank 6 is attached to the heating forward pipe 9.
From the side, a three-way valve 14 and a circulation pump 15 are sequentially interposed, and the three-way valve 14 is further connected to the water supply pipe 4 by a water supply connection pipe 16. The three-way valve 14 is a pump 15
The connection state is switched between the water intake 7 side of the auxiliary tank 6 and the water supply ports 2a, 2b, 2c side of the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b, 1c. Although not shown, each of the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b, 1c is provided with a total of four thermistors in the vertical direction so that the hot water temperature can be detected at each water level by these thermistors. The auxiliary tank 6 is also equipped with a thermistor for detecting the internal hot water temperature.

Next, the operating state of the hot water supply device having the above-described configuration will be described. However, for convenience of description, when the specific opening / closing valve 21a is opened and a low temperature hot water of, for example, about 40 ° C. is supplied into the specific hot water storage tank 1a. The operating state of will be described.

First, the heating operation when the entire hot water storage tank 1a is in a water supply water temperature state of about 10 ° C. will be described. At this time, the three-way valve 14 is positioned on the water intake 7 side of the auxiliary tank 6, and the operation of the pump 15 and the operation of the refrigeration cycle are started.
In this state, the water in the auxiliary tank 6 is sucked from the water intake 7 by the action of the pump 15, and the hot water heat exchanger 11
Sent to and heated, and from the heating return pipe 10 to the water supply port 8
The circulation for returning to the inside of the auxiliary tank 6 is continued. When the hot water temperature in the auxiliary tank 6 reaches the set temperature by continuing this operation, that is, in the boiling process diagram shown in FIG. 2 (a), the three-way valve 14 is used. , The pump 15 is switched to the connection state to the water supply port 2a side of the hot water storage tank 1a. As a result, the water on the lower side in the hot water storage tank 1a is sucked by the pump 15, passes through the heating forward pipe 9, the hot water supply heat exchanger 11, and the heating return pipe 10, and the auxiliary water is supplied through the water supply port 8 of the auxiliary tank 6. It flows into the tank 6.
By this inflow of water, the heated hot water in the auxiliary tank 6 up to that point is pushed upward, and as shown in FIG. 2B, the hot water is supplied from the hot water supply port 12 of the auxiliary tank 6 through the hot water supply connection pipe 13. It flows into the upper part of 1a. By continuing this state for a predetermined time, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the hot water heated to the set temperature in the auxiliary tank 6 is at the upper position of the hot water storage tank 1a, and at the same time, the hot water storage tank 1a The water existing on the lower side is transferred into the auxiliary tank 6 for replacement. After a lapse of time, which is expected to end the replacement, the connection between the pump 15 and the pump 15 is switched to the intake port 7 side of the auxiliary tank 6 by the three-way valve 14 again so that the auxiliary tank 6 and the hot water heat exchanger 11 are connected to each other. The water is circulated and the water in the auxiliary tank 6 is heated. During this heating, in the hot water storage tank 1a, hot water having a set temperature is located on the upper side and water having a lower temperature is located on the lower side. Can be supplied.

FIG. 2 (d) shows a state in which the hot water in the auxiliary tank 6 has reached the set temperature again. In this state, by switching the three-way valve 14 in the same manner as described above, this heated hot water is changed to the temperature shown in FIG. As shown in (e), the replacement is carried to the upper side of the hot water storage tank 1a. This transferred hot water is also stored on the upper side by pushing down the previously heated hot water. As a result, the hot water of the set temperature is present on the upper side of the hot water storage tank 1a, and the water of the feed water temperature state is present on the lower side of the hot water storage tank 1a in a substantially separated manner. It is possible to supply the hot water in the set temperature state without waiting until the whole reaches the set temperature.

Then, after repeating such an operation to fill the specific hot water storage tank 1a with warm water, the on-off valve 21a is closed, and
The next on-off valve 21b is opened, hot water is supplied to the next hot water storage tank 1b in the same procedure as described above, and thereafter, hot water is sequentially supplied to the subsequent hot water storage tank 1c in the same procedure as described above. Supply.

On the other hand, in the hot water storage tank 1c provided with the electric heater 25, the low temperature hot water (about 40 ° C.) supplied as described above is heated to a higher temperature than 2 The electric heater 25 heats up to a preset temperature (for example, about 65 ° C.).

As described above, the heating operation cost can be reduced by selectively using the heating by the refrigeration cycle and the heating by the electric heater 25 according to the hot water temperature. For example, when the hot water temperature is heated to about 40 ° C., the heating operation can be performed with a high EER in the refrigeration cycle, so that the heating can be performed at a lower cost than with the electric heater 25 that uses the midnight power. On the other hand, when the temperature exceeds 40 ° C., the EER of the refrigeration cycle decreases, so that the heating cost by the electric heater 25 becomes lower. As a result, the refrigeration cycle has a high EER maintained operating range, thereby reducing costs. Also, by heating with an electric heater, it is possible to heat up to about 80 ° C, which cannot be obtained in a refrigeration cycle, and as a result, the amount of heat that can be accumulated in each hot water storage tank 1a, 1b, 1c increases, and it can be used for one day. It is also possible to make the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b, 1c, which are installed in anticipation of the amount, smaller and have a smaller capacity.

In the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b, 1c, electric heaters are used.
High temperature hot water is stored in a part of the hot water storage tank 1c in which 25 is arranged, and low temperature hot water is stored in the remaining hot water storage tanks 1a and 1b. During the period from morning to daytime, low-temperature hot water with a low energy unit price is used, and since bathing etc. is required, high temperature and a large amount of hot water are required. It is also possible to perform an efficient operation of using hot water.

Further, an on-off valve 21 for switching between connection and disconnection with the water supply pipe 4 for the water supply ports 2a, 2b, 2c of each hot water storage tank 1a, 1b, 1c.
A, 21b, and 21c are provided, and the control device opens the valves in response to a high-temperature hot water discharge request and a low-temperature hot water discharge request.
Therefore, it is possible to properly use the hot and cold water having different hot water temperatures without mixing during use.

Moreover, by having a divided configuration of a plurality of tanks as described above, it is possible to reduce the diameter of each hot water storage tank 1a, 1b, 1c, as a result, it is possible to make the hot water storage tank unit thinner For example, when it is installed on the balcony of a condominium or the like, it may be installed in close contact with the wall surface, or by embedding it in a recess formed in the wall surface or a notch formed in the wall surface, thereby greatly impairing habitability. You can avoid it.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment, which does not use the auxiliary tank 6 as in the first embodiment, but uses the hot water heat exchanger 22.
A heating circulation path is formed between the hot water storage tanks 1a, 1b and 1c. Also in this embodiment, substantially the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained, and therefore, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

(Effect of the Invention) As described above, in the hot water supply device of the present invention, while the low temperature hot water is obtained in the heating part of the heat pump system within the good temperature range of the EER, the high temperature hot water is obtained by further heating the low temperature hot water with the electric heater. Thus, it is possible to perform a heating operation with high energy efficiency, and thus it is possible to improve energy efficiency as compared with the conventional case. Moreover, in a plurality of hot water storage tanks, high-temperature hot water and low-temperature hot water are to be stored in separate hot water storage tanks.Therefore, in the time zone from the morning to the daytime when neither the hot water temperature nor the hot water amount is required so much, Use low-temperature hot water with low energy unit price, and use high-temperature hot water during the hours from evening to night when high temperature and large amount of hot water are required due to bathing etc. It is also possible to perform a good use operation, and energy saving can be achieved also in this respect.

Further, the high-temperature hot water and the low-temperature hot water can be selected and discharged from different hot water storage tanks respectively. Therefore, it is possible to save energy by selectively using them according to the application without mixing them.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a main structure of a hot water supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 (a) (b) (c) (d).
(E) is an explanatory view showing a boiling process of hot water in a hot water storage tank in the above apparatus, FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a main configuration of a hot water supply apparatus in a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a structural schematic diagram in a water heater. 1a, 1b, 1c …… Hot water storage tank, 2a, 2b, 2c …… Water inlet, 3
a, 3b, 3c …… hot water supply port, 4 …… water supply pipe, 5 …… hot water supply pipe, 11 …… hot water heat exchanger (heating part), 13 …… hot water connection pipe (circulation path), 16 …… water supply Connection pipes (circulation path) 21a, 21b,
21c …… Open / close valve, 25 …… Electric heater.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Takayuki Sugimoto Inventor Takayuki Sugimoto 2 at 1000 Otani, Okamoto-cho, Shiga Prefecture Daikin Industry Co., Ltd. Shiga Works (56) Reference Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-205149 (JP, A) Special Kai 63-127058 (JP, A) JP 62-141460 (JP, A) Actual Kai 56-175643 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A plurality of hot water storage tanks (1) each having a hot water supply port (3) and a water supply port (2) are provided side by side, and each hot water supply port (3a-3c) is connected to a hot water supply pipe (5). Each water supply port (2a-2c) is connected to a water supply pipe (4) to which water supply pressure is applied, and hot water in each hot water storage tank (1a-1c) is circulated to a heating section (11) by a heat pump system (13). ) (16) is a hot water supply device that circulates and heats the hot water storage tanks (1a to 1c) at the bottom of some of the hot water storage tanks (1a to 1c).
An electric heater (25) that uses late-night power is arranged to heat the hot water heated by the heating unit (11) to a temperature higher than this, and for each of the water supply ports (2a to 2c), A hot water storage tank in which opening / closing valves (21a to 21c) for switching between communication with the water supply pipe (4) and shutoff are provided, respectively, and when the high-temperature hot water discharge request is made, the electric heater (25) is arranged. While the open / close valve (21c) provided for the water supply port (2c) of (1c) is opened, when there is a request for low-temperature hot water discharge, the hot water storage tank (where the electric heater (25) is not provided ( 1a) (1b) water supply port (2a) (2b) provided to the opening and closing valves (21a) (21b) provided with a control device for controlling the water heater.