JPH0816597B2 - Loop type heat pipe type fluid heating device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid heating device using a heat pipe and used as a hot water generator or the like capable of on-off control and heat output control, and more particularly to a loop type liquid heating device. The present invention relates to a fluid heating device using a heat pipe.

2. Description of the Related Art Hot water heaters that use gas fuel or liquid fuel as a heat source or an electric heater as a heat source are used depending on the scale, but the electric heater is used as a heat source in terms of ease of handling and control. The electric water heater has come to be used in general households and apartments because it is excellent. As the type of the electric water heater, a type in which the electric heater is turned on at the same time as water is passed, or a hot water tank is provided to constantly hold a certain amount of hot water at a certain temperature or higher, and the hot water in the tank is Conventionally, a type of supplying the heating power is known.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in an electric water heater of a type in which an electric heater is turned on at the same time as water flow, it is necessary to increase the heat transfer amount per unit time and per unit area in relation to heating running water. Therefore, the capacity of the electric heater must be increased, and accordingly, the heat capacity of the electric heater becomes large, and it takes time from the start of energization to the initial temperature, in other words,
There was a problem that hot water could not be obtained immediately and the thermal response was poor. In addition, in this type of electric water heater, there is a problem that inexpensive midnight power cannot be effectively used because heat cannot be stored.

In addition, in the hot water storage type electric water heater equipped with a hot water tank, the hot water in the hot water tank is sent out, so hot water can be obtained immediately when needed, and at the same time, heat can be stored, so inexpensive midnight power can be used. There is. On the other hand, since a hot water tank with a large capacity is required, there is a problem that a large installation space must be secured.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and as a fluid heating device used for a hot water generator or the like, it has good thermal response, is compact, and has good safety, reliability, durability, and maintenance. Another object is to provide an easy fluid heating device.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the fluid heating device of the present invention is provided with an evaporation part having a hollow structure having heat input from the outside and an external fluid located at a position higher than the evaporation part. A condensing part with a hollow structure that gives heat to the pipe is connected by a pipe to form a closed circulation pipe, and a working fluid capable of evaporating and condensing in a vacuum exhausted state is enclosed inside the closed circulation pipe. By forming a loop-type heat pipe by, by providing an on-off valve on both the inflow side and the outflow side of the evaporation part of the loop-type heat pipe, and also the heat storage means is provided in close contact with the outside of the evaporation part, A heating means for giving heat to both the evaporation section and the heat storage means is provided outside the evaporation section, and the entire amount of the working fluid in the liquid phase is stored below the condensation section and above the on-off valve on the inflow side of the evaporation section. Possible sump A non-return valve is provided which further comprises a bypass section for connecting the evaporation section to the liquid storage section or the condensation section by a bypass pipe, and allows only the flow from the evaporation section to the storage section or the condensation section in the bypass pipe. It is characterized by having a valve.

Action In the fluid heating device of the present invention, heat from the outside of the loop heat pipe is applied to the evaporation section by the heating means. In that case, if the on-off valve on the inlet side of the evaporator is closed and the entire amount of hydraulic fluid is stored in the liquid reservoir, the evaporator is in a so-called dry-out state, and heat is not transferred to the condenser. On the other hand, if the on-off valve is opened,
Since the working fluid is supplied to the evaporating section, the working fluid evaporates in the evaporating section and the vapor flows to the condensing section. Therefore, when an external fluid to be heated, for example, water is caused to flow through the condensing portion, heat is transferred from the working fluid vapor to the water, and as a result, hot water is obtained. That is, it can be turned on / off by the on-off valve. If heat is supplied from the heating means with the on-off valve closed, heat is not transferred and heat is stored in the heat storage means. Since the working fluid in the evaporator can be heated by the heat, the working liquid supplied to the evaporator is immediately evaporated by the heat in the heat storage section regardless of the state of the heating means and transports the heat to the condensation section. Good responsiveness. In particular, if you open the on-off valve on the inflow side of the evaporation section and close the on-off valve on the outflow side, the vapor of the working fluid will fill the inside of the evaporation section. If opened, the working fluid vapor will immediately flow to the condenser,
The thermal response is further improved. Also, in order to stop the heat output of this fluid heating device, first the on-off valve on the outlet side of the evaporator is closed, and as a result, the pressure rises due to the vapor of the working fluid in the evaporator, and the remaining operation in the evaporator Liquid can be quickly back-flowed and returned to the liquid reservoir. Here, in particular, if the evaporation section is heated with both on-off valves closed, the working fluid remaining in the evaporation section evaporates and the internal pressure thereof rises, which causes the vapor to pass through the bypass pipe and the check valve. Since it flows to the liquid storage section or the condensation section, almost all of the working fluid remaining in the evaporation section can be reliably returned to the liquid storage section. Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent the internal pressure of the evaporation section from becoming abnormally high during heat storage, and it is possible to easily perform the inspection, replacement, repair, and the like of the evaporation section.

Embodiment Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment in which the fluid heating device of the present invention is configured as a hot water generator. The device shown here radiates heat to an evaporator 1 and water supply 2 which receive heat from the outside. The condensing section 3 is connected by a steam pipe 4 and a liquid return pipe 5 to form a closed pipe line as a whole, and the inside thereof is a heat pipe. That is, the evaporation unit 1 is configured such that the lower ends of a plurality of pipes 6 arranged in the vertical direction are communicated with each other by the lower header pipe 7, and the upper ends are communicated with each other by the upper header pipe 8. . On the other hand, the condensing part 3 is, in essence, a heat exchanger between the external fluid to be heated, that is, the feed water 2 from the outside, and for example, the outer tube 10 provided concentrically with the meandering tube 9 is provided. It has a heavy pipe structure and an inlet 11 for the water supply 2 at one end of the outer pipe 10.
And an outlet 13 for hot water 12 is formed at the other end. The condensing unit 3 may be configured as a shell tube type other than this configuration.

The condensing part 3 is arranged at a higher position than the evaporating part 1, and the upper header pipe 8 in the evaporating part 1 and the upper end of the steering pipe 9 in the condensing part 3 are communicated with each other by the steam pipe 4 and the evaporating part Lower header tube 7 and condenser 3 in section 1
Is connected to the lower end of the meandering pipe 9 by the liquid return pipe 5, and as a result, the circulation pipe line is closed as a whole.

The inside of this circulation line is evacuated to remove non-condensable gases such as air, and a working fluid 14 that evaporates and condenses such as water and alcohol in that state is enclosed. The inside of the passage is configured as a loop heat pipe.

Further, a liquid reservoir 15 capable of storing the entire amount of working fluid 14 is provided below the condenser 3 in the liquid return pipe 5.

A first opening / closing valve 16 is provided between the lower header pipe 7 on the inflow side of the evaporation unit 1 and the liquid return pipe 5, and an upper header pipe 8 on the outflow side of the evaporation unit 1 is provided thereto. Steam pipe 4
A second on-off valve 17 is provided between and.

Further, a heat storage material 18 that stores heat as latent heat or sensible heat is provided in close contact with at least the outer circumference of the pipe 6 in the evaporation portion 1, and the inside of the heat storage material 18 serves as an electron source for heating. A heater 19 is arranged.

Further, the lower header pipe 7 and the liquid reservoir 15 which constitute the evaporator 1 are communicated with each other by a bypass pipe 20, and the bypass pipe 20 has a working fluid 14 directed from the evaporator 1 toward the liquid reservoir 15. The check valve 21 which allows only the flow of the check valve 21 is interposed, and when the internal pressure of the evaporation part 1 becomes equal to or higher than the head pressure H applied to the lower header pipe 7, the working fluid in the evaporation part 1 becomes the check valve 21.
Further, it is adapted to flow into the liquid reservoir 15 via the bypass pipe 20.

Although not shown in particular, the above-mentioned circulation conduit is heat-insulated so as not to exchange heat with the outside air. The inner peripheral surface of the pipe 6 in the evaporator 1 may be provided with a wick such as a wire net for generating a capillary pressure for pumping the liquid-phase working fluid 14 from the lower header pipe 7, if necessary.

In the above hot water generator, heat input for heating and raising the temperature of the feed water 2 is performed by energizing and heating the electric heater 19, and when hot water is required, the on-off valves 16 and 17 are opened and , The water supply 2 is continuously supplied to the inside of the outer pipe 10 in the condenser 3. That is, when the electric heater 19 is energized to generate heat, the heat storage material 18 is first heated and heated. In that case, if the on-off valves 16 and 17 are closed, the working fluid in the liquid phase 1
Since 4 remains in the liquid reservoir 15 and is not supplied to the evaporation unit 1, the evaporation unit 1 is simply heated to be in a so-called dry-out state. Therefore, since it does not function as a heat pipe, the heat given to the evaporator 1 is not carried to the condenser 3 and only heat is stored. On the other hand, heat storage material
When the temperature of 18 is sufficiently high, the on-off valves 16 and 17 are opened, and the working fluid 14 in the liquid phase is supplied to the evaporation section 1 to be heated and evaporated. The steam passes through the steam pipe 4 and reaches the meandering pipe 9 of the condensing unit 3. While flowing through the inside, the heat of the working fluid steam is transferred to the outer pipe 10.
The hot water 12 can be continuously obtained by being supplied to the water supply 2 flowing inside the pipe, and thus continuously supplying the water supply 2 into the outer pipe 10. Such an evaporator 1 to a condenser 3
The heat transfer to the water supply 2 in the above occurs quickly because the heat capacity of the heat pipe is extremely small, and therefore, the hot water 12 can be immediately obtained by opening the on-off valves 16 and 17, and therefore the thermal response is good. It can be a hot water generator.

Further, when the first opening / closing valve 16 which is an opening / closing valve on the inflow side with respect to the evaporator 1 is opened and the second opening / closing valve 17 is closed, the working fluid 14 is stored in the liquid reservoir 15 in the pipe 6 constituting the evaporator 1. Since the electric fluid is supplied from the electric heater 19 or the heat storage material 18, heat is applied to the evaporator 1 to generate a working fluid vapor in the evaporator 1. Therefore, in this state, the second opening / closing valve 17 When opened, the working fluid vapor generated in advance flows through the vapor pipe 4 to the condensing section 3, and as a result,
Immediately after opening the first on-off valve 17, the water supply 2 supplied to the outer pipe 10 is heated and heated to become hot water 12, which is supplied from the outlet 13 to a predetermined location such as a kitchen. That is, the first open / close valve 16
If only the open state is set, the evaporation section 1 to the condensation section 3
The thermal response is further improved than in the above case, because the transport of heat to the occurs more quickly. Similarly, when the heat output of the water heater is stopped, if the opening / closing valve 17 is first closed, the hydraulic fluid can be caused to flow backward to the liquid reservoir 15 due to the pressure increase in the evaporation portion, and then the opening / closing valve 16 is opened. Just close it.

The working fluid that radiates heat inside the meandering tube 9 is condensed and flows down to the liquid reservoir 15, and if the open / close valve 16 is opened, it is supplied to the evaporator 1 again and used for heat transportation. Open / close valve 16
If is closed, it is stored in the liquid reservoir 15.

Therefore, in the above apparatus, the supply of heat to the evaporator 1 and the output of heat in the form of hot water from the condenser 3 can be performed separately, so that heating is performed using midnight power.
Hot water can be obtained by the heat in the daytime. Further, as described above, the above device has a good thermal response and does not require a hot water tank, so that it can be installed in a narrow space. To get more hot water, open / close valves 16,17
It is easy to operate because you can open it.

In the above embodiment, the evaporation unit 1 is composed of a large number of pipes 6 and the upper and lower header pipes 7 and 8. However, the evaporation unit 1 may be composed of a meandering pipe or a spiral pipe. Further, the condenser unit 3 may be configured by connecting a plurality of pipes with a header pipe as in the above-described evaporation unit 1.

By the way, if the bypass pipe 20 and the check valve 21 are not provided, the entire evaporation part 1 is also heated when heat is stored in the heat storage material 18, so that the working fluid 14 is supplied to the evaporation part 1. , The working fluid 14 is heated and evaporated, and as a result, the internal pressure of the evaporator 1 may become high. However, if such a situation occurs frequently, the durability will be adversely affected. Occurs. On the other hand, in the case of the present invention, since the bypass pipe 20 and the check valve 21 are provided, the evaporation unit 1
It is possible to easily discharge the working fluid 14 from the above to prevent an abnormal pressure rise in the evaporator 1.

For example, when only heat storage is performed, by closing the on-off valves 16 and 17 and energizing the electric heater 19 to generate heat, the working fluid 14 remaining in the evaporation unit 1 is evaporated and the internal pressure of the evaporation unit 1 is reduced. Although rising, when the internal pressure of the evaporator 1 becomes equal to or higher than the water head pressure H applied to the lower header pipe 7, the check valve 21 opens and the working fluid vapor flows to the liquid reservoir 15 and condenses therein. Therefore, after the entire amount of the working fluid remaining in the evaporation portion 1 is evaporated, only the working fluid vapor having a pressure balanced with the water head pressure H applied to the lower header pipe 7 remains in the evaporation portion 1, and almost the entire amount is stored in the liquid reservoir 15. The internal pressure of the evaporation unit 1 is prevented from being abnormally increased.

As described above, by heating the evaporation part 1 with the on-off valves 16 and 17 closed, the working fluid 14 is almost completely discharged from the evaporation part 1 and such a so-called empty state is set in each valve 1.
Since it can be maintained by 6, 17, and 21, the work such as inspection, replacement, and repair of the evaporation unit 1 can be easily performed while minimizing the loss of the working fluid 14.

Although the heating means is the electric heater 19 in each of the above-described embodiments, other heat sources such as high-temperature gas can be used in addition to the electric heater in the present invention. Further, the bypass pipe may be connected to the condensing part without being connected to the liquid storage part. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the fluid heating device of the present invention is particularly configured as a hot water generator. However, for example, if the heating target is air instead of water and the air is made to flow to the condensing unit, the heat for air conditioning is set. It can be used as an exchanger.

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the fluid heating device of the present invention, the on-off valve is provided on both the inflow side and the outflow side of the evaporation unit having heat input from the outside of the loop heat pipe,
Since the heat storage material is provided in close contact with the outer periphery of the evaporating section, by closing each on-off valve, the working fluid does not flow into and out of the evaporating section, and heat can be stored in the heat storage means. If only this is closed, the working fluid vapor can be filled in the evaporation section, and therefore the working fluid vapor flows into the condensation section at the same time when the on-off valve on the outflow side is opened and becomes the object of heating such as water. Since heat can be applied to the external fluid to obtain a high temperature fluid such as hot water, the thermal responsiveness can be improved remarkably than ever before. Further, the heat storage material makes it possible to store heat irrespective of the necessity of heating the external fluid, in addition to improving the start-up when heating the external fluid, so that the fluid heating device of the present invention is inexpensive. You can make effective use of late-night power,
Moreover, even when used as a hot water generator, a hot water tank is not required, so a device with good space efficiency can be provided. Further, in the fluid heating device of the present invention, since the evaporation part and the condensation part or the liquid storage part are communicated with each other by the bypass pipe having the check valve interposed therebetween, it is possible to heat the evaporation part with each on-off valve closed. By this, almost the entire amount of the working fluid remaining in the evaporator can be returned to the liquid reservoir, and the open state can be maintained by the on-off valve, preventing the internal pressure of the evaporator from rising abnormally and It is possible to minimize the loss of fluid and facilitate the work such as replacement and repair of the evaporation part.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... Evaporator, 2 ... Water supply, 3 ... Condenser, 4 ... Steam pipe, 5 ... Liquid return pipe, 14 ... Working fluid, 15 ... Liquid reservoir, 16, 17 ... Open / close valve , 18 ... Heat storage material, 19 ... Electric heater, 20 ... Bypass pipe, 21 ... Check valve.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kozo Suzuki 1-3-1, Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. Within Kyodensha Co., Ltd. (72) Koichi Suzuki, 1-1 Asahi-cho, Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ryuichi Okiayu 1-1-5, Kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo Fujikura Electric Line Incorporated (72) Inventor Koichi Mashiko 1-5-1, Kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo Fujikura Electric Wire Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP 62-29859 (JP, A) JP 62-182593 ( JP, A) Actual development Sho 60-86775 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An evaporating section having a hollow structure that receives heat from the outside,
A condensing part having a hollow structure which is located higher than the evaporating part and gives heat to an external fluid is connected by a pipe to form a closed circulating pipe line, and vacuum exhaust is performed inside the closed circulating pipe line. A loop-type heat pipe is formed by enclosing a working fluid capable of evaporating and condensing in this state, and opening / closing valves are provided on both the inflow side and the outflow side of the evaporating part of the loop-type heat pipe, and heat storage means. Is provided in close contact with the outside of the evaporation section, and heating means for applying heat to both the evaporation section and the heat storage means is provided outside the evaporation section, and an on-off valve below the condenser section and on the inflow side of the evaporation section. A liquid storage part capable of storing the entire amount of the liquid-phase working fluid is provided on the upper side, and the evaporation part and the liquid storage part or the condensing part are communicated with each other by a bypass pipe, and the vapor pipe is connected to the bypass pipe. Loop heat pipe type fluid heating apparatus, characterized in that a check valve that allows only a flow toward the reservoir or condensing unit liquid from parts.