KR102457052B1 - Uv lamp and anti-scale water treatment water heater apparatus with sanitation loop - Google Patents

Abstract

A water heating and treatment system comprising a UV lamp and an anti-scale water treatment sanitation facility for the suppression of pathogens and undesirable bacterial content in a domestic hot water system comprises an anti-scale device and a UV sanitary lamp. A single or multiple mixing station supplies heated water to one or multiple temperature zones. The water heater sanitary loop includes a sanitary loop pump that circulates hot water in the water heater. A three-way return diverter valve enables safe sanitation of domestic hot water systems by diverting superheated re-circulated water from the mixing valve to the drain as needed. A method of treating hot water to control pathogens and undesirable bacterial content in a domestic hot water system is also described.

Description

UV LAMP AND ANTI-SCALE WATER TREATMENT WATER HEATER APPARATUS WITH SANITATION LOOP

This application provides priority to co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16/196,538, filed on November 20, 2018, UV lamp with sanitary loop and anti-scale water treatment water heater device; Claiming its interests, the application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

This application relates to the sanitization of water and in particular to the sanitization of water in water heaters and treatment systems.

Legionella pneumonia from bacteria evaporated by vaporization from contaminated water contaminated with Legionella bacteria is a well-known risk factor. For example, as described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the non-patent literature of https://wwwcdcgov/vitalsigns/pdf/2016-06-vitalsigns.pdf published June 2016 of Vitalsigns™, “Legionella thrives best in poorly maintained building water systems. Building owners and managers are following newly published standards to encourage Legionella water management programs, which are ways to reduce the risk of these bacteria in building water systems. must be adopted".

A water heating and treatment system with a UV lamp and blue tube water treatment sanitation for suppression of pathogens and undesirable bacteria inclusion in a domestic hot water system includes a water heater. The cold water supply line for supplying water to the water heater includes a blue tube device, and a UV sanitary lamp. A single or multiple mixing station supplies heated water to one or multiple temperature zones. Single or multiple mixing stations are fluidly coupled to the cold water supply line and the hot water outlet line from the water heater. A single or multiple mixing station supplies water heated to a first hot water temperature to at least a first temperature zone. The water heater sanitary loop includes a sanitary loop pump for circulating hot water within the water heater. The three-way return divert valve is fluidly coupled to the single or multiple mixing station via one or more sanitary components and to the drain pipe via a drain line. The three-way return divert valve provides a portion of the recirculated hot water from the hot water recirculation line to the mixing station and the remaining portion of the recirculated hot water to the drain.

The three-way return switch valve is configured to prevent the heated water of at least the first temperature zone from exceeding a predetermined maximum temperature, such as washing machines or dishwashers or other purposes as designated by site personnel; Allows for safe sanitation of domestic hot water systems by diverting superheated recirculated water through diverter lines away from mixing valves for other uses, or to drains through drain lines or diverted water lines.

The water heater controller is configured to cause a three-way return switch valve to bypass or draw recirculated water during an overheat condition as detected by at least one temperature sensor (eg, FIG. 4 , I-40). It may be operatively coupled to the return divert valve and the at least one temperature sensor.

The water heater controller causes the three-way return switch valve to cause a portion of the recirculated water based on the differential temperature as measured by at least two temperature sensors (eg, FIGS. 4 , I-40, I-41), or It may be operatively coupled to a three-way water return diverting valve and at least one temperature sensor and at least two temperature sensors to divert almost all of them.

The at least two temperature sensors may include a water supply temperature sensor and a recirculated water temperature sensor.

The three-way return divert valve may be set to divert nearly all of the recirculated water to the drain during a thermal shock operation or a chemical shock operation.

The three-way return divert valve can be set to divert nearly all of the recirculated water to drain when the water heater controller is set for either a temperature shock operation or a chemical shock operation.

The one or more hygiene components may include at least one UV hygiene lamp.

The one or more sanitary components may include at least one settling filter.

The three-way return diverting valve may include a proportional three-way return diverting valve.

The proportional three-way return diverting valve may include an adjustable three-way valve.

A method for treating hot water to inhibit the inclusion of pathogens and undesirable bacteria in a domestic hot water system comprises: a water heater, a cold water supply line for supplying water to a water heater comprising a water heater device and a UV sanitary lamp, heated water providing a single or multiple mixing station for supplying one or more temperature zones, a water heater sanitary loop comprising a sanitary loop pump for circulating hot water within the water heater, and a three-way return divert valve; returning substantially all of the recirculated water to a single or multiple mixing station through the three-way return divert valve during normal operation; diverting 0% to 100% of the recycled water to a drain pipe or other use during the superheat condition; and diverting 90% to 100% of the recirculated water to a drain pipe or other use during an impact treatment operation, wherein a single or multiple mixing stations are fluidly coupled from the water heater to the cold water supply line and the hot water outlet line. and supply water heated to a first hot water temperature to at least a first temperature zone, and wherein the three-way return switch valve is fluidly coupled to a single or multiple mixing station via one or more sanitary components and via a drain line. It is fluidly coupled to other uses through drains or diverted water lines.

Returning the recirculated water to the drain line during the overheat condition may include returning the recirculated water to the drain line based on the overheat condition detected by at least one temperature sensor operatively coupled to the controller.

Returning the recirculated water to the drain during the overheat condition may include returning the recirculated water to the drain based on a differential temperature measured by at least two temperature sensors operatively coupled to the controller.

The at least two temperature sensors may include a tempered water supply temperature sensor and a recirculated water temperature sensor.

Returning the recycled water to the drain during the shock treatment operation may include returning the recycled water to the drain during the temperature shock treatment operation.

Returning the recirculated water to the drain line during the impact treatment operation may include returning the recycled water to the drain line during the chemical impact treatment operation.

Other water heating and treatment systems with UV lamps and clear pipe water treatment sanitation include water heaters for the control of pathogens and undesirable bacteria inclusion in domestic hot water systems. A cold water supply line comprising a blue tube device and a UV sanitary lamp supplies water to the water heater. A single or multiple mixing station supplies heated water to one or multiple temperature zones. Single or multiple mixing stations are fluidly coupled to the cold water supply line and the hot water outlet line from the water heater. A single or multiple mixing station supplies water heated to a first hot water temperature to at least a first temperature zone. The water heater sanitary loop includes a sanitary loop pump for circulating hot water within the water heater. The three-way return divert valve is fluidly coupled to a single or multiple mixing station via one or more sanitary components and to a drain pipe or other application via a drain line or a bypassed water line. The three-way return divert valve provides a secure system for domestic hot water systems by diverting superheated recirculated water away from the mixing valve to a drain pipe or other use to prevent the heated water in at least the first temperature zone from exceeding a predetermined maximum temperature. Allow hygiene.

The foregoing and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the following description and from the claims.

The features of the present application may be better understood with reference to the drawings and claims described below. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed on illustrating the principles described herein. In the drawings, like numbers are used to refer to like parts throughout the various figures.
1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary UV lamp and blue tube water treatment water heater device with a sanitary loop in accordance with the present application;
2 is a diagram showing recommended sanitary temperatures and times;
3 shows a diagram of an exemplary self-sealing, single cabinet implementation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary UV lamp and blue tube water treatment water heater device having a sanitary loop according to the present application including a 3-way return water diverter valve; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating detail “A” of FIG. 4 ;

As explained above, Legionella pneumonia from bacteria evaporated by vaporization from contaminated water contaminated with Legionella bacteria is a well-known risk factor. Water heaters, including low volume flashing hot heaters, pose a significant risk if mitigation techniques are not in place. Associated cold water supply lines and hot water distribution systems are also at risk of contamination by pathogens such as Legionella, bacteria, and other undesirable microorganisms in domestic hot water systems.

One way to significantly eliminate Legionella and other pathogens is to heat the water at a sufficient temperature for a sufficient amount of time. One method in the prior art is to heat the water in the system to about 50° C. to 60° C. for about 1 hour. However, these hygiene methods can also cause several problems. Mass heating of water in the system for sanitary reasons uses significantly more energy consumption that could otherwise be used. Also, the entire system or parts of the system may need to be removed from service during periods of elevated water temperatures used for system sanitation cycles. More recently, it has been discovered that further elevated water temperatures above about 151° F. (66° C.) can be effective in at least about 2 minute sanitary cycles. However, compared to the usual lower hot water temperatures, energy costs still have to be considered.

Recently, sanitation by ultraviolet light is more effective and more widely used. One advantage of UV sanitation is that it can be operated to treat water continuously at one or more key points in a domestic water supply system, such as, for example, in a cold water supply line, and also in a recirculation water return line.

Pathogens also accumulate in scale formation in various places in domestic hot water systems and heaters. Efforts have been made with respect to water hardness to mitigate scale formation to prevent premature aging and failure of various water supply system components. Scaling has also been found to be a significant vector for pathogens such as Legionella. Scale deposits provide a place for pathogens such as biofilms to attach. Efforts should also be made to mitigate scale formation to largely prevent habitats for pathogens.

For example, blue tube technologies, such as the OneFlow® cleaning tube system, available from Watts Water Technologies, Inc. of North Andover, Massachusetts, may be used as part of a pathogen control program. Clearance systems are distinct from water softening devices and systems that are less effective or ineffective in preventing scale build-up as part of a pathogen containment or mitigation program. U.S. Pat. No. 9,879,120 B2, assigned to Watts Water Technologies Inc., Resins for Precipitation of Minerals and Salts, Methods of Preparation and Uses thereof, describes polyvalent cations to allow ion exchange between the resin and polyvalent cations. A method for producing a scale-controlling resin comprising an aqueous solution of a weak acid anionic mineral or salt and a cation-exchange resin with The cation-exchange resin may be a weak acid ion exchange resin. The method may further comprise adding to the aqueous solution a weak acid anionic mineral or a strong acid salt having the same polyvalent cation as the salt. U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 62/675,898, QCM Measurement of Scale Formation, describes a representative water path mitigation or treatment evaluation system for evaluating the effectiveness of a water hardness mitigation or treatment evaluation system. These representative techniques can be used to generate a fault indication for a cleaning device that can be received by a controller, such as a water heater controller, similar to a fault from a UV lamp device. The '120 patent and the '898 application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

The addition of UV hygiene and/or water treatment products, such as OneFlow® products, in a domestic hot water system alone can provide sufficient treatment and pathogen mitigation. Because the energy consumption of these systems is relatively small (eg, power to drive one or more UV lamps, or negligible power to monitor the operation of a water treatment system), domestic hot water sanitation is now susceptible to elevated water temperatures. This can be achieved without higher costs for the additional energy consumption used to raise the temperature of the water for sanitation. Exemplary suitable UV sanitization systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,738,547 B2, Ultraviolet Light Sanitization Assembly with Flow Switch and Keyed Lamp, and U.S. Pat. No. 9,932,245 B2, UV Sanitation Treatment Assemblies with High Dose Features and Controlling The Same. methods have been described, both of which are assigned to Watts Water Technologies, Inc. The '547 and '245 patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

More advanced UV sanitary systems typically also communicate with a building controller, such as, for example, a system programmable logic controller, and/or can communicate directly with a water heater controller (eg, a processor or microcomputer based controller). Through the local component controller, fault indications are provided. Faults, such as UV lamp failure, can be displayed or alerted locally and/or through the building control system. Unfortunately, many such domestic hot water systems often run out of sinks and sinks for relatively long periods of time before a defective UV lamp or other sanitary device is recognized as defective and/or there can be a delay until the failed device is repaired. It is common to continue to provide water to end users, including showers. Failure to timely maintenance and repair of water sanitation components may be caused by lack of routine system and maintenance inspections, delays in the case of calls for repair, lack of obtainable spare parts, or negligence by the building owner. can be caused After some period of time without device maintenance or replacement, the domestic hot water system can be vulnerable to contamination by pathogens, just as if a failed calibration facility was never installed.

Water heating and treatment, systems and systems that can effectively contain pathogens, including undesirable bacterial inclusion, in domestic hot water systems with some degree of certainty, even if one or more sanitary devices fail or otherwise fail. There is a demand for a method.

By incorporating advanced pathogen mitigation devices as part of a water heating system, the elevated temperature water heater sanitary loop is programmatically operated on schedule, and/or such as a UV lamp or blue tube device communicatively coupled to a controller of the water heater. , it has been recognized that the sanitary device can be operated in accordance with a fault indication from the device. If the controller of the water heater has such fault information, the controller may include a process for automatically invoking a backup or failsafe sanitation routine upon notification of the fault by one or more of the system sanitation devices. .

Scheduled Operation of Sanitation Loop: On a predetermined schedule, the controller of the water heater may command the water heater to an elevated temperature for a desired period of time as a scheduled backup or failsafe sanitary operation (eg, as controlled by the water heater controller). , as by regulating the butter heat output of gas-fired water heaters).

Operation of the sanitary loop in response to fault detection: In the event of a notification from one or more sanitary devices that the sanitary device has failed (eg, a failed UV lamp), the controller of the water heater sends the water heater to an elevated temperature for a desired period of time. command (eg, by regulating the burner heat output of a gas heated water heater, as controlled by a water heater controller). For example, two minute temperature rises of hot water in a water heater above 151° F. may be scheduled at predetermined intervals or intervals. The sanitary effectiveness of the period of elevated hot water temperature may be enhanced by water flow through a water heater, such as a water flow caused by an adjacent bypass loop comprising a sanitizing pump.

In one exemplary embodiment, the water heater includes a sanitary bypass sanitary loop with a sanitary loop pump. On a pre-programmed schedule and/or upon notification of a sanitary device failure from a failed device, the water heater controller drives a sanitary process, wherein the sanitary loop is activated (including activation of the sanitary loop pump) and The temperature of the water is raised by a water heater to the elevated temperature for an appropriate time, relative to the elevated temperature, to kill pathogens. For example, using currently best understood sanitary techniques, a water heater can increase the temperature in a water heater to more than 151° F. in one or periodic cycles lasting at least two minutes. These water heater cycles are performed any suitable number of times during the day and may be repeated as required until the fault indication from the sanitary device is cleared or otherwise reset. As described above, as a backup or failsafe mode of operation for more specific pathogen control, there may also be hygiene cycles driven on a predetermined schedule, even in the absence of hygiene device fault indications. The entire sanitary cycle involves heating water above 151°F with a relatively high water velocity (high flow rate) of at least 2 minutes through the sanitary loop at an elevated temperature above 151°F.

Some hot water distribution lines may continue to operate normally during times of elevated hot water temperature without any additional manual or automatic operations. For example, some hot water users, such as some industrial washing machines and dishwashers, for example, experience elevated hot water temperatures as may result from the operation of the sanitary loop (where there is no mixing valve in the hot water distribution line). It can work normally even during the period. Other hot water distribution systems cannot tolerate elevated hot water supply at sanitary temperatures, such as, for example, hot water to building sinks and showers. However, the water to these “cold” hot water distribution lines may be supplied through a mixing system, such as, for example, a digital mixing system, where the cold water is supplied with hot water from the water heater as well as the hot water from the water heater outlet line. Despite any short-term operation of the sanitary loop in the water heater causing the hot water to be higher than the normal water temperature, it is automatically injected into the distribution line to ensure that the desired hot water temperature, typically around 120° F., is provided.

There may also be single or multiple mixing stations supplying heated water to one or multiple temperature zones. Single or multiple mixing stations are fluidly coupled from the water heater to the cold water supply line and to the hot water outlet line. A single or multiple mixing station supplies water heated to a first hot water temperature to at least a first temperature zone.

1 is an exemplary UV lamp and purifier with a sanitary loop for suppression of pathogens, including undesirable bacterial inclusion, (ie, mitigation of pathogens such as Legionella in potable water systems) in a domestic hot water system according to the present application. A schematic diagram of a water treatment water heater device 100 is shown. The cold or cool water 181 is provided with a settling filter (A) 171 , a blue tube system 141 and UV light to ensure that substantially no waterborne pathogens are introduced into the water heater 110 from the city supply. A UV lamp and blue tube water treatment water heater device with a sanitary loop from a source of cold drinkable water 181 (eg, a municipal hot water utility source as dispensed within a building) passing through a water treatment lamp (A) 137 . (100) is entered. The blue tube system 141 is positioned in front of the UV lamp 137 to significantly prevent scale formation or buildup in the UV lamp. The duct system 141 also prevents scale formation in the water heater 110 . The booster pump 153 may provide the desired water pressure and flow rate for the cold water inlet supply line. Cold water 181 flows through cold water line 196, one-way valve 163 (which prevents hot water from the sanitary loop from flowing into the cold water lines), and surrogate line 193 for the cold water supply, and the sanitary loop. Hot water (of any suitable domestic water heater, not shown in detail in FIG. 1 for clarity of illustration) to provide a return line to 101 .

Any suitable clear pipe system is the OneFlow® clear pipe system available from Watts Water Technologies, Inc., of North Andover, Massachusetts. The water heater 110 may be part of a water heater device, such as, for example, any suitable water heater available from PVi™ of Fort Worth, TX, or from AERCO International, Inc. of Blobelt, NY.

The water is heated to a desired setpoint and delivered to an integral mixing valve, such as a digital mixing station 160 . Suitable digital mixing stations include, for example, the IntelliStation™ available from Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (POWERS™) of North Andover, Massachusetts. The principles of mixing are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 9,122,284 B2, assigned to PVI Industries Inc. (Watts Water Technologies, Inc.), Electromechanical Temperature Control System for Providing a Tumbled Mixture come. Hot water from water heater 110 is provided to mixing station 160 via one-way valve 161 and hot water lines 191 and 194 to provide a “first temperature” hot water supply. Digital mixing station 160 is used to temper water with a controlled temperature hot water supply, shown in FIG. 1 as LT supply 131 . Hot water is supplied directly to the hot water supply system, shown in FIG. 1 as HT supply 133 .

Any suitable water heater 110 may be used. Whether the source of heat heats water directly in the water heater (eg some types of electrical heating elements), or whether there is a heat exchanger in which, for example, hot combustion gases flow through tubes moving through the water heater to heat the water. It doesn't matter. It also doesn't matter what type of fuel is used. In commercial water heaters, gas fired burners are common, but the same systems and processes described by this application can be implemented with electric, oil, direct, or indirect heat exchangers, including steam or non-drinkable boiler water heaters. have.

Representative suitable heat exchanger units include plate and frame heat exchanger heaters used with boiler water on one side and domestic hot water heaters on the other side. The higher temperature boiler water heats domestic hot water to the desired hot water temperature. Steam heating may also be used, such as where steam moves through the pipe with water flowing around the pipe in the shell. For example, water heaters may include plate and frame heat exchangers, welded plate heat exchangers, or indirectly heated heat exchangers such as shell and tube heat exchangers. Alternatively, the water heater may comprise a welded plate heat exchanger, or an indirectly heated steam heated heat exchanger, such as a shell and tube heat exchanger.

Other suitable water heaters include gas heated water heaters, such as those with adjustable burners. Electrical elements, such as, for example, coiled electric heating elements, may also be used to more directly heat water in an instantaneous water heater. It is understood that water heaters, as described above, typically include any suitable water heater controller (eg, controller 201 , FIG. 1 ).

The controller 201 is typically, but not necessarily, the same as the controller of the water heater 110 via a communication line 203 . The controller 201 is optionally connected to the UV water treatment lamp (A) 137 via the communication line 205 , to the Cheonggwan system 141 via the communication line 209 , and/or via the communication line 207 . communicatively coupled to a UV water treatment lamp (B) 135 . Similarly, the controller 201 may be configured to communicate via a communication line 211 to peripherals such as, for example, one or more displays or indicators (not shown in FIG. 1 ) and/or any suitable wired or wireless It may be communicatively coupled to any suitable communication lines to connections (eg, Bluetooth to any other suitable computers or controllers, WIFI, etc.). Communication lines 203 , 205 , 207 , 209 and/or 211 may include any suitable wired or wireless connections of any suitable hardwired control wires, a hardwired communication bus or protocol, any suitable wireless connection and/or thereof may be any combination of

Precipitation filters 171 , 173 may remove undesirable particulate matter prior to entering parts of the UV lamp and blue tube water treatment water heater device 100 with a sanitary loop at the cold water inlet or recirculation water inlet. Any suitable settling filter may be used.

Recirculated water exits the building hot water distribution system but is not used in any of the fixtures, or devices, and returns through the UV lamp and duct water treatment water heater apparatus 100 with a sanitary loop as "unused" hot water. water that can In the exemplary system of Figure 1, the building recycle water is treated with a settling filter (B) 173 and UV water to ensure that substantially no waterborne pathogens are introduced into the system from the building hot water distribution lines and fixtures. Return to UV lamp with sanitary loop and blue tube water treatment water heater device 100 via lamp (B) 135 . Recirculated hot water 183 is distributed directly to the water heater via line 195 for reheating and reuse, and back to mixing valve 160 via one-way check valve 165 and line 199 .

Chemical injection ports (eg, for chlorine dioxide) may optionally be used to further treat the effluent hot water from the water heater. Chemicals such as chlorine dioxide are preferably introduced at the bottom of the heat exchanger so that they do not degrade the heat exchanger structure.

2 is a diagram illustrating a recommended sanitary temperature and time sanitary loop sequence of operation. The diagram shows how several Legionella species, including Legionella pneumophila, respond to water temperatures in a laboratory environment. In real hot water systems, Legionella can grow at temperatures well above 122°F due to scale, biofilm and other compounds (white paper developed by ASSE International Scald Awareness Task Group, May 2013, Potential Water Heater Burns) As reprinted in Understanding Risks, HC Info, by Matthew Freije, Legionella Control in Medical Facilities: A Guide to Minimizing Risks).

Sanitary Loop - When enabled, UV lamp and duct water treatment water heater device 100 with a sanitary loop is provided in a normal operating environment (eg, typically from about 120°F to 140°F, to about 160°F, a set of water heaters). Reset point temperature As part of sanitary or sanitary loop 101 , circulation pump 151 , per the water treatment recommendations of FIG. 2 , from supply connection 191 via pipe 192 to cold inlet connection 193 Water is pumped into the furnace and continues until the water temperature in the water heater 110 exceeds 151° F. (66° C.) and is maintained for at least 2 minutes.

Appropriate water flow rates for the sanitary loop range as caused by the sanitary pump in the sanitary bypass loop are generally at least about GPM flow rates of the water heater in normal operation. Note that the sanitary loop is completely different from the prior art bypass loops used for temperature control and other applications, such as continuous water circulation or condensation reduction in a water heater. These bypass loops use relatively small diameter pipes, and much lower flow rates, which are not suitable for the new sanitary loop described above.

Example: A water heater includes a sanitary loop as described above using a 2" pipe diameter and 1/3 hp pump to achieve a sanitary loop flow rate of about 80 GPM. Typically, the pump and sanitary loop pipe It must be large enough to support a higher than normal flow of heated water from the heater (ie as related to the heat capacity of the water heater).

When complete, the setpoint may return to the pre-sanitation loop normal operating temperature and the heated water will be delivered to the mixing valve 160 and, if used, to the hot system water supply. Optionally, the blow down valve 121 can be opened, during both automatic and manual sanitary loop operation, to connect the water heater 110 to drain the heater supply and quickly return it to normal operating temperature environments. . The sanitary loop function is scheduled for periodic operation (eg, at regular or irregular time intervals) and/or with fault indications from water quality or water treatment devices, such as UV lamp fault or blue pipe fault indication, for example. As such, it can be operated manually based on maintenance alarms.

Automated Blowdown Sequence of Operation—In some embodiments, the auto-blowdown feature may automatically drain any sediment that may settle to the bottom of the heater 110 by actuation of the blowdown valve 121 . Once complete, the blow down valve is closed and the unit can be returned back to the standard sequence of operation. The automatic blowdown sequence may be programmed to be performed on a regular or irregular schedule and/or on a more frequent schedule of operations, eg in response to a fault condition, eg, a fault indication from a hearing system. These blueprint system fault indications are being developed for commercialization, eg, the QCM system described in the '898 application reference thereto.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary UV lamp and blue tube water treatment water heater device with a sanitary loop in accordance with the present application. The UV lamp and clear pipe water treatment water heater device of FIGS. 4 and 5 allows the device under certain circumstances to use all of the recycled water for other uses, either via drain line 503 to drain 505 , or via diverter line 504 . or a three-way diverter valve 501 in the recirculation line 183 that allows it to transfer a portion. The temperature sensors in FIGS. 4 and 5 are shown in rectangular schematic boxes marked "T" with designators such as I-40, and I-41. Any suitable analog or digital temperature sensors may be used, such as, for example, an analog or digital (resistive temperature detector) RTD, or an analog or digital thermistor.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating detail “A” of FIG. 4 ; The three-way diverter valve 501 will typically be any suitable wired or wireless connections of any suitable hardwired control wires, a hardwired communication bus or protocol, any suitable wireless connection and/or any combination thereof. operatively coupled to the controller 201 , such as by way of a communication line 513 .

Over Temperature Protection - Over temperature protection is useful for normal operation, such as where high and tempered return lines are combined and connected to the system recirculation line.

Burn-Protection System - An optional burn-resistant system can be used to provide burn protection for building users when the recirculation temperature exceeds the tempered water system temperature setpoint. In the exemplary system of Figures 4 and 5, tempered water (LT supply) is delivered by a digital mixing station 160, such as by use of an IntelliStation Jr™, available from POWERS™. The valve open and valve close setpoint temperatures for the three-way return divert valve 501 are optional, such as, for example, with a controller 201 or other interface device operably coupled to (eg, Bluetooth™, WIFI, Internet, etc.) may be set by the user in a controller such as a smart phone communicatively coupled to the controller 201 by appropriate means of The operation of the three-way return divert valve 501 by the controller may also be based on the differential temperature between the tempered feed temperature sensor and the recirculation temperature sensor.

By partially opening a 3-way return diverting valve 501 (eg, an adjustable 3-way valve) to divert some return water to the drain line 503 or diverted water line 504 , the artificial demand can be met. Cold water may also be drawn into the digital mixing station 160 for mixing below the tempered supply temperature.

Impact Treatment Options - Impact treatment options include thermal shock and chemical shock. Shock handling options are useful when installing in retrofit applications, or when an infection event occurs. These are temporary, unplanned actions that are typically manually entered. Temperature Shock—To cause a temperature shock, the digital mixing station 160 may be placed in a sanitary mode in which the delivery temperature is increased to known temperatures to reduce bacterial counts in the system piping. Chemical Shock—To cause a chemical shock, one or more of the chemical injection ports can be used to introduce very high amounts of water treatment chemicals for a system flush or infection event.

Shock Protection - In the case of thermal shock or chemical shock treatment of building piping systems, almost all of the water returning to the water heater and treatment device is used to protect components from exposure to high concentrations of chemical treatment and to ensure that the piping system is subjected to scalding levels. It can be withdrawn to allow a quick return to a safe temperature below these values. By fully opening the 3-way return divert valve 501 during an impact protection event, nearly all of the return water can be diverted to the drain pipe 505 .

Bypass Water - As described above, in some installations, such as representative water heating and treatment systems with UV lamps and clear water treatment sanitation facilities for suppression of pathogens and undesirable bacteria inclusion in domestic hot water systems, bypass The drained water is diverted through the drain line to the drain pipe. However, at other installations, other uses of diverted hot or hot water, as specified by site personnel for diverted hot or warm water (as opposed to diverted water being sent directly through the drain line to the drain), are not available. there may be In these alternative use cases, the diverted water may alternatively be piped to another application for later use before being drained after an alternative use, or to an end use that otherwise consumes and/or evaporates the diverted water. have. Where the bypassed water line is used to pipe the bypassed water to another alternative use, the bypassed water line replaces the drain line in the exemplary systems shown in the figures.

In general, the addition of a proportional three-way return switch valve provides more flexibility and options for how the recirculated water is used. Typically, in normal operation of the system, nearly all of the recycled water is returned to the mixing station, such as in the exemplary system of FIG. 4, through a UV water treatment lamp and settling filter. During overheat conditions, a proportional three-way return switch valve can return a 0% to 100% portion of the recirculated water back to the system, with the remainder diverted to the drain or for other uses. During some overheat conditions, in particular depending on the allowed change in the LT supply (sometimes referred to as the first temperature hot water supply), the facility manager can still optionally allow nearly all of the recycled water to be returned to the mixing station. have. However, during the impact treatment operation, nearly all (ie, 90% to 100%) of the recycled water is diverted to the drain, or optionally for other uses (other uses may accept the impacted water).

Controller—The water heater may comprise any suitable controller, typically a processor-based controller. The processes described above may be performed by a water heater controller or other controller operatively coupled to the water heater controller. The controller may be based on any suitable embedded processor or embedded computer. The water heater control can perform standard water heater operating functions as well as monitor and report UV proficiency and mixing valve conditions and faults. Similarly, the mixing station may include its own controller operatively coupled to the controller executing any of the processes described above.

The UV lamp and blue tube water treatment water heater device with sanitary loop of FIG. 1 is a compact, self-sealing device that can be built into a single enclosure. 3 shows a diagram of an exemplary self-sealing, single cabinet embodiment of the device of FIG. 1 ;

Applications of the UV lamp with sanitary loop of FIG. 1 and the blue pipe water treatment water heater device are for critical medical facilities such as hospitals, and household use in hospitality areas including, for example, restaurants, resorts, and hotels. Includes hot water facilities.

Flash water heaters have relatively small volumes of heated water, and hot water tanks are obsolete or at least less common in modern water heating applications and facilities. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the same techniques of a UV lamp with a sanitary loop and a water treatment water heater device with a sanitary loop as described by this application can be applied to the hot water tanks of a hot water system. Current trends are towards water heaters that heat water on demand (eg, instantaneous water heaters as used in the exemplary systems described above), but those skilled in the art will also It will be appreciated that the same techniques of UV lamp with sanitary loop and blue tube water treatment water heater arrangement as described above can also be applied to tank type water heaters.

Suitable wired communications include analog voltages or currents including direct wire contact controls and/or current loop standards, serial standards, such as RS-485, Ethernet connections, and the like. Suitable wireless connections include, for example, Bluetooth™, WIFI, the Internet, and the like.

The software or firmware of the processors, controllers, and computers that may be used to implement the water heater, digital mixing station, UV lamp with sanitary loop of FIG. - May be provided on a temporary storage medium. Computer-readable non-transitory storage media as non-transitory data storage devices include any data stored on any suitable media in a non-transitory manner. Such data storage includes any suitable computer-readable non-transitory storage medium, including, but not limited to, hard drives, non-volatile RAM, SSD devices, CDs, DVDs, and the like.

It will be understood that variations of the disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unexpected alternatives, modifications, changes, or improvements may be made by those skilled in the art, which are also intended to be covered by the following claims.

Claims (17)

A water heating and treatment system having a UV lamp and anti-scale water treatment sanitation for the suppression of pathogens and undesirable bacteria inclusion in a domestic hot water system, the water heating and treatment system comprising:
water heater;
a cold water supply line for supplying water to the water heater, the cold water supply line comprising a purging device and a UV sanitary lamp;
single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station for supplying temperature controlled heated water to one or multiple temperature zones, said single or multiple temperature regulating mixing station comprising: said cold water supply line from said water heater and fluidly coupled to the hot water outlet line, wherein the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station is for supplying water heated to a first hot water temperature to at least a first temperature zone;
a water heater sanitary loop comprising a sanitary loop pump for circulating hot water within the water heater; and
A three-way return diversion fluidly coupled to the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station via one or more sanitary components, and fluidly coupled to a drain pipe or other application via a drain line or diverted water line. return water diverter valve;
including, and
The three-way return switch valve,
for providing a portion of the recirculated hot water from a hot water recirculation line to the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station and for providing the remainder of the recirculated hot water to the drain.
Water heating and treatment system.
The method of claim 1,
A water heater controller operatively coupled to the three-way return divert valve and at least one temperature sensor causes the three-way return divert valve to bypass recirculated water during an overheat condition detected by the at least one temperature sensor. doing,
Water heating and treatment system.
The method of claim 1,
A water heater controller operatively coupled to the three-way return switch valve and at least two temperature sensors is configured such that the three-way return switch valve determines a differential measured by the water heater controller between the at least two temperature sensors. to bypass at least a portion of the recycled water based on the temperature;
Water heating and treatment system.
4. The method of claim 3,
wherein the at least two temperature sensors include a water supply temperature sensor and a recirculated water temperature sensor.
The method of claim 1,
wherein the three-way return divert valve is configured to divert recirculated water to the drain pipe during a temperature shock operation or a chemical shock operation.
The method of claim 1,
and when the water heater controller is set during a temperature shock operation or a chemical shock operation, the three-way return divert valve is configured to divert recirculated water to the drain line.
The method of claim 1,
wherein the one or more sanitary components include at least one UV sanitary lamp.
The method of claim 1,
wherein the one or more sanitary components include at least one sedimentation filter.
The method of claim 1,
wherein the three-way return diverting valve comprises a proportional three-way return diverting valve.
10. The method of claim 9,
wherein said proportional three-way return switch valve comprises an adjustable three-way valve.
A method for treating hot water to contain pathogens and undesirable bacteria in a domestic hot water system, the method comprising:
Water heater, cold water supply line for supplying water to said water heater, single or multiple temperature regulated mixing station for supplying temperature controlled heated water to one or multiple temperature zones, water heater sanitary loop and 3-way providing a return diverting valve;
returning recirculated water through the three-way return divert valve to the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station during normal operation;
diverting 0% to 100% of the recycled water to a drain or other use during a superheated condition; and
diverting 90% to 100% of the recycled water to the drain or to other uses during an impact treatment operation;
including, and
The cold water supply line includes a cleaning tube device and a UV sanitary lamp,
wherein the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station is fluidly coupled to the cold water supply line and the hot water outlet line from the water heater;
wherein the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station is for supplying water heated to a first hot water temperature to at least a first temperature zone;
the water heater sanitary loop comprises a sanitary loop pump for circulating hot water within the water heater;
The three-way return diverting valve is fluidly coupled to the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station via one or more sanitary components and is fluidly coupled to a drain through a drain line or other use via a bypassed water line. fluidly coupled to
A method for treating hot water.
12. The method of claim 11,
The step of returning the recirculated water to the drain pipe during the overheat condition includes returning the recycled water to the drain line based on the overheat condition detected by at least one temperature sensor operatively coupled to a controller. A method for treating hot water, comprising:
12. The method of claim 11,
The step of returning the recirculated water to the drain pipe during the overheat condition includes returning the recycled water to the drain pipe based on a differential temperature measured by at least two temperature sensors operatively coupled to a controller. A method for treating hot water, comprising:
14. The method of claim 13,
wherein the at least two temperature sensors comprise a tempered water supply temperature sensor and a recirculated water temperature sensor.
12. The method of claim 11,
and returning the recirculated water to the drain pipe during the shock treatment operation includes returning the recycled water to the drain line during a temperature shock treatment operation.
12. The method of claim 11,
and returning the recirculated water to the drain pipe during the impact treatment operation includes returning the recycled water to the drain line during a chemical impact treatment operation.
A water heating and treatment system having a UV lamp and a water treatment sanitation for the control of pathogens and undesirable bacteria inclusion in a domestic hot water system, the water heating and treatment system comprising:
water heater;
a cold water supply line for supplying water to the water heater, the cold water supply line comprising a purging device and a UV sanitary lamp;
A single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station for supplying temperature controlled heated water to one or multiple temperature zones, wherein the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station is configured to flow from the water heater to the cold water supply line and the hot water outlet line. wherein the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station is for supplying water heated to a first hot water temperature to at least a first temperature zone;
a water heater sanitary loop including a sanitary loop pump for circulating hot water within the water heater; and
a three-way return diverting valve fluidly coupled to the single or multiple temperature controlled mixing station via one or more sanitary components and fluidly coupled to a drain pipe or other use via a drain line or a bypassed water line;
including, and
The three-way return switch valve,
Allowing safe sanitation of domestic hot water systems by diverting superheated recirculated water from a mixing valve to the drain pipe or other uses to prevent the heated water in the at least first temperature zone from exceeding a predetermined maximum temperature. is for,
Water heating and treatment system.

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