KR20120060304A - A steam generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A steam generator is provided to reduce a size by using a high-powered ceramic heater and to reduce the energy consumption by preventing an unnecessary power loss. CONSTITUTION: A steam generator(100) comprises a ceramic heater(102), a fluid heating part(103), and a steam generator(104). The ceramic heater comprises a lead line for applying power in the middle part. The fluid heating part horizontally and vertically moves the heat which is an object for heating in the upper and lower sides of the ceramic heater. The fluid heating part heats fluid by using heat transmitted from the ceramic heater. The steam generator converts the heated fluid into steam.

Description

Steam generator {A STEAM GENERATOR}

The present invention relates to a steam generator, and more particularly, to provide a steam generator that can generate steam continuously by heating a fluid flowing in order to be supplied or circulated, by using a ceramic heater to improve heating efficiency. It is about.

In general, a steam generator uses a sheath heater, and since the part contacting with water is not grounded, it is usually insulated through Teflon coating or ceramic coating to maintain safety.

However, insulation coating such as Teflon coating or ceramic coating formed on the surface of the heater may be a problem for the user's safety because the insulation layer may be destroyed by impact or friction during use.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, double insulation is required. Since such double insulation reduces the heat generated by the heater, there is a problem that the heat generation performance of the heater is reduced, and the size of the heating element must be increased according to the heat generation capacity. It is also impossible to build a continuous and rapid steam generator due to the increased amount of water.

Recently, a steam generator using a ceramic heater has been developed and used to compensate for the shortcomings of the metal heater, and as an example thereof, there is a patent No. 981798 (Citation Invention 1).

A heating element formed of a PTC element and a conductive plate is housed inside a tube containing the same, and a magnesium oxide powder or slurry-like insulator is injected between the heating element and the inner space of the tube to form an insulating layer, and the insulating sheet is wound around the outside. A steam heater is manufactured by forming a second insulating layer, and the heater is mounted on a heating unit and heats a predetermined amount of water flowing from the reservoir to generate steam.

Another example is Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 0043494 (Citation Invention 2), which is described below with reference to FIG. 2.

Citation Invention 2 corresponds to a low water steam generator using a flat ceramic heater, and the low water steam generator is composed of a water tank and a ceramic heating device.

The water tank consists of a heating body and a heating cover, and the heating body and the heating cover are screwed to each other with a fastening hole and a fastening groove formed at each rim, and the heating body is provided with a heater mounting hole equipped with a steam discharge pipe and a ceramic heating device. The cover is formed with a water inlet.

The ceramic heating device is mainly composed of a case tube and a ceramic heater. The case tube has a box shape composed of a base tube and a side tube surrounding the edge of the base tube as shown in FIG. 2, and a flange is formed on the upper side of the side tube. It is.

Since the steam generator to which Patent No. 981798, which is referred to above, is applied, requires double insulation using a PTC ceramic heater, the heating performance of the heater is reduced and the size of the heater must be increased according to the capacity increase. There is a drawback to this.

In the case of Cited Invention 2, the ceramic heater is mounted on the metal tube, and the metal tube is in contact with water to heat the stored water to generate steam.

However, such a steam generator is very complicated to increase the amount of steam generated, and the screw joints have a high risk of deterioration in airtightness by repeating thermal expansion and contraction, and it takes a long time to heat water initially and generates continuous steam. This has the disadvantage of being impossible.

In the prior art as described above, the steam generator using the metal heater is difficult to miniaturize the size and it is difficult to generate steam immediately and continuously due to the deterioration of the heating performance due to the double insulation.

In addition, even in the steam generator of the prior art using a ceramic heater, it is difficult to miniaturize the size, the capacity to be used immediately is limited, and there is a problem of continuous steam generation.

Accordingly, the present invention has been invented to solve the above problems, and is configured to maximize the heat exchange surface between the heating element and the fluid to a small volume to heat the fluid to reach a constant temperature at a rapid response speed by instantaneous heating This paper suggests ways to improve efficiency.

In the present invention, a heating electrode having a constant resistance is provided with a single or a plurality of ceramic heaters inherent in the ceramic insulator, and the upper and lower heaters contact the fluid heating part of the metal in which the fluid or steam flow path is formed and the steam generating part When the fluid flows into the fluid heating part to which the supply pipe is connected, the fluid moves horizontally along the formed fluid flow path and then repeats vertical movement to the next layer. The fluid is heated and the heated fluid moves to the steam generator through the transfer pipe, and then the horizontal motion and It is to provide a steam generating device having a feature that is discharged through the discharge pipe connected to the steam generating unit by changing the heated fluid to steam while repeating vertical movement.

The present invention is capable of miniaturization while having high output and quick response, and enables continuous use for a long time, and enables continuous steam generation while maintaining a heating area, and according to the capacity, the ceramic heater part, the fluid heating part, and the steam generating part There is a feature that can be freely extended or repeated.

In addition, the ceramic heater is in contact with the metal part having excellent heat transfer, and avoids direct contact with the vapor or fluid bubbles, thereby preventing the ceramic heater from being exposed to thermal shock so that the surface of the ceramic heater and the fluid or steam can be efficiently exchanged. The ultimate goal is to optimize the device to provide stability and durability.

The present invention relates to a steam generator having an efficient heat exchange structure with a small heat capacity by increasing the area ratio of the heating surface per unit volume of fluid or steam, and rapidly heating and steaming a fluid in a short time to enable continuous steam generation. It is very useful because it can be easily applied to high capacity steam generator.

In addition, while using a high-efficiency, high-power ceramic heater, the heat exchange structure that can improve the potential thermal shock performance has the advantage that it can be used continuously with high reliability.

Therefore, it is possible to generate steam continuously and not only need a fluid reservoir, but also can be miniaturized by using a high-power ceramic heater, which can prevent unnecessary power loss, resulting in a reduction in power consumption. There is this.

By using the above advantages it is expected that a wide range of applications, such as steam iron, steam washing machine, steam cleaner, steam sterilizer, steam cooker, steam boiler, cosmetic steam generator.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a steam generator to which the prior art is applied.
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing two embodiments of a steam generator applied to the prior art.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a steam generating device to which the technique of the present invention is applied.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the steam generator to which the technique of the present invention is applied.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of a steam generator to which the technique of the present invention is applied.
Figure 6 is an exemplary view showing a fluid and steam transfer path of the steam generating apparatus to which the technique of the present invention is applied.
Figure 7 is a block diagram showing two embodiments of a steam generator to which the technique of the present invention is applied.
Figure 8 is a block diagram showing three embodiments of the steam generating apparatus to which the technique of the present invention is applied.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a preferred configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a steam generating apparatus to which the technique of the present invention is applied, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the steam generating apparatus to which the technique of the present invention is applied, Figure 5 is 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of the steam generator applied to the technology, Figure 6 is an exemplary view showing a fluid and steam transfer path of the steam generator according to the present invention, Figure 7 is a steam applied to the technology of the present invention Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing two embodiments of the generator, and Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing three embodiments of the steam generator to which the technique of the present invention is applied.

In the steam generator 100 to which the technique of the present invention is applied, the flat ceramic heater 102 having the lead wire 101 exposed to the outside is disposed at the center thereof, and the upper and lower sides of the ceramic heater 102 are disposed. The fluid heating unit 103 for receiving and heating the heat generated by the ceramic heater 102 while moving the fluid to be heated in the horizontal and vertical directions, and receiving the heated fluid from the fluid heating unit 103 to steam Combining the steam generating unit 104 to convert to a configuration.

The fluid heating unit 103 and the steam generating unit 104 coupled to the ceramic heater 102 are made of stainless steel, aluminum, or stainless steel, which is excellent in heat transfer, in order to prevent thermal shock of the ceramic heater. In addition, the fluid heating unit 103 and the steam generating unit 104 is to be joined by brazing or welding so that the fluid or steam moving even in thermal expansion contraction.

Inside the fluid heating unit 103 and the steam generating unit 104 is one or more horizontal flow path plate which can enable a lot of heat exchange while moving in a zigzag form in a vertical direction while fluid and steam form a multi-layer ( 105, 106).

Each of the horizontal flow path plates 105 and 106 provided in the fluid heating unit 103 and the steam generating unit 104 induces fluid or steam to move horizontally from one side of the horizontal flow path plates 105 and 106 to the other side. The vertical flow path plates 107 and 108 for zigzag are arranged to form a zigzag-shaped fluid flow path 109 and a steam flow path 110.

One side of the fluid heating unit 103 and the steam generating unit 104 is connected to the discharge pipe 112 for discharging the steam generated by the fluid supply pipe 111 for supplying the fluid to be heated.

The fluid moving spaces 113 and the steam moving spaces 114, which are formed as horizontal flow path plates 105 and 106 inside the fluid heating unit 103 and the steam generator 104, are formed in the horizontal flow path plates 105 and 106. Through the through hole 115 to be moved from the upper side to the lower side or the lower side to the upper side, and the fluid heated in the fluid heating unit 103 to move to the steam generating unit 104 transfer pipe 116 ).

The cross-sectional areas (flow path volumes) of the fluid flow path 109 and the steam flow path 110 formed in the fluid heating part 103 and the steam generation part 103 may minimize the pressure generated during steam generation while smoothly flowing the fluid. It is preferable to gradually increase from the fluid passage 109 to the steam passage 110 so as to be able to.

 One or more ceramic heaters 102 may be used depending on the steam capacity, and may be metallized or a thin metal plate may be disposed on the surface of the ceramic to increase heat transfer efficiency.

As another example of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the ceramic heater 102, the fluid heating unit 103, and the steam generating unit 104 may be stacked in multiple stages in the height direction, and as shown in FIG. 8. The fluid heating unit 103 and the steam generating unit 104 are in close contact with each other of the 102, and the width and the length thereof may be increased to form a wide area.

Looking at the action e of the steam generating apparatus 100 to which the technique of the present invention is applied as described above is as follows.

When power is supplied to the ceramic heater 102 and the fluid is supplied through the supply pipe 111, the supplied fluid is the lowest fluid movement space formed by the horizontal flow path plate 105 constituting the fluid heating unit 103. It moves in a zigzag form in the horizontal direction along the fluid flow path 109 formed by the vertical flow path plate 107 arranged at 113.

Then, the process of moving through the through-hole 115 to the fluid movement space 113 of the upper layer and again in a zigzag form along the fluid flow path 109 while making a sufficient heat exchange with the heat generated by the ceramic heater 102 In a position where the ceramic heater 102 is in immediate contact with the ceramic heater 102, the heater is sufficiently heated.

Then, the fluid moves to the steam generating unit 104 through the transfer pipe 116 connected to the steam generating unit 104, and the lowest side formed by the horizontal flow path plate 106 constituting the steam generating unit 104 The vertical flow path plate 108 arranged in the steam moving space 114 of the steam flow path 109 formed along the zigzag movement in the horizontal direction.

The lowest steam moving space 114 is in a state of being in contact with the ceramic heater 102 and is sufficiently generated by the fluid heating unit 103 is supplied to the steam, so that the generated The steam is finally discharged through the discharge pipe 112 while moving in a zigzag along the steam flow path 110 formed in the steam moving space 114 of the upper side.

As described above, when the fluid is sufficiently heated by the fluid heating unit 103 and the steam is generated and discharged by the steam generating unit 104, the cross-sectional area is increased from the fluid passage 109 to the steam passage 110. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with pressure expansion due to steam generation.

The present invention has the advantage of being able to discharge the steam by continuously supplying the fluid, as well as providing steam in a sterilized clean state because the steam is generated by boiling the fluid to increase the utility.

100; Steam generator
102; Ceramic heater
103; Fluid heating part
104; Steam generator
105,106; Horizontal Euro Plate
107,108; Vertical Euro Plate
109; Fluid flow path
110; Steam Euro
113; Fluid movement space
114; Steam moving space
116; Transfer pipe

Claims (4)

A ceramic heater having a lead wire in the center for power supply;
A fluid heating unit which receives and heats heat generated by the ceramic heater while moving the fluid to be heated in the horizontal and vertical directions above and below the ceramic heater;
Steam generator characterized in that it comprises a steam generator for receiving the heated fluid in the fluid heating unit to convert to steam. The method of claim 1;
One or more horizontal flow paths inside the fluid heating part and the steam generating part to arrange a plurality of heat exchanges while moving the fluid and steam in a zigzag shape in a multi-layered manner;
Each of the horizontal flow paths provided in the fluid heating unit and the steam generating unit has a fluid flow path formed by zigzag arranging vertical flow path plates for inducing fluid or steam to move horizontally from one horizontal flow path plate to the other side. And a steam flow path;
One side of the fluid heating unit and the steam generating unit is a supply pipe for supplying a fluid to be heated, and a discharge pipe connected to discharge the steam generated by the fluid is heated;
The fluid moving space and the steam moving space is formed in the horizontal flow path plate and the through hole to move from the upper side to the lower side or the lower side to the upper side;
And a transfer pipe connecting the fluid heating part and the steam generating part to move the fluid heated in the fluid heating part to the steam generating part. The method of claim 1;
The cross-sectional area (flow volume) of the fluid flow path and the steam flow path formed in the fluid heating part and the steam generation part gradually increases from the fluid flow path to the steam flow path so as to minimize the pressure generated during steam generation while smoothly flowing the fluid. Steam generator characterized in that it is formed to. The method of claim 1;
Multi-stage lamination of the ceramic heater, the fluid heating unit and the steam generating unit in the height direction, or
Steam generating apparatus, characterized in that the width of the ceramic heater in the width and length direction in close contact with the fluid heater and the steam generating unit to configure a wide area.

Images