U.S. patent application number 13/702598 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-28 for device for preparing hot water, in particular for domestic applications.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE GMBH. The applicant listed for this patent is Stefan Holzer, Evgeni Rehfuss, Andreas Renner, Markus Spielmannleitner, Gerhard Wetzl. Invention is credited to Stefan Holzer, Evgeni Rehfuss, Andreas Renner, Markus Spielmannleitner, Gerhard Wetzl.
Application Number | 20130074540 13/702598 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44627046 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130074540 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Holzer; Stefan ; et
al. |
March 28, 2013 |
DEVICE FOR PREPARING HOT WATER, IN PARTICULAR FOR DOMESTIC
APPLICATIONS
Abstract
A device which is used for preparing hot water, in particular
for domestic applications, by recovering heat from waste water,
preferably waste water from a sink and/or a dishwasher or washing
machine includes a heat pump having an evaporator and a condenser,
and a waste water container which collects the waste water. The
waste water container is placed in thermal contact with the
evaporator and constructed as a cylindrical hollow body with a
waste water inlet and a waste water outlet. A hot water reservoir
is in thermal contact with the condenser. Accommodated in the
hollow body of the waste water container is an agitating apparatus,
and a valve is provided at the waste water outlet to cut a flow of
waste water through the waste water outlet.
Inventors: |
Holzer; Stefan; (Aalen,
DE) ; Rehfuss; Evgeni; (Munchen, DE) ; Renner;
Andreas; (Giengen, DE) ; Spielmannleitner;
Markus; (Ellwangen, DE) ; Wetzl; Gerhard;
(Sontheim, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Holzer; Stefan
Rehfuss; Evgeni
Renner; Andreas
Spielmannleitner; Markus
Wetzl; Gerhard |
Aalen
Munchen
Giengen
Ellwangen
Sontheim |
|
DE
DE
DE
DE
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERATE
GMBH
Munich
DE
|
Family ID: |
44627046 |
Appl. No.: |
13/702598 |
Filed: |
May 25, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
May 25, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP11/58513 |
371 Date: |
December 7, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/238.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B 27/02 20130101;
F24H 4/02 20130101; F24H 4/04 20130101; Y02B 30/52 20130101; Y02B
30/12 20130101; F24D 11/025 20130101; Y02B 30/125 20180501; F24D
2200/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/238.7 |
International
Class: |
F25B 27/02 20060101
F25B027/02; F24H 4/02 20060101 F24H004/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 9, 2010 |
DE |
10 2010 029 882.4 |
Claims
1-15. (canceled)
16. A device for preparing hot water, comprising: a heat pump
having an evaporator and a condenser; a waste water container
collecting waste water and placed in thermal contact with the
evaporator, said waste water container being constructed as a
cylindrical hollow body having a waste water inlet and a waste
water outlet; a hot water reservoir in thermal contact with the
condenser; an agitating apparatus accommodated in the hollow body,
said agitating apparatus including a drive shaft running coaxially
in the waste water container and agitating elements arranged on the
drive shaft; and a valve provided at the waste water outlet to cut
a flow of waste water through the waste water outlet.
17. The device of claim 16 for use in domestic application.
18. The device of claim 16, wherein the heat pump is a compression
heat pump.
19. The device of claim 16, for use in the recovery of heat from
waste water from a sink and/or a dishwasher or washing machine.
20. The device of claim 16, wherein the agitating elements are
constructed in the form of a worm.
21. The device of claim 16, wherein the agitating elements are
structured in a way as to form a closure for waste water.
22. The device of claim 16, wherein the agitating elements are
constructed to contact a wall surface of the waste water
container.
23. The device of claim 16, wherein the agitating elements are
constructed at a distance to a facing wall surface of the waste
water container to thereby define a gap there between.
24. The device of claim 16, further comprising a motor to drive the
drive shaft.
25. The device of claim 24, wherein the drive shaft together with
the agitating elements and the motor is constructed as a structural
unit which is removably connected to the waste water container for
cleaning purposes.
26. The device of claim 16, wherein the waste water container is
arranged inclined at an angle with a fall toward the waste water
outlet.
27. The device of claim 16, further comprising a preliminary heat
exchanger for fresh water, said preliminary heat exchanger being
provided on the waste water container.
28. The device of claim 27, wherein the preliminary heat exchanger
is formed by a coiled pipe running in a spiral shape around a
housing of the waste water container.
29. The device of claim 28, wherein the evaporator has a coiled
pipe, said coiled pipe of the preliminary heat exchanger and said
coiled pipe of the evaporator being arranged in a manner of a
common bifilar winding.
30. The device of claim 27, wherein the hot water reservoir has an
inlet provided in a lower region of the hot water reservoir, said
inlet being connected to an outlet of the preliminary heat
exchanger.
31. The device of claim 16, wherein the hot water reservoir has a
hot water outlet, said condenser and said hot water outlet being
arranged in an upper region of the hot water reservoir.
32. The device of claim 16, further comprising a common heat
insulation enclosing the waste water container, the heat pump and
the hot water reservoir.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a device for preparing hot water,
in particular for domestic applications, by recovering heat from
waste water, preferably waste water from a sink and/or a dishwasher
or washing machine, by means of a heat pump, in particular a
compression heat pump, having a waste water container which
collects the waste water, and a hot water reservoir, wherein the
evaporator of the heat pump is in thermal contact with the waste
water container and the condenser of the heat pump is in thermal
contact with the hot water reservoir.
[0002] Devices of said type permit the thermal energy present in
the waste water of domestic applications to be extracted before
said waste water is discharged into the drain system. A device of
said type is known from EP 0 088 055 A1, the device described there
containing a waste water collection container which permits the
temporary storage of the hot water, and in addition a heat pump
which extracts the energy from the hot waste water and supplies it
to a container which serves for storing the hot water.
[0003] Similar devices are described in DE 30 06 119 A1, DE 28 01
638 A1 and DE 26 25 157 A1.
[0004] In order to enable the thermal energy contained in the waste
water to be extracted therefrom to a sufficient extent it is
necessary to store the waste water in the waste water container for
a relatively long period of time. However, this means that the
contaminants or particles contained in the waste water are able to
collect as a deposit on the wall, in particular in the lower region
of the waste water container, as a result of which not only is a
coating produced which becomes difficult to remove over the course
of time, but the coating also forms a heat-insulating layer
besides, thereby making it more difficult for heat to be
transferred to the evaporator of the heat pump which typically is
arranged on the external wall of the waste water container.
[0005] The object underlying the invention is to improve a device
of the type cited in the introduction to the effect that deposits
of dirt particles in the waste water container are avoided and
consequently an optimal transfer of heat through the wall of the
waste water container is ensured.
[0006] This object is achieved according to the invention in that
the waste water container is provided with an agitating
apparatus.
[0007] The advantage achieved by means of the invention essentially
consists in the fact that the agitating apparatus keeps the waste
water in the waste water container in motion so that deposits
cannot accumulate on the wall of the waste water container or at
most can accumulate only to a minor extent. In particular this
renders any anti-dirt coatings on the internal wall superfluous.
Furthermore, the agitating apparatus ensures the water is
circulated in the waste water container, thereby enabling the
thermal energy contained in the waste water to be extracted more
quickly, with the result that a heat gradient from the center of
the waste water container toward the edge is avoided. In addition,
the agitating apparatus can simultaneously perform a pumping or
conveying function for the waste water.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment variant of the invention the waste
water container is implemented as a cylindrical hollow body having
a waste water inlet and a waste water outlet, the agitating
apparatus being formed by a driven shaft running coaxially in the
waste water container and having agitating elements arranged
thereon.
[0009] In this variant the agitating elements can be designed in
any suitable form, for example also as agitating blades; in this
case it has also proved advantageous within the scope of the
invention if the agitating elements are embodied as a worm, since a
conveying function is fulfilled by this means.
[0010] Advantageously, the agitating elements can in this case also
be structured in such a way that they form a closure means for the
waste water.
[0011] Alternatively or in addition, a valve can furthermore be
provided at the waste water outlet as a closure means for the waste
water. Said valve remains closed at first until the waste water has
cooled down to a predetermined lower temperature value.
[0012] In order to avoid deposits of dirt particles to the greatest
possible extent it is beneficial to embody the agitating elements
in such a way that they are in contact with the wall surface of the
waste water container or are disposed facing it with a slight
gap.
[0013] In a particularly simple embodiment the drive shaft can be
driven by a motor.
[0014] In order to be able nonetheless to clean the waste water
container easily, such a cleaning operation being advisable at
relatively long time intervals, it is provided within the scope of
the invention for the drive shaft together with the agitating
elements and the motor to be embodied as a structural unit which
can be easily removed from the waste water container for cleaning
purposes.
[0015] It has furthermore proved beneficial if the waste water
container is arranged inclined at an angle with a fall toward the
waste water outlet.
[0016] This also facilitates the conveyance of the particles
contained in the waste water toward the waste water outlet.
[0017] In order to enable a first preheating of the fresh water
flowing into the hot water reservoir to be performed, the invention
makes provision for a preliminary heat exchanger for the fresh
water to be provided on the waste water container. Said preliminary
heat exchanger is beneficially formed by a coiled pipe running in a
spiral shape around the housing of the waste water container.
[0018] In order to achieve an effective and maximally homogeneous
extraction of heat from the waste water container it is furthermore
advisable to arrange the coiled pipe of the preliminary heat
exchanger and the coiled pipe of the evaporator in the manner of a
common bifilar winding.
[0019] It has also proved advantageous if the inlet of the hot
water container is provided in the latter's lower region and is
connected to the outlet of the preliminary heat exchanger. In this
way the hot water can collect in the upper region of the hot water
container without being mixed with the replenishing fresh water,
such that the hot water is ready to be drawn off in the upper
region. For this reason it is additionally advisable for the
condenser and the hot water outlet to be arranged in the upper
region of the hot water container.
[0020] Finally, it is advisable, in order to avoid heat losses, for
the waste water container, the heat pump and the hot water
reservoir to be enclosed by a common heat-insulating means. In this
way the entire device also forms a unit which can replace the
otherwise customary electric boiler under the sink.
[0021] The invention is explained in more detail below with
reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing;
the single FIGURE is a schematic diagram showing the device for
recovering heat from waste water.
[0022] The device depicted in the drawing is provided in particular
for domestic applications in order to extract from the waste water
of a sink and/or dishwasher or washing machine the thermal energy
contained therein and supply it to a hot water reservoir 4 fed by
fresh water.
[0023] Toward that end, a waste water container 1 collecting the
waste water and a heat pump are firstly provided, the heat pump
being embodied here as a compression heat pump having a compressor
13. In this arrangement the evaporator 2 of the heat pump is in
thermal contact with the waste water container 1 and the condenser
3 of the heat pump is in thermal contact with the hot water
reservoir 4.
[0024] In order to avoid dirt deposits in the waste water container
1, which dirt deposits can collect in particular in the bottom
region of the waste water container 1 during the time that heat is
being extracted from the waste water, the waste water container 1
is provided with an agitating apparatus.
[0025] In the exemplary embodiment the waste water container 1 is
implemented as a cylindrical hollow body and is provided both with
a waste water inlet 5 and with a waste water outlet 6. The
agitating apparatus has a drive shaft 7 running coaxially in the
waste water container 1 and having agitating elements 8 arranged
thereon. Said agitating elements 8 can be formed as individual
agitating blades or else--in a manner not illustrated in greater
detail--by a worm. Furthermore, such embodiments are also possible
in which the agitating elements 8 form a closure means for the
waste water.
[0026] A valve 9 is provided at the waste water outlet 6 as a
closure means for the waste water, enabling the waste water
container 1 to be emptied as soon as the thermal energy stored in
the waste water has been extracted to a sufficient extent.
[0027] As is apparent from the drawing, the agitating elements 8
are embodied such that either they are in contact with the wall
surface of the waste water container 1, which necessitates a
certain elasticity on the part of the agitating elements 8, or else
they are disposed facing said wall surface with a slight gap.
[0028] As can be seen from the drawing, the drive shaft 7 is driven
by a small electric motor 10 which--in view of the only small
circulation capacity--can be designed for low energy consumption.
Said circulation of the waste water not only prevents dirt
particles from being deposited, but at the same time the waste
water is kept at an even temperature level, with the result that
the thermal energy can be extracted more quickly and efficiently
via the wall surface of the waste water container 1.
[0029] The drive shaft 7 together with the agitating elements 8 and
the motor 10 can be embodied as an easily removable structural unit
in order in this way to facilitate a nonetheless still occasionally
necessary cleaning of the waste water container 1.
[0030] The waste water container 1 is arranged inside the device,
inclined at an angle with a fall toward the waste water outlet 6,
thereby facilitating the conveyance of dirt particles toward the
waste water outlet 6.
[0031] In order to achieve a preheating of the fresh water being
supplied to the hot water reservoir 4, a preliminary heat exchanger
11 for the fresh water is provided on the waste water container 1.
Said preliminary heat exchanger 11 is formed by a coiled pipe
running in a spiral shape around the housing of the waste water
container 1. The coiled pipe of the evaporator 2 is arranged
between the individual coils of the coiled pipe of the preliminary
heat exchanger 11 in the manner of a common bifilar winding.
[0032] The outlet of the preliminary heat exchanger 11 is connected
to the inlet of the hot water reservoir 4, said inlet being
arranged in the lower region of the hot water reservoir 4 so that
the cooler fresh water collects in the lower region of the hot
water reservoir 4. The condenser 3 and the hot water outlet, on the
other hand, are located in the upper region of the hot water
reservoir 4 so that mixing of the inflowing cold fresh water with
the hot water that is to be drawn off at the outlet is avoided to
the greatest possible extent.
[0033] As indicated in the drawing, the waste water container 1,
the heat pump and the hot water reservoir 4 are enclosed by a
common heat-insulating means 12, as a result of which the entire
device furthermore forms a compact structural unit which replaces
the hot water boiler normally arranged under a sink.
* * * * *