KR102759096B1 - Electric boiler system for both heating and hot water supply - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric boiler system for both heating and hot water, which enables hot water to be supplied to a shower, bathtub, washing machine, sink, washstand, etc. by adding a pipe to an electric boiler used exclusively for heating so that hot water can be discharged, and which can reduce power usage through efficient control according to power and hot water usage.

Description

Electric boiler system for both heating and hot water supply

The present invention relates to an electric boiler, and more specifically, to an electric boiler system for both heating and hot water, which enables hot water to be supplied to a shower, bathtub, washing machine, sink, washstand, etc. by adding a pipe to an electric boiler used exclusively for heating so that hot water can be discharged, and which can reduce power usage through efficient control according to power and hot water usage.

In Korea, the ondol method, which circulates heated heating water through pipes buried in the floor and heats the floor through heat exchange with the heating water, is traditionally used as a method for heating indoor living spaces in the winter. For this purpose, a boiler is installed to continuously supply heated heating water through the pipes.

These boilers heat water using fuels such as oil or gas, and recently, electric heating boilers that do not require a separate fuel supply system and have good control characteristics are also widely used. These electric boilers heat the floor by circulating heating water heated by a water tank with a built-in heater formed with heat exchange fins through heating pipes.

However, electric boilers consume a lot of electricity for heating water relative to the capacity of the water tank and the heating area, which is a huge burden to operate, especially in households where the electricity rate progressive system is applied. In addition, since the electricity consumption for heating the circulating water contained in the water tank is large, it can be a huge burden when supplying hot water, so-called instant hot water, which is discarded after discharge, so the capacity of boilers for supplying hot water is extremely limited, and not only cannot supply a large amount of hot water at one time, but if a large amount of hot water is used in a short period of time, it is not heated to the desired temperature and low-temperature water is discharged.

For this reason, electric boilers other than small hot water supply units for hot water supply are only used for heating purposes by circulating water through pipes for operational efficiency.

Republic of Korea Publication Patent No. 10-2010-0117204 (2010.11.03)

The present invention has been created to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an electric boiler system for both heating and hot water, which enables hot water to be supplied to various hot water-using devices by adding a pipe so that hot water can be discharged to an electric boiler used exclusively for heating, while maximizing the use of latent heat through an indirect heating method to increase thermal efficiency and reducing power usage through efficient control according to power and hot water usage.

For the above purpose, the present invention comprises: a water tank in which a heater that is heated by electricity and heats received water, a water level sensor that measures the water level of the received water, and a temperature sensor that measures the temperature are installed; a heat exchange unit that is installed so as to be submerged in water inside the water tank in a form that surrounds the heater, wherein heating water flows inside and heat is exchanged with water outside; a heating unit that is connected to the outlet side of the heat exchange unit and generates a flow of heating water, a heating distributor that distributes the heating water discharged from the circulation pump to a plurality of heating pipes buried in the floor of a heating zone, and a recovery distributor that recovers the heating water that has passed through the heating pipes and resupplies it to the inlet of the heat exchange unit; a water replenishment unit that is provided with a water supply pipe that continuously supplies water at a set pressure, a first supplementary water pipe that supplies water in the water supply pipe to the water tank through a supply valve, and a second supplementary water pipe that connects the water supply pipe and the inlet side of the heat exchange unit to replenish the heating water; It is characterized by comprising a control unit including a hot water supply unit that supplies heating water from the outlet side of the heat exchange unit to a hot water usage device; a water level control unit that controls the supply valve according to the detection result of the water level sensor to maintain the water level in the water tank; and a water temperature control unit that controls the heater according to the detection result of the temperature sensor and maintains the water temperature in the water tank.

At this time, it is preferable that the water tank be formed with a discharge pipe installed at the bottom with a discharge valve to discharge the water inside to the outside, and an overflow pipe to discharge water above the water level set at the top to the outside.

In addition, it is preferable to further include a safety valve installed on the outlet side of the above recovery distributor to manually release air that has entered the heating water and to open when water pressure exceeds a set pressure to discharge the heating water and thereby control the pressure.

In addition, the heating distributor includes a plurality of heating valves provided for each of the plurality of distributed heating pipes, and further includes a monitoring unit that monitors the power usage of the heater and the circulation pump and the amount of hot water supplied through the hot water supply unit; and the control unit may further include a heating control unit that individually controls the output of the circulation pump and the opening degree of the heating valve in response to the power usage and the hot water usage.

In addition, the hot water appliance may include a shower, a washing machine, a sink, and a wash basin, and the control unit may further include a hot water control unit that detects use of the hot water appliance and differentially applies a control value of the heater.

Through the present invention, hot water can be supplied to various hot water-using devices such as showers, bathtubs, washing machines, sinks, and washstands by adding pipes to electric boilers used exclusively for heating. In addition, by using an indirect heating method, the latent heat of water in a tank can be maximized to increase the efficiency of heating and hot water supply, and power consumption can be reduced through efficient control according to power and hot water usage.

Figure 1 is a boiler external appearance and system diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a structural diagram showing the internal structure of a boiler according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a structural diagram showing a heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a structural diagram showing a water replenishment system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a structural diagram showing a hot water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Below, the configuration of the electric boiler system for heating and hot water of the present invention is specifically described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the external appearance and system of a boiler according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a structural diagram showing the internal structure of a boiler according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is configured to supply hot water to hot water-using devices (200) such as showers, bathtubs, washing machines, sinks, and washstands as needed, including ondol-style heating based on an electric heating boiler (100).

A water tank (110) for containing water is provided inside the boiler (100) of the present invention, and a heater (111) that is heated by electricity and heats the contained water, a water level sensor (112) that measures the water level of the contained water, and a temperature sensor (113) that measures the temperature are installed in the water tank (110).

The size of the above tank (110) may vary depending on the boiler capacity and the size of the heating zone, and is surrounded by insulation of various materials to prevent heat loss as the water received through the heater (111) is heated.

In addition, in order to rapidly heat the water contained in the tank (110), a plurality of heaters (111) may be installed according to the size of the tank. In the embodiment of the present invention, two heaters (111) are installed as shown in the attached drawing, but it is obvious that the number may be increased or decreased appropriately according to the capacity of the tank provided.

The above water level sensor (112) and temperature sensor (113) are sensors for measuring the water level and temperature of water contained in the tank, respectively, and are configured to maintain the set water level considering thermal expansion and the temperature of water for heating water and hot water heating at set values through the control unit (160) described below.

At this time, a discharge pipe (114) is installed with a discharge valve at the bottom of the tank (110) to discharge the contained water, and an overflow pipe (115) is formed at the top to discharge water exceeding the set water level to the outside. In this way, when maintenance is required or the water inside needs to be replaced, the discharge valve can be opened to discharge the water inside the tank (110) through the discharge pipe (114), and when an excessive amount of water unintentionally flows into the tank, including a malfunction of the water level sensor (112), the water above the set level is naturally discharged through the overflow pipe (115), thereby protecting the boiler (100).

In addition, a heat exchange unit (120) is installed inside the tank (110) so as to be immersed in the water inside the tank (110) and surround the heater (111), and in which heating water flows inside and heat exchange occurs with the water outside.

The above heat exchange unit (120) is a tubular structure through which heating water passes, and can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity and resistance to corrosion, such as copper, and as shown in the attached drawing, is configured in a coil shape centered on the heater (111) to increase the contact area, and if necessary, a number of heat exchange fins are formed on the surface to greatly increase the contact area, and the heat exchange efficiency of the heating water passing through the inside of the heat exchange unit (120) from the water inside the water tank heated by the heater (111) can be improved.

At this time, the heat exchange unit (120) may be provided in multiple numbers, equal to the number of heaters provided in the water tank (110), and in the embodiment of the present invention, since two heaters (111) are provided, two heat exchange units (120) are shown connected in parallel.

In this way, the heating water heated through the heat exchange unit (120) basically circulates through the heating pipe (135) of the heating zone through the heating unit (130). This is substantially the same configuration as the ondol-type heating device mentioned above, and the heating unit (130) is equipped with a circulation pump (131) connected to the outlet side of the heat exchange unit (120) to generate a flow of heating water, a heating distributor (133) that distributes the heating water discharged from the circulation pump (131) to a plurality of heating pipes (135) buried in the floor surface of the heating zone, and a recovery distributor (136) that recovers the heating water passing through the heating pipe (135) and resupplied to the inlet of the heat exchange unit (120).

The above heating distributor (133) and heating pipe (135) and recovery distributor (136) are practically ready-made products that are installed in buildings where ondol-type heating is applied, and the heating water supplied through the circulation pump (131) and the outlet pipe (132) connected to the outlet side of the heat exchange unit (120) is distributed to a plurality of heating pipes (135) buried in the floor surface of the heating zone to perform heating. The attached drawing illustrates a state in which the heating water can be distributed through six heating pipes (135), and the number branched through the heating distributor can be increased or decreased depending on the size of the heating zone and the number of buried heating pipes. At this time, the heating distributor (133) is equipped with a heating valve (134) that controls the circulation of the heating water to each heating pipe (135), and this can be operated in a manual opening/closing manner or an automatic opening/closing manner with an electronic valve.

The above recovery distributor (136) is configured to collect and recover heating water that has passed through a plurality of heating pipes (135) corresponding to the heating distributor (133), and resupplied the collected heating water through the recovery pipe (137) to the inlet of the heat exchange unit (120) so that a circulation structure of the heating water is formed through the circulation pump (131).

That is, the heating water heated through the heat exchange unit (120) of the water tank (110) is cooled by heat exchange in the heating zone through the heating distributor (133) and heating pipe (135) via the circulation pump (131), and the heating water cooled and recovered through the recovery distributor (136) is combined from a plurality of heating pipes (135) and sent to the heat exchange unit (120) through the recovery pipe (137) to be reheated, thereby completing a cycle.

At this time, a safety valve (138) is provided on the outlet side of the above-mentioned recovery distributor (136) to manually release air that has entered the heating water and to control the pressure by opening and discharging the heating water when the water pressure exceeds the set pressure. This improves the thermal efficiency through air purge and prevents damage to the heating unit or unintended leakage of the heating water due to expansion of the heating water.

The water tank (110) and the heating unit (130) are replenished with water through the water replenishment unit (140). To this end, the water replenishment unit (140) is composed of a water supply pipe (141) that continuously supplies water at a set pressure, a first replenishment water pipe (142) that supplies water from the water supply pipe (141) to the water tank (110) through a supply valve (143), and a second replenishment water pipe (144) that connects the water supply pipe (141) and the inlet side of the heat exchange unit (120) to replenish heating water.

The above water supply pipe (141) is configured through a separate water tank or water pipe so that water can be continuously supplied at a constant pressure, and water supplied from the water supply pipe (141) is distributed to the first supplementary water pipe (142) and the second supplementary water pipe (144) through the T-shaped distribution section (T1) so that the supply is carried out.

That is, the first supplementary water pipe (142) is connected to the water tank (110) to supply water to the water tank, and the second supplementary water pipe (144) is connected to the return pipe (137) to supply heating water, respectively. Even if pressure is applied through the water supply pipe (141), the first supplementary water pipe (143) is blocked by the supply valve (143), and the second supplementary water pipe (144) is blocked by the heat exchange unit (120), the discharge pipe (132), the circulation pump (131), the heating distributor (133), the heating pipe (135), the return distributor (136), and the return pipe (137) form a closed circuit structure, so that the supply is blocked unless the heating water is discharged through the hot water supply unit (150), as described below.

The above hot water supply unit (150) is a pipe-shaped unit connected to the outlet side of the heat exchange unit (120) to discharge heated heating water and supply it to a hot water use device (200). The above hot water use device (200) is a hot water use device in a typical home, and the hot water use device may include a shower, a washing machine, a sink, and a washstand. The main feature of the present invention is that an electric boiler, which has been used only for heating purposes in the past, can be used for hot water supply purposes.

A series of controls of the boiler (100) are performed through a control unit (160). The control unit (160) is basically configured to perform water level control of the water tank and temperature control of the heater (111) and maintain the water temperature of the water tank (110) by controlling the supply valve (143) according to the detection result of the water level sensor (112) and the water temperature control unit (162) according to the detection result of the temperature sensor (113). In addition, the control unit is configured to perform a heating function by controlling the operation of the circulation pump (131).

That is, according to the signal of the water level sensor (112), the water supplied from the water supply pipe (141) is automatically supplied or blocked by opening and closing the supply valve (143) formed by the electronic valve, thereby controlling the water level. According to the input temperature control value, the heater (111) is controlled to heat the water in the water tank (110), and the circulation pump (131) and the heating valve (134) are controlled in response to the heating control value to perform heating. This control unit (160) may be configured in the form of a room controller (controller) for controlling heating and hot water supply in an indoor space, including a controller installed in the boiler (100).

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram showing a heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a structural diagram showing a water replenishment system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a structural diagram showing a hot water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the present invention, as mentioned above, a water supply pipe (141) that supplies water from the outside to the boiler (100), a distribution part (T1) in the form of a T socket, is installed in a water pipe, and is distributed to a first supplementary water pipe (142) and a second supplementary water pipe (144), respectively. At this time, the first supplementary water pipe (142) is connected to an electronically opened/closed supply valve (143) on the upper side, and is then extended into a water tank (110) and installed so that its end is close to the bottom of the water tank.

In addition, when connecting the recovery pipe (137) connected from the recovery distributor (136) to the heat exchange unit (120), a T-socket-shaped distribution part (T2) is installed in the shape of a “┫” at the vertically bent portion.

At this time, the second supplementary water pipe (144) is connected to the lower portion of the “┫” shaped distribution section (T2), and the recovery pipe (137) is extended upward and connected to the inlet side of the heat exchange unit (120). Through this structure, the pressure of the water supply pipe (141), i.e., the water pressure, flows upward and does not flow backward to the side, i.e., the recovery distributor side.

In addition, the safety valve (138) is installed between the distribution unit (T2) and the ball valve that opens and closes the recovery distributor (136) so that air can be manually released when air is introduced into the circulating heating water and excess circulating water can be automatically discharged when excessive water pressure occurs.

In addition, a T-socket-shaped distribution part (T3) is installed in a “┳” shape at a point before the outlet pipe of the heat exchange unit (120) is connected to the circulation pump (131). That is, the hot water pipe constituting the hot water supply part (150) is piped below the distribution part (T3) and discharged to the outside of the lower part of the boiler to supply hot water to the hot water usage device (200). That is, the hot water pipe is connected to the building hot water pipe socket, and the building is constructed so that various hot water usage devices (200), such as a shower, a washbasin, a bathtub, a sink, and a washing machine, are connected to the building hot water pipe socket.

When only heating is performed, as shown in the attached drawing 4, the circulation water pipe, which is composed of the outlet pipe (132) and the circulation pump (131) and the heating distributor (133) and the heating pipe (135) connected thereto, the recovery distributor (136) and the recovery pipe from the heat exchange unit (120), forms a closed pipe since the hot water pipe connected to the hot water usage device in the distribution unit (T3) is not opened, and the inside of the pipe is completely filled with heating water without any empty space due to the pressure applied through the water supply pipe (141), i.e., the water pressure, and is maintained in a stable state, and heating is performed by circulating through the circulation pump (131).

In this state, when the valve of the hot water usage device (200) is opened as shown in Fig. 6, the heating water filled in the pipe is discharged through the hot water supply unit (150), and as a result, when the water pressure inside the pipe is lowered, water is immediately introduced and filled by the pressure applied through the water supply pipe (141), i.e., the water pressure, as shown in Fig. 5. After the hot water is used and the valve of the hot water usage device (200) is closed, the inside of the closed pipe mentioned above is maintained in a stable state of being completely filled.

This operation is performed solely by the opening and closing of the valve of the hot water appliance (200) and the pressure applied through the water supply pipe (141), i.e., water pressure, regardless of the operation of the circulation pump (131).

At this time, the most controversial issue related to electric boilers is related to power usage, and in particular, in the case of household electricity, the progressive rate system is applied, so it can be sensitive, and this can be supplemented through detailed control.

To this end, in the present invention, the heating distributor (133) includes a plurality of heating valves (134) provided for each of a plurality of distributed heating pipes (135), and may further include a monitoring unit (170) that monitors the power usage of the heater and circulation pump (131) and the hot water usage supplied through the hot water supply unit (150).

To this end, the monitoring unit (170) is equipped with a power meter (171) and a flow meter (172), and collects and monitors the power usage of the heater and circulation pump through the power meter (171), and manages it by reflecting it in the total power usage of the household, thereby providing a foundation for efficient control. In addition, it enables expansion of functions such as recommendation and reflection of power usage for entering the progressive power usage section by setting and applying the usage mode.

In addition, the flow meter (172) measures the amount of water to be refilled in the boiler or the amount of hot water discharged through the hot water supply unit (150), and can support power usage efficiency by subdividing the opening control of the circulation pump (131) and heating valve (134) in response to the amount of hot water used.

In addition, the control unit (160) further includes a heating control unit (163) that individually controls the output of the circulation pump (131) and the opening of the heating valve in response to the power usage and hot water usage. In other words, when heating is performed simultaneously in a situation where the hot water usage is high, not only is the efficiency reduced, but the power consumption for the heater operation also increased, so a method of reducing the heating load can be applied, and for example, the heating valve of the heating distributor can be partially opened or sequentially opened according to the priority set for the heating zone to minimize the decrease in the heating water temperature.

In addition, the control unit (160) may further include a hot water control unit (164) that detects the use of the hot water device and differentially applies the control value of the heater (111). That is, the hot water device (200) may detect the opening and closing of the valves of each of the hot water device (200) including a shower, a washing machine, a sink, and a wash basin, or may detect the use of the hot water device (200) by allowing the user to input the desired hot water device before use, and may prevent unnecessary loss by varying the temperature of hot water required for each use. For example, in the case of bathing, relatively hot water is required, but in the case of washing machines, hot water at a relatively low temperature compared to bathing is sufficient. Accordingly, by setting the range of hot water discharged from the shower, washing machine, sink, and wash basin in advance and differentially applying the temperature range heated by the heater during use, unnecessary water temperature increase and power waste can be reduced.

The rights of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but are defined by what is described in the claims, and it is obvious that a person skilled in the art in the field of the present invention can make various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the rights described in the claims.

100: Boiler
110: Tank 111: Heater 112: Water level sensor
113: Temperature sensor 114: Discharge pipe
115: Overflow pipe
120: Heat exchange unit
130: Heating unit 131: Circulation pump 132: Water outlet pipe
133: Heating distributor 134: Heating valve
135: Heating pipe 136: Recovery distributor
137: Recovery pipe 138 Safety valve
140: Water replenishment unit 141: Water supply pipe 142: First replenishment water pipe
143: Supply valve 144: Second supplementary water pipe
150: Hot water supply unit
160: Control unit 161: Water level control unit 162: Water temperature control unit
163: Heating control unit 164: Hot water control unit
170: Monitoring unit 171: Power meter 172: Flow meter
200: Hot water appliance
T: Distribution Department

Claims (5)

A water tank (110) in which a heater (111) that is heated by electricity and heats the received water, a water level sensor (112) that measures the water level of the received water, and a temperature sensor (113) that measures the temperature are installed;
A heat exchange unit (120) installed to be submerged in water inside the tank in a form that surrounds the heater (111), and in which heating water flows inside and heat exchange occurs with water outside;
A heating unit (130) having a circulation pump (131) connected to the outlet side of the heat exchange unit (120) to generate a flow of heating water, a heating distributor (133) that distributes the heating water discharged from the circulation pump (131) to a plurality of heating pipes (135) buried in the floor surface of a heating zone and includes a plurality of heating valves (134) provided for each of the plurality of distributed heating pipes, and a recovery distributor (136) that recovers the heating water passing through the heating pipes (135) and resupplies it to the inlet of the heat exchange unit (120);
A water supply unit (140) having a water supply pipe (141) that continuously supplies water at a set pressure, a first supplemental water pipe (142) that supplies water from the water supply pipe (141) to the water tank (110) through a supply valve (143), and a second supplemental water pipe (144) that connects the water supply pipe (141) and the inlet side of the heat exchange unit (120) to supplement heating water;
A hot water supply unit (150) that supplies heating water from the outlet side of the above heat exchange unit (120) to hot water use devices (200) including a shower, a washing machine, a sink, and a wash basin;
A monitoring unit (170) that monitors the power usage and hot water usage by having a power meter (171) that collects the power usage of the heater (111) and the circulation pump (131) and a flow meter (172) that measures the hot water usage supplied through the hot water supply unit (150);
A water level control unit (161) that controls the supply valve (143) according to the detection result of the water level sensor (112) to maintain the water level in the water tank (110), a water temperature control unit (162) that controls the heater (111) according to the detection result of the temperature sensor (113) to maintain the water temperature in the water tank (110), a heating control unit (163) that individually controls the output of the circulation pump (131) and the opening degree of the heating valve (134) in response to the power usage and hot water usage and partially opens and sequentially opens them according to the priority set for the heating zone, and a method for detecting the opening and closing of the valve of the hot water use device (200) and differentially applying the control value of the heater (111), while pre-setting the range of hot water discharged to each water heater (200) and differentially applying the temperature range heated by the heater (111) during use of the corresponding water heater (200). A heating and hot water combined electric boiler system characterized by comprising a control unit (160) having a hot water control unit (164).
In the first paragraph,
The above tank (110) is
A heating and hot water combined electric boiler system characterized in that a discharge pipe (114) is formed with a discharge valve installed at the bottom to discharge internal water to the outside, and an overflow pipe (115) is formed to discharge water above a set water level at the top to the outside.
In the first paragraph,
A heating and hot water combined electric boiler system characterized by further including a safety valve (138) installed on the outlet side of the above recovery distributor (136) to manually release air that has flowed into the heating water and to open when water pressure exceeds the set pressure to discharge the heating water to control the pressure.
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