Liquid level monitoring structure, drainage device and heat exchange equipment

By adopting a liquid level monitoring structure in a condensing gas water hot water furnace and using variable capacitance components and lifting components to convert the liquid level changes of the condensed water, the problem of inaccurate condensation monitoring is solved, high-precision liquid level monitoring is achieved, and the safety of the equipment is improved.

CN110793215BInactive Publication Date: 2025-05-13GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCE INC OF ZHUHAI
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN201911248047.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2019-12-09
Publication Date
2025-05-13
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The monitoring of condensate in existing condensate gas water hot furnaces is inaccurate, which makes it difficult to accurately determine whether the condensate is blocked, which poses safety hazards.

Method used

The liquid level monitoring structure is adopted, including a variable capacitance assembly and a lifting assembly. The liquid level change of the condensed water is converted into the capacitance value of the variable capacitance assembly through the lifting assembly, so as to achieve accurate monitoring of the liquid level of the condensed liquid.

Benefits of technology

This method can monitor the liquid level of the condensate with high accuracy and accuracy, and independently of the internal resistance difference of the condensate, improving the reliability and safety of monitoring.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid level monitoring structure, a drainage device and a heat exchange device. The liquid level monitoring structure is used to monitor the liquid level of the liquid to be tested. The liquid level monitoring structure includes: a variable capacitor component; a lifting component, one end of the lifting component extends into the variable capacitor component, and the other end of the lifting component is immersed in the liquid to be tested. The lifting component can change the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component following the rise and fall of the liquid level of the liquid to be tested. The above-mentioned liquid level detection device can directly convert the rise and fall of the liquid level of condensed water into the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component through the lifting component, so it is not affected by the difference in the internal resistance of the condensed liquid, and thus has higher monitoring precision and accuracy.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of heat exchange, and in particular to a liquid level monitoring structure, a drainage device and a heat exchange equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the development of economy and technology and the improvement of living standards, people pay more and more attention to environmental protection, and as a result, people's requirements for the energy efficiency of household appliances are also getting higher and higher.

[0003] A condensing gas water heater is a device that uses gas combustion for heating and outputs hot water for people to use. Since the condensing water heater can use the efficient condensing preheat recovery device to absorb the existing heat in the high-temperature flue gas discharged by the water heater and the latent heat released by the condensation of water vapor, the thermal efficiency of the condensing gas water heater is much higher than that of ordinary water heaters. Therefore, it is increasingly widely used in people's production and life. However, the condensed water that comes with it has also become a problem that needs to be considered and dealt with in the design of condensing wall-mounted boilers. According to the requirements of standard CJ / T 395-2012, the condensing water heater needs to be equipped with a condensate blockage monitoring device, so that when the condensate of the condensing boiler is blocked, the CO in the flue gas will be detected before the condensing boiler is safely shut down or locked. u=1 The concentration should not exceed 0.2%.

[0004] There are two main ways to monitor the condensate of existing condensing gas water heaters:

[0005] One of the monitoring methods is through pure structural design. When the condensate is blocked, the effective exhaust area of ​​the exhaust port of the condensing furnace will be reduced. Therefore, the wind pressure monitoring device can be used to indirectly monitor the condensate blockage. This monitoring method has high requirements for the condensing chamber structure, and it will also increase the exhaust resistance. In addition, the structural design requirements and processing difficulty are relatively high.

[0006] Another monitoring method is to use the conductivity of the condensate, install a detection electrode in the condensate chamber or condensate collection device, and use a special detection circuit to monitor whether the electrode is immersed in the condensate to directly determine whether the condensate is blocked. This monitoring method is affected by the internal resistance of the condensate, especially since the gas source composition of the gas is not uniform, the internal resistance of the condensate produced varies greatly, and the reliability is greatly reduced, making it difficult to accurately monitor whether the condensate is blocked, which brings safety hazards to the use of gas water heaters. Summary of the invention

[0007] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a liquid level monitoring structure, drainage device and heat exchange equipment that can accurately monitor the working status of the condensate discharge device in the gas water heater to solve the problem that the condensate discharge device in the gas water heater cannot be accurately monitored.

[0008] A liquid level monitoring structure is used to monitor the liquid level height of a liquid to be measured, and the liquid level monitoring structure comprises:

[0009] Variable capacitor components; and

[0010] A lifting component, one end of which extends into the variable capacitance component, and the other end of which can be immersed in the liquid to be tested;

[0011] The lifting component can change the capacitance value of the variable capacitance component by following the rise and fall of the liquid level of the liquid to be tested.

[0012] The above-mentioned liquid level detection device can directly convert the liquid level rise and fall of the condensed water into the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component through the lifting component, so it is not affected by the difference in the internal resistance of the condensed liquid, and thus has higher monitoring precision and accuracy.

[0013] In one embodiment, the lifting assembly includes a float and a push rod, the float can be suspended in the liquid to be tested, one end of the push rod can be detachably supported on the float, and the other end of the push rod extends into the variable capacitance assembly.

[0014] In one embodiment, the liquid level monitoring structure further includes a limiting cover for defining a limiting space, and the float is limited in the limiting space.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the limiting cover is provided with a water hole connecting the limiting space with the external environment.

[0016] In one embodiment, the variable capacitor assembly includes a variable capacitor housing, a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate and an insulating medium, the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate are spaced apart in the variable capacitor housing, and the insulating medium is filled between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate; when the lifting assembly follows the rise and fall of the liquid level of the liquid to be tested, one end of the lifting assembly extending into the variable capacitor housing changes the distance between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate or the dielectric constant of the insulating medium.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate are spaced apart in the direction of the liquid level of the liquid to be tested, the first electrode plate is fixedly connected to one end of the lifting component extending into the variable capacitor housing, and the second electrode plate is arranged on the side of the first electrode plate facing away from the lifting component; when the lifting component follows the rise and fall of the liquid level of the liquid to be tested, the lifting component can drive the first electrode plate to move relative to the second electrode plate to change the distance between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

[0018] In one embodiment, a first accommodating space and a second accommodating space are formed between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, and the first accommodating space and the second accommodating space respectively accommodate insulating media with different dielectric constants. When the lifting component rises and falls with the liquid level of the liquid to be tested, one end of the lifting component extending into the variable capacitor housing changes the volume of the first accommodating space and the second accommodating space.

[0019] In one of the embodiments, the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate are spaced apart in a lifting direction perpendicular to the liquid level, and the variable capacitor assembly includes a baffle located between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, and the baffle separates the variable capacitor housing into a first accommodating space and a second accommodating space that are spaced apart in the lifting direction of the liquid level. The baffle can reciprocate in the lifting direction of the liquid level driven by the lifting assembly to change the volume of the first accommodating space and the second accommodating space.

[0020] A drainage device comprises the above-mentioned liquid level monitoring structure.

[0021] In one of the embodiments, the drainage device includes a drainage shell, the drainage shell is provided with a drainage cavity and a drainage port connected to the drainage cavity, and the liquid level monitoring structure is installed in the drainage cavity.

[0022] A heat exchange device comprises the above-mentioned liquid level monitoring structure, wherein the heat exchange device is a condensing gas water heater. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a liquid level monitoring structure in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid level monitoring structure in another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the relevant drawings. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are given in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0026] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, a heat exchange device (not shown) of an embodiment of the present invention is provided with a drainage device 100 for discharging condensed water. The structure of the drainage device 100 of the present application is described below by taking the heat exchange device as a condensing gas water heater as an example. This embodiment is only used as an example and does not limit the technical scope of the present application. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the heat exchange device can also be specifically other appliances equipped with the drainage device 100, which is not limited here.

[0029] See also Figure 1 The drainage device 100 includes a drainage housing 40 and a drainage pipe (not shown). Specifically, the drainage housing 40 is a hollow cylindrical structure, including a drainage housing bottom wall 41 and a drainage housing side wall 43 extending from the edge of the drainage housing bottom wall 41 in the same direction, and the drainage housing side wall 43 surrounds the drainage housing bottom wall 41 in the circumferential direction to form a drainage cavity 45. The drainage housing bottom wall 41 is provided with a drainage port 412 communicating with the drainage cavity 45, and the drainage pipe is connected to the drainage housing 40 through the drainage port 412. In this way, the condensed water in the drainage cavity 45 is discharged through the drainage pipe.

[0030] In order to monitor the liquid level of condensed water in the drainage chamber 45, the drainage device 100 also includes a liquid level monitoring structure 20 installed in the drainage chamber 45. The liquid level monitoring structure 20 can be electrically connected to an external monitoring circuit, and the external monitoring circuit can send a signal to the control device of the heat exchange equipment according to the state of the liquid level monitoring structure 20.

[0031] When the drain pipe is in a normal drainage state, the liquid level monitoring structure 20 is not in contact with the condensed water. When the drain pipe is blocked, the condensed water in the drainage chamber 45 cannot be discharged normally and accumulates in the drainage chamber 45, causing the liquid level of the condensed water to rise continuously in the first direction perpendicular to the bottom wall 41 of the drainage housing. When the liquid level of the condensed water rises to the warning height, the state of the liquid level monitoring structure 20 changes, and the external monitoring circuit sends a signal to the control device according to the state of the liquid level monitoring structure 20, and the control device controls the heat exchange equipment to shut down for protection, thereby preventing the liquid level of the condensed water in the drainage chamber 45 from continuing to rise.

[0032] Please continue reading Figure 1 The liquid level monitoring structure 20 includes a variable capacitor component 21 and a lifting component 23. One end of the lifting component 23 extends into the variable capacitor component 21, and the other end of the lifting component 23 can be immersed in the condensate in the drainage chamber 45. When condensed water begins to accumulate in the drainage chamber 45 and the liquid level of the condensed water continues to rise, one end of the lifting component 23 located in the drainage chamber 45 rises with the liquid level of the condensed water, so that the end of the lifting component 23 extending into the variable capacitor component 21 also rises accordingly, thereby changing the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component 21, and the external monitoring circuit obtains the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component 21 and sends a signal to the control device according to the capacitance value.

[0033] In this way, the liquid level monitoring structure 20 can directly convert the liquid level rise and fall of the condensed water into the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component 21 through the lifting component 23, so it is not affected by the difference in the internal resistance of the condensed liquid, and thus has higher monitoring precision and accuracy.

[0034] In some embodiments, the lifting assembly 23 includes a float 232, a push rod 234, and a limit cover 236. Specifically, the limit cover 236 is a hollow cylindrical structure, including a limit cover top wall and a limit cover side wall, the limit cover top wall is spaced apart from the bottom wall 41 of the drain housing, the limit cover side wall extends from the edge of the limit cover top wall to the direction of the bottom wall 41 of the drain housing until it is connected to the bottom wall 41 of the drain housing, the limit cover side wall surrounds the outer periphery of the limit cover top wall, and together with the limit cover top wall and the bottom wall 41 of the drain housing, defines a limit space 2361 for limiting the float 232. Further, the limit cover side wall is also spaced apart with a plurality of water holes 2363 connecting the limit space 2361 and the drain cavity 45. Therefore, when the drain pipe is draining normally, the liquid level in the drain cavity 45 is lower than the height of the water holes 2363, and the limit cover side wall blocks the condensed water outside, so that there is no condensed water in the connecting space 2361. When the drain pipe is in a blocked state, the liquid level of the condensed water in the drain cavity 45 continues to rise, and enters the limiting space 2361 through the water hole 2363 . The liquid level in the limiting space 2361 gradually rises until it is always equal to the water level in the drain cavity 45 .

[0035] The float 232 is limited in the limited space 2361. When there is no condensed water in the limited space 2361, the float 232 falls on the bottom wall 41 of the drainage housing. When there is condensed water in the limited space 2361, the float 232 can float in the condensed water (i.e., a part of the float 232 is located below the liquid surface of the condensed water, and another part of the float 232 is located above the liquid surface). The push rod 234 includes a push rod body and a support portion provided at one end of the push rod body, and the support portion extends in a direction perpendicular to the push rod body to increase the contact area with the float 232. One end of the push rod body extends into the variable capacitor assembly 21, and the other end of the push rod body provided with the support portion passes through the top wall of the limit cover and extends into the limited space 2361, and the support portion can be detachably supported on the float 232. In this way, the float 232 can rise in the first direction as the liquid surface of the condensed water rises, thereby driving the push rod 234 to rise in the first direction.

[0036] The variable capacitor assembly 21 includes a variable capacitor housing 211, a first electrode plate 212, a second electrode plate 213, and an insulating medium 214. The first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213 are spaced apart in the variable capacitor housing 211, the insulating medium 214 is filled between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213, and one end of the push rod 234 extends into the variable capacitor housing 211. When the lifting assembly 23 rises and falls in the first direction following the liquid level of the liquid to be measured, the end of the push rod 234 extending into the variable capacitor housing 211 can change the distance between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213 or the dielectric constant of the insulating medium.

[0037] According to the formula C=εS / d (wherein, C is the capacitance value, ε is the dielectric constant of the insulating medium 214 between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213, S is the facing area of ​​the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213; d is the distance between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213), it can be known that when the dielectric constant ε of the insulating medium 214 between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213 or the distance d between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213 changes, the capacitance value C of the variable capacitor component 21 will change.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, specifically in some embodiments, the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213 are spaced apart in the lifting direction of the liquid level of the condensed water (i.e., in the first direction), the first electrode plate 212 is fixedly connected to one end of the push rod 234 extending into the variable capacitor housing 211, and the second electrode plate 213 is arranged on the side of the first electrode plate 212 facing away from the lifting assembly 23, and the push rod 234 can drive the first electrode plate 212 to move relative to the second electrode plate 213 to change the distance between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213.

[0039] In this way, when the liquid level of condensed water in the drainage chamber 45 accumulates in the drainage chamber 45 due to the blockage of the drainage pipe and the liquid level gradually rises, the float 232 moves upward with the liquid level of the condensed water, pushing the push rod 234 to move upward, thereby driving the first electrode plate 212 to move toward the second electrode plate 213, and the distance d between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213 is reduced, thereby causing the capacitance value C of the variable capacitor component 21 to increase. When the capacitance value C increases to be greater than or equal to the preset maximum capacitance value C max When , it indicates that the liquid level of the condensed water in the drainage chamber 45 has reached the maximum allowable liquid level, the monitoring circuit sends a signal to the control device, and the heat exchange equipment is shut down for protection.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, in other embodiments, the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213 are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the rise and fall of the liquid level of the condensed water (i.e., the first direction), and the variable capacitor assembly 21 further includes a baffle 215 located between the first electrode plate 212 and the second electrode plate 213, and the baffle 215 separates the variable capacitor housing 211 into two first accommodation spaces and a second accommodation space spaced apart in the first direction, and the first accommodation space and the second accommodation space respectively accommodate a first insulating medium 214a and a second insulating medium 214b with different dielectric constants. When the lifting assembly 23 follows the rise and fall of the liquid level of the liquid to be tested, the baffle 215 can move in the first direction driven by the push rod 234, thereby changing the volume of the first accommodation space and the second accommodation space.

[0041] Specifically in one embodiment, the dielectric constant of the first insulating medium 214a in the first accommodation space is greater than the dielectric constant of the second insulating medium 214b in the second accommodation space. Therefore, when the baffle 215 moves upward, the first accommodation space is reduced and the second accommodation space is increased, so the capacitance value C of the variable capacitor component 21 is reduced. When the capacitance value C is reduced to equal to or less than the preset minimum capacitance value C min When , it indicates that the liquid level in the drainage chamber 45 reaches the maximum allowable liquid level, the monitoring circuit sends a signal to the control device, and the heat exchange equipment shuts down for protection.

[0042] The above-mentioned liquid level monitoring structure 20, drainage device 100 and heat exchange equipment can directly convert the rise and fall of the liquid level of the condensate into the change of the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component 21 through the liquid level monitoring structure 20 set in the drainage housing 40, so as to accurately determine whether the drainage device 100 is blocked. Since it is not affected by the non-uniform gas source composition of the heat exchange equipment, the liquid level monitoring structure 20 has high monitoring accuracy and reliability, thereby ensuring the safe operation of the heat exchange equipment.

[0043] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0044] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A liquid level monitoring structure, used to monitor the liquid level of a liquid to be tested, characterized in that: The liquid level monitoring structure comprises: a variable capacitance component (21); and A lifting component (23), one end of the lifting component (23) extends into the variable capacitance component (21), and the other end of the lifting component (23) can be immersed in the liquid to be tested; The variable capacitor assembly (21) comprises a variable capacitor housing (211), a first electrode plate (212), a second electrode plate (213), an insulating medium (214) and a baffle (215); the first electrode plate (212) and the second electrode plate (213) are arranged in the variable capacitor housing (211) at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the liquid level rise and fall; the baffle (215) is located between the first electrode plate (212) and the second electrode plate (213); the baffle (215) separates the variable capacitor housing (211) into the first electrode plate (212) and the second electrode plate (213) at intervals in the direction perpendicular to the liquid level rise and fall. A first accommodating space and a second accommodating space are provided, wherein the first accommodating space and the second accommodating space respectively accommodate insulating media (214) with different dielectric constants, the lifting component (23) can follow the rise and fall of the liquid level of the liquid to be tested, and the baffle (215) can reciprocate in the rising and falling direction of the liquid level driven by one end of the lifting component (23) extending into the variable capacitor housing (211), so as to change the volume of the first accommodating space and the second accommodating space and thereby change the dielectric constant of the insulating medium (214), thereby changing the capacitance value of the variable capacitor component (21).

2. The liquid level monitoring structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting assembly (23) comprises a floating ball (232) and a push rod (234); the floating ball (232) can be suspended in the liquid to be tested; one end of the push rod (234) can be detachably supported on the floating ball (232); and the other end of the push rod (234) extends into the variable capacitance assembly (21).

3. The liquid level monitoring structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The liquid level monitoring structure further comprises a limiting cover (236) for defining a limiting space (2361), and the floating ball (232) is limited in the limiting space (2361).

4. The liquid level monitoring structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The limiting cover (236) is provided with a water hole (2363) connecting the limiting space (2361) with the external environment.

5. A drainage device, characterized in that: It comprises the liquid level monitoring structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The drainage device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The drainage device comprises a drainage housing (40), the drainage housing (40) being provided with a drainage cavity (45) and a drainage port (412) communicating with the drainage cavity (45), and the liquid level monitoring structure being installed in the drainage cavity (45).

7. A heat exchange device, characterized in that: It comprises the liquid level monitoring structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat exchange equipment is a condensing gas water heater.

Citation Information

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