Dual-purpose electric heater capable of simultaneously producing superheated steam and hot water

Abstract

The utility model relates to electric heating technology, aims at providing a dual -purpose electric heater that can simultaneously produce overheated steam and hot water. The heater body of the electric heater has a combined heating body located at the lower part and a steam atomization cavity located at the upper part, and a cover is arranged at the side opening. The water pipe is coiled on the hot water heating pipe, and a metal casting body formed by a casting process wraps the two to form a combined heating body. The heater body above the steam atomization cavity is provided with a steam production cold water inlet for dropping cold water on the outer surface of the combined heating body to produce steam. A steam heating pipe is installed on the inner side of the cover and extends horizontally into the steam atomization cavity to perform secondary heating on the steam to form overheated steam. The product can provide hot water and overheated steam simultaneously, or provide hot water or overheated steam individually according to needs, and has a flexible usage mode to adapt to different application scenarios. The design of the scale accumulation cavity solves the problem of easy scaling and prolongs the service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to electric heating technology, and in particular to a dual-purpose electric heater that can simultaneously produce superheated steam and hot water. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the small household appliance industry, products such as floor scrubbers and robotic vacuum cleaners are increasingly evolving to meet demands for smaller size, faster heating rates, and higher safety standards. Consequently, the demand for built-in small steam heaters in household cleaning equipment is growing. Currently, common solutions for providing hot water or steam for cleaning primarily use die-cast aluminum heating blocks with heating elements as the heat source, or wrap water pipes around the heating element to obtain steam. However, these solutions typically have only one inlet and another outlet for providing both hot water and steam. Because the steam and hot water circuits are not separated, they cannot simultaneously provide water and steam, requiring waiting time to switch from water to steam; they cannot reheat the steam to produce high-temperature superheated steam, resulting in steam carrying moisture and difficulty in raising its temperature; and they cannot remove scale buildup, causing pipe blockage, leading to blown fuses in the heating element, or even product malfunction.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a new electric heater to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a dual-purpose electric heater that can simultaneously produce superheated steam and hot water.

[0005] To solve the technical problem, the solution of this utility model is:

[0006] A dual-purpose electric heater capable of simultaneously producing superheated steam and hot water is provided, comprising a heater body with a side opening and a cover that is fitted into the side opening;

[0007] The heater body has a combined heating element located at the bottom and a steam atomizing chamber located at the top;

[0008] The combined heating element includes a hot water heating pipe and a water pipe for producing hot water; the water pipe is coiled around the hot water heating pipe, and the two are wrapped by a metal casting formed by the casting process to form an integral structure.

[0009] The heater body above the steam atomization chamber is provided with a steam-producing cold water inlet, which is used to drip cold water onto the outer surface of the combined heating element to generate steam; the heater body is also provided with a water pipe inlet, a water pipe outlet, a steam outlet, and two terminals for the hot water heating pipe.

[0010] A steam heating pipe is installed on the inside of the cover, extending laterally into the steam atomization chamber to reheat the steam to form superheated steam; the wiring terminals of the steam heating pipe are provided on the outside of the cover.

[0011] As an improved solution, the heater body has a split structure: the combined heating element is fixed in the lower part of the inner cavity of the box, and the top of the box is spaced apart from the combined heating element to form a steam atomization chamber; the cover is installed in conjunction with the side opening of the box, and the inlet and outlet of each tube and the wiring terminals of the heating tube are exposed outside the box.

[0012] As an improved solution, the heater body is an integral structure: the steam atomization chamber is a concave cavity located in the metal casting body, the combined heating element is located in the lower part of the concave cavity and is wrapped in the metal casting body; the cover is installed in conjunction with the side opening of the metal casting body, and the inlet and outlet of each tube and the wiring terminals of the heating tube are exposed on the outside of the metal casting body.

[0013] As an improved solution, a sealing ring is provided between the cover and the side opening of the heater body, and the cover is fixedly installed on the heater body with multiple screws.

[0014] As an improved solution, the length of the steam atomization chamber is greater than the insertion distance of the steam heating tube, so that the end of the steam heating tube and the inner wall of the opposite side of the steam atomization chamber are kept at a distance to form a steam-cold water dripping area; the steam-producing cold water inlet is located above the cold water dripping area, so that the introduced cold water can drip directly onto the outer surface of the combined heating element below the cold water dripping area to form steam.

[0015] As an improved solution, the steam heating tube is a single-ended heater in the shape of a cylinder or elliptical cylinder.

[0016] As an improved solution, the combined heating element and the cover are spaced apart to form a scale accumulation cavity; the scale accumulation cavity is located below the steam atomization cavity, and a scale discharge outlet is provided at its bottom, which is sealed with a plug and the two are threaded together.

[0017] As an improved solution, the water inlet, water outlet, and steam outlet are all located on the upper side of the heater body, arranged on the same side as the steam-generating cold water inlet.

[0018] As an improved solution, multiple sets of mounting feet with through holes are symmetrically arranged on the side or bottom of the heater body, with the through holes for mounting screws to pass through.

[0019] As an improved solution, a drip rate control device is installed in the steam-generating cold water inlet or in the pipeline connecting to the steam-generating cold water inlet; a countersunk hole is provided in the middle of the heater body, and temperature sensors are installed in the countersunk hole, the steam outlet, and the water outlet.

[0020] As an improved solution, it also includes a controller, which is equipped with a control chip, a relay switch and a fuse. The drip rate control device, the wiring terminals of each heating tube and each temperature sensor are respectively connected to the controller through wires. The controller is connected to the operation panel and the power interface through wires.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the technical effects of this utility model are:

[0022] 1. This utility model involves coiling a water pipe around a hot water heating pipe and then using a casting process to wrap it with materials such as cast aluminum or cast iron to form an integrated structure; by utilizing the heat exchange between the interior of the combined heating element and the hot water heating pipe, hot water can be generated; by dripping water at a uniform speed onto the surface of the combined heating element through a steam-producing cold water inlet, steam can be generated using its external temperature; and by using a single-head heater to reheat the steam, a large flow of superheated steam can be obtained.

[0023] 2. This utility model can provide hot water and superheated steam simultaneously, or provide hot water or superheated steam separately as needed; therefore, the product has flexible usage and can adapt to the needs of different application scenarios.

[0024] 3. This utility model has a scale accumulation chamber designed in the heater body, which can periodically open the plug to drain the accumulated scale according to the usage, solving the problem of easy scaling in common steam pipes and extending the service life of the heater.

[0025] 4. This utility model concentrates all water inlets and outlets and steam outlets at the top of the heater body, which facilitates the compact routing of pipelines in products such as floor scrubbers and sweeping robots, reduces the space requirements for the heater installation, and is conducive to product miniaturization.

[0026] 5. By adopting an integrated heater body structure and designing the steam atomization chamber within the metal casting body, this utility model can further reduce the assembly process, strengthen the overall structural strength, and facilitate further miniaturization of the product. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the dual-purpose electric heater product of this utility model.

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the product.

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the product.

[0030] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Left view of the product.

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the product breakdown.

[0032] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A top view of the product in the middle.

[0033] The attached diagram is labeled as follows: 1. Water pipe; 2. Hot water heating pipe; 3. Combined heating element; 4. Screw; 5. Steam heating pipe; 6. Cover; 7. Sealing ring; 8. Scale accumulation chamber; 9. Steam atomization chamber; 10. Water pipe inlet; 11. Water pipe outlet; 12. Steam-producing cold water inlet; 13. Steam outlet; 14. Mounting support; 15. Countersunk hole; 16. Metal casting body. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The specific embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] As shown in the figure, the dual-purpose electric heater for producing superheated steam and hot water according to this utility model includes a heater body, having a combined heating element 3 at the bottom and a steam atomizing chamber 9 at the top, the latter communicating with a side opening of the heater body. A cover 6 is fitted into the side opening. A sealing ring 7 is provided between the cover 6 and the side opening, and the cover 6 is fixedly installed on the heater body using multiple screws 4. The combined heating element 3 includes a hot water heating pipe 2 and a water pipe 1 for producing hot water; the water pipe 1 is coiled around the hot water heating pipe 2, and both are encased in an integral structure by a metal casting 16 formed by a casting process. Figure 5 , 6 In the example shown, the hot water heating pipe 2 has a U-shaped design, with the wiring terminals at both ends leading out from the end of the heater body (e.g., Figure 2 (As shown). The water pipe 1 adopts a double U-shape with parallel arrangement and central connection, and its water pipe inlet 10 and water pipe outlet 11 are led out from the heater body. In order to fit the hot water heating pipe 2 as closely as possible, the U-shaped heating section of the hot water heating pipe 2 extends parallel into the double U-shape of the water pipe 1 to achieve embedding, thereby achieving the layout with the shortest heat exchange path and the highest heating efficiency.

[0036] The heater body above the steam atomization chamber 9 is provided with a steam-generating cold water inlet 12, which is used to drip cold water onto the outer surface (metal casting) of the combined heating element 3 to generate steam. The steam outlet 13 is led out from the heater body. A steam heating pipe 5 is installed on the inner side of the cover 6. The steam heating pipe 5 extends laterally into the steam atomization chamber 9 for secondary heating of the steam to form superheated steam. The outer side of the cover 6 is provided with the wiring terminals of the steam heating pipe 5.

[0037] To meet the need for saving installation space in application scenarios, the water inlet 10, water outlet 11, and steam outlet 13 can all be located on the upper side of the heater body, arranged on the same side as the steam-generating cold water inlet 12. This facilitates the neat arrangement of the various steam and water pipes used for connection on the outside of the product. Multiple sets of mounting feet 14 with through holes are also symmetrically arranged on the side or bottom of the heater body. The through holes are used for mounting screws to pass through, allowing the heater to be securely installed in products such as floor scrubbers and sweeping robots.

[0038] The heater body can be designed as a split structure or an integrated structure. As an example of a split structure, the combined heating element 3 is installed in a box and fixed in the lower part of the inner cavity of the box. The top of the box is spaced from the combined heating element 3 to form a steam atomization chamber 9. The cover 6 is installed to fit the side opening of the box, and the inlet and outlet of each tube and the wiring terminals of the heating tube are exposed on the outside of the box.

[0039] This utility model Figure 1 The image showcases an example of a newly designed integrated structure, incorporating the functions of a box within the form of a metal casting 16. As shown, the steam atomizing chamber 9 is a recessed cavity within the metal casting 16, with the combined heating element 3 located below this cavity and enclosed within the metal casting 16. The cover 6 is fitted into the side opening of the metal casting 16, while the inlet and outlet of each tube and the wiring terminals of the heating tube are exposed on the outside of the metal casting 16. Compared to a split structure, the integrated structure obviously offers advantages such as simpler manufacturing processes, better structural strength, and higher heat exchange efficiency, further reducing processing costs and improving product quality.

[0040] The steam heating tube 5 can be selected as a cylindrical or elliptical cylindrical single-head heater, which is convenient for making a low-pressure direct current heating source. The length of the steam atomization chamber 9 is greater than the insertion distance of the steam heating tube 5, so that the end of the steam heating tube 5 and the inner wall of the opposite side of the steam atomization chamber 9 are kept at a distance to form a steam-cold water dripping area. The steam-producing cold water inlet 12 is located above the cold water dripping area, so that the introduced cold water can drip directly onto the outer surface of the combined heating element 3 below the cold water dripping area to form steam. It is understood that the product of this utility model should be installed horizontally in the application scenario, so that the steam-producing cold water inlet 12, the steam-cold water dripping area and the combined heating element 3 are arranged in sequence in the vertical direction. In order to make the steam completely atomized, it is necessary to control the dripping speed of the cold water; this can be controlled by installing a drip rate control device in the steam-producing cold water inlet 12 or in the pipeline connected to the steam-producing cold water inlet 12. The drip rate control device can be a commercially available product that uses precision mechanical or electronic systems to regulate the liquid flow rate, or it can be replaced with a micro valve to control the flow rate to reduce product costs.

[0041] At high temperatures, slightly water-soluble calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate precipitate out due to water evaporation. Carbonate ions in the water combine with calcium and magnesium ions to form insoluble calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, i.e., limescale. As water evaporates and concentrates, the limescale content increases, eventually forming scale upon reaching saturation. High-temperature heating is a key factor promoting scale formation, which is more likely to occur in pipes and equipment that produce steam (especially superheated steam). Therefore, scale formation is particularly noticeable in steam generators and superheated steam boilers. Considering the mechanism of scale formation, this invention specifically designs a suitable distance between the combined heating element 3 and the cover 6 to serve as a scale accumulation chamber 8. This scale accumulation chamber 8 is located below the steam atomization chamber 9, and has a scale discharge outlet at its bottom, sealed with a plug and threadedly fitted. After prolonged use, superheated steam can be maintained even after removing the plug, allowing the high-temperature fluid to carry away the accumulated scale. This method effectively extends the operating time of the equipment for efficient and continuous superheated steam production. Since the depth of the scale buildup cavity 8 is equivalent to the height of the combined heating element 3, its capacity is sufficient to support the product's long-term operation without affecting the output of superheated steam.

[0042] To effectively control the heating power of the hot water heating pipe 2 in the combined heating element 3, this invention, in addition to installing a temperature sensor in the water outlet 11 to detect the temperature of the heated hot water, further designs a countersunk hole 15 in the middle of the heater body, and installs a temperature sensor in the countersunk hole 15 to detect the temperature of the combined heating element 3 itself. Even when producing superheated steam alone, this design can effectively control the temperature of the combined heating element 3, ensuring that all dripping cold water can be converted into steam and will not accumulate inside the heater. Furthermore, a temperature sensor is installed at the steam outlet 13 to monitor the temperature of the superheated steam at any time.

[0043] To achieve temperature detection and heating control, the dual-purpose electric heater of this invention further includes a controller. The controller contains a control chip, a relay switch, and a fuse. The aforementioned drip rate control device, the wiring terminals of each heating element, and each temperature sensor are connected to the controller via wires. The controller is connected to the operation panel and the power interface via wires. The operation panel can be integrated with the control panel (such as an LCD touchscreen) of products like floor scrubbers and robotic vacuum cleaners, and the power interface can be designed to integrate with the power supply (such as a storage battery) of products like floor scrubbers and robotic vacuum cleaners.

[0044] Based on the above design, in this dual-purpose electric heater, the hot water heating pipe 2 is responsible for raising the temperature of the combined heating element 3, and the water pipe 1 absorbs the heat from the combined heating element 3 and heats the cold water to produce hot water. In the steam atomization chamber 9, the dripping cold water is heated into steam by the combined heating element 3, and the steam heating pipe 5 reheats the steam produced in the steam atomization chamber 9 to obtain high-flow-rate, high-temperature (over 100°C) superheated steam. The scale generated during the production of high-temperature steam can be temporarily stored in the scale accumulation chamber 8 to meet the requirements of long-term product operation and reduce maintenance frequency.

[0045] This utility model's dual-purpose electric heater is a two-in-one product that produces both superheated steam and hot water. Steam production and hot water production are two independent heating circuits that operate independently and simultaneously. In other words, this product can produce steam or hot water separately, or both simultaneously, thus meeting the diverse needs of applications such as floor scrubbers and robotic vacuum cleaners. A large-capacity scale buildup chamber 8 is designed below the steam atomization chamber 9, which is highly beneficial for extending product lifespan. The water pipe 1 and hot water heating pipe 2 are nested together and quickly formed using a casting process, offering advantages such as simple structure and low cost. The sealing cap 6 can be easily installed using screws 4 and sealing rings 7, meeting the design requirements for simple and quick installation on production lines.

[0046] The specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above. It should be understood that this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications or variations within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the substantive content of this utility model.

Claims

1. A dual-purpose electric heater capable of simultaneously producing superheated steam and hot water, characterized in that, It includes a heater body with a side opening and a cover that is fitted to the side opening; The heater body has a combined heating element located at the bottom and a steam atomizing chamber located at the top; The combined heating element includes a hot water heating pipe and a water pipe for producing hot water; the water pipe is coiled around the hot water heating pipe, and the two are wrapped by a metal casting formed by the casting process to form an integral structure. The heater body above the steam atomization chamber is provided with a steam-producing cold water inlet, which is used to drip cold water onto the outer surface of the combined heating element to generate steam; the heater body is also provided with a water pipe inlet, a water pipe outlet, a steam outlet, and two terminals for the hot water heating pipe. A steam heating pipe is installed on the inside of the cover, extending laterally into the steam atomization chamber to reheat the steam to form superheated steam; the wiring terminals of the steam heating pipe are provided on the outside of the cover.

2. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heater body has a split structure: the combined heating element is fixed in the lower part of the inner cavity of the box, and the top of the box is spaced apart from the combined heating element to form a steam atomization chamber; the cover is installed in conjunction with the side opening of the box, and the inlet and outlet of each tube and the wiring terminals of the heating tube are exposed on the outside of the box.

3. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heater body is an integral structure: the steam atomization chamber is a concave cavity located in the metal casting body, the combined heating element is located in the lower part of the concave cavity and is wrapped in the metal casting body; the cover is installed in conjunction with the side opening of the metal casting body, and the inlet and outlet of each tube and the wiring terminals of the heating tube are exposed on the outside of the metal casting body.

4. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, A sealing ring is provided between the cover and the side opening of the heater body, and the cover is fixedly installed on the heater body with multiple screws.

5. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the steam atomization chamber is greater than the insertion distance of the steam heating tube, so that the end of the steam heating tube and the inner wall of the opposite side of the steam atomization chamber are kept at a distance to form a steam-cold water dripping area; the steam-producing cold water inlet is located above the cold water dripping area, so that the introduced cold water can drip directly onto the outer surface of the combined heating element below the cold water dripping area to form steam.

6. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steam heating tube is a single-ended heater in the shape of a cylinder or an elliptical cylinder.

7. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The combined heating element and the cover are spaced apart to form a scale accumulation cavity; the scale accumulation cavity is located below the steam atomization cavity, and a scale discharge outlet is provided at its bottom. The scale discharge outlet is sealed with a plug and the two are threaded together.

8. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water inlet, water outlet, and steam outlet are all located on the upper side of the heater body, and are arranged on the same side as the steam-producing cold water inlet.

9. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple sets of mounting feet with through holes are symmetrically arranged on the side or bottom of the heater body. The through holes are used for mounting screws to pass through.

10. The dual-purpose electric heater according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, A drip rate control device is installed in the steam-producing cold water inlet or in the pipeline connecting to the steam-producing cold water inlet; a countersunk hole is provided in the middle of the heater body, and temperature sensors are installed in the countersunk hole, the steam outlet, and the water outlet.

11. The dual-purpose electric heater according to claim 10, characterized in that, It also includes a controller, which contains a control chip, a relay switch and a fuse. The drip rate control device, the wiring terminals of each heating tube and each temperature sensor are connected to the controller through wires. The controller is connected to the operation panel and the power interface through wires.

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