Hydraulikmodul

Abstract

Hydraulic module (100) designed for a heating system with a closed circuit of a heat transfer medium, in particular for a heating system with a heat pump, for supplying a heating circuit with a heated medium and / or for domestic water preparation, wherein the hydraulic module (100) is provided with a reversible circulation pump (3), a secondary heat exchanger (2), and two check valves (4, 5). The hydraulic module (100) is connectable to the primary heat exchanger (1) via connections (7a, 7b), and the reversible circulation pump (3) is configured to change the flow direction of the heat transfer medium in the primary heat exchanger (1).

Description

[0001] The technical solution concerns a hydraulic module for heating systems with circulating heat transfer medium, such as heat pump systems and similar systems for supplying heat to a closed heating circuit and for generating domestic hot water.

[0002] Existing heating systems heat the heat transfer medium (water or a mixture of water and antifreeze) by heat exchange in the primary heat exchanger and then direct the flow of the hot medium via hydraulic modules either to the radiator heating circuit for space heating or to the secondary heat exchanger - for hot water preparation.

[0003] To ensure circulation of the heat transfer fluid, one-way circulation pumps with one fluid inlet and one fluid outlet are used as standard. A unidirectional circulation pump always rotates in one direction after installation, either clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0004] The circulation pump is part of the hydraulic modules, whose plastic structure, including the connecting channels and connectors, is currently manufactured from plastic composite materials by injection molding

[0005] To switch between the individual operating modes (heating water, domestic water), an electrically controlled three-way valve is integrated into the prepared channel in the hydraulic module.

[0006] The standard arrangement of the pump, the three-way switching valve and the connection of the primary exchanger and the secondary exchanger to the hydraulic module is shown schematically and described in detail, for example, in the document WO2018202436 A1.

[0007] The three-way valve enables the switching of electrical circuits using a control system, usually controlled by an electric motor. Switching requires an electric motor, which must be supplied with an electrical current. Depending on the motor type, this can be 24 V DC for stepper motors or 24 V AC or 230 V AC for asynchronous motors.

[0008] For this reason, we need an additional electrical control to operate the three-way valve. Since the internal channels in a three-way valve are usually narrowed, the three-way valve creates pressure losses that are undesirable in the heating circuit.

[0009] It is therefore advisable to replace the three-way valve in the circuit switching control with another system with a reversible pump.

[0010] Reversible (also known as bidirectional or bidirectional) pumps can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise when installed in the device. Such a pump operates in both directions without any change; switching the direction of rotation and controlling the speed are well known in the art.

[0011] GB 2318 179 A discloses a central heating system comprising a heat exchanger for heating flowing water, a reversing pump controllable at the hot water outlet of the heat exchanger for controlling the space heating or the hot water supply depending on the direction of rotation of the pump, and a control device for reducing the speed of the pump before reversing its direction of rotation

[0012] The disadvantage of this solution is that the heated fluid in the primary heat exchanger only ever flows in one direction, similar to the way circuit switching is controlled by a three-way valve. Undesirable substances build up on the inner walls of the primary heat exchanger. These deposits are usually caused by sedimentation, crystallization, chemical reactions, corrosion, or various combinations thereof. The deposits in the heat exchanger deteriorate the hydraulic conditions in the heat exchanger.

[0013] In heat pump systems that use a flammable refrigerant such as R290, the primary heat exchanger is housed in a sealed common capsule with the heat pump heat exchanger for safety reasons.

[0014] The presented solution of the hydraulic module extends the service life of the primary exchanger and improves the hydraulic parameters of the exchanger compared to the state of the art.

[0015] The present technical solution discloses a hydraulic module, designed in particular for a heating device with a heat pump, with a closed circuit of a heat transfer medium for supplying heat to a heating circuit and / or for domestic hot water preparation, in which the circuits are switched over by a reversible pump. The reversible pump is arranged in the hydraulic module to reverse the flow direction in the primary heat exchanger.

[0016] The heater is controlled by the control unit, which switches the heating and hot water supply mode depending on the user's requirements and settings.

[0017] During heating operation of the heating circuit, the pump rotates to one side and the heat transfer medium flows in one direction through the primary heat exchanger.

[0018] When there is a need for domestic hot water heating, the pump on the opposite side starts to rotate and at the same time the flow direction in the primary exchanger changes to the opposite direction.

[0019] The hydraulic module integrates two check valves in its channels, which are controlled by the pressure of the heat transfer medium and reset by a spring.

[0020] A three-way valve is not required, and there are no pressure losses in the circuits caused by the reduction of channels in the three-way valve.

[0021] The circuit switching is therefore controlled by controlling the pump and changing its direction of rotation. The check valves react to the pressure of the medium and direct the flow of the medium to the respective circuits.

[0022] The technical solution is explained with the help of figures, but is not limited to them. The figures show: Fig. 1: Hydraulic module with two integrated check valves, secondary exchanger and reversing pump. Fig. 2: Simplified diagram of an example heating system with the hydraulic module from Fig. and the flow direction of the heat carrier in the pump and in the primary heat exchanger for the hot water supply of the Fig. 3: Simplified diagram of an example heating system with the hydraulic module from Fig. and the flow direction of the heat carrier in the pump and in the primary heat exchanger for the hot water supply Fig. 4: Hydraulic module and flow direction of the heat transfer medium in heating mode Fig. 5: Hydraulic module and flow direction of the heat transfer medium in the mode of

[0023] Fig. Figure 1 shows a hydraulic module 100 that can be connected to a primary heat exchanger 1 comprising a secondary plate heat exchanger 2 provided within the hydraulic module for the preparation of domestic hot water. The hydraulic module 100 is provided with a connection 10 for supplying cold domestic water to the heat exchanger 2 and a connection 11 for discharging heated domestic water from the heat exchanger 2.

[0024] The hydraulic module 100 also includes a switchable circulation pump 3 and two integrated check valves 4, 5 as well as connections 7a and 7b for connecting the hydraulic module to the primary heat exchanger 1.

[0025] The hydraulic module 100 is provided with a connection 12 for the inlet of water (return) from the heating circuit and a connection 13 for the outlet of heated water into the heating circuit as well as with channels 9, 14 for conducting water from the heating circuit through the primary heat exchanger 1.

[0026] To connect the secondary heat exchanger 2 to the primary heat exchanger circuit 1 (not part of the hydraulic module), the secondary heat exchanger 2 is equipped with connection channels 8a, 8b.

[0027] The first check valve 4 is arranged in the connecting channel 8a, with the outlet of the check valve 4 connected to the circulation pump 3. A second check valve 5 is arranged in the channel 9, downstream of the connection 12 for the inlet of water from the heating circuit and upstream of the branch to the channel 8b.

[0028] The hydraulic module 100 is equipped with additional valves and sensors (not shown) that are necessary or advantageous for controlling the operation of the heating system. In one exemplary embodiment, a flow sensor 6 is shown for illustrative purposes. This sensor controls the start-up of the domestic hot water heating system (it must measure at least the required minimum flow rate). However, other components known from the prior art are also common.

[0029] The method for supplying the heating medium of the heating system equipped with the control unit to the individual circuits by means of the hydraulic module 100 is shown in the following figures.

[0030] Fig. and Fig. show a simplified diagram of the heating system with the hydraulic module 100 and the primary heat exchanger 1.

[0031] Due to the request from the control unit to supply the heating circuit with hot water, the heating mode is started: In this mode, the reversing pump 3 starts to rotate counterclockwise, whereby the heat transfer medium circulates in the flow direction 15 from the connection 12 via the second check valve 5 through the primary heat exchanger 1 to the connection 13 and the hot water is fed into the heating circuit.

[0032] The first check valve 4 is closed during heating operation.

[0033] Due to the request of the hot water supply control unit, the hot water supply mode is started: the reversing pump 3 starts rotating clockwise, causing the heat transfer medium to circulate in the flow direction 15 through the primary heat exchanger 1, through the connection 8b, through the secondary heat exchanger 2, through the first check valve 4, through the connection 8a and through the pump 3

[0034] The domestic water is heated from connection 10 to connection 11 via the secondary heat exchanger 2.

[0035] When supplying hot water, the second check valve 5 is closed.

[0036] Fig. 4 shows the hydraulic module 100 and the flow direction of the heat transfer medium in the operating mode for supplying the heating circuit with hot water, and Fig. Figure 5 shows the hydraulic module 100 and the flow direction of the heat transfer medium in the operating mode for the supply of domestic hot water.

[0037] The innovative design of the hydraulic module, in which circulation is controlled by reversing the rotation direction of the reversing pump and two check valves, is particularly advantageous in heat pump systems. The primary heat exchanger has a longer service life when the heat transfer medium circulates through the primary heat exchanger in both directions. List of relationship tags 100 hydraulic module 1 primary heat exchanger 2 secondary heat exchangers 3 reversible circulation pump 4 first check valve 5 second check valve 6 Flow sensor 7a connection 7b connection 8a connecting channel 8b connecting channel 9 channel 10 Connection for cold water inlet 11 Connection for heating water outlet 12 Connection for the input of the heating circuit 13 Connection for the outlet of heated water into the heating circuit 14 channel 15 Flow direction QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] WO 2018202436 A1

[0006] GB 2318 179 A

[0011]

Claims

[1] Hydraulic module (100) designed for a heating system with a closed circuit of a heat carrier, in particular for a heating system with a heat pump, for supplying a heating circuit with a heated medium and / or for domestic water preparation, wherein the hydraulic module (100) is provided with a reversible circulation pump (3), a secondary heat exchanger (2) and two check valves (4, 5), characterized by that the hydraulic module (100) can be connected to a primary heat exchanger (1) via connections (7a, 7b) and the reversible circulation pump (3) is arranged in the primary heat exchanger (1) to reverse the flow direction of the heat transfer medium. [2] Hydraulic module (100) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the secondary heat exchanger (2) is provided with connecting channels (8a, 8b) for connection to the primary heat exchanger circuit (1), wherein a first check valve (4) is arranged in the connecting channel (8a) and the outlet of the first check valve (4) is connected to the circulation pump (3). [3] Hydraulic module (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the hydraulic module (100) is provided with a connection (12) for the inlet of the medium from the heating circuit and a connection (13) for the outlet of the medium into the heating circuit through a channel (9) for conducting the medium from the heating circuit to the primary heat exchanger (1), a channel (14) for conducting the medium from the primary heat exchanger (1) to the heating circuit, wherein a second check valve (5) is arranged in the channel (9) between the connection (12) and the connection (7b). [4] Method for supplying the circuits of a heating device equipped with a hydraulic module (100) with a heated medium according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that in heating mode the reversing pump (3) is turned counterclockwise and the first check valve (4) is closed. [5] Method for supplying a heated medium to the circuits of a heating device equipped with a hydraulic module (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the reversing pump (3) rotates clockwise in hot water supply mode and the second check valve (5) is closed.

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