DEVICE FOR HEATING ROOM AIR AND A LIQUID

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for heating room air and a liquid.

[0002] It is known in the prior art to extract thermal energy from the combustion of, for example, propane, butane, or diesel fuel converted into a gaseous state and to transfer it to a liquid, e.g., domestic water or room air, via at least one heat exchanger. It is also known to heat room air and liquid (see, for example, US 2019 / 0212033 A1).

[0003] EP 2 614 971 discloses a heating device for a heat medium, comprising a PTC element arranged between stacked electrode plates. Furthermore, the heating device comprises a plurality of heat exchange tubes through which the heat medium is passed. The heat exchange tubes are stacked parallel to one another, with the electrode plates arranged between the heat pipes. A substrate is provided on the surface side of the heat pipes, which substrate is connected to a heat-generating element and a pressing member.

[0004] The object underlying the invention is to propose a device for heating room air and a liquid which represents an alternative to the prior art.

[0005] The invention solves the problem by a device for heating room air and a liquid, comprising an air inlet, an air outlet, a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, an energy unit, a heat exchanger, a medium container, a medium line, a conveying device and a control unit, wherein room air to be heated enters the device via the air inlet, wherein heated room air leaves the device via the air outlet, wherein liquid to be heated enters the device via the liquid inlet, wherein heated liquid leaves the device via the liquid outlet, wherein the energy unit generates thermal energy, wherein the heat exchanger transfers the thermal energy generated by the energy unit to the room air and / or to the liquid, wherein the medium container serves to hold the liquid, wherein the medium line serves to guide the liquid,wherein the heat exchanger and the medium line are designed and arranged relative to one another such that the heat exchanger transfers thermal energy to liquid located in the medium line, wherein the conveying device serves to move liquid from the medium container to the medium line and from the medium line to the medium container, wherein the control unit is configured to control the conveying device and / or the energy unit, and wherein, in the case that the device is intended to heat only room air in an air mode, the control unit is configured to control the conveying device and / or the energy unit in a preparatory step such that, due to gravity, liquid flows out of the medium line and / or that liquid in the medium line is heated to an evaporation temperature of the liquid.

[0006] The device according to the invention has inlets and outlets for the room air to be heated and a liquid to be heated or to be heated, e.g., domestic water. At least the liquid can be stored in a medium container. Furthermore, the liquid can be conducted through a medium line, for which a conveying device is provided. A heat exchanger transfers thermal energy to the room air and / or the liquid. The liquid is heated as it is conducted through the medium line and passes through at least one interaction zone of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger and the medium line are arranged relative to one another accordingly. The room air is guided past the heat exchanger in a corresponding manner. As the following embodiments show, the device allows, for example, a targeted switch between the media to be heated: i.e., liquid and room air.Before an air mode, in which the device is only intended to heat room air, the medium line is emptied of liquid by draining it off or evaporating it due to gravity. This is achieved by the control unit being set up to control the conveying device and / or the energy unit in a preparatory step, i.e. before the actual air mode, so that the liquid flows out of the medium line due to gravity and / or is heated in the medium line above its evaporation temperature. The relevant part of the medium line is that which is within the effective range of the heat exchanger. This primarily removes the liquid that could absorb thermal energy from the heat exchanger. For flow due to gravity and thus applying gravity, the relevant part of the medium line opens, for example, above the medium container.The control of the conveying device consists, for example, in no liquid being conveyed or in even creating a negative pressure in the direction of an opening of the relevant part of the medium line. The alternative or supplementary evaporation occurs, for example, in increasing the thermal energy generated by the energy unit. Alternatively or additionally, the conveyance of the liquid is interrupted until the liquid has interacted with the heat exchanger long enough and has absorbed sufficient thermal energy. Evaporation, in contrast to utilizing gravity, has the advantage that it can be applied to more geometric designs and arrangements of the components involved. In one design, the liquid flows out first and the remainder is evaporated.

[0007] One embodiment provides that the medium container serves to hold liquid and air, and that there is an air cushion in the medium container. The medium container is therefore not completely filled with liquid during operation, but a part of the volume remains in which an air cushion forms. Therefore, during operation - and particularly during initial commissioning - the filling and emptying of the medium container is controlled so that an air cushion is formed. The air cushion also enables the liquid to evaporate. The air in the air cushion is not room air to be heated, which is specifically heated by the device, but is functional or working air. In one embodiment, the air cushion is created by an additional connection between the medium container and the outside air around the device.

[0008] One embodiment includes the medium line serving to convey liquid and air, and the conveying device serving to move liquid and / or air from the medium container to the medium line and from the medium line to the medium container. In this embodiment, the liquid branch of the device also contains air, which is conveyed through the medium line. In this embodiment, the air from the air cushion can thus be conveyed through the medium line in a targeted manner. This air should not be confused with the room air to be heated.

[0009] One embodiment is that, if the device is intended to heat either only liquid or liquid and room air, the control unit is configured to control the conveying device so that liquid flows from the medium container to the medium line and from the medium line to the medium container. During this passage of the liquid through the medium line, the heat exchanger transfers thermal energy to the liquid.

[0010] One embodiment is that the device further comprises a fan for conveying the room air from the air inlet to the air outlet. This is accompanied by a configuration in which, in the case where the device is intended to heat either only room air or liquid and room air, the control unit is configured to control the fan such that room air passes from the air inlet via the heat exchanger to the air outlet. The fan conveys room air such that the heat exchanger transfers thermal energy to the room air, thereby heating it.

[0011] One embodiment consists in that the energy unit generates thermal energy by burning a fuel-air mixture and / or by converting electrical energy.

[0012] In detail, there are numerous possibilities for designing and developing the device according to the invention. Reference is made, on the one hand, to the claims subordinate to claim 1 and, on the other hand, to the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing. It shows: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a device.

[0013] The Fig. 1 shows schematically the structure of a device for heating room air and a liquid.

[0014] The room air enters the device through the air inlet 1 and leaves it heated through the air outlet 2. The liquid, for example water, enters the device via the liquid inlet 3 and leaves it heated (or heated) through the liquid outlet 4. The thermal energy for the heating is generated by the energy unit 5 in the variant shown through the combustion of a fuel-air mixture. Depending on the mode, the heat exchanger 6 transfers the thermal energy to the room air or to the liquid, or for example to both the room air and the liquid. For this purpose, the room air is guided from the air inlet 1 by a fan 12 along or past the heat exchanger 6 to the air outlet 2. A medium container 7 is provided for the liquid, which is connected to the liquid inlet 3 and the liquid outlet 4 and a medium line 8.The medium container 7 holds not only the liquid but also air in an air cushion 11. This air is not the room air that is to be heated by the device, but rather serves to facilitate the functioning of the device and the interaction of the individual components. The liquid passing through the medium line 8 can absorb thermal energy from the heat exchanger 6. The flow of the liquid is effected by the conveying device 9, which, for example, comprises at least one pump. The conveying device 9 is controlled by the control unit 10, which, in this embodiment, also switches between the different operating modes based on a user's settings.

[0015] It is indicated that the medium line 8, which is in contact with the heat exchanger 6, is located above the medium tank 7. This is intended to illustrate that if no fluid is being conveyed through the medium line 8, the fluid can flow out of the relevant section of the medium line 8 due to gravity and thus downward in the direction of gravity. Due to the geometry of the medium line 8, a certain amount of fluid can remain in the interaction area between the medium line 8 and the heat exchanger 6.

[0016] If only room air is to be heated in air mode, the control unit 10 frees the medium line 8 of any remaining liquid in a preparatory step by heating the liquid above its evaporation temperature. To do this, the control unit 10 acts on both the conveying device 9 and the energy unit 5. In one variant, evaporation occurs when no liquid is conveyed through the medium line 8 for a sufficiently long time, so that only the remaining liquid receives thermal energy from the heat exchanger 6. Alternatively, the energy unit 5 is controlled so that it supplies more thermal energy. Alternatively or additionally, the conveying device 9 acts as a fan, which removes the already evaporated liquid from the medium line 8.

Claims

1. A device for heating room air and a liquid, comprising an air inlet (1), an air outlet (2), a liquid inlet (3), a liquid outlet (4), an energy unit (5), a heat transfer means (6), a medium container (7), a medium line (8), a conveying device (9) and a control unit (10), wherein room air to be heated enters the device via the air inlet (1), wherein heated room air exits the device via the air outlet (2), wherein liquid to be heated enters the device via the liquid inlet (3), wherein heated liquid exits the device via the liquid outlet (4), wherein the energy unit (5) produces thermal energy, wherein the heat transfer means (6) transfers the thermal energy produced by the energy unit (5) to the room air and / or to the liquid, wherein the medium container (7) serves to receive the liquid, wherein the medium line (8) serves to conduct the liquid, wherein the heat transfer means (6) and the medium line (8) are configured and arranged relative to each other such that the heat transfer means (6) transfers thermal energy to liquid present in the medium line (8), wherein the conveying device (9) serves to move liquid from the medium container (7) to the medium line (8) and from the medium line (8) to the medium container (7), characterized in that the control unit (10) is adapted to control the conveying device (9) and / or the energy unit (5), and wherein in the case that the device is intended to heat only room air in an air mode, the control unit (10) is adapted to control, in a preparation step, the conveying device (9) and / or the energy unit (5) such that liquid runs out of the medium line (8) due to the gravitational force and / or liquid in the medium line (8) is heated up to an evaporation temperature of the liquid.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the medium container (7) serves to receive liquid and air, and wherein an air cushion (11) is present in the medium container (7).

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the medium line (8) serves to conduct liquid and air, and wherein the conveying device (9) serves to move liquid and / or air from the medium container (7) to the medium line (8) and from the medium line (8) to the medium container (7).

4. The device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the case that the device is intended to heat either only liquid or liquid and room air, the control unit (10) is adapted to control the conveying device (9) such that liquid flows from the medium container (7) to the medium line (8) and from the medium line (8) to the medium container (7).

5. The device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the device further has a fan (12) for conveying the room air from the air inlet (1) to the air outlet (2).