Laundry system and method for operating a laundry system

Abstract

The invention relates to a laundry system (100) for energy-reduced treatment of laundry and a method therefor, comprising several laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) which are equipped to treat the laundry with hot steam (13), and wherein a waste heat collection device (14) is provided, by which the waste heat of each of the laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) can be absorbed. According to the invention, a central heat pump (15) is provided, which has an evaporator unit (16) and a condenser unit (17), wherein the evaporator unit (16) is connected to the waste heat collection device (14) and wherein the condenser unit (17) is provided for the supply of superheated steam (13), for which a central superheated steam storage tank (18) is provided for the storage of the superheated steam (13), wherein a water line (19) is supplied to the condenser unit (17) and a steam line (20) is provided from the condenser unit (17) to the superheated steam storage tank (18).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a laundry system for the energy-reduced treatment of laundry and a method therefor, comprising a plurality of laundry treatment machines which are designed to treat the laundry with hot steam, and wherein a waste heat collection device is provided via which the waste heat of each of the laundry treatment machines can be absorbed. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] DE 10 2006 020 003 A1 discloses a laundry system for energy-reduced laundry treatment. It comprises several laundry treatment machines that treat the laundry with superheated steam. A waste heat collection device is provided for collecting the waste heat from each of the laundry treatment machines. This waste heat is fed to a heat exchanger, for example, to provide hot water with which the laundry treatment machines can be re-operated. Laundry treatment machines of the type of interest here can be, for example, dryers, ironers, or so-called tunnel finishers.

[0003] The waste heat from laundry processing machines can be in the form of higher-temperature wastewater, and so-called exhaust air from the laundry processing machines can also be collected via the waste heat collection system. If the wastewater and / or exhaust air are fed into a heat exchanger at a higher temperature, the heat contained can be used for other systems.

[0004] CN 1 07 964 775 A discloses a waste heat recovery and heating system for a laundry room. The system utilizes heat pumps that utilize the heat from the exhaust air of a mangle to generate hot steam, which is transferred to a flash evaporator. A central heat pump device is thus not disclosed, and in particular, multiple laundry treatment machines are not mentioned.

[0005] DE 10 2009 004 085 A1 discloses a method for the central recovery of the thermal energy dissipated by laundry machines via a waste heat collection line. At least a portion of the energy is extracted from the dissipated thermal energy and the recovered energy is reused. The thermal energy from several laundry machines, and possibly from the laundry, is combined, and at least a portion of the energy is extracted from the collected thermal energy. It is not disclosed that superheated steam is generated with the heat pump.

[0006] DE 10 2013 213 978 A1 discloses a system for the local utilization of waste heat from a high-temperature battery in buildings via a cooling system coupled to the battery. The cooling system is configured to conduct a fluid heat transfer medium, and the heat transfer medium is designed to transport waste heat from the high-temperature battery to a local heat consumer in a building. No reference is made to heat consumers such as laundry machines.

[0007] Due to rising energy costs, particularly in the form of gas and oil, which are conventionally used as fuels for generating hot steam, newer systems are required to operate a laundry system with reduced energy consumption, particularly based on the use of electricity as the primary energy source. A laundry system of the present invention is understood to be an overall system of a laundry facility in which several laundry treatment machines are operated simultaneously or sequentially, but in a network. Such laundry systems typically have a hot steam generator, which is operated with conventional oil- or gas-fired combustion systems to generate the hot steam from the supplied water.

[0008] Waste heat collection systems are often known in the form of pipes that can feed the waste heat from the wastewater and / or the exhaust air to a heat exchanger in order to be able to further utilize the heat contained therein.

[0009] Laundry systems are energy-intensive, and the use of photovoltaics, wind power, and hydropower as renewable energy sources makes sense for laundry systems. In particular, electricity from so-called volatile energy sources should be used as efficiently as possible, but without permanently using the electricity to directly heat water to generate superheated steam. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The object of the invention is to improve a laundry system for the energy-reduced treatment of laundry, so that the laundry system can be operated with electricity from renewable energy sources, in particular without further purchase of fossil fuels.

[0011] This object is achieved by a laundry system according to the preamble of claim 1 and by a method according to claim 11 with the respective characterizing features. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0012] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention provides the technical teaching that a central heat pump is set up which has an evaporator unit and a condenser unit, wherein the evaporator unit is connected to the waste heat collection device and wherein the condenser unit is set up to provide the hot steam, wherein a central hot steam storage unit is provided for storing the hot steam, wherein a water line is set up to the condenser unit and a steam line is set up from the condenser unit to the hot steam storage unit.

[0013] The core concept of the invention is the central installation of a single heat pump as part of the laundry system, which serves to generate the hot steam to supply the laundry treatment machines with hot steam. At the same time, the heat pump absorbs the thermal energy from the waste heat of the laundry treatment machines by connecting the heat pump's evaporator unit to the waste heat collection device, so that wastewater and / or exhaust air at elevated temperatures can be used to operate the evaporator unit and evaporate the heat pump's working fluid, in particular a refrigerant, in the evaporator unit. Thus, the thermal energy leaving the laundry treatment machines after laundry treatment can be used to generate the hot steam.The heat pump has a compressor that can be powered by electrical energy, allowing volatile energy sources such as photovoltaics, wind power, and / or hydropower to be used to operate the laundry system. A conventional energy source, such as a utility company, can optionally be added. Photovoltaics and / or wind power, in particular, can also be installed and operated locally with the laundry system.

[0014] To feed the heat pump and generate the hot steam, a water source is installed that supplies water, preferably at room temperature and in the liquid state, to the condenser unit, where it evaporates in or on the condenser unit. The generated hot steam can, for example, have a temperature of 135°C to 165°C and can have a pressure above atmospheric pressure, for example, 2 bar. The wastewater and / or exhaust air used to evaporate the working fluid in the evaporator unit can then be subjected to further treatment before being discharged as cooled wastewater.

[0015] For the laundry system according to the invention, the hot steam storage is provided for storing the hot steam, wherein water is supplied to the condenser unit via a water line and hot steam is supplied from the condenser unit to the hot steam storage via a steam line.

[0016] The superheated steam storage unit is configured to supply all laundry processing machines in the laundry system with superheated steam, even if individual laundry processing machines do not need to be connected. The superheated steam storage unit can be insulated to isolate the stored steam from the environment, allowing a time lag of several hours between the utilization of the waste heat from the wastewater and the exhaust air of the laundry processing machines via the heat pump and the provision of superheated steam until the superheated steam is finally extracted from the superheated steam storage unit.

[0017] It is particularly advantageous if a waste heat storage unit is installed into which wastewater and / or exhaust air from the laundry treatment machines can be fed via the waste heat collection system and stored, and from which wastewater and / or exhaust air can be fed to the evaporator unit. Thus, as an alternative to storing the hot steam in the hot steam storage unit, warm wastewater or warm exhaust air can also be stored in the waste heat storage unit, for example, over a weekend, overnight, or other periods.

[0018] It is advantageous if the waste heat collection system, in conjunction with the piping system, includes a waste heat storage unit in which the wastewater and / or exhaust air can be stored. The waste heat storage unit can be particularly well insulated, allowing the waste heat from the laundry treatment machines to be stored, for example, from one working day to the next. This makes it conceivable that the heat pump could also be operated using the waste heat from the laundry treatment machines from the previous day. The waste heat storage unit in the waste heat collection system is also advantageous if the heat pump is to be operated depending on the availability of volatile energy.If volatile energy is available, especially at lower cost, the thermal energy that has already been stored for a longer period in the waste heat storage unit can be used for the spontaneous operation of the heat pump, so that, particularly in the case of cyclical operation of the laundry system, for example from working day to working day, the thermal energy from the waste water and / or the exhaust air of a previous cycle can be used for a subsequent cycle, in particular from one working day to the next or, for example, on a weekend when solar energy and / or wind energy are particularly available.

[0019] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the collected waste heat from the laundry treatment machines has a temperature of 65°C to 75°C and / or 70°C and / or if the temperature of the hot steam that can be provided by the condenser unit via the steam line has a temperature of 135°C to 165°C and / or, for example, 150°C. It is also conceivable to supply the hot steam on the supply side of the hot steam accumulator at a temperature that is higher than the usable temperature of the hot steam in the laundry treatment machines. This means that the hot steam can remain in the hot steam accumulator for a longer period of time, and the temperature can drop slightly due to heat loss, so that hot steam can ultimately be extracted on the extraction side of the hot steam accumulator at a temperature that corresponds to the process temperature for the laundry treatment machine.

[0020] Another key aspect of the invention, which can significantly contribute to the energy efficiency of the laundry system, relates to the use of a thermal battery for heat storage, with which additional hot steam can be supplied to the hot steam storage unit. Thermal batteries or thermal batteries can be designed to store hot steam over an extended period of time, for example at temperatures of up to 400°C. If water vapor is to be stored in the thermal battery, this can be stored at elevated pressure, for example only around 2 bar, even at temperatures that can be used directly to operate the laundry treatment machines. In this way, the hot steam can be supplied from the thermal battery to the hot steam storage unit and transferred as needed.Thermal batteries of the type of interest here are not electrical batteries and are used to absorb and store heat, for example, via a fluid that can be added or removed. For example, water can be evaporated with or in a thermal battery, particularly to generate superheated steam with the parameters of interest here.

[0021] Within the scope of the invention, it is also conceivable for the hot steam storage to be formed by the thermal battery itself. The thermal battery and the hot steam storage can therefore be designed as a single piece and as a single structural unit. For example, thermal batteries are known from Energynest AS (Norway), and the thermal battery uses special thermal concrete as the thermal storage medium, through which pipes are run in which the thermal fluid, for example hot steam, is stored. The thermal concrete has a very high specific heat capacity, so that the heat introduced can be stored in the special concrete for a long time, particularly with special insulation of the arrangement of the concrete and the pipes. The thermal battery can also have its own electric heater to generate the hot steam or to maintain the temperature of the hot steam with only minimal energy consumption.A thermal battery such as can be used here is known, for example, from EP 3 090 229 B1.

[0022] If the superheated steam storage tank and the thermal battery are designed separately, the superheated steam from the heat pump can be fed to the superheated steam storage tank, and alternately or simultaneously, superheated steam from the thermal battery can also be fed to the superheated steam storage tank. Particularly when the heat pump and / or the thermal battery are supplied with volatile energy, the superheated steam storage tank can be heated during periods of good and therefore often inexpensive energy supply. During periods of poor volatile energy supply, for example, during periods of so-called dark periods, the superheated steam can be fed predominantly or exclusively to the superheated steam storage tank via the thermal battery, while the heat pump remains out of operation.

[0023] The object of the invention is further achieved by a method for operating a laundry system for the energy-reduced treatment of laundry, comprising a plurality of laundry treatment machines, by means of which the laundry is treated with hot steam, and wherein a waste heat collection device is set up via which the waste heat of each of the laundry treatment machines is absorbed, and wherein the method comprises at least the following further steps: setting up a central heat pump which has an evaporator unit and a condenser unit; connecting the waste heat collection device to the evaporator unit and providing the hot steam to the laundry treatment machines by means of the condenser unit of the heat pump.

[0024] Furthermore, the method can be distinguished by the fact that a hot steam storage device is set up to store the hot steam, wherein water is supplied to the condenser unit via a water line and evaporated therein, and wherein a steam line is set up from the condenser unit to the hot steam storage device, by means of which the generated hot steam is transferred from the condenser unit to the hot steam storage device. The laundry treatment machines then receive the hot steam from the hot steam storage device at a time when it is actually needed. For this purpose, valves can be set up in the pipes between the hot steam storage device and the laundry treatment machines, which transfer the hot steam to the laundry treatment machines at the right time and in the right quantity when it is needed.

[0025] In this respect, a superheated steam storage unit can be set up to store the superheated steam, with water being fed to the condenser unit via a water pipe and evaporated therein, and finally a steam line being set up from the condenser unit to the superheated steam storage unit, by means of which the generated superheated steam is transferred from the condenser unit to the superheated steam storage unit. The superheated steam storage unit can also be so well insulated that the superheated steam still has a sufficiently high temperature for the operation of the laundry system on a subsequent day, so that superheated steam is made available to the superheated steam storage unit when, for example, energy is cheaper. The heat pump can, for example, be operated when inexpensive, volatile energy is available, and the superheated steam in the superheated steam storage unit can be stored until it is required by the laundry treatment machines.

[0026] It is also advantageous to install a thermal battery to supply hot steam to the hot steam storage tank, whereby the hot steam storage tank can be supplied with hot steam from the heat pump in the same way as from the thermal battery. The hot steam storage tank and the thermal battery can also be installed as a structural unit; in particular, the thermal battery can have a storage volume sufficient to function as a hot steam storage tank.

[0027] Advantageously, a control device is configured to receive availability information about the availability of renewable energy and / or conventional energy via a data line. Furthermore, the control device can record weather data, particularly regarding wind and / or solar radiation. Furthermore, the control device can be fed with the operating data and operating times of the laundry system. In particular, the control device can have an AI module.

[0028] The control unit is specifically designed to control the heat pump and / or the flow of wastewater and / or exhaust air to the heat pump and / or the transfer of hot steam from the heat pump to the hot steam storage tank and / or the transfer of hot steam from the thermal battery to the hot steam storage tank. This allows the key components of the laundry system to be operated as energy-efficiently and cost-effectively as possible using the control unit.

[0029] For this purpose, it is specifically provided that a valve is installed in the wastewater collection line between the waste heat storage unit and the heat pump, and / or a valve is installed in the steam line between the heat pump and the superheated steam storage unit, and / or a valve is installed in the steam line between the thermal battery and the superheated steam storage unit, and / or an electrical switching point is installed in the electrical line between the energy sources, i.e., wind energy, solar energy, hydropower, and / or conventional energy. The valves and the electrical switching point are each controllable by the control device. This allows the fluid flows of the superheated steam and the cost-optimized connection of the energy type to be controlled.

[0030] Depending on the operating schedule of the laundry system, it can be controlled, for example, whether the wastewater and exhaust air in the heat storage tank remain at low temperatures when the laundry system is not in operation over a weekend, for example, and little renewable energy is available. If, on the other hand, a larger proportion of renewable energy is available over the weekend, for example, the heat pump can be operated even when the laundry system is not running in order to empty the waste heat storage tank and fill the hot steam storage tank with hot steam. The same applies to the thermal battery, which can be heated up with the electric heater, especially when a large proportion of renewable energy is available. The control device can ratio the inflow of hot steam from the thermal battery or from the heat pump in such a way that minimal heat is not only achieved for the current operating point of the laundry system, but also for the current operating point of the laundry system.Not only does this not only take into account the costs incurred, but it also takes into account, for example, whether a larger or smaller proportion of renewable energy will be available in the coming days. The same can also be tracked, for example, via the electricity price of conventional energy. This is then used when, for example, the electricity price is low and little renewable energy is available.

[0031] This principle can also be learned and progressively optimized by the control device over a longer period of time. In particular, the control device can have an AI module, thus enabling or utilizing artificial intelligence.

[0032] For example, the control system can also decide whether the hot steam is generated primarily by the thermal battery or the heat pump based on the remaining heat in the waste heat storage unit of the waste heat collection system and the current temperature of the thermal battery. If, for example, the waste heat storage unit still contains a significant amount of thermal energy, it may be more energy-efficient not to immediately switch on the electrical heating of the thermal battery, even if renewable energy is available, but to first utilize the remaining heat in the waste heat storage unit, as this would otherwise be lost.

[0033] The control device can be capable of learning about the resulting energy consumption over a longer period of use, particularly by using artificial intelligence, which is expressed, for example, by optimising the use of heat in the waste heat storage unit, optimising the energy to be kept available in the hot steam storage unit and / or in the thermal battery, ensuring a minimum of total energy to be used to operate the laundry system over a longer period of time.

[0034] In this respect, it is also conceivable that current or future electricity costs from wind energy, solar energy, hydropower and / or conventional energy could be taken into account by the control unit when planning the operation of the laundry system in advance. These costs can be passed on to the control unit via an interface or accessed online, i.e. via the Internet. For example, the thermal battery and / or the hot steam storage tank can be charged with the heat pump at a time well before the laundry system is due to be used again, when energy costs are currently lower. This only requires sufficient insulation of the thermal battery and / or the hot steam storage tank so that it can store the heat for a particularly long time. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Further measures improving the invention are described in more detail below, together with the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. It shows: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the laundry system according to the invention with several laundry treatment machines, with a centrally arranged heat pump and with a hot steam storage unit, Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the laundry system according to Figure 1 with a thermal battery in which hot steam can be generated directly, as well as with several different energy sources; Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the laundry system according to Figure 1 with a thermal battery in which hot steam can be generated via a heat exchanger, as well as with several different energy sources and

[0036] The Figure 1The schematically shown laundry system 100 comprises, for example, three laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12, which form, for example, a mangle, a drum dryer, and a tunnel finisher. Such laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12 require superheated steam 13 as a process medium for treating the laundry, particularly after a washing cycle. The superheated steam 13 can, for example, have an overpressure of 2 bar at a temperature of 135°C.

[0037] To provide this hot steam 13, a pipe network is shown as an example, which connects the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12 to a hot steam storage 18, in which the hot steam 13 is stored and can be transferred centrally to the individual laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12.

[0038] The laundry system 100 according to the invention comprises a central heat pump 15, which has an evaporator unit 16 and a condenser unit 17. Furthermore, the heat pump 15 has the known additional components of a compressor 28 and an expansion valve 29, wherein the heat pump 15 with its main components is shown and described only schematically.

[0039] The condenser unit 17 is used to generate the hot steam 13 and feed the hot steam storage 18. Water is supplied to the condenser unit 17 via a water line 19 from a water source 26, which is evaporated in the condenser unit 17. The hot steam 13 thus generated is fed to the hot steam storage 18 via the steam line 20.

[0040] The heat source for operating the evaporator unit 16 of the heat pump 15 is obtained from hot wastewater and hot exhaust air from the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, and 12. A waste heat collection device 14 is provided, via which the waste heat from the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, and 12 is transferred to the evaporator unit 16. The temperature of the wastewater and the exhaust air can be, for example, 70°C.

[0041] Particularly advantageously, the waste heat collection device 14 has a waste heat storage unit 21 in which, particularly with appropriately good insulation, the waste heat from the machines 10, 11, and 12 can be stored in order to supply heat from the waste heat storage unit 21 to the heat pump 15 even some time after the operation of the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, and 12. For example, the temperature of the wastewater and / or the exhaust air in the waste heat collection device 14 can have a value of 70°C, so that while the wastewater and / or the exhaust air are cooled, the heat is transferred to the evaporator unit 16 of the heat pump 15 in order to evaporate the working fluid 25 of the heat pump 15, and the then cooled wastewater can be discharged, which is indicated by an arrow.

[0042] Figure 2 shows the laundry system 100 with the essential components that have already been described in connection with Figure 1are described. These are the laundry treatment machines 10, 11 and 12, which are fed with the hot steam 13 from the hot steam accumulator 18, and the hot steam 13 for feeding the hot steam accumulator 18 is supplied to the hot steam accumulator 18 via the steam line 20 from the heat pump 15. The heat pump 15, together with the evaporator unit 16 and the condenser unit 17, is designed as a single structural unit within the laundry system 100, and the evaporator unit 16 draws heat from the waste heat collection device 14, in particular directly from the waste heat accumulator 21, in which the waste water and / or the exhaust air from the waste heat collection device 14 are collected and stored, while the condenser unit 17 evaporates water and thus generates hot steam 13.

[0043] The illustration shows a further supply of hot steam 13 to the hot steam accumulator 18, for which, according to a further aspect of the invention, a thermal battery 22 is configured. The thermal battery 22 is a non-electrical heat accumulator and can comprise a heat storage material and, for example, fluid lines through which a hot medium can flow in order to heat the heat storage material, for example to several hundred degrees Celsius. Alternatively or preferably, the heat storage material of the thermal battery 22 can also be heated directly by means of an integrated electric heater 40. The heat storage material is designed and insulated in such a way that it can store the introduced heat over a long period of time, thus maintaining the temperature.The heat once introduced can thus be removed again at a later time via a medium in the fluid lines of the thermal battery 22, whereby the hot steam 13 can be formed by means of or from the medium.

[0044] For example, the thermal battery 22 is first fed with water from a water source 27, which is then heated on the heat storage material and converted into hot steam 13, which is finally released to the hot steam storage 18.

[0045] Thermal batteries are characterized by their ability to store heat for very long periods of time, and thermal batteries 22 of the type of interest here can be provided, for example, by Energynest AS (Norway). These consist of a cuboid-shaped pipe system, and the pipes are encased in thermal concrete. This has the property of storing heat for a very long time. With appropriate external insulation of the thermal battery 22, once generated, superheated steam 13 can maintain its temperature in the thermal battery 22 for a particularly long time or cool down very slowly. The temperatures of the thermal storage material of thermal batteries 22 can reach 500°C and above.

[0046] The graphic also shows several energy sources, namely energy sources from volatile energy sources as well as from conventional energy sources. For example, wind energy 32, solar energy 33, and hydropower 34 represent renewable energy sources. Furthermore, a conventional energy source 35 is shown, for example, based on nuclear power or fossil fuels, which can be used when energy from wind energy 32, solar energy 33, or hydropower 34 is temporarily unavailable.

[0047] When operating the laundry system 100, a large proportion of renewable energy 32, 33, 34 can be utilized in a special way with the devices shown, in particular the waste heat storage unit 21 and the thermal battery 22. If these are available, especially at reduced cost, the thermal battery 22 can be charged independently of time by significantly heating its heat storage material. It is also conceivable to operate the heat pump 15, in particular the compressor 28, when inexpensive, volatile energy is available from the energy sources 32, 33, 34. This is made possible by the waste heat storage unit 21, so that even with a time-delayed absorption of heat from the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12 and by storage in the waste heat storage unit 21, the heat pump 15 can be operated independently of the operation of the laundry system 100.In this respect, the conventional energy source 35 can only be used when the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12 have to be operated and the volatile energy sources are not available.

[0048] Also shown is a control device 39, which receives availability information about the availability of renewable energy and / or conventional energy via a data line 41. The control device 39 is configured to control the heat pump 15 and / or the inflow of wastewater and / or exhaust air to the heat pump 15 and / or the transfer of the hot steam 13 from the heat pump 15 to the hot steam storage tank 18 and / or the hot steam 13 from the thermal battery 22 to the hot steam storage tank 18.For this purpose, it is provided that a valve 28 is installed in the waste water collection line 14 between the waste heat storage unit 21 and the heat pump 15 and / or a valve 29 is installed in the steam line 20 between the heat pump 15 and the hot steam storage unit 18 and / or a valve 30 is installed in the steam line between the thermal battery 22 and the hot steam storage unit 18 and / or an electrical switching point 31 is installed in the electrical line between the energy sources 32, 33, 34, 35, wherein the valves 28, 29, 30 and the electrical switching point 31 are each controlled by the control device 39.

[0049] Figure 3shows the laundry system 100 with the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12 as well as with the thermal battery 22, and the hot steam storage 18 shown stores hot steam 13, which can be provided via a pipeline network to the laundry treatment machines 10, 11, 12. The operation of the heat pump 15 with the evaporator unit 16 and the condenser unit 17 in order to generate hot steam 13 from the primary energy storage in the form of the waste heat collection device 14 with the waste heat storage 21 is already in connection with the Figure 1 and 2 described.

[0050] In order to provide hot steam 13 to the hot steam storage 18 by means of the thermal battery 22 according to this embodiment, a heat exchanger 36 is set up which is connected to the thermal battery 22 via pipes 37. A fluid storage medium 38, for example a thermal oil or the like, which can assume much higher temperatures than water or hot steam 13 at the same pressure, is guided through the pipes 37. If the storage medium 38 in the thermal battery 22 is brought to a correspondingly higher temperature, the heat in the heat exchanger 36 can be released via water supplied from a water source 27, which is supplied to the heat exchanger 36. The supplied water evaporates and is finally transferred to the hot steam storage 18 in the form of hot steam 13.For this purpose, the fluid storage medium 38 has a considerably higher temperature than the generated hot steam 13, wherein a quantity of storage medium 38 is supplied to the heat exchanger 36 via a control device 39, which quantity is determined such that the water from the water source 27 can be generated with a correct quantity of hot steam 13 with the correspondingly desired temperature.

[0051] In this example, too, the operation of the electric heater 40 of the thermal battery 22 can be controlled via the control device 39 using wind energy 32, solar energy 33, hydropower 34 or alternatively using conventional energy 35.

[0052] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable, which utilize the presented solution even in fundamentally different embodiments. All features and / or advantages apparent from the claims, the description, or the drawings, including structural details or spatial arrangements, may be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations. List of reference symbols:

[0053] 10 Laundry treatment machine 11 Laundry treatment machine 12 Laundry treatment machine 13 Hot steam 14 Waste heat collection device 15 Heat pump 16 Evaporator unit 17 Condenser unit 18 Hot steam storage tank 19 Water pipe 20 Steam pipe 21 Waste heat storage tank 22 Thermal battery 23 Process chamber 24 Water supply 25 Working fluid 26 Water source 27 Water source 28 Valve 29 Valve 30 Valve 31 Switching point 32 Wind energy 33 Solar energy 34 Hydropower 35 Conventional energy 36 Heat exchanger 37 Pipeline 38 Storage medium 39 Control device 40 Electric heater 41 Data line 100Laundry system

Claims

1. Laundry system (100) for the energy-reduced treatment of laundry, comprising a plurality of laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) which are designed to treat the laundry with hot steam (13), and wherein a waste heat collection device (14) is provided, via which the waste heat of each of the laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) can be absorbed, characterized by that a central heat pump (15) is set up, which has an evaporator unit (16) and a condenser unit (17), wherein the evaporator unit (16) is connected to the waste heat collection device (14) and wherein the condenser unit (17) is set up to provide the hot steam (13), wherein a central hot steam accumulator (18) is provided for storing the hot steam (13), wherein a water line (19) is set up to the condenser unit (17) and a steam line (20) is set up from the condenser unit (17) to the hot steam accumulator (18).

2. Laundry system (100) according to claim 1, characterized by that a waste heat storage device (21) is provided, into which waste water and / or exhaust air from the laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) can be fed via the waste heat collection device (14) and stored, and wherein waste water and / or exhaust air can be fed from the waste heat storage device (21) to the evaporator unit (16).

3. Laundry system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the collected waste heat of the laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) has a temperature of 65°C to 75°C and / or 70°C and / or that the temperature of the hot steam (13) that can be provided by the condenser unit (17) via the steam line (20) has a temperature of 135°C to 165°C and / or 150°C.

4. Laundry system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that a thermal battery (22) is provided for heat storage, with which hot steam (13) can be provided to the central hot steam storage (18).

5. Laundry system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the hot steam storage (18) can be fed with hot steam (13) from the heat pump (15) and from the thermal battery (22) simultaneously, selectively or alternately.

6. Laundry system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the water emerging from the evaporator unit (16) can be transferred to the condenser unit (17) for evaporation in order to evaporate therein and form a closed circuit.

7. Laundry system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a control device (39) is set up which is designed to receive availability information about the availability of renewable energy and / or conventional energy via a data line (41) and / or that the control device (39) has an AI module.

8. Laundry system (100) according to claim 7, characterized by that the control device (39) is designed to control the heat pump (15) and / or the inflow of waste water and / or exhaust air to the heat pump (15) and / or the transfer of the hot steam (13) from the heat pump (15) to the hot steam storage (18) and / or the hot steam (13) from the thermal battery (22) to the hot steam storage (18).

9. Laundry system (100) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized by thata valve (28) is provided in the waste water collection line (14) between the waste heat accumulator (21) and the heat pump (15) and / or a valve (29) is provided in the steam line (20) between the heat pump (15) and the hot steam accumulator (18) and / or a valve (30) is provided in the steam line between the thermal battery (22) and the hot steam accumulator (18) and / or an electrical switching point (31) is provided in the electrical line between the energy sources (32, 33, 34, 35), wherein the valves (28, 29, 30) and the electrical switching point (31) are each controllable by the control device (39).

10. A method for operating a laundry system (100) for the energy-reduced treatment of laundry, comprising a plurality of laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) by means of which the laundry is treated with hot steam (13), and wherein a waste heat collection device (14) is set up via which the waste heat of each of the laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12) is absorbed, and wherein the method comprises at least the following further steps: - setting up a central heat pump (15) which has an evaporator unit (16) and a condenser unit (17);- connecting the waste heat collection device (14) to the evaporator unit (16) and - generating hot steam (13) with the condenser unit (17) of the central heat pump (15) and - providing the centrally generated hot steam (13) to the laundry treatment machines (10, 11, 12), - setting up a central hot steam storage device (18) for storing the hot steam (13), wherein water is supplied to the condenser unit (17) via a water line (19) and evaporated therein and - setting up a steam line (20) from the condenser unit (17) to the central hot steam storage device (18), by means of which the generated hot steam (13) is transferred from the condenser unit (17) to the hot steam storage device (18) and stored therein.; 11. Method according to claim 10, characterized by thata thermal battery (22) is provided for heat storage, with which hot steam (13) is provided to the hot steam storage (18), wherein the hot steam storage (18) is fed with hot steam (13) from the heat pump (15) and simultaneously, optionally or alternately, also with hot steam (13) from the thermal battery (22).

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