Heat pump with transportation safety device

Abstract

Transport device for transporting a heat pump filled with flammable refrigerant in a gas- and watertight refrigeration circuit housing, wherein the refrigeration circuit housing has a frame made of profile strips, the side walls, the top and the bottom of the refrigeration circuit housing are attached to the profile strips, a support plate is connected to the frame above the bottom of the refrigeration circuit housing, a compressor with damping elements is attached to another support plate on the support plate, the remaining elements of the refrigeration circuit are attached to the support plate or to the frame, damping elements are provided below the frame and support plate towards the underside, a fixing hook rotatable about an axis of rotation is attached to the support plate, the axis of rotation of the fixing hook is aligned parallel to the support plate and perpendicular to one of the side walls and is guided flush through a sealed opening through this side wall,The fixing hook is equipped with spacer pins on two opposite sides perpendicular to the axis of rotation; the spacer pins on one of the opposite sides extend from the axis of rotation of the fixing hook to at least the further support plate of the compressor; the spacer pins on the other of the opposite sides extend from the axis of rotation of the fixing hook to at least the underside; the axis of rotation of the fixing hook has a polygonal profile outside the side wall on which it can be rotated.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a transport securing device for a heat pump intended for installation inside a building, which is to be transported fully assembled in a closed heat pump housing or refrigeration circuit housing. The transport and on-site assembly are to be carried out so safely that the refrigerant can already be pre-filled. The heat pump or refrigeration circuit housing is a closed, gas- and watertight chamber and is only to be opened for servicing and repairs.

[0002] Refrigerants are often flammable. When using a flammable refrigerant, such as R290, R32, R1270, R600a, or R454C, an enclosure must be used to ensure that no flammable refrigerant can escape into the installation room. This also applies, of course, to the transport process itself.

[0003] The main difference between a refrigeration circuit casing and a heat pump casing is that the refrigeration circuit casing contains all the components through which refrigerant flows, while the heat pump casing may also contain other components, such as an electric auxiliary heater and a hot water tank. In such cases, a refrigeration circuit casing, which is encapsulated, is located inside a heat pump casing.

[0004] Such a refrigeration circuit housing with transport securing device is described in DE 10 2021 104 783 B3. It relates to a heat pump comprising a housing, a housing opening designed as a water drain, at least one heat pump component elastically mounted within the heat pump housing, and a transport securing device for fixing the elastically mounted heat pump component during transport of the housing. If the elastically mounted heat pump component is released, the transport securing device closes the housing opening; it thus has a dual function.

[0005] The major risk is damage, for example to the pipes during transport. A pipe could break, which is risky with heat pumps that are already filled with refrigerant at the factory. To prevent such hazards, the refrigerant circuit, along with its housing, is bolted to the floor using appropriate transport securing devices.

[0006] Damping elements are required for attaching the refrigeration circuit to the refrigeration circuit support plate and / or the unit housing, as explained in DE 10 2021 104 783 B3, which specifies elastic mounting elements for this purpose. Such elements also serve to reduce the transmission of vibrations to the unit during operation. The design of these elastic elements makes the structure highly flexible for movement during transport. DE 10 2021 104 783 B3 teaches how to fix the base plate from the front or side, thereby also closing an opening for the water drain at the bottom. This is achieved by means of a locking or unlocking tab.

[0007] The design, in which the opening remains open during transport and is only closed on-site after setup and installation with all connections, has the disadvantage that refrigerant could leak during transport if it had been pre-filled with refrigerant at the factory. In such a case, despite being secured during transport, there would be a possibility of refrigerant escaping from the opening intended to allow any accumulated water to drain. For this reason, the refrigeration circuit can only be safely filled on-site after installation, which requires opening the refrigeration circuit housing and the transport device while they are in their secured position. This is also explained in WO 2022 / 184208, the same patent family as DE 10 2021 104 783 B3. A qualified professional is required for filling with a flammable refrigerant.

[0008] DIY and hardware store solutions, such as those already common for small air conditioning systems that also use flammable refrigerants, or kit solutions for retrofitting existing condensing boilers, whose climate-damaging emissions can be reduced by additional heat pumps and which could be operated with cheap surplus electricity, are then not possible on your own.

[0009] The present transport device therefore uses a different solution, which is suitable for a watertight and airtight refrigeration circuit housing that does not need to be opened after manufacturing and can be stored, transported, assembled, connected and put into operation without further measures.

[0010] As in the known prior art, the compressor is mounted on its own compressor support plate, and this compressor support plate is fixed from below to a refrigeration circuit support plate. In this context, "refrigeration circuit support plate" does not mean that it seals the refrigeration circuit housing at the bottom, but rather refers to its spatial position near the floor and its load-bearing function. Both the refrigeration circuit compressor and the compressor support plate, as well as the refrigeration circuit support plate itself, are flexibly mounted via dampers during operation, thus forming a two-layer oscillating system. They are both secured together by the transport device. For this purpose, the transport device, in the form of a rotatable fixing hook, is mounted to the refrigeration circuit support plate and positioned in the fixing position during manufacturing.The other parts of the refrigeration circuit are also attached to the refrigeration circuit support plate or to the frame parts so that they do not swing against each other, against housing wall parts, or against the base plate.

[0011] After installation, the customer turns the fixing hook 90° from the outside using a ring spanner. Opening the refrigeration circuit housing and / or disassembly is not necessary. This special transport protection secures both damper levels for transport. This component is fixed to the mounting plate via pivot points. A simple rotation outside the housing is sufficient to restore it to operational readiness.

[0012] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a space-saving, safe and economical device with which a heat pump filled with flammable refrigerant can be safely transported in a gas- and watertight refrigeration circuit housing and set up and put into operation without opening the refrigeration circuit housing.

[0013] The invention solves the problem by means of a transport device for transporting a heat pump filled with flammable refrigerant in a gas- and watertight refrigeration circuit housing, wherein The refrigeration circuit housing has a frame made of profile strips, the side walls, top and bottom of the refrigeration circuit housing are attached to the profile strips, a refrigeration circuit support plate is connected to the frame above the bottom of the refrigeration circuit housing, a compressor with damping elements on a compressor support plate is attached to the refrigeration circuit support plate, the remaining elements of the refrigeration circuit are attached to the refrigeration circuit support plate or to the frame, damping elements are provided below the frame and refrigeration circuit support plate towards the underside, a fixing hook rotatable about an axis of rotation is attached to the refrigeration circuit support plate, the axis of rotation of the fixing hook is aligned parallel to the refrigeration circuit support plate and perpendicular to one of the side walls and is guided flush through a sealed opening through this side wall, the fixing hook is attached to two opposite,The sides perpendicular to the axis of rotation are equipped with spacer pins; the spacer pins on one of the opposite sides extend from the axis of rotation of the fixing hook to at least the compressor mounting plate; the spacer pins on the other of the opposite sides extend from the axis of rotation of the fixing hook to at least the underside; the axis of rotation of the fixing hook has a polygonal profile outside the side wall, around which it can be rotated about its axis of rotation.

[0014] When the spacer pins are vertically aligned, the compressor mounting plate is clamped against the refrigeration circuit mounting plate, and the refrigeration circuit mounting plate is clamped against the refrigeration circuit housing. After a quarter-circle rotation, the spacer pins no longer contact either part of the refrigeration circuit or either mounting plate. The multi-sided profile is a standard square or hexagonal profile; the use of special profiles, such as a star profile, is also possible. A position indicator can be attached.

[0015] The clamping force itself is preferably achieved through clamping, i.e., friction-based. However, it is also possible to provide positive-locking devices for the spacer pins, such as snap-fit ​​connections. The most advantageous method is to engage the spacer hooks in the base plate; for this purpose, a groove is pressed into the plate to provide the locking action. Pressing from bottom to top is particularly effective and requires minimal construction effort. This creates a kind of wedging action between the components.

[0016] In one embodiment, the transport device is formed by several identical fixing hooks, which are attached to multiple points on the refrigeration circuit support plate. Preferably, three fixing hooks are used, securing the refrigeration circuit support plate at three points such that the system is statically determinate with respect to vertical vibrations. With sufficient clamping forces from the spacer pins, forces from torsional vibrations are also absorbed. If this is insufficient, the remaining degrees of freedom for torsional vibrations can be absorbed by additional fixing hooks.

[0017] The invention is described by reference to the Figs. 1 to 4 explained in more detail. It shows: Fig. 1 an exemplary illustration of a fixing hook, Fig. 2 an exemplary representation of the bottom area of ​​the refrigeration circuit housing, Fig. 3an exemplary illustration of the construction of a refrigeration circuit housing with frame, Fig. 4 An exemplary representation of a closed refrigeration circuit housing.

[0018] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows an exemplary representation of a fixing hook 1 with the axis of rotation 2 and the upper spacer pins 3 and the lower spacer pins 4, and also the polygonal profile 5, which is designed as a hexagonal profile.

[0019] Fig. 2 Figure 1 shows the lower section of a typical refrigeration circuit housing 6 with the refrigeration circuit support plate 7, which is fixed to the frame parts 8, from the side. The fixing hook 1 is slightly rotated, and the spacer pins 3 and 4 are visible. To fix the assembly, the fixing hook would be rotated on the polygonal profile 5 so that the spacer pins 3 and 4 are exactly vertical; to completely release the fixation, a rotation would be performed so that the spacer hooks 3 and 4 are horizontal.

[0020] The refrigeration circuit support plate 7 is supported downwards by the dampers 9, which are not shown here, and its vibrations are damped; above the refrigeration circuit support plate 7, the compressor support plate 11 with the compressor 12 is shown via the damping elements 10.

[0021] Fig. 3 Figure 1 shows a simplified schematic representation of a refrigeration circuit housing 6 with the transport device according to the invention. The transport device consists of the fixing hook 1 with the spacer pins 3 and 4, as well as the receiving and guiding of the pivot axis 2 by a frame part 8. The dampers 9 of the refrigeration circuit support plate 7 are also shown; the side parts are not shown.

[0022] Fig. 4 Figure 1 shows a closed, gas- and watertight refrigeration circuit housing 6 with side walls 13. The side wall 13 on the right shows the polygonal profile 5 of the fixing hook 1 and the water connections for the heat transfer fluids. Reference symbol list

[0023] 1 Fixing hook 2 Swivel axis 3 Spacer pin 4 Spacer pin 5 Polygonal profile 6 Refrigeration circuit housing 7 Refrigeration circuit support plate 8 Frame part 9 Damper 10 Damping elements 11 Compressor support plate 12 Compressor 13 Side panel

Claims

1. Transport device for transporting a heat pump filled with flammable refrigerant in a gas- and watertight refrigeration circuit housing (6), wherein: - the refrigeration circuit housing (6) has a frame made of frame parts (8), - the side walls (13), the top and the bottom of the refrigeration circuit housing (6) are attached to the frame parts (8), - a refrigeration circuit support plate (7) is connected to the frame above the bottom of the refrigeration circuit housing (6), - a compressor with damping elements (10) is attached to a compressor support plate (11) on the refrigeration circuit support plate (7), - the remaining elements of the refrigeration circuit are attached to the refrigeration circuit support plate (7) or to the frame, - dampers (9) are provided below the frame and refrigeration circuit support plate (7) towards the underside. characterized by the fact that- a fixing hook (1) rotatable about a pivot axis (2) is attached to the refrigeration circuit support plate (7), - the pivot axis (2) of the fixing hook (1) is aligned parallel to the refrigeration circuit support plate (7) and perpendicular to one of the side walls (13) and is guided flush through a sealed opening through this side wall (13), - the fixing hook (1) is equipped with spacer pins (3, 4) on two opposite sides located perpendicular to the pivot axis (2), - the spacer pins (3, 4) on one of the opposite sides extend from the pivot axis (2) of the fixing hook (1) to at least the compressor support plate (11) of the compressor (12), - the spacer pins (3, 4) on the other of the opposite sides extend from the pivot axis (2) of the fixing hook (1) to at least the bottom, - the pivot axis (2) of the fixing hook (1) is outside the side wall (13) has a polygonal profile (5) on which it can be rotated.

2. Transport device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that The transport device is formed by several fixing hooks, which are identical in design and attached to several points on the refrigeration circuit support plate.

3. Transport device according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that Three fixing hooks are used to fix the cold circuit support plate at three points so that the system is statically determinate with respect to vertical vibrations.

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