Heat insulation material for hot water storage tank and hot water storage tank type water heater including the same

Abstract

To provide a heat insulation material for a hot water storage tank that enables reduction in size during transportation and can appropriately reduce distribution cost.SOLUTION: In a heat insulation material HI for a hot water storage tank, a heat insulation material body part 2 for surrounding a portion around a cylindrical barrel part 10 of a hot water storage tank 1 is divided into first and second division type heat insulation bodies 21, 22. Each of the first and second division type heat insulation bodies 21, 22 includes a pair of subdivision type heat insulation bodies 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b in which recessed parts 23A, 23B for insertion of part of the barrel part 10 of the hot water storage tank 1 are formed on inner surface parts. The subdivision type heat insulation bodies are formed or can be formed to have an overlapped state where the inner surface parts oppose to each other and can be set to surround the portion around the barrel part 10 by forming an open state where the overlapped state is cancelled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an insulating material for a hot water tank and a hot water tank type hot water supply device equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a specific example of an insulating material for a hot water tank in a hot water tank type hot water supply device. The insulation material for a hot water tank described in this document includes an insulation body made of, for example, EPS (Expanded Poly-Styrene) for surrounding the periphery of the cylindrical body of the hot water tank, and this insulation body is divided into first and second divided insulators that can sandwich the body of the hot water tank from both the left and right sides or both the front and back. With this configuration, it is possible to easily and appropriately construct a structure that surrounds the periphery of the body of the hot water tank by utilizing the first and second divided insulators.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques still have room for improvement, as described below.

[0004] That is, the first and second divided insulators constituting the insulation material for the hot water tank are relatively large in size compared to the body of the hot water tank. For this reason, when the insulation material for the hot water tank made of the first and second divided insulators is loaded onto a truck after being manufactured in a factory and transported to a construction company's storage warehouse or the installation site of the hot water heater, the loading efficiency is not very good. As a result, the logistics costs are high, and there is a demand for an appropriate solution to this problem. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6759033 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5928637 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention was devised under the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide an insulating material for a hot water storage tank that can be made compact for transportation, etc., and that can appropriately achieve reductions in logistics costs, and a hot water storage tank type hot water supply device equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0008] An insulating material for a hot water storage tank provided by a first aspect of the present invention comprises an insulating material main body for surrounding the cylindrical body of a hot water storage tank, and this insulating material main body is divided into first and second divided insulators capable of sandwiching the body from both sides, wherein each of the first and second divided insulators comprises a pair of subdivided insulators having a concave portion formed on their inner surface for fitting a part of the body of the hot water storage tank into, and these pair of subdivided insulators are formed or can be formed in a superimposed state with the inner surfaces facing each other, and by eliminating this superimposed state and setting it to an expanded state, the first and second divided insulators can be configured to surround the body.

[0009] According to this configuration, the following effects can be obtained. That is, when the insulating material for the hot water tank is transported or stored, each pair of the first and second divided insulating bodies is stacked with their inner surfaces facing each other. This makes it possible to prevent the insulating material from becoming too bulky as a whole. Therefore, the logistics cost of the insulating material for the hot water tank can be reduced compared to the conventional technology. On the other hand, when the insulating material for a hot water tank is used for insulating the hot water tank, the pair of divided insulating bodies can be unstacked and placed in an expanded state, which is convenient and does not cause any particular disadvantage to the usability or functionality of the insulating material for the hot water tank.

[0010] In the present invention, the pair of divided insulation bodies are preferably integrally molded from resin so as to be connected to each other via thin-walled portions that are thinner than each portion of the pair of divided insulation bodies.

[0011] According to this configuration, the pair of divided insulation bodies can be manufactured by molding them integrally with resin, which simplifies the manufacturing process and is advantageous in terms of reducing manufacturing costs. In addition, in order to use the pair of divided insulation bodies for insulating a hot water tank, it is only necessary to bend or cut the thin-walled portions in order to set them from a stacked state to an expanded state, which can be easily performed.

[0012] In the present invention, preferably, the pair of divided insulation bodies have a first convex portion and a first concave portion which fit together to position the pair of divided insulation bodies relative to each other when set in the expanded state.

[0013] With this configuration, when a pair of divided insulation bodies are set from a stacked state to an expanded state, the first convex portion and the first concave portion can be fitted into each other, thereby enabling the pair of divided insulation bodies to be positioned relative to each other and stabilized.

[0014] In the present invention, at least one of the pair of subdivided thermal insulators is preferably provided with a second recess for avoiding interference with a temperature sensor provided in the body of the hot water storage tank.

[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately prevent the divided insulation from unduly interfering with the temperature sensor of the hot water storage tank with a simple structure.

[0016] In the present invention, preferably, the other of the pair of subdivided insulations is provided with a second convex portion that can be fitted into the second recess when the pair of subdivided insulations are set in the expanded state, and the base end of this second convex portion is provided with a separation-facilitating means for separating this second convex portion from the other of the pair of subdivided insulations.

[0017] With this configuration, when the pair of divided insulation bodies are set to the expanded state, the second protrusion can be easily separated from the other of the pair of divided insulation bodies. This allows the second recess to be set to an open state in which it is not blocked by the second protrusion, and the second recess can be used to properly attach a temperature sensor to the hot water storage tank. Thereafter, the portion corresponding to the previously separated second protrusion can be fitted into the second recess to block the second recess, thereby improving the thermal insulation of this portion.

[0018] A hot water storage tank type hot water heater provided according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it includes the insulating material for the hot water storage tank provided according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0019] According to such a configuration, the same effects as those described for the insulating material for hot water storage tank provided according to the first aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

[0020] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a hot water storage tank type hot water supply device according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an insulating material for the hot water tank shown in FIG. [Diagram 3]2, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIb-IIIb of FIG. 2, and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIc-IIIc of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(a) is a perspective view showing two overlapping first divided thermal insulators of the thermal insulator for the hot water tank shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, and (b) is a partially enlarged view of (a). [Figure 7] FIG. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIa-VIIa in FIG. 6(a), and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the first segmented thermal insulator shown in (a) in an expanded state. [Figure 8] FIG. 8(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIIa-VIIIa in FIG. 6(a), and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the first segmented thermal insulator shown in (a) in an expanded state. [Figure 9] 13(a) and 13(b) are cross-sectional plan views of essential parts showing an example of an operation for separating the second convex portion of the first divided thermal insulator and closing the second concave portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0023] The hot water storage tank type hot water supply device WH shown in Fig. 1 is a hot water supply device that combines a hot water storage tank unit U and a heat pump 8. The basic overall configuration of this hot water storage tank type hot water supply device WH is similar to that of a conventionally known heat pump / hot water storage tank type hot water supply device, and therefore this point will be explained briefly.

[0024] The hot water tank 1 is made of, for example, metal, and has a cylindrical body 10, to which upper and lower bowl-shaped end plates 11a, 11b are connected. In addition to the hot water outlet pipe 5a and the water supply pipe 5b, the end plates 11a, 11b are also connected to the heat pump 8 via the piping sections 5c, 5d and the hot water pump P. When the hot water pump P is operated, the hot water in the hot water tank 1 is sent to the heat pump 8 via the piping section 5c and heated, and the heated hot water is returned to the hot water tank 1 via the piping section 5d. On the outer surface of the hot water tank 1, a plurality of temperature sensors 6 using thermistors or the like for detecting the temperature distribution of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 1 are attached.

[0025] The insulation material HI for a hot water tank (hereinafter appropriately abbreviated as "insulation material HI") is a member for keeping the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 1, and includes an insulation material main body 2 for surrounding the body 10 of the hot water tank 1. The insulation material main body 2 is made of a foamed resin such as EPS (Expanded Poly-Styrene) and has a fixed shape. Although not shown, it also includes insulation for covering the end panels 11a and 11b of the hot water tank 1.

[0026] 2 to 5, the insulation material main body 2 is divided into first and second divided insulation bodies 21, 22 capable of sandwiching the body 10 of the hot water tank 1 from both the left and right sides or the front and rear sides. Each of these first and second divided insulation bodies 21, 22 is columnar and extends in the vertical height direction, and the inner surface portion that faces and contacts or approaches the hot water tank 1 is recessed. However, the first segmented insulator 21 is further divided into a pair of subdivided insulators 21a, 21b each having a recessed portion 23A formed on its inner surface, and the second segmented insulator 22 is also further divided into a pair of subdivided insulators 22a, 22b each having a recessed portion 23B formed on its inner surface.

[0027] The first divided insulation 21 is initially molded from resin into the shape shown in Fig. 6. That is, when the first divided insulation 21 is molded from resin, the pair of divided insulation bodies 21a, 21b are in a two-layered state with their inner surfaces (concave portions 23A) facing each other. The ends of the pair of divided insulation bodies 21a, 21b are connected to each other via thin-walled portions 24, 25, and the entire body is molded from resin as a single body. The thin-walled portions 24, 25 are thinner than the respective portions of the pair of divided insulation bodies 21a, 21b.

[0028] The pair of divided heat insulators 21a, 21b can be changed in shape from a two-ply state to an expanded state. In this shape change, both of the thin-walled parts 24, 25 are divided, or the thin-walled part 24 is divided and the thin-walled part 25 is used as a hinge part, and the divided heat insulator 21b is rotated in the direction of the arrow Na in Fig. 5, Fig. 7(a), and Fig. 8(a). This allows the pair of divided heat insulators 21a, 21b to be set in an expanded state in which they are arranged side by side, as shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 7(b), and Fig. 8(b). The pair of recessed parts 23A are connected to each other, and half of the outer circumference of the body part 10 of the hot water storage tank 1 can be fitted into the pair of recessed parts 23A. As described above, the thin-walled portions 24 and 25 are portions that are separated when the pair of divided thermal insulators 21a and 21b are deployed (the thin-walled portion 25 can also be set in a bent state as a hinge portion). Therefore, it is preferable that the thin-walled portions 24 and 25 are formed as portions that can be easily set in such a state.

[0029] Of the pair of divided insulation bodies 21a, 21b, two side edges that are close to each other (side edges closer to the thin-walled portion 25) are provided with a plurality of first recesses 31 and protrusions 41, as well as second recesses 32 and protrusions 42. The combination of the first recess 31 and the protrusion 41 is a means for aligning the pair of divided heat insulators 21a, 21b when they are in the expanded state. The first protrusion 41 is, for example, a rectangular piece, and the first recess 31 is a rectangular recess with a shape and size corresponding to the first protrusion 41. When the pair of divided heat insulators 21a, 21b is changed from the overlapping state shown in Fig. 7(a) and Fig. 8(a) to the expanded state shown in Fig. 7(b) and Fig. 8(b), the first recess 31 and the protrusion 41 fit together, and the pair of divided heat insulators 21a, 21b are positioned relative to each other in the vertical height direction (see also Figs. 4 and 5). In this embodiment, the first recess 31 and the protrusion 41 are provided in a total of two places, but they may be provided in more than two places, or may be provided in only one place.

[0030] The combination of the second recess 32 and the protrusion 42 is for accommodating the temperature sensor 6. Similar to the first recess 31 and the protrusion 41, the second recess 32 and the protrusion 42 can fit into each other when the pair of divided thermal insulators 21a, 21b are in the deployed state, and are, for example, in the shape of a rectangular recess and a rectangular small piece, respectively. However, the second recesses 32 are disposed in a position corresponding to the multiple temperature sensors 6 of the hot water storage tank 1. Also, at the base end of the second protrusion 42, as shown by the imaginary line in Fig. 6(b), a slit 26 is provided extending in the vertical direction for separating the second protrusion 42 from the subdivided insulation body 21b. This slit 26 corresponds to an example of the "separation facilitating means" referred to in the present invention.

[0031] When the second protrusion 42 is separated from the other general parts of the divided heat insulator 21b at the location where the slit 26 is formed, a separated piece 42' (shown in a halftone dot pattern in the drawing) is formed. When the divided insulators 21a, 21b are deployed, the second recess 32 remains open. Therefore, when the first divided insulator 21 with the pair of divided insulators 21a, 21b deployed is placed facing the outer surface of the body 10 of the hot water tank 1, it is possible to attach the temperature sensor 6 to the outer surface of the body 10 of the hot water tank 1 through the second recess 32, as shown in Fig. 9(a), for example. After the installation of the temperature sensor 6 is completed, the second recess 32 can be closed by fitting a separation piece 42' into the second recess 32, as shown in Fig. 9(b). Preferably, the thickness ta of the second protrusion 42 (see FIG. 6(b)) is smaller than the thickness tb of the first protrusion 41. With this configuration, it becomes easier to separate the second protrusion 42 into the separation piece 42'. Also, the strength of the first protrusion 41 can be sufficiently increased.

[0032] The second divided heat insulator 22, like the first divided heat insulator 21, is originally formed in a two-ply state, but can be set in an expanded state. That is, the second divided heat insulator 22 is formed in a configuration in which a pair of divided heat insulators 22a, 22b are overlapped in two, and their inner surfaces (concave portions 23B) face each other, as shown by imaginary lines in FIG. 5. In this configuration, both ends of the pair of divided heat insulators 22a, 22b are connected to each other by thin portions 24', 25'. In addition, a first concave portion 31' and a convex portion 41' are also provided, and these are molded as a whole. The thin portions 24', 25', the first concave portion 31', and the convex portion 41' have the same configuration as the thin portions 24, 25, the first concave portion 31, and the convex portion 41 of the first divided heat insulator 21.

[0033] When the pair of divided insulation bodies 22 are stacked, both of the thin-walled portions 24', 25' are separated, or the thin-walled portion 24' is separated and the thin-walled portion 25' is used as a hinge portion, and then the divided insulation body 22b is rotated in the direction of arrow Nb in Fig. 5. This makes it possible to set the second divided insulation body 22 to an expanded state in which the pair of divided insulation bodies 22a, 22b are arranged side-by-side, as shown by the solid lines in Fig. 5 and in Figs. 1 to 4.

[0034] By setting both the first and second divided insulation bodies 21, 22 in an expanded state, it is possible for them to sandwich the body part 10 of the hot water storage tank 1 from both sides and surround the entire periphery of the body part 10. Preferably, a means for connecting the first and second divided insulation bodies 21, 22 to each other so that they do not separate is appropriately provided.

[0035] Next, the operation of the heat insulating material HI and the hot water tank type hot water supply device WH equipped with the same will be described.

[0036] First, at the stage where the heat insulating material HI is manufactured by resin molding, the first and second divided heat insulating bodies 21, 22 are in the above-mentioned predetermined double overlap state, with the pair of divided heat insulating bodies 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b overlapping each other. This makes it possible to prevent the heat insulating material HI from becoming bulky as a whole and to reduce the space it occupies. As a result, it is possible to reduce the logistics cost of storing the heat insulating material HI in a warehouse or loading it onto a truck or the like and transporting it to a desired location. In addition, since the pair of divided heat insulating bodies 21a, 21b are integrally connected to each other via the thin-walled parts 24, 25, and the pair of divided heat insulating bodies 22a, 22b are integrally connected to each other via the thin-walled parts 24', 25', it is possible to maintain the double overlap state even during transportation. It is possible to prevent the pair of divided heat insulating bodies 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b from being inadvertently deployed during transportation.

[0037] On the other hand, when the heat insulating material HI is actually used as a heat insulating material for the hot water storage tank 1, the first and second divided heat insulating bodies 21 and 22 are connected to each other as a pair of divided heat insulating bodies 21a and 21b, and the two The shape of the divided insulators 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b is changed from the overlapping state to the predetermined expanded state. As described above, this shape change can be easily performed by dividing the thin-walled portions 24, 24', and the workability is good. Moreover, when the pair of divided insulators 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b are expanded, the first recesses 31, 31' and the protrusions 41, 41' fit together, and the relative positions of these are determined. This also facilitates the work of setting the first and second divided insulators 21, 22 around the body 10 of the hot water storage tank 1.

[0038] 9, by separating the second protrusion 42 at the location where the slit 26 is formed and setting the second recess 32 in an open state, it is possible and convenient to attach the temperature sensor 6 to the hot water storage tank 1. After the temperature sensor 6 is attached, the second recess 32 can be blocked using the separation piece 42', thereby improving the thermal insulation of the attachment location of the temperature sensor 6.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The specific configurations of the insulating material for a hot water tank and the hot water supply device according to the present invention can be freely designed and modified in various ways within the intended scope of the present invention.

[0040] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the first and second divided insulators of the insulating material for the hot water storage tank are configured such that a pair of divided insulators are integrally connected to each other at the stage of resin molding, but the present invention is not limited to this. The pair of divided insulators may be molded in a form separated from each other. In addition, the pair of divided insulators do not necessarily have to be formed in a two-ply state at the time of initial manufacturing, and may be configured so as to be able to be formed in a two-ply state later. The first and second segmented insulators may be symmetric or asymmetric, as may the pair of sub-segmented insulators.

[0041] The easy-separation means provided at the base end of the second protrusion may be configured to have a weakened portion such as a thin portion or a cut portion instead of or in addition to the slit 26 described above. The specific shape, size, material, etc. of the insulating material for the hot water tank can be appropriately changed depending on the hot water tank, etc. The insulating material may further include a part other than the main body of the insulating material (the part surrounding the body of the hot water tank) having the configuration intended by the present invention. The hot water tank may be of any type, shape, size, or material as long as it can store hot water. The body of the hot water tank may be cylindrical, or may have another cylindrical shape such as a square tube. The hot water tank type water heater referred to in this invention is not limited to those that use a heat pump as a hot water heating means, but also includes, for example, those that use solar heat, or those that use exhaust heat from fuel cells or gas engines in a cogeneration system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] HI Insulation material for hot water tanks WH Storage tank type hot water supply device 1 For hot water tank 10 Body (of hot water tank) 2. Insulation body 21, 22 First and second split insulation bodies 21a, 21b A pair of subdivided insulators 22a, 22b A pair of subdivided insulators 23A,23B Concave part 24,24',25,25' Thin section 31,31' First recess 32 Second recess 41,41' First protrusion 42 Second protrusion 6 Temperature Sensor

Claims

1. A thermal insulation material for a hot water tank, comprising a thermal insulation material main body for surrounding a cylindrical body of the hot water tank, the thermal insulation material main body being divided into first and second divided thermal insulation bodies capable of sandwiching the body from both sides thereof, each of the first and second divided insulation bodies includes a pair of divided insulation bodies having a recess formed on an inner surface thereof into which a part of the body of the hot water storage tank is fitted; This insulating material for hot water storage tanks is characterized in that the pair of subdivided insulation bodies are formed or can be formed in a double-stacked state with the inner surfaces facing each other, and by eliminating this double-stacked state and setting it into an expanded state, the first and second divided insulation bodies can be set to surround the periphery of the body.

2. The insulating material for a hot water tank according to claim 1, An insulating material for a hot water storage tank, wherein the pair of subdivided insulation bodies are integrally molded from resin so as to be connected to each other via thin-walled portions that are thinner than each portion of the pair of subdivided insulation bodies.

3. The insulating material for a hot water tank according to claim 1, An insulating material for a hot water storage tank, wherein the pair of divided insulation bodies have a first convex portion and a first concave portion that fit together to position the pair of divided insulation bodies relative to each other when set in the expanded state.

4. The insulating material for a hot water tank according to claim 1, An insulating material for a hot water storage tank, wherein at least one of the pair of subdivided insulation bodies has a second recess for avoiding interference with a temperature sensor provided in the body of the hot water storage tank.

5. The heat insulating material for a hot water storage tank according to claim 4, the other of the pair of divided insulation bodies is provided with a second protrusion that can be fitted into the second recess when the pair of divided insulation bodies are set in the deployed state, The insulating material for a hot water storage tank, wherein a separation means is provided at a base end of the second protrusion for separating the second protrusion from the other of the pair of subdivided insulation bodies.

6. A hot water storage tank type hot water supply device comprising the insulating material for a hot water storage tank according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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