warm water device

Abstract

To provide a water heater which can properly solve such a malfunction that condensed water produced resulting from the lowering of a temperature of an exhaust gas falls down on a heat exchange part.SOLUTION: A water heater WH connected with an exhaust duct 6 at an upper face side, and having an exhaust emission aggregation cylinder part 3 having an upper wall part 30 located at an upper side of a heat exchange part 2 comprises a heat insulation material 4 which overlaps on a lower face side of the upper wall part 30, and a heat insulation material attachment member 5 having a main plate part 50a. A second opening part 52 whose diameter is smaller than that of a first opening part 31 of the main plate part 50a is disposed at a lower part of the first opening part, and a peripheral part thereof is set as a condensed water receiving part 55 for introducing the condensed water in the exhaust duct 6 into an arrangement region of the heat insulation material 4 after receiving the condensed water when the condensed water flows downward of the first opening part 31. The heat insulation material 4 can absorb and hold the condensed water which is introduced to the heat insulation material 4 from the condensed water receiving part 55.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hot water device such as a water supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Examples of the hot water device include those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. The hot water devices described in these documents include a heat exchange unit that recovers heat from combustion gas generated by a burner, and an exhaust gas collecting cylinder unit (the upper part of the case surrounding the heat exchange unit etc.) located above the heat exchange unit and having an exhaust duct connected to the upper surface side. An opening for passing exhaust gas is provided in the upper wall portion of the exhaust gas collecting cylinder unit, and the combustion gas that has passed upward through the heat exchange unit and completed heat recovery is led into the exhaust duct as exhaust gas through the opening.

[0003] In a hot water device having such a configuration, the temperature of the exhaust gas may drop while it is traveling in the exhaust duct, and water vapor contained in the exhaust gas may condense to generate condensed water. Such a phenomenon becomes more prominent when the hot water device is installed outdoors and used in winter, and the amount of condensed water generated increases. On the other hand, if the condensed water flows down from the exhaust gas collecting cylinder unit onto the heat exchange unit or the burner, there is a risk of corrosion and failure at those locations.

[0004] Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the opening for passing exhaust gas provided in the upper wall portion of the exhaust gas collecting cylinder unit is formed in a burring hole shape to prevent condensed water from flowing down from this opening to the heat exchange unit. However, according to such a configuration, condensed water accumulates on the upper wall portion of the exhaust gas collecting cylinder unit, and as a means to eliminate this, a hole for discharging condensed water is provided at the lower part of the exhaust duct, and a pipe is connected to this hole. On the other hand, in Patent Document 3, a bottomed ring-shaped receiving member for receiving condensed water is provided inside the cylindrical portion provided in the upper wall portion of the exhaust gas collecting cylinder unit for connecting the exhaust duct. Further, a pipe is provided in this receiving member for guiding the condensed water received by this receiving member to the outside of the exhaust duct and discharging it.

[0005] However, the aforementioned prior art (the means described in Patent Documents 2 and 3) still has room for improvement, as described below.

[0006] Firstly, since condensed water generated inside the exhaust duct is discharged to the outside of the exhaust duct, if this discharged condensed water were to flow in a way that it comes into contact with the outer surface of the hot water unit, this part could become prone to corrosion. Also, if condensed water comes into contact with electrical components, it can cause malfunctions. Therefore, care must be taken to prevent the hot water unit from being damaged by condensed water discharged to the outside of the exhaust duct, which can make condensed water treatment difficult and may result in a complex configuration. Secondly, when a hot water system is used in winter, not only the exhaust duct but also the exhaust manifold section cools down due to the action of the outside air. As a result, water vapor in the exhaust gas may condense inside the exhaust manifold section, generating condensed water. Such condensed water may flow down onto the heat exchange section or burner. In contrast, it is difficult to eliminate this problem with the conventional technology described above. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-208344 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3007805 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-77965 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] This invention was conceived under the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a hot water system that can appropriately resolve problems such as condensed water generated due to a drop in exhaust gas temperature flowing onto the heat exchange section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical measures.

[0010] The hot water device provided by the present invention comprises a heat exchange section for recovering heat from a heating gas, and an exhaust manifold section having an upper wall section located above the heat exchange section and to which an exhaust duct is connected on the upper side, and the upper wall section having a first opening for guiding the heating gas that has passed through the heat exchange section into the exhaust duct as exhaust gas, wherein the exhaust manifold section comprises an insulating material superimposed on at least the lower side of the upper wall section, and the insulating material interposed in the upper wall section so as to securely hold the insulating material. The mounting member for the heat insulating material further comprises a main plate portion facing the main plate portion, wherein a second opening smaller in diameter than the first opening is provided below the first opening in the main plate portion, and the periphery of this second opening is a condensate receiving portion capable of receiving condensate water generated in the exhaust duct when it flows below the first opening and guiding it to the area where the heat insulating material is placed, and the heat insulating material is characterized in that it is capable of absorbing and retaining the condensate water guided to the heat insulating material from the condensate receiving portion.

[0011] This configuration yields the following effects: Firstly, condensed water is generated in the exhaust duct, and when this condensed water flows downward from the first opening for exhaust gas passage, it is received by a condensed water receiving section provided on the mounting member for the insulation material, and then guided to the area where the insulation material is placed, where it is absorbed and retained by the insulation material. This prevents the condensed water from flowing down to a position below the insulation material, or if it does flow down, it can be limited to a very small amount. Therefore, phenomena such as a large amount of condensed water flowing onto the heat exchange section can be prevented, and the heat exchange section can be properly protected. Furthermore, the condensed water absorbed and retained by the insulation material can be evaporated afterward, and since the evaporation of condensed water is particularly promoted when the insulation material receives heat from the exhaust gas, it is possible to appropriately avoid the insulation material immediately reaching a saturated state of water absorption and retention. Secondly, as mentioned above, unlike Patent Documents 2 and 3, the present invention does not employ a method of discharging condensed water to the outside of the exhaust duct. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately resolve the difficulties in processing and specifications to prevent problems such as condensed water discharged to the outside of the exhaust duct coming into contact with the hot water equipment and causing corrosion in that area. Thirdly, since the main plate portion of the insulating material is overlapped on the underside of at least the upper wall portion of the exhaust manifold section to provide insulation to this portion, even if the exhaust manifold section cools down due to the action of the outside air, the generation of condensation water on the underside of the upper wall portion is prevented or suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as a large amount of condensation water being generated on the inner surface of the exhaust manifold section and flowing down in large quantities towards the heat exchange section. Fourth, the condensate receiving section, which plays the role of guiding condensate to the insulation material, is constructed using an insulating material mounting member, making its structure rational and preferable in terms of reducing the number of parts.

[0012] In the present invention, preferably, the second opening is a burring hole in which an upward-facing, upright burring portion is formed on the inner peripheral edge.

[0013] With this configuration, condensed water flows from the first opening for exhaust gas passage to the second opening. When flowing on the condensate receiving part which is the peripheral part, the burring part can appropriately prevent the condensed water from flowing down from the condensate receiving part into the second opening.

[0014] In the present invention, preferably, the exhaust collecting cylinder part has a peripheral side wall part whose upper end part is connected to the outer peripheral edge part of the upper wall part, and in addition to the lower surface side of the upper wall part, the heat insulating material has an additional area overlapped inside the peripheral side wall part, and it is possible to absorb and hold the condensed water also in this additional area.

[0015] According to such a configuration, since the heat insulating area of the exhaust collecting cylinder part using the heat insulating material can be increased, it is possible to reduce the amount of condensed water generated on the inner surface side of the exhaust collecting cylinder part. Also, as much as the volume of the entire heat insulating material increases, the amount of condensed water absorbed and held by the heat insulating material can be increased. This is more preferable in appropriately preventing or suppressing the condensed water that could not be absorbed and held by the heat insulating material from flowing downward of the exhaust collecting cylinder part.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of the embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing an example of a hot water device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is an exploded perspective view of the main parts related to the exhaust collecting cylinder part of the hot water device shown in FIG. 1.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The hot water device WH shown in Fig. 1 is configured as a hot water supply device for general hot water supply and for bath (or heating) hot water supply, and includes a burner 1 (1a, 1b), a heat exchange section 2 (2a, 2b), an exhaust gas collecting cylinder section 3, a heat insulating material 4, a mounting member 5 for the heat insulating material, an exhaust duct 6, and an exterior case 7 surrounding all of these.

[0020] The burner 1 (1a, 1b) is, for example, a gas burner, is arranged in a burner case 10, and can be driven and burned by receiving the supply of fuel gas from a gas pipe section and the supply of combustion air from a fan 12. The heat exchange section 2 (2a, 2b) is a part that recovers heat from the combustion gas (heating gas) generated by the driving combustion of the burner 1 and traveling upward, and includes heat transfer pipes 20a, 20b into which the hot water to be heated is fed. These heat transfer pipes 20a, 20b are arranged in a heat exchange section case 21. The burner 1a and the heat exchange section 2a are for general hot water supply. The burner 1b and the heat exchange section 2b are for bath (or heating) hot water supply and are smaller in size than those for general hot water supply.

[0021] The exhaust gas collecting cylinder section 3 is configured as a lower opening-shaped case separate from the heat exchange section case 21, is mounted on the upper side of the heat exchange section case 21, and includes an upper wall section 30 and a peripheral side wall section 33 whose upper end is connected to the outer peripheral edge of this upper wall section 30 (see also Fig. 4). Specifically, the peripheral side wall section 33 includes a front wall section 33a, left and right side wall sections 33b, 33c, and a rear wall section 33d.

[0022] As well represented in Fig. 2, on the upper surface of the upper wall section 30 of the exhaust gas collecting cylinder section 3, a cylindrical section 32 to which the exhaust duct 6 is connected is provided to project upward, and in the region of the upper wall section 30 corresponding to the inner region of the cylindrical section 32, a first opening 31 for the passage of exhaust gas is provided. On the lower surface side of the upper wall section 30, an upper region 4a of the heat insulating material 4 and a main board section 50a of the mounting member 5 for the heat insulating material are arranged, but these do not block the first opening 31 so as to be open (Third opening)The configuration includes a 48 and a second opening 52 for exhaust gas passage. Combustion gas that has passed upward through the heat exchange section 2 and completed heat recovery enters the exhaust manifold section 3, then passes through the first opening 31 (and openings 48 and 52) into the exhaust duct 6, and is exhausted to the outside of the outer casing 7 using this exhaust duct 6.

[0023] The insulation material 4 is a material that has both thermal insulation properties and water absorption properties, and is a fibrous insulation material such as a long-fiber glass mat. This insulation material 4 is installed in an overlapping arrangement on the inner surface of the exhaust manifold section 3. In Figure 4, the insulation material 4 is formed in a form that is separated into multiple mat-like (plate-like) regions 4a to 4c, but it is also possible to configure these multiple regions 4a to 4c as a continuous series.

[0024] In this embodiment, the heat insulating material 4 includes an upper region 4(4a) superimposed on the lower surface side of the upper wall portion 30 of the exhaust manifold 3, as well as regions 4(4b,4c) superimposed on the inner surfaces of the front wall portion 33a and the left side wall portion 33b. Regions 4b and 4c correspond to examples of additional regions as defined in this invention. Insulation material 4 is not provided on the inner surfaces of the right side wall 33c and the rear wall 33d for the following reasons. In other words, the right side wall 33c is relatively close to the burner 1a, which generates a large amount of heat during combustion, and therefore does not easily become colder than the upper wall 30 and left side wall 33b when the outside temperature is low. Also, as shown in Figure 3, the front wall (front panel) 70 of the outer case 7 is provided with ventilation holes 71, and outside air enters the front part of the outer case 7 through these ventilation holes 71. Therefore, when the outside temperature is low, the front wall 33a tends to become colder, whereas the rear wall 33d does not, and does not easily become colder. However, unlike this embodiment, the insulation material 4 may be provided to cover substantially the entire area of ​​the circumferential side walls 33 of the exhaust manifold 3 (front wall 33a, left and right side walls 33b, 33c, and rear wall 33d).

[0025] The mounting member 5 for the thermal insulation material is a member for mounting the thermal insulation material 4 in the manner described above, and is formed, for example, by press-forming a metal plate such as stainless steel. This mounting member 5 for the thermal insulation material has a main plate portion 50a, a front plate portion 50b, and a side plate portion 50c that correspond to multiple regions 4a to 4c of the thermal insulation material 4, and these sandwich the regions 4a to 4c of the thermal insulation material 4 between themselves and the exhaust manifold portion 3, thereby securing and holding them. The mounting member 5 for the thermal insulation material is appropriately provided with flange portions 51a to 51c for mounting and fixing, and these flange portions 51a to 51c are attached to the exhaust manifold portion 3 by welding or other means.

[0026] As previously described, the main plate portion 50a of the mounting member 5 for the thermal insulation material is provided with a second opening 52 for exhaust gas passage. This second opening 52 is located below the first opening 31 and has a smaller diameter than the first opening 31. The second opening 52 is a burring hole, and an upward-facing, upright burring portion 54 is formed on its inner peripheral edge. With this configuration, the area around the second opening 52 of the main plate portion 50a protrudes towards the center of the first opening 31 in a plan view. This creates a condensate receiving portion 55 that can receive condensate generated in the exhaust duct 6 when it flows below the first opening 31 and guide it to the area where the thermal insulation material 4 is placed. As previously described, the thermal insulation material 4 is absorbent and allows condensate to enter the area where the thermal insulation material 4 is placed from the condensate receiving portion 55, and can absorb and retain this condensate.

[0027] Next, the operation of the aforementioned hot water device WH will be explained.

[0028] The hot water supply operation of the hot water system WH is such that the burner 1 drives combustion, and heat is recovered from the combustion gases generated by the combustion using the heat exchange unit 2, thereby heating the water. As previously described, the combustion gases that pass upward through the heat exchange unit 2 are guided from the exhaust manifold 3 into the exhaust duct 6 and exhausted to the outside. Here, when the outside temperature is low, water vapor in the exhaust gas condenses in the exhaust duct 6, generating condensed water, which flows down from the first opening 31 (see Figure 2). However, this condensed water is received by the condensed water receiving section 55 of the exhaust manifold 3 and then guided to the area where the insulation material 4 is placed, where it is absorbed and retained by the insulation material 4.

[0029] Therefore, the condensed water can be prevented from flowing down to a position below the insulation material 4. Furthermore, even if the condensed water does flow down to a position below the insulation material 4, the amount can be kept to a very small level. Consequently, it is possible to prevent a large amount of condensed water from flowing onto the heat exchange section 2 and the burner 1, thereby preventing actual damage such as corrosion of these parts. The condensed water absorbed and held by the insulation material 4 will then evaporate, but when it is exposed to the heat of the exhaust gas, the temperature of the insulation material 4 rises, and the evaporation of the condensed water is promoted, so the water absorption and retention state of the insulation material 4 is not immediately saturated, which is also appropriately avoided. In this embodiment, the insulation material 4 has multiple regions 4a to 4c and the overall volume is relatively large, so it is possible to increase the amount of condensed water absorbed and held by this insulation material 4.

[0030] In the hot water system WH of this embodiment, a method is not employed to discharge and dispose of the condensed water generated inside the exhaust duct 6 to the outside of the exhaust duct 6. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as the condensed water discharged to the outside of the exhaust duct 6 coming into contact with the outer surface of the hot water system WH and causing corrosion in that area.

[0031] When the outside temperature is low, not only the exhaust duct 6 but also the exhaust manifold section 3 experiences a temperature drop. Therefore, there is a risk of condensation forming on the inner surface of the exhaust manifold section 3. However, since the inner surface of the exhaust manifold section 3 is provided with insulation material 4, such a risk can be appropriately prevented or suppressed, making it even more reliable to prevent condensation from flowing onto the heat exchange section 2 or burner 1. In this embodiment, insulation material 4 is provided not only on the upper wall section 30 of the exhaust manifold section 3, but also on the front wall section 33a and the left side wall section 33b, which are inherently prone to temperature drops, thus further enhancing the effect of preventing condensation. On the other hand, since insulation material 4 is not provided on the rear wall section 33d and the right side wall section 33c, there is an advantage in reducing the amount of insulation material 4 used and its cost.

[0032] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the condensate receiving section 55, which plays a role in guiding condensate to the area where the heat insulating material 4 is placed, is constructed using the heat insulating material mounting member 5, and therefore its configuration is rational.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The specific configuration of each part of the hot water device according to the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope intended by the present invention.

[0034] In the above-described embodiment, the exhaust manifold section 3 is configured as a separate case from the heat exchange section case 21, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The exhaust manifold section of the present invention can also be formed integrally with the heat exchange section case (it is also possible to configure the exhaust manifold section as a part of the upper part of the heat exchange section case).

[0035] The insulation material is not limited to fibrous insulation materials such as long-fiber glass mats; other materials can be used. Essentially, the insulation material just needs to be able to absorb and retain the condensed water that has advanced from the condensed water receiving section toward the insulation material. The insulation material only needs to be installed overlapping the lower surface of the upper wall of the exhaust manifold section, and does not need to be installed on the inner surface of other parts of the exhaust manifold section. Furthermore, the insulation material does not need to overlap the entire lower surface of the upper wall section. It is not necessary, and it is acceptable if there are some areas where the insulation material is not layered.

[0036] The specific shape of the mounting member for the insulation material can be appropriately changed depending on how the insulation material is to be installed. Furthermore, the second opening for exhaust gas passage provided in the mounting member for the insulation material is a burring hole in the above embodiment, but is not limited to this. In the present invention, instead of providing a burring portion on the periphery of the second opening for exhaust gas passage, or in addition to that, a means can be adopted to make the condensate receiving portion inclined such that the upper surface of the condensate receiving portion, which is the peripheral part of the second opening, becomes a conical surface in which the height decreases as it moves further away from the second opening.

[0037] The hot water system referred to in this invention can be any type of hot water system, including general hot water supply, bath hot water supply, and hot water heating systems, and can also be configured as a hot water system for snow melting, etc. The heating gas referred to in this invention is not limited to combustion gas, but can also be, for example, high-temperature exhaust gas discharged from a cogeneration system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] WH water heater 1 burner 2 Heat exchange section 3. Exhaust manifold section 30 Upper wall 31 First opening 33 Peripheral wall part 4. Insulation 4b, 4c Additional area (insulation material) 48. Opening (Third opening) 5. Mounting components for insulation materials 50a Main plate part 52 Second opening 54 Burring section 55 Condensed water receiving section 6. Exhaust duct

Claims

1. A heat exchange section for recovering heat from the heating gas, An exhaust manifold cylinder is provided, having an upper wall portion located above the heat exchange section and to which an exhaust duct is connected on the upper side, and which has a first opening in this upper wall portion for guiding the heating gas that has passed through the heat exchange section into the exhaust duct as exhaust gas, A hot water system equipped with, Of the exhaust manifold section, at least the thermal insulation material superimposed on the lower surface side of the upper wall section, To ensure the fixing and holding of this insulation material, an insulation material mounting member is provided, having a main plate portion facing the upper wall portion via the insulation material, It also has the following features: In the main plate portion, a second opening smaller in diameter than the first opening is provided below the first opening, and the area around this second opening is a condensate receiving section that can receive condensate generated in the exhaust duct when it flows below the first opening and guide it to the area where the heat insulating material is placed. The aforementioned insulation material is capable of absorbing and retaining the condensed water that is guided to the insulation material from the condensed water receiving section. The second opening is a burring hole in which an upward-facing, upright burring portion is formed on the inner peripheral edge. The inner diameter of the first opening is larger than the outer diameter of the burring portion, and the insulating material has a third opening whose inner diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the first opening, and a gap is provided between the inner circumferential surface of this third opening and the burring portion. A hot water device characterized in that the upper end of the burring portion is higher than the upper surface of the insulation material.

2. A hot water device according to claim 1, The exhaust manifold section has a circumferential side wall section whose upper end is connected to the outer peripheral edge of the upper wall section. The aforementioned insulation material includes an additional region superimposed on the inner side of the peripheral wall portion, in addition to the lower surface side of the upper wall portion, and is capable of absorbing and retaining the condensed water in this additional region as well, in a hot water device.

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