Drinking water circulation device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drinking water circulation systems for cold water consumption are not compact, easily connectable, user-friendly, or resistant to failures, and require complex installation and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A compact drinking water circulation device incorporating a heat exchanger, circulation pump, buffer tank, cooling medium pump, and temperature sensors, with a control device for efficient cooling medium management and ergonomic design, using a water/glycol mixture as a cooling medium to reduce complexity and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a drinking water circulation system is designed with separate components (heat exchanger, pump, buffer tank) distributed in a building, then the system can provide cooling to multiple consumers, but the system becomes complex to install and maintain, and occupies more space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heat exchanger, drinking water circulation pump, buffer tank, cooling medium pump, and control device into a single integrated circulation device. This merging of previously separate components into one compact unit simplifies installation and maintenance while maintaining the ability to serve multiple consumers through standardized supply and return connections
2Adaptability or versatility
If cooling medium supply and return lines are provided with external connections on the building side, then the system can be connected to cooling devices, but the installation becomes more complex and requires more space
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated design combines all cooling medium connections (supply and return) within a single circulation device unit. This eliminates the need for separate external connections and reduces installation complexity while maintaining full connectability to cooling devices through the unified interface
3Measurement precision
If temperature sensors and control devices are distributed throughout the system, then precise temperature control can be achieved, but the system becomes more prone to failures and harder to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the temperature sensor and control device within the single circulation device unit. This centralized control approach maintains precise temperature monitoring and control capability while simplifying operation and reducing failure points by consolidating control functions in one location with an ergonomic user interface
4Ease of manufacture
If the circulation device is designed as a compact unit, then installation and maintenance are simplified, but the cooling capacity may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested arrangement where the buffer tank serves as a support structure for mounting the heat exchanger, pumps, and control device. This space-efficient nesting maximizes the functional capacity within a compact footprint, maintaining high cooling capacity while achieving a compact, easy-to-install design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a compact, easy-to-install, and low-maintenance drinking water circulation system that ensures efficient cooling and reduced energy costs, with improved ergonomics and reduced risk of failure, allowing autonomous operation and efficient cooling medium treatment.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger for cooling the drinking water
Implementation Method 2
The cooling of the cooling medium normally takes place separately from the drinking water circulation device
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention intends to provide a drinking water circulation device (2) for cold water consumption, which is compactly accommodable in a building, universally and easily connectable to different cooling devices, easy to operate and, in addition, little failure-prone and easy to install. This drinking water circulation device (2) comprises a heat exchanger for cooling the drinking water, a return connection (24) for feeding drinking water returned from a circulation pipe into the drinking water circulation device (2), a supply connection (26) for discharging the cooled drinking water from the drinking water circulation device (2), a drinking water circulation pump (10) provided between the return connection (24) and the supply connection (26), a buffer tank (4) for a cooling medium (22), a cooling medium pump (22) provided in a cooling medium flow path between the buffer tank (4) and the heat exchanger (6), a control device (12) for controlling the cooling medium pump (8) and a supply temperature sensor (56), which is associated with the supply and is data-connected to the control device (12).