Continuous-flow heater with a fluid contact-side safety temperature limiting device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional continuous-flow heaters face delays in shutting down when maximum temperature is exceeded, leading to potential damage due to indirect temperature measurement and physical proximity of safety temperature limiters to heating elements, which can result in premature or delayed shutdowns.
Innovation Solution
A safety temperature limiter with a coupling element featuring a cavity on the fluid contact side for rapid heat transfer, reducing the distance and heat capacity, allowing for quick shutdown and precise temperature recording without additional electronic components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the safety temperature limiter is placed in direct proximity to the heating element for rapid temperature detection, then the shutdown response time is improved, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to overheating and premature shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coupling element as an intermediary component between the heating element and the safety temperature limiter. This coupling element includes a fluid contact side that contacts the liquid and a switching element side that contacts the switching element. The coupling element thermally couples these two sides, enabling the safety temperature limiter to detect liquid temperature accurately without being directly exposed to the heating element's extreme heat, thus resolving the contradiction between rapid response and measurement precision.
2Reliability
If the coupling element has large heat capacity for stable temperature measurement, then the measurement reliability is improved, but the shutdown response time deteriorates due to delayed temperature transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thermal parameters of the coupling element by selecting materials and designing a structure with specific thermal conductivity and reduced heat capacity. The coupling element is designed to have sufficient thermal conductivity for rapid temperature transfer while maintaining appropriate thermal mass for stable measurement. This parameter optimization enables the system to achieve both reliable temperature measurement and fast shutdown response.
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
Ensures reliable and rapid shutdown of the continuous-flow heater when maximum temperature is reached, preventing damage by quickly de-energizing the heating element and accurately measuring the liquid temperature.
Implementation Method 1
the coupling element (13) is set up for heat transfer from the liquid to the switching element (14)
Implementation Method 2
at least one electrically heated heating element designed to heat the liquid is arranged in the fluid-flow channel
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a flow heater (10) for heating a liquid, comprising a heating cartridge (11) with at least one channel, wherein the at least one channel is a fluid-permeable channel (11), wherein at least one electrically heated heating element configured for heating the liquid is arranged in the fluid-permeable channel (12), and at least one safety temperature limiter (12) configured to de-energize the at least one heating element by means of a temperature-controlled switching element (14) when a predetermined maximum temperature of the liquid is exceeded, wherein the safety temperature limiter (12) comprises a coupling element (13) configured for heat transfer from the liquid to the switching element (14) with a fluid contact side, wherein the coupling element (13) is arranged to come into contact with the liquid at least partially.wherein the coupling element (13) has at least one recess (16) forming a cavity on the fluid contact side.