Drinking water circulating device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drinking water circulation systems are not compact, easy to install, or resistant to faults, and require complex assembly and continuous operation of cooling medium treatment, leading to high energy and maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A compact drinking water circulation device with a heat exchanger, circulation pump, buffer storage, and temperature sensors, using a water/glycol mixture as the cooling medium, which allows for autonomous operation and reduced energy consumption, featuring a compact design with all components accessible from above for easy maintenance and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a drinking water circulation system is designed with separate cooling medium treatment and circulation components, then the system can function properly, but the system becomes complex and difficult to install
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cooling medium treatment unit and the drinking water circulation unit into a single integrated housing. The cooling medium pump, heat exchanger, buffer storage tank, and drinking water circulation pump are all arranged within one compact device, eliminating the need for separate installations and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining all necessary functions.
2Temperature
If cooling medium treatment is operated continuously to ensure adequate cooling, then cooling performance is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device monitors the temperature of the drinking water and the cooling medium, and operates the cooling medium pump only when cooling is actually needed. This periodic operation based on temperature thresholds ensures adequate cooling performance while avoiding continuous operation and excessive energy consumption.
3Use of energy by moving object
If multiple temperature sensors and control devices are added to optimize cooling control, then energy efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the temperature sensors and control device directly into the circulation device housing. The control device receives temperature signals from sensors positioned in the drinking water supply line and cooling medium, and automatically controls the cooling medium pump operation. This integration achieves energy-efficient control without adding external complexity to the system.
4Ease of operation
If all technical components are arranged above the buffer tank for easy access, then maintenance becomes easier, but the device height increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent arranges the technical components in a compact three-dimensional layout above the buffer tank, utilizing horizontal space efficiently. The heat exchanger, pumps, and control device are positioned to be accessible from above and the sides, maintaining a limited device height while ensuring all components are easily reachable for maintenance and operation.
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 fault-resistant, energy-efficient, and cost-effective drinking water circulation system that is easy to install and maintain, with reduced energy costs and improved service life due to autonomous operation and efficient cooling medium usage.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger (6) is designed to cool the drinking water
Implementation Method 2
a water/glycol mixture as the cooling medium
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention aims to provide a drinking water circulation device (2) for a water system TWK that can be compactly housed in a building, can be easily connected universally to different cooling devices, is easy to operate and is also not very susceptible to malfunctions and easy to assemble, and proposes to this end.The drinking water circulation device (2) according to the invention has a heat exchanger for cooling the drinking water, a return connection (24) for introducing drinking water returned from a circulation line 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 storage tank (4) for a cooling medium (22), a cooling medium pump (22) provided in a cooling medium flow path between the buffer storage tank (4) and the heat exchanger (6), a control device (12) for controlling the cooling medium pump (8) and a supply temperature sensor (56) associated with the supply line, which is coupled to the control device (12) via data.