Drinking water cooling system for cooling, storing and filtering drinking water
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drinking water cooling systems face challenges in reducing energy consumption and design complexity while ensuring efficient cooling and filtration, particularly due to heat buildup from waste heat generation and prolonged cooling times caused by ambient temperature increases.
Innovation Solution
A drinking water cooling system where the cooling unit is integrated with the filter unit, utilizing a filter cooling unit design that aligns the filter and storage axes for efficient cooling, with a cold bridge element for enhanced heat transfer and thermal insulation to minimize heat losses, allowing for pre-cooling of water before storage and subsequent efficient cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a separate cooling unit is used to cool the filter unit, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and design effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function with the filter unit by integrating a cooling coil directly into the filter housing. This allows the filter unit to be cooled without requiring a separate cooling system, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining effective cooling of the filter water
Solution Approach 2:
The filter unit is designed to serve multiple functions: filtration and cooling. By incorporating the cooling coil within the filter housing, the filter unit becomes a multi-functional component that performs both water filtration and temperature control, eliminating the need for dedicated separate cooling equipment
2Loss of time
If the cooling unit cools only the storage tank, then cooling system simplicity is maintained, but cooling time increases due to ambient temperature warming of filter water
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling coil is positioned to cool the filter water before it enters the storage tank. This preliminary cooling action prevents the filter water from warming to ambient temperature, thereby reducing the total cooling time and energy required when chilled water is subsequently drawn from the storage tank
3Device complexity
If ventilation/cooling is insufficient, then device simplicity is maintained, but waste heat causes components and media to heat up
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat dissipation function from a separate ventilation system by utilizing the filter unit's housing as a heat exchanger. The cooling coil within the filter housing allows waste heat to be dissipated through the filter unit structure itself, eliminating the need for additional ventilation components while maintaining effective temperature control
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
This configuration reduces energy consumption and design complexity by pre-cooling the water to a temperature below ambient, significantly shortening cooling times and improving overall system efficiency and user comfort.
Implementation Method 1
the cooling unit is designed as a filter cooling unit for at least partially cooling the filter unit and/or the filter water
Implementation Method 2
with a cold bridge element for enhanced heat transfer
Implementation Method 3
with thermal insulation to minimize heat losses
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A drinking water cooling system for cooling, storing, and filtering drinking water is proposed, wherein at least one drinking water storage tank (2) for storing the drinking water and at least one cooling unit (8) for cooling the drinking water stored in the drinking water storage tank (2) as well as at least one filter unit (3) comprising at least one filter water for filtering and/or purifying the drinking water to be cooled and stored are provided, wherein the drinking water storage tank (2) comprises at least one inlet opening (4) for filling and/or allowing the drinking water to be cooled and stored to flow in and an outlet opening (9) for emptying and/or allowing the cooled and stored drinking water to flow out, wherein the design and economic effort and/or energy consumption are reduced as much as possible compared to the state of the art and/or user comfort is improved.According to the invention, this is achieved by designing the cooling unit (8) as a filter cooling unit (8) for at least partially cooling the filter unit (3) and/or the filter water.