Heat Exchanger Cooling Cycle for Hot Water Scale Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hot water supply apparatuses face inefficiencies in quickly lowering the temperature of heat exchangers to prevent scale formation, leading to insufficient scale removal.
Innovation Solution
A hot water supply apparatus with a controller that performs a cooling operation after heating, using a heat source device to directly or indirectly cool the heat exchanger, and determines the need for cooling based on the amount of scale, operation time, temperature, and pressure in the water circuit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If low-temperature water is supplied to the heat exchanger during heating operation, then scale formation is prevented, but the heat exchanger temperature cannot be lowered quickly enough
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic anti-scale operations where the heat source device alternates between heating mode and cooling mode. During cooling mode, the heat exchanger is actively cooled to quickly lower its temperature, preventing scale formation. This periodic switching between heating and cooling cycles ensures the heat exchanger temperature is periodically reduced to prevent scale accumulation while maintaining normal heating functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuously supplying low-temperature water to the heat exchanger during heating operation (which would interfere with heating efficiency), the patent inverts the approach by using the heat source device to actively cool the heat exchanger during dedicated cooling periods. This inversion allows the heat exchanger temperature to be quickly reduced without compromising the heating operation, as cooling occurs during separate anti-scale cycles.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If continuous cooling operation is performed to remove scale, then scale removal effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic anti-scale operations rather than continuous cooling. The controller switches the heat source device between heating mode and cooling mode at predetermined intervals. During cooling mode, the heat exchanger is actively cooled to remove scale; during heating mode, normal heating operations resume. This periodic approach ensures scale is removed effectively while minimizing energy consumption by limiting cooling operations to necessary intervals rather than running continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller monitors the operation state and determines appropriate timing for anti-scale operations based on accumulated heating operation time and temperature conditions. This feedback mechanism allows the system to perform cooling operations only when scale formation is likely (after prolonged heating), rather than continuously. The controller adjusts the cooling cycle timing based on system state, optimizing the balance between scale removal effectiveness and energy consumption.
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 approach quickly lowers the temperature of the heat exchanger, effectively removing scale and maintaining heat transfer performance by determining the optimal timing for cooling operations.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger (25) having a first channel (25a) connected to the water circuit (50)... a first operation in which the heat source device (20) directly or indirectly heats the water in the first channel (25a) of the heat exchanger (25)
Implementation Method 2
a second operation in which the heat source device (20) directly or indirectly cools the water in the first channel (25a) of the heat exchanger (25) after the first operation ends
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A controller (80) performs a first operation in which a heat source device (20) directly or indirectly heats water in a first channel (25a) of a heat exchanger (25) and a second operation in which the heat source device (20) directly or indirectly cools the water in the first channel (25a) of the heat exchanger (25) after the first operation ends.