Heat Exchanger Room Temperature Control Without Room Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating and cooling systems face limitations in room temperature regulation due to reliance on correct sensor placement, which restricts design freedom and leads to energy inefficiencies from storage effects in heat exchangers, causing temperature drift and uneven energy distribution across rooms.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that regulate room temperature by measuring and adjusting the mass flow of a heat-carrying fluid through heat exchangers, using flow and return temperature sensors, and a control unit to calculate the current room temperature, incorporating a time-dependent correction term for thermal storage, allowing for flexible and stable temperature control without direct room temperature measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a room temperature sensor is installed in each room to directly measure and regulate temperature, then temperature regulation accuracy is improved, but design freedom is restricted and energy inefficiencies occur due to storage effects in heat exchangers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary calculation method that uses flow temperature, return temperature, and mass flow measurements instead of direct room temperature sensing. The control unit calculates the current room temperature based on thermal exchange principles, acting as a mediator between the heat exchanger and the control system, thereby eliminating the need for physical temperature sensors in rooms while maintaining regulation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical temperature sensor system with a computational approach. Instead of using physical sensors to detect room temperature, the system uses mathematical calculations based on fluid thermal properties and heat transfer principles to determine room temperature, substituting a mechanical measurement system with an information-processing system.
2Reliability
If room temperature sensors are used for regulation, then temperature control is achieved, but storage effects in heat exchangers cause temperature drift and energy inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the control unit continuously monitors flow temperature, return temperature, and mass flow, then calculates the current room temperature and uses this information to adjust the heat exchanger operation. This closed-loop feedback system compensates for thermal storage effects by dynamically adjusting control based on actual thermal exchange conditions, preventing temperature drift and optimizing energy usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by using the calculated current room temperature (based on thermal exchange principles) to anticipate and prevent temperature deviations before they occur. The system proactively adjusts heat exchanger operation based on predicted thermal behavior, accounting for storage effects in advance rather than reacting to temperature drift after it occurs.
3Ease of operation
If conventional regulation methods are used with thermostats, then basic temperature control is achieved, but temperature drift occurs due to thermal storage effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the temperature calculation adaptive to changing operating conditions. The control unit continuously updates the current room temperature calculation based on real-time measurements of flow temperature, return temperature, and mass flow. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to varying thermal loads and storage effects, maintaining temperature stability under changing conditions rather than relying on fixed thermostat setpoints.
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 enables precise individual room temperature regulation, reduces energy inefficiencies, and optimizes energy use by accounting for thermal storage and dynamic changes in load, ensuring consistent temperature without the need for direct room temperature sensors and improving design flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger (16) in the form of a pipe coil is laid in the floor, in the wall or in the ceiling
Implementation Method 2
A pump (19) pumps a heat-carrying liquid (fluid) into a group of manifolds
Implementation Method 3
a temperature assigned to the determined values of the mass flow, the flow temperature and the return temperature is output as the current room temperature
Implementation Method 4
the storage effects of the heat exchanger, in particular when using room thermostats, lead to deviations between demand and supply which lead to a temperature drift
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides methods and systems for regulating the room temperature in a room or in a plurality of rooms, the room temperature can be regulated by regulating the mass flow of a heat-carrying fluid flowing through a heat exchanger according to a determined current room temperature. In accordance with some embodiments, a temperature sensor in the room can be dispensed that can determine the current room temperature, in each case the mass flow of the heat carrying fluid through the heat exchanger and the flow temperature prevailing at the input to the heat exchanger and the return temperature prevailing at the output of the heat exchanger are measured, and that a temperature assigned to the determined values of the mass flow, the flow temperature and the return temperature is output as the current room temperature and used for regulation.