Combined Heat Pump Water Heater for Simultaneous Room and DHW Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing combined devices for heating sanitary water and room heating suffer from inefficient energy performance due to selective or alternating operation modes, leading to rapid heating phases that degrade energy efficiency and user comfort, especially during high demand periods like winter.
Innovation Solution
A combined device with separate domestic water heating and heating water heating circuits, where the suction and discharge orifices are strategically positioned within the storage tank to optimize heat exchange and allow simultaneous heating, utilizing a heat exchanger with concentric pipes to facilitate efficient heat transfer between the heat transfer fluid, domestic hot water, and sanitary water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If selective or alternating operation mode is used to heat sanitary water and heating water separately, then the device can regulate temperatures independently, but the energy performance degrades due to rapid heating phases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sanitary water heating circuit and heating water circuit into a single integrated heat exchange system. Both circuits share common heat exchangers (first heat exchanger for heating water, second heat exchanger for sanitary water) and a common heat transfer fluid circuit, allowing simultaneous heat extraction from the heat transfer fluid to both circuits without alternating operation, thereby maintaining energy efficiency while enabling independent temperature control.
2Ease of operation
If rapid heating phases are used to satisfy user comfort needs, then the sanitary water temperature is quickly restored, but the energy performance significantly drops
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous and simultaneous heating of both sanitary water and heating water through a shared heat transfer fluid circuit. The heat pump continuously extracts heat from the heat transfer fluid and distributes it to both circuits simultaneously, eliminating the need for rapid intermittent heating phases. This continuous operation maintains stable energy performance while ensuring both user comfort and heating water availability.
3Device complexity
If a single heat pump is used for both heating water and sanitary water, then the device complexity is reduced, but the simultaneous heating capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the heat exchange function into separate heat exchangers for different purposes: a first heat exchanger dedicated to heating water circuit and a second heat exchanger (coil inside storage tank) dedicated to sanitary water circuit. These segmented heat exchangers are served by a common heat transfer fluid circuit, allowing the single heat pump to simultaneously and independently heat both circuits without functional interference.
4Volume of moving object
If the heating water circuit and sanitary water circuit share common components, then the device is more compact, but the operational flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by giving each circuit its dedicated heat exchanger components (first heat exchanger for heating water, second heat exchanger coil for sanitary water) while sharing the common heat transfer fluid circuit. This localized differentiation allows each circuit to be optimized for its specific function while the shared heat pump system maintains compactness. The independent heat exchangers provide operational flexibility for simultaneous independent 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 enhances energy performance by over 30% compared to traditional devices, allowing for continuous room heating while providing hot water on demand without degrading the heat exchange performance, and enables the device to be more compact and lightweight, facilitating wall-mounted installation.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat exchanger (22) capable of exchanging heat between a heat transfer fluid circuit (24) and the heating water circuit (18)
Implementation Method 2
a second heat exchanger (28) arranged inside the storage tank (14) to exchange heat with the sanitary water present in the storage tank (14)
Implementation Method 3
The outdoor unit (25), the heat transfer fluid circuit (24) and the first heat exchanger (22) form a heat pump capable of regulating the temperature of the heating water present in the heating water circuit (18)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
Figure 7~9
AI summary
The invention provides a combined device (50) for heating domestic hot water and heating water for a room, said combined device (50) comprising: - a domestic hot water circuit (54), - a heating water circuit (56), - one or more heat exchangers (58) of a heat pump in which a heat transfer fluid of the heat pump is able to circulate, the heat exchanger(s) (58) being configured to carry out a heat exchange: • between the heat transfer fluid and a fluid present in a domestic hot water heating circuit (80), and • between the heat transfer fluid and heating water present in a heating water circuit, in which the domestic hot water heating circuits (80) and the heating water heating circuits are separate.