Hot water supply device
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Solution Overview
Problem
In hot water supply devices with instant hot water functions, the continuous long-term stoppage of circulation pumps, especially in areas with hard water, leads to scale adhesion issues around the pump bearings, which can cause operational failures, and existing cleaning methods are inefficient and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A hot water supply device with a controller that forms an instant hot water circulation path and operates the circulation pump periodically when certain conditions are met, such as prolonged inactivity and stoppage of the hot water supply, to prevent scale adhesion without requiring a cleaning agent or extensive operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the circulation pump is operated continuously to prevent scale adhesion, then the reliability of the pump is improved, but the energy consumption increases and the instant hot water function cannot be realized
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation pump operates periodically rather than continuously. Specifically, the pump runs for a predetermined period (e.g., 5 minutes) at fixed time intervals (e.g., every 24 hours) when the hot water supply is stopped, preventing scale adhesion while minimizing energy consumption. This periodic operation resolves the contradiction by providing just enough circulation to prevent scale without the continuous energy cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The circulation pump performs preliminary scale prevention operations before scale adhesion becomes a problem. By operating at fixed intervals regardless of actual scale conditions, the system proactively prevents scale buildup rather than reacting to it, ensuring pump reliability while limiting operation time to predetermined intervals.
2Productivity
If the circulation pump is stopped for a long time to enable instant hot water function, then the productivity is improved, but scale adhesion occurs around the pump bearing
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic circulation pump operation at fixed time intervals (e.g., every 24 hours) to prevent scale adhesion during long stoppages. This allows the pump to remain stopped most of the time for instant hot water capability, while periodically activating to prevent scale buildup on bearings, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The circulation pump performs brief continuous operations at fixed intervals to maintain scale prevention. These periodic continuous actions ensure that even during long stoppages, the pump bearing remains protected from scale adhesion, maintaining reliability while enabling instant hot water function during the majority of time.
3Reliability
If a cleaning operation is performed after a lapse of certain time to prevent scale adhesion, then the reliability is improved, but the loss of time increases and cleaning agents are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the essential function of scale prevention from the complex cleaning operation. Instead of performing full cleaning cycles with agents and extended time, the circulation pump simply circulates water through the system at fixed intervals, removing the time-consuming and chemically-intensive cleaning steps while maintaining scale prevention effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The circulation pump performs self-maintenance by circulating water through the system at predetermined intervals, preventing scale adhesion on its own bearing without requiring external cleaning agents or manual intervention. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate cleaning operations, reducing both time loss and chemical usage.
4Reliability
If the circulation pump is operated at high frequency to prevent scale adhesion, then the reliability is improved, but the productivity of hot water supply operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation pump operates at low frequency with predetermined intervals (e.g., every 24 hours) rather than high frequency. This periodic operation provides sufficient scale prevention while minimizing interference with hot water supply operations, resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity by using the minimum necessary operation frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses partial action by operating the circulation pump for limited predetermined periods (e.g., 5 minutes) at fixed intervals, which is sufficient to prevent scale adhesion without excessive operation. This partial operation maintains pump reliability while having minimal impact on hot water supply productivity.
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 solution efficiently and appropriately prevents scale adhesion in the circulation pump, ensuring continuous operation and reducing the risk of pump failure, while allowing for seamless switching between scale protection and hot water supply operations.
Implementation Method 1
an instant hot water circulation path through which water flows through the heating mechanism
Implementation Method 2
a heating mechanism; an instant hot water circulation path through which water flows through the heating mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
A scale adhesion prevention operation of a circulation pump operated in an instant hot water operation is efficiently and appropriately performed. An instant hot water circulation path is formed to bypass a hot water tap outside a hot water supply device and to pass through a heat exchanger inside the hot water supply device by operating a circulation pump when the hot water tap is closed. A controller performs a protection operation which operates the circulation pump when a first condition in which stop of the circulation pump is continued for a first time is satisfied and a second condition related to stop of a hot water supply operation is further satisfied.