Hot Water Cleaner Flow Control for Stable Outlet Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hot water cleaners experience unstable and inaccurate temperature adjustments of the cleaning liquid, leading to ineffective cleaning or potential damage to surfaces due to continuous boiler ON/OFF cycles, which limits their versatility and effectiveness in various cleaning applications.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic circuit with a pump unit, boiler, delivery device, and control unit that uses temperature sensors to adjust the flow rate of the cleaning liquid into the boiler, ensuring the desired outlet temperature is maintained without continuous boiler cycling, allowing for precise temperature control and stable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the boiler is continuously turned on and off to adjust temperature, then the temperature control range is increased, but the temperature stability and accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The boiler operates continuously without interruption, maintaining constant heating action. The temperature adjustment is achieved not by interrupting the heating process through on/off cycling, but by continuously modifying the water flow rate through the heat exchanger, ensuring uninterrupted thermal processing and stable temperature output
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the boiler's operational state (on/off), the system changes the flow rate parameter of the water passing through the heat exchanger. By varying the flow rate, the heat transfer efficiency is modified, thereby adjusting the outlet temperature while the boiler remains in continuous operation, achieving both adaptability and stability
2Adaptability or versatility
If the boiler is continuously turned on and off to adjust temperature, then the temperature can be adjusted to different values, but the cleaning effectiveness deteriorates due to temperature fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous operation of the boiler ensures uninterrupted heating, eliminating temperature drops and fluctuations that would occur during on/off cycling. This continuous thermal action maintains consistent cleaning effectiveness while still allowing temperature adjustment through flow rate variation
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a temperature sensor that continuously monitors the outlet temperature and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit adjusts the flow rate to maintain the desired temperature, ensuring both temperature adjustability and cleaning effectiveness through closed-loop control
3Productivity
If the water flow rate into the boiler is increased, then the productivity is improved, but the temperature control accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor continuously monitors the outlet temperature and provides real-time feedback to the control unit. This feedback mechanism enables precise temperature control even at higher flow rates, as the control unit can dynamically adjust the flow rate to compensate for any temperature deviations, maintaining both productivity and accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the water flow rate based on real-time temperature conditions rather than operating at a fixed flow rate. This dynamic control allows the system to optimize the balance between productivity (flow rate) and temperature control accuracy, adapting the flow rate to maintain precise temperature control while maximizing 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 provides highly accurate and stable temperature adjustments, ensuring the cleaning liquid is delivered at the intended temperature for specific cleaning programs, enhancing the effectiveness and versatility of the water cleaner for various cleaning tasks, including disinfection and sanitization in different environments.
Implementation Method 1
a boiler arranged to provide a predetermined thermal power to at least a part of said predetermined flow rate of said cleaning liquid in order to cause the same to be heated from an inlet temperature Ti up to a predetermined outlet temperature Tu
Implementation Method 2
a pump unit arranged to feed a predetermined flow rate of a cleaning liquid into a main branch of said hydraulic circuit
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Water cleaner (1) comprising a hydraulic circuit (100) equipped with a pump unit (10) arranged to feed a predetermined flow rate of a cleaning liquid into a main branch (101) of the hydraulic circuit (100). A boiler is, furthermore, foreseen (20) to provide a predetermined thermal power to the cleaning liquid, in such a way to cause the same to be heated from an inlet temperature (Ti) up to a predetermined outlet temperature (Tu*). The water cleaner (1) is, furthermore, provided with a delivery device (80) to deliver the cleaning liquid. An adjustment device (30) to adjust the cleaning liquid flow rate fed into the boiler (20), a first temperature sensor (41) to detect the temperature of the cleaning liquid upstream of the boiler (20) and to generate a corresponding inlet temperature signal (Ti), and a second temperature sensor (42) to detect the temperature of the cleaning liquid downstream of of the boiler (20) and to generate a corresponding outlet temperature signal (Tu) are, furthermore, provided. A control unit (300) is, furthermore, provided to operate the adjustment device (30) in order to increase, or decrease, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid fed into the boiler (20) according as the outlet temperature signal (Tu) is, respectively, less, or higher, than the predetermined outlet temperature value (Tu*).