Self-assembly hot water mat with parallel flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional self-assembly hot water mats with serial flow suffer from low energy efficiency, increased noise, and higher costs due to the need for numerous valves and connectors, as well as the inefficiency of hot water circulation.
Innovation Solution
A self-assembly hot water mat with parallel flow is designed, featuring a unit hot water mat configuration that includes a heating pipe, main pipes, return pipes, and bypass pipes to facilitate efficient hot water circulation without increasing the power of the hot water boiler.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If serial flow configuration is used in self-assembly hot water mats, then the system can be assembled with multiple panels, but the heating circulation time increases and energy efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The hot water mat system is divided into multiple independent unit hot water mats, each capable of self-assembly. Each unit contains its own heating pipes, main pipes, return pipes, and bypass pipes configured in parallel. This segmentation allows flexible assembly to cover different areas while maintaining efficient parallel hot water circulation in each unit, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and energy efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If serial flow configuration is used, then multiple hot water mats can be connected, but the circulation cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each unit hot water mat is designed as an independent segment with complete parallel flow circulation. Multiple units can be assembled together to expand coverage area, but each unit maintains its own fast circulation cycle. This segmentation eliminates the time penalty of serial flow while preserving expansion capability through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass pipes are pre-configured within each unit hot water mat to enable immediate parallel flow circulation as soon as the unit is assembled and hot water is supplied. This preliminary configuration of the parallel flow path ensures that the full circulation benefit is achieved without delay, reducing the circulation cycle time while allowing future expansion.
3Power
If serial flow configuration is used, then the system can operate with a standard boiler, but noise increases and energy efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the heating load across multiple independent unit hot water mats operating in parallel. Each unit processes a portion of the hot water flow, allowing the use of a standard-power boiler without requiring high-power equipment. The parallel configuration reduces flow velocity and turbulence in each unit, thereby reducing noise generation while maintaining effective heating coverage through modular expansion.
4Adaptability or versatility
If serial flow configuration is used, then the system can be assembled, but the number of valves and connectors increases, raising costs
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple unit hot water mats are designed to be assembled together with shared water supply and return connections. The main pipes and return pipes of adjacent units can be connected to form common circulation paths, reducing the total number of valves and connectors needed compared to completely independent serial configurations. This merging approach maintains modular assembly flexibility while simplifying the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
Each unit hot water mat is designed with universal connection interfaces that can connect to adjacent units in different configurations. The main pipes, return pipes, and bypass pipes are standardized across all units, allowing them to serve multiple functions: individual operation, paired operation, or expansion into larger assemblies. This universality reduces the variety of specialized components needed, lowering overall system complexity and cost.
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
The parallel flow design reduces the time of one heating circulation cycle, enhances energy efficiency, minimizes noise, and lowers costs by reducing the number of valves and connectors required.
Implementation Method 1
a heating pipe arranged in a predetermined pattern to heat a surface of the unit hot water mat by passing a hot water inflowed from a hot water boiler in the predetermined pattern
Implementation Method 2
The parallel flow design reduces the time of one heating circulation cycle
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a self-assembly hot water mat, which forms an M×N matrix (M and N are natural numbers of 1 or more) by assembling at least two unit hot water mats. The self-assembly hot water mat forms a parallel hot water flow including the N number of serial heating flow paths (each branch hot water flow path having the M number of heating pipes), in which the hot water introduced in the first direction through the hot water boiler is converted into the second direction, then is divided into the N number of branch flow paths to flow in the first direction according to a predetermined pattern, and then is collected in the second direction and returned to the hot water boiler.