Hydraulic Manifold Partition Layout to Prevent Primary Flow Short-Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe distributors for heating or cooling systems often lead to undesirable circulatory flows in the primary circuit, resulting in inefficient heat transfer to secondary circuits, as the flow and return connections are close, causing high return temperatures detrimental to system performance.
Innovation Solution
The pipe distributor design features a flow connection of the primary circuit forming an annular passage through a partition wall, guiding the flow into the flow chamber, and a return connection opening directly into the switch chamber, preventing direct short-circuit flows and ensuring compensating flows occur within the primary circuit, while maintaining a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the flow connection and return connection of the primary circuit are positioned close together in the decoupling space, then the structural compactness is improved, but the heat transfer efficiency deteriorates due to high return temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The decoupling space is divided into two distinct chambers by a partition wall: a first chamber receiving warm heat transport fluid from the flow connection, and a second chamber receiving cooler heat transport fluid from the return connection. This segmentation prevents direct mixing and short-circuiting, ensuring that warm and cool fluids follow separate paths that improve heat transfer efficiency while maintaining compact positioning of connections.
2Temperature
If a large switch chamber is used to ensure good mixing of warmer and colder heat transport fluid, then the temperature homogeneity is improved, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The switch chamber is segmented by a partition wall into two separate chambers, allowing independent flow paths for warm and cool heat transport fluid. This segmentation achieves temperature homogeneity through controlled mixing at specific outlets without requiring a large single-chamber volume, thus reducing overall device complexity and size.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall creates a vertical or horizontal separation within the switch chamber, utilizing dimensional space efficiently. By arranging chambers in different spatial dimensions rather than requiring a large single volume, the design achieves effective mixing and temperature homogeneity with a more compact overall structure.
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 design ensures that heat output from boilers is fully delivered to secondary circuits, achieving efficient heating or cooling with homogeneous temperature mixing, reducing energy losses and allowing for a more compact and efficient system.
Implementation Method 1
a hydraulic switch for the hydraulic decoupling of the primary circuit, which is connected to a flow connection and a return flow connection of the pipe distributor, from the secondary circuits
Implementation Method 2
the heat generated is not transferred to the desired extent to the secondary circuits, ie heating circuits
Implementation Method 3
in order to achieve good mixing of warmer and colder heat transport fluid through the switch chamber in the event of a compensating flow and thus to ensure a homogeneous temperature of the heat transport fluid
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A forward-flow connection (30) for the primary circuit is fed from outside through a switching chamber (3) in the form of a pipe socket (32), and through an opening (18) in a separating wall (16) delimiting the splitting chamber from a forward-flow chamber (2). The opening in the separating wall is larger than the outer diameter of the socket and forms a ring-shaped passage round the socket, constituting a flow connection between the splitting chamber and the forward-flow chamber (2).