Radiating Strip–Heat Pump Integration for Evaporator Freeze Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heating equipment for climate control in industrial and commercial settings face inefficiencies due to reliance on non-renewable energy sources and insufficient thermal efficiency, particularly during colder periods where heat pump systems' efficiency drops and risk freezing, leading to energy-intensive unfreezing methods or cycle reversals.
Innovation Solution
The equipment combines a heating plant with radiating strips and a heat pump system, where the radiating tube circuit is extended outside the containment box to irradiate heat, and a recirculation duct connects initial and final sections, with a fan and fume expulsion duct to maintain carrier fluid pressure, and a heat pump with an evaporator heated by an air flow from outside, ensuring continuous operation and high efficiency by using renewable energy sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a heat pump system is used for heating, then renewable energy is utilized, but the evaporator freezes during cold periods reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a heat pump system with a radiating strip heating plant into a hybrid system. The radiating strips, normally used for primary heating, are repurposed to provide localized heating to the evaporator during cold periods. This merging of functions allows the system to maintain both renewable energy utilization and continuous reliable operation without freezing issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The radiating strips act as an intermediary heating element between the outdoor environment and the evaporator. Instead of directly heating the evaporator with high-temperature sources, the system uses the radiating strips to gently warm the evaporator surface, preventing freezing while maintaining the heat pump's efficiency.
2Reliability
If conventional unfreezing methods are used, then evaporator freezing is resolved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses its existing radiating strip infrastructure to provide the unfreezing function, rather than requiring separate heating elements or energy-intensive defrost cycles. The radiating strips, which are already part of the heating system, serve the dual purpose of primary heating and evaporator protection, making the system self-sufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers waste heat from the radiating strip circuit and redirects it to the evaporator when freezing conditions are detected. This heat recovery approach eliminates the need for additional energy input while maintaining evaporator operation.
3Reliability
If thermal flow rate is increased to prevent freezing, then evaporator protection is achieved, but system complexity and sizing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The radiating strip circuit is designed to perform multiple functions: primary environmental heating during normal operation and evaporator heating during cold periods. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate unfreezing equipment, reducing system complexity while maintaining protective capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different operational modes based on outdoor temperature conditions. During mild weather, the radiating strips heat the environment as usual. When temperatures drop below freezing thresholds, the system automatically redirects heat to the evaporator, providing adaptive protection without permanent structural modifications.
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 maintains high efficiency and prevents freezing of the evaporator, eliminating the need for energy-intensive unfreezing devices and cycle reversals, allowing continuous reliable operation without over-sizing thermal flow rates, even in cold conditions.
Implementation Method 1
irradiate heat via irradiation towards things and people below, preferably with heat radiation in the infrared range
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator heated by an air flow from outside
Implementation Method 3
a fan advantageously placed next to and upstream of the burner in a manner so as to subject the entire radiating circuit to a reduced pressure
Implementation Method 4
a burner, in which a fuel mixture composed of air and gas is made to burn. Such mixture produces a flow of high temperature combustion products
Data Source
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AI summary
Combined equipment for the climate control of environments, which comprises at least one heating plant with radiating strips provided with a containment box-shaped body (1), a burner (2) in which the combustion and the generation of combustion products take place, a circuit (5) of radiating tubes, which conveys a first carrier fluid (6) and is connected to the burner (2) to receive therein the high temperature combustion products susceptible of heating the first carrier fluid (6), a recirculation duct (7) housed in the containment box-shaped body (1), susceptible of closing the circuit (5) of radiating tubes. The combined equipment also comprises a heat pump heating plant, which is provided with a second closed circuit (9) in which a second carrier fluid (10) circulates, an evaporator (11), which is housed inside the containment body (1) and is hydraulically connected to the second closed circuit (9) to heat the second carrier fluid (10). The containment box-shaped body (1) is provided with at least one first opening (12) connected by means of a heating duct (13) to the evaporator (11) susceptible of being traversed by a first air flow (14) coming from the outside environment (E) through the first opening (12) to heat, by means of thermal convection, said first air flow (14) directed towards said evaporator (11).