Shower Heat Recuperator Overflow Bypass for Exchanger Clogging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shower heat recovery units often become unusable due to clogging of the heat exchanger, which is difficult to unclog, leading to prolonged shutdowns.
Innovation Solution
A heat recovery unit design with an overflow pipe system and clogging detection mechanism, allowing gray water to bypass the exchanger during clogs and facilitating unblocking by reversing water flow, while thermal probes alert users to clogging issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If a plate-type heat exchanger is used in the shower recovery unit, then the device volume is reduced allowing installation under the shower tray, but the heat exchanger becomes prone to clogging and difficult to unclog
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is divided into multiple removable plates that can be separated from each other. This segmentation allows easy access to the channels between plates for clearing clogs, and enables replacement of individual plates if needed, while maintaining the compact plate-type structure suitable for installation under the shower tray.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger plates are designed to be removable and extractable from the housing. This allows the plates to be taken out for cleaning and maintenance, enabling easy unclogging of the channels without disassembling the entire heat recovery unit, thus resolving the difficulty of accessing clogs in a compact design.
2Reliability
If the heat exchanger is clogged, then heat recovery function is lost, but the shower becomes completely unusable until unclogged
Solution Approach 1:
A bypass channel is introduced as an intermediary pathway that allows water to flow around the heat exchanger when it is clogged. This bypass connects the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger, enabling the shower to remain functional even when the heat recovery function is temporarily compromised by clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass channel is pre-designed and built into the system before clogging occurs. This anticipatory design ensures that when clogging happens, there is already an alternative pathway available, preventing complete system failure and maintaining shower availability without requiring immediate intervention.
3Power
If the heat exchanger channels are narrow for efficient heat transfer, then heat recovery efficiency is improved, but clogging becomes more likely and harder to clear
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger plates are designed with flexible or adjustable components that allow the channel geometry to be modified. The plates can be slightly displaced or flexed to enlarge the channels temporarily for clearing clogs, then returned to their optimal position for heat transfer efficiency, thus dynamically adapting to both performance and maintenance needs.
Solution Approach 2:
During maintenance, the normal flow direction and plate positioning are inverted or reversed to facilitate clearing clogs. The plates are displaced in the opposite direction to their operational position, enlarging the channels for easy access by cleaning tools, then returned to their optimized configuration for heat transfer after cleaning.
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
Enables continuous use of the shower even when the heat exchanger is clogged and simplifies the unclogging process, ensuring the system remains operational and alerts users to maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
the water collected in the shower tray passes through a heat exchanger before being evacuated with the gray water of the house. In concrete terms, this heat exchanger makes it possible to transfer the heat carried by the gray water to the cold water supplying the mixer tap of this shower.
Implementation Method 2
an overflow, in the form of a pipe (11) connected to the inlet pipe (6) at a level located above the exchanger (2) and under the inlet (3), this pipe (11) being connected to the outlet (4) of the heat recuperator
Data Source
AI summary
The recuperator (1) has a grey water inlet (3) intended to receive water from a shower and a grey water outlet (4) intended for evacuation of the water. A heat exchanger (2) is connected with the inlet and the outlet, and a water supply drain of the shower to transfer heat carried by the grey water toward feed water from the shower. An overflow part (11) in form of a drain is connected with the inlet and to the outlet such that the water output from the shower passes via the overflow part directly to the outlet when the exchanger is stopped.