Shower system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower systems face challenges in achieving high heat conservation efficiency while requiring complex installation and maintenance, often due to clogging issues in heat exchangers caused by solid materials like hair and soap in drain water.
Innovation Solution
A shower system design featuring a helically winding heat exchange conduit located in a compartment adjacent to the shower space, with a removable panel for easy access, a pump to circulate warm water, and a mixing element to combine heated and external hot water, along with a bypass conduit for temperature control, which simplifies installation and maintenance and enhances heat recovery efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a heat exchanger is installed in the drain water path to recover heat, then heat conservation efficiency is improved, but the risk of clogging by solid materials (hair, soap) increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat exchange function from the main drain water path by installing the heat exchanger in a separate compartment. Drain water is pumped through the heat exchanger located in the recess behind the back wall, allowing heat recovery while keeping the heat exchanger isolated from direct contact with solid waste in the shower basin drain.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a pump as an intermediary device to transport drain water from the shower basin through the heat exchanger in the recess and then to the sewer. This intermediary mechanism allows controlled flow through the heat exchanger, reducing the risk of clogging while maintaining heat recovery functionality.
2Loss of energy
If the heat exchanger and pump are installed in the base cavity or side wall position, then heat recovery function is achieved, but installation and maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the heat exchanger and pump from the traditional base cavity or side wall positions to a vertical recess behind the back wall. This spatial reconfiguration in the vertical dimension allows for easier access to maintenance components while maintaining effective heat recovery positioning near the drain water path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the shower system into distinct functional zones: the shower space, the recess containing the heat exchanger and pump, and the sewer connection. The recess acts as a separate maintenance-accessible module, allowing the heat exchanger and pump to be serviced independently without disrupting the entire shower system.
3Ease of repair
If the heat exchanger is placed in a recess behind the back wall, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but the installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the heat exchanger and pump within the existing recess structure behind the back wall, utilizing the available void space in the wall construction. This nested arrangement accommodates the heat recovery components without requiring additional exterior space, as the recess is integrated into the existing shower enclosure 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
The system achieves high heat conservation efficiency with simplified installation and maintenance, reducing the risk of clogging and allowing for efficient counterflow heat exchange, while minimizing the risk of contamination and enabling precise temperature control.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger located in the compartment vertically adjacent to the wall closed off by an openable or removable panel, the heat exchanger comprising a helically winding heat exchange conduit with successive windings around a vertical axis in said compartment above the floor of the shower space
Implementation Method 2
The helically winding heat exchange conduit runs sloping upward from the tap water input to the top winding. This provides for efficient counterflow, with increasingly warmer water at increasing height in the heat exchange conduit and increasingly colder drain water at decreasing height
Implementation Method 3
a pump coupled between the shower drain and the warm water feed of the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 4
a mixing element for mixing water from the heat exchanger with water from the supply input for external hot water
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6a
AI summary
The shower system has a heat exchanger located in compartment vertically adjacent to the wall of the shower space and closed off by an openable or removable panel. The heat exchanger comprising a helically winding heat exchange conduit with successive windings around a vertical axis in said compartment above the floor of the shower space. A pump coupled to the shower drain pumps warm water to a warm water feed of the heat exchanger, from where it is sprayed on a top winding of the heat exchange conduit. Tap water is fed to the shower head successively via the heat exchange conduit and a heater and/or a mixing element for mixing water from the heat exchanger with water from a supply input for external hot water.