Shower Tray Heat Exchanger with Accessible Run-Off Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers for shower trays face challenges in cleaning and maintaining the flow of waste water, leading to contamination and clogging, and often struggle with high-pressure requirements.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design where waste water flows over a plane, accessible surface for easy cleaning, with a removable lid and distributor element that directs water flow, preventing clogging and allowing for efficient heat transfer without complex cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If waste water is led through closed or difficultly accessible cavities in conventional heat exchangers, then heat transfer surface area is increased, but cleaning accessibility deteriorates and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of leading waste water through closed cavities and then accessing them for cleaning, the invention inverts the approach by making the heat transfer surface itself the accessible surface. The run-off surface forms the base of the shower tray and is completely accessible from above, allowing waste water to flow over it and enabling easy cleaning without tools or special aids.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a heat transfer surface for waste water, forms the base or part of the base of the shower tray, and provides a completely accessible surface for cleaning. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate accessible cleaning paths while maintaining heat transfer efficiency.
2Loss of energy
If complex cavity structures are used in heat exchangers, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases and maintenance difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the heat exchanger structure with the shower tray base structure. The cover plate forming the run-off surface is integrated into the shower tray base, eliminating the need for separate complex cavity structures. Waste water flows directly over this integrated surface, maintaining heat transfer efficiency while simplifying the overall device structure.
3Loss of energy
If waste water flows through enclosed channels, then heat recovery efficiency is improved, but contamination risk increases and cleaning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts waste water flow from enclosed channels and places it on an open, accessible run-off surface. By taking out the waste water path from closed cavities and making it exposed on the upper side of the cover plate, the design maintains heat recovery efficiency while eliminating contamination risks associated with enclosed channels and enabling easy 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
The design ensures easy maintenance, improved heat transfer efficiency, and compliance with high-pressure regulations by allowing waste water to flow over a flat, accessible surface, reducing contamination risks and enhancing cleaning accessibility.
Implementation Method 1
the waste water flows over a plane, accessible surface for easy cleaning, with a removable lid and distributor element that directs water flow, preventing clogging and allowing for efficient heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger for a shower tray can be arranged in the bottom of the shower tray for the heat recovery from wastewater so as to heat fresh water. To this end, the heat exchanger has a planar cover plate as the drain surface over which the wastewater drains. The cover plate forms the bottom of the shower tray, over which a lid that can be removed without the use of tools is arranged as a tread plate. The heat exchanger preferably includes a distributor element, which is arranged for distributing the wastewater over the drain surface. The distributor element is preferably a retaining element, which retains the wastewater at an upper edge of the drain surface and forms an overflow along the upper edge.