Test Chamber Heat Recovery Buffer Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing test systems for temperature-controlled gaseous media have high energy consumption and waste heat due to the direct release of heat into the environment during test cycles, which is inefficient and wasteful.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a buffer circuit with a heat exchanger and a buffer storage tank that stores heat during heating cycles and releases it during cooling cycles, allowing for the reuse of thermal energy within the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the test medium is heated by a heater and cooled by a cooling unit in known test systems, then the test cycles can be carried out, but the energy consumption is high and a large amount of heat is given off to the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful waste heat that was previously discharged to the environment into a beneficial resource by storing it in a buffer store. This stored heat is then reused during subsequent heating phases of test cycles, transforming the waste heat problem into an energy recovery solution that reduces overall energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the heat energy to the environment during cooling phases, the invention recovers this energy by directing it to a buffer store. The recovered heat is then retrieved and utilized during heating phases, creating a closed-loop energy recovery system that eliminates waste and improves efficiency
2Use of energy by moving object
If a buffer store is introduced to store and reuse heat energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer store acts as an intermediary energy storage component between the heating and cooling operations. It temporarily holds thermal energy during cooling phases and releases it during heating phases, mediating the energy transfer and enabling heat recovery without requiring direct coupling between heating and cooling systems
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer store is pre-charged with heat energy during cooling phases before the heating phases begin. This preliminary energy storage action ensures that thermal energy is readily available when needed for heating, allowing the system to anticipate and prepare for future energy demands rather than reacting to them
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 approach significantly reduces energy consumption by reusing heat from one test cycle to the next, minimizing waste heat release into the environment and optimizing energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger arranged in a buffer circuit is assigned to the temperature control unit, by means of the buffer circuit heat is supplied to the associated heat exchanger from the at least one buffer store and heat is withdrawn from the heat exchanger associated with the temperature control unit by means of the buffer circuit
Implementation Method 2
at least one buffer memory is provided in the buffer circuit, by means of the buffer circuit heat is supplied to the associated heat exchanger from the at least one buffer store
Data Source
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AI summary
The equipment has a test chamber (10) for receiving a test object (16) and a temperature control unit (30) arranged in the test chamber. A heat exchanger (38) arranged in a buffer circuit (50) is assigned to supply heat through a buffer memory (52) to the temperature control unit during heating of the test object. The heat exchanger extracts the heat from the temperature control circuit and delivers extracted heat to the buffer memory during cooling of the test object. The buffer circuit includes a circulating pump (54) for circulating the heat transfer medium. An independent claim is also included for a method for operating testing equipment with a test chamber.