Washing machine with heat pump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional washing machines with heat pumps face inefficiencies in heating water due to limited temperature differences between heat exchangers, leading to suboptimal energy usage and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
The use of at least two heat storage media with different melting points in a washing machine's heat pump system, where one media's latent heat is exploited alongside the sensible heat from the other, enhancing the heat pump's efficiency by maintaining a higher evaporation temperature and reducing compression work.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a single heat storage media is used in the heat pump system, then the system structure is simple, but the heat pump efficiency is limited due to restricted temperature difference between heat exchangers
Solution Approach 1:
The heat storage means is segmented into multiple compartments, each containing a different heat storage media with distinct melting points. This segmentation allows the heat pump to access heat at different temperature levels, improving the temperature difference between evaporator and condenser, thereby enhancing heat pump efficiency without excessive structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different heat storage media are selected with varying melting points (e.g., water at 0°C, salt hydrates at higher temperatures) to create a gradient of available heat temperatures. This parameter change in melting points enables the refrigerant to evaporate at optimized temperatures, improving the heat pump's coefficient of performance while maintaining manageable system complexity.
2Quantity of substance
If the heat storage media is cooled to low temperatures to maximize latent heat utilization, then more latent heat is available, but the mass flow rate of refrigerant decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat storage means is divided into multiple compartments with different heat storage media having progressively higher melting points. This segmentation allows the system to utilize latent heat from multiple phase transitions at different temperature levels, ensuring sufficient latent heat availability while maintaining higher average temperatures that support adequate refrigerant mass flow rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat storage means employs a composite configuration of multiple heat storage media (e.g., water, salt hydrates, paraffin) with complementary melting points. This composite approach ensures that as one media completes its phase transition, another media at a higher temperature level provides continued latent heat release, maintaining both heat quantity and temperature for optimal refrigerant flow.
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 increases the heat pump's efficiency by utilizing latent heat throughout the operation, reducing energy consumption and improving the mass flow rate of the refrigerant, thereby enhancing the overall energy efficiency of the washing machine.
Implementation Method 1
the latent heat of which is exploited
Implementation Method 2
two different temperatures of phase transition to solid
Implementation Method 3
the second heat exchanger being adapted to cool said refrigerant and to heat process water
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A washing machine (1) comprising: - a chamber (10) for receiving goods to be washed, - a heat pump (15) comprising a circuit (101-108) comprising a refrigerant, a first heat exchanger (30, 101), and a second heat exchanger (40, 102), wherein the first heat exchanger (30, 101) is adapted to heat said refrigerant and to cool a heat storage means (30), and the second heat exchanger (40, 102) is adapted to cool said refrigerant and to heat process water to be used in the chamber (10).