Patent Application
20230417431
This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0076445, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jun. 22, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an air heating apparatus.
Air conditioning systems for heating rooms in the winter season may supply heating by transferring heat formed by burning fuel to air and distributing the heated air to each room.
In the case of the air conditioning system, since the heated air is discharged to the room, the room may become very dry. Thus, in the case of the air conditioning system, to adjust humidity, a humidifier is installed in a discharge duct 2 through which the heated air is discharged, and the heated air is humidified and is then supplied to the room. That is, when the humidity adjustment is desired, a separate humidifier should be purchased and installed.
However, in the air conditioning system according to the related art, additional work is required to connect a separate pipe to the humidifier to supply water to the humidifier. Further, a pipe for discharging residual water that has not evaporated in an evaporator of the humidifier should be secured. Thus, installation costs arise in that additional pipe connection work should be performed.
Further, the air conditioning system includes two devices including a heating device and a humidity adjustment device, and thus cannot be integrated and controlled as a single system.
The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art while advantages achieved by the prior art are maintained intact.
An aspect of the present disclosure provides an air heating apparatus that may humidify circulating air by utilizing heating water without installing a separate humidifier.
The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an air heating apparatus includes an expansion tank that stores water, a water heater that receives heat from a combustion gas generated by a combustion reaction and heats the water, a heating heat exchanger that receives the water heated by the water heater and exchanges the heat with air to be discharged for heating, a fan that delivers the air to the heating heat exchanger, and a steam supply flow path that supplies steam in the expansion tank to the fan.
The air heating apparatus may further include an air supply flow path that has one end connected to the expansion tank and supplies, to the expansion tank, a portion of the air delivered to the heating heat exchanger by the fan.
When a direction in which the fan faces the heating heat exchanger refers to a reference direction, the other end of the air supply flow path may be disposed in the heating heat exchanger in the reference direction.
The air heating apparatus may further include a humidifying damper that is disposed in the air supply flow path and opens or closes the air supply flow path.
The air heating apparatus may further include a suction duct that communicates with a room and guides indoor air to the fan, a humidity measurement device that is disposed in the suction duct and measures a humidity of the indoor air suctioned through the fan, and a controller that controls an operation of the humidifying damper based on the humidity measured by the humidity measurement device.
The air heating apparatus may further include a heating water supply flow path that supplies external water to the expansion tank, and a heating water supplement valve that opens or closes the heating water supply flow path.
The air heating apparatus may further include a water level detection sensor that detects a water level inside the expansion tank, and a controller that controls an operation of the heating water supplement valve based on the water level measured by the water level detection sensor.
The air heating apparatus may further include a drain flow path that discharges the water in the expansion tank to the outside, wherein a point at which the expansion tank and the heating water supply flow path are connected is disposed below a point at which the expansion tank and the drain flow path are connected.
The air heating apparatus may further include a circulation supply flow path that is formed to connect the expansion tank, the water heater, and the heating heat exchanger and guides the water in the expansion tank to the heating heat exchanger via the water heater, a circulation recovery flow path that is formed to connect the heating heat exchanger and the expansion tank and guides the water heat-exchanged with the air to the expansion tank, and a circulation pump that is disposed downstream of the expansion tank and upstream of the water heater in the circulation supply flow path and pumps the water in the circulation supply flow path.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:
Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that identical or equivalent components are designated by an identical numeral even when they are displayed on other drawings. Further, in describing the embodiment of the present disclosure, a detailed description of the related known configuration or function will be omitted when it is determined that it interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
In the present specification, a front-rear direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction are referred to for convenience of description and may be directions perpendicular to each other. However, this direction is determined relative to a direction in which the air heating apparatus is disposed, and the up-down direction may not necessarily refer to a vertical direction.
Further, the wording “flow path” used below may refer to a tubular pipe through which a fluid may flow and may refer to a component that may have various materials and shapes, such as soft tubes and metal pipes.
Further, the expressions “upstream” and “downstream” in the present disclosure may be based on a flow direction of the fluid. For example, when the fluid flows from a left side to a right side, the left side may correspond to an upstream side, and the right side may correspond to a downstream side.
First, a basic component of the air heating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
The air heating apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a case 10, the expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, the heating heat exchanger 40, and the fan 50. The expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, the heating heat exchanger 40, and the fan 50 may be arranged inside the case 10.
In briefly describing an overall air heating mechanism, in the air heating apparatus 1, water stored in the expansion tank 20 is heated in the water heater 30 and is then delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40. The heated water delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40 heats the air delivered from the fan 50, and the heated air is delivered to each room. Hereinafter, respective components will be described in more detail.
<Expansion Tank 20>
As illustrated in
When the temperature changes or the water flows into or out from the expansion tank 20 in a state in which the expansion tank 20 is filled with the water, an internal pressure of the expansion tank 20 may also change. Accordingly, the water accommodated in the expansion tank 20 may be provided to other components along the circulation supply flow path 60.
A circulation pump 61 may be disposed downstream of the expansion tank 20 and upstream of the water heater 30 in the circulation supply flow path 60. The circulation pump 61 may be provided to pump the water in the circulation supply flow path 60. The circulation pump 61 may be connected to a controller 100.
Further, the expansion tank 20 may be connected to a circulation recovery flow path 70. The circulation recovery flow path 70 may be a flow path that is formed to connect the heating heat exchanger 40 and the expansion tank 20 and guides, to the expansion tank 20, the water heat-exchanged with the air in the heating heat exchanger 40.
A water level detection sensor 24 that detects a water level inside the expansion tank 20 may be disposed inside the expansion tank 20. The water level detection sensor 24 may be connected to the controller 100, which will be described below.
The expansion tank 20 may be connected to a heating water supply flow path 21. The heating water supply flow path 21 may be provided to supply external water to the expansion tank 20. A heating water supplement valve 22 provided to open or close the heating water supply flow path 21 may be disposed in the heating water supply flow path 21. When the water is insufficient in the expansion tank 20, the water may be supplemented through the heating water supply flow path 21.
Further, the expansion tank 20 may be connected to a drain flow path 23. The drain flow path 23 may be provided to discharge the water in the expansion tank 20 to the outside. A point at which the expansion tank 20 and the heating water supply flow path 21 are connected may be disposed lower than a point at which the expansion tank 20 and the drain flow path 23 are connected. When the water in the expansion tank 20 becomes excessive, the water may drain through the drain flow path 23.
<Water Heater 30>
The water heater 30 is a component provided to heat and discharge the introduced water. To heat the water, the water heater 30 may generate a combustion reaction and transfer heat generated from the combustion reaction to the water.
The water heater 30 may include a burner 31 and a heat exchanger 32. The burner 31 generates the combustion reaction. Thus, the burner 31 may receive fuel and air and may form a flame using an ignition plug in a mixture of the fuel and the air to generate the combustion reaction. For this reaction, the burner 31 may include a blower that blows the air, a fuel nozzle that injects the fuel, and a spark plug that generates a spark for ignition.
The burner 31 may further include a mixing chamber, and the fuel and the air are mixed in the mixing chamber. The heat and a combustion gas may be generated by the combustion reaction, and these heat and combustion gas may be transferred to the water. The fuel may be natural gas used for power generation as well as methane, ethane, and the like or oil, but the type of the fuel is not limited thereto. The flame formed by the combustion reaction generated by the burner 31 may be disposed in an internal space of a combustion chamber positioned below the burner 31. The combustion chamber may be a wet-type combustion chamber. As an example, a water pipe through which the water passes may be disposed on a side surface of the combustion chamber in a form surrounding the side surface of the combustion chamber. In a process of dissipating the heat inside the combustion chamber to the outside of the combustion chamber, a portion of the heat may be transferred to the water in the water pipe.
The heat exchanger 32 is disposed to transfer the heat generated by the burner 31 to the water. The heat exchanger 32 may be disposed below the burner 31.
Meanwhile, the heat exchanger 32 may have an integrated heat exchanger structure. The integrated heat exchanger structure may refer to a heat exchanger structure through which different types of heat exchange media circulate. As the heat exchanger 32 has the integrated heat exchanger structure, the heat exchanger 32 may have a structure in which an overall height is reduced while performance is maintained as compared to a heat exchanger used in a general condensing boiler. Thus, despite a narrow internal structure of the air heating apparatus 1, the overall height of the water heater 30 may be reduced. Accordingly, various components may be easily arranged inside the air heating apparatus 1, and the entire air heating apparatus 1 may be miniaturized.
<Heating Heat Exchanger 40>
The heating heat exchanger 40 is a component provided for heat exchange between the water and the air. The heating heat exchanger 40 may be provided to receive the water and exchange heat between the water and the air to be discharged for heating.
The heating heat exchanger 40 may include a heat exchange tube through which the water heated by the water heater 30 may flow. The heat exchange tube may be formed in a pipe shape so that the water flows through an inside thereof and the air delivered by the fan 50 may flow therethrough and may be provided to form a flow path winding in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The heat exchange tube may be made of a material including aluminum and copper.
<Fan 50>
The fan 50 includes components such as a motor and a blade and may be electrically connected to the controller 100. Thus, as the fan 50 operates under electrical control, the motor may rotate the blade to deliver the air. The fan 50 may include an impeller or the like to pump the air.
Among an internal space of the case 10, an air delivery space that is an empty space may be formed between the fan 50 and the heating heat exchanger 40.
An air circulation process will be described below on the basis of the fan 50. The air flowing into the fan 50 may be delivered upward or downward. The delivered air passes through the heating heat exchanger 40. While passing through the heating heat exchanger 40, the air may be heated by receiving the heat from the water passing through the heating heat exchanger 40. The heated air may be delivered to each room of the house through a discharge duct 2. The air delivered to each room or cold air flowing into the house from the outside may flow into the fan 50 through a suction duct 3 again. The suction duct 3 may be formed to communicate with the room and guide indoor air to the fan 50.
<Steam Supply Flow Path 80>
The air heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a steam supply flow path 80. The steam supply flow path 80 may be provided to supply steam in the expansion tank 20 to the fan 50. Since heating water is present in the expansion tank 20, the steam is also present. The steam supply flow path 80 may supply the steam to the fan 50 to humidify the air delivered from the fan 50.
As an example, the steam supply flow path 80 may humidify the air flowing into the fan 50 to humidify the air delivered from the fan 50. As another example, the steam supply flow path 80 may humidify the air delivered from the fan 50 in a manner of humidifying the air discharged from the fan 50.
<Air Supply Flow Path 90>
The air heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include an air supply flow path 90. One end of the air supply flow path 90 may be connected to the expansion tank 20. The air supply flow path 90 may be provided to supply, to the expansion tank 20, a portion of the air delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40 by the fan 50.
Meanwhile, when a direction in which the fan 50 faces the heating heat exchanger 40 is referred to as a reference direction, the other end of the air supply flow path 90 may be disposed in the heating heat exchanger 40 in the reference direction. For example, when the fan 50 is disposed below the heating heat exchanger 40, the reference direction may be an upward direction. Dry indoor air introduced through the suction duct 3 may flow into the expansion tank 20 through the air supply flow path 90, thereby increasing an evaporation rate of the heating water in the expansion tank 20.
Meanwhile, a humidifying damper 91 may be disposed in the air supply flow path 90. The humidifying damper 91 may be disposed in the air supply flow path 90 and provided to open or close the air supply flow path 90.
<Controller 100>
The air heating apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include the controller 100. The controller 100 may include a processor and a memory. The processor serves as a component including an element that may perform a logic operation for performing a control command and may include a central processing unit (CPU) or the like. The processor may be connected to various components, transmit a signal according to the control command to the respective components to perform control, and receive information acquired by the connection to various sensors or acquirers in the form of a signal. Thus, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be electrically connected to various components included in the air heating apparatus 1. Since the processor may be electrically connected to the respective components, the processor may be connected with wires or further include a communication device capable of wireless communication to perform mutual communication.
The processor is electrically connected to the components of the integrated air heating apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, performs calculation using received information, and transmits a control signal. Thus, the components may be controlled in an optimal state, and the components may operate in conjunction with each other automatically. Further, information or control data obtained from the circulating water and air, which will be described below, is obtained, integrated and controlled in real time due to the integrated interlocking control of the processor, and thus uniform efficiency may be maintained, and optimal setting suitable for the entire system may be automatically performed.
Control commands performed by the processor may be stored in the memory and utilized. The memory may be a device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a server, a volatile medium, and a non-volatile medium, but the types of the memory are not limited thereto. In addition, data and the like that the processor needs to perform a work may be further stored in the memory.
The controller 100 may be provided to control an operation of the humidifying damper 91 based on a humidity measured by a humidity measurement device 4. The humidity measurement device 4 may be disposed in the suction duct 3 to measure a humidity of the indoor air suctioned through the fan 50.
For example, the humidity measurement device 4 may include a humidity sensor. The humidity sensor may be an electrical resistance humidity sensor that measures a humidity based on electrical resistance and relative humidity. Alternatively, the humidity sensor may be a capacitive humidity sensor that measures a humidity based on a capacitance of both ends of an electrode, which changes according to the humidity.
As an example, when the humidity of the indoor air obtained by the humidity measurement device 4 is lower than a target humidity, humidification is required, and thus the controller 100 operates the humidifying damper 91 to open the air supply flow path 90. In this case, more dry indoor air flows into the expansion tank 20, and accordingly, more steam is generated in the expansion tank 20. More generated steam passes through the steam supply flow path 80 and flows into the room through the discharge duct 2, and thus the humidity of the indoor air may increase.
As another example, when the humidity of the indoor air obtained by the humidity measurement device 4 is higher than the target humidity, humidification is not required, and thus the controller 100 operates the humidifying damper 91 to close the air supply flow path 90. In this case, less dry indoor air flows into the expansion tank 20, and accordingly, less steam is generated in the expansion tank 20, and thus the humidity of the indoor air may be maintained or lowered.
Further, when the operation of the air heating apparatus 1 is stopped, the controller 100 may operate the humidifying damper 91 to close the air supply flow path 90 so as to prevent evaporation of the heating water.
Further, the controller 100 may be provided to control the operation of the heating water supplement valve 22 based on the water level measured by the water level detection sensor 24. As an example, when the water level obtained by the water level detection sensor 24 is lower than or equal to a predetermined reference water level, the water is insufficient in the expansion tank 20, and thus the heating water supplement valve 22 may be operated to open the heating water supply flow path 21.
Further, the controller 100 may be connected to the circulation pump 61 to control the operation of the circulation pump 61. For example, when a required heating temperature increases, the circulation pump 61 may be controlled to increase the amount of water pumped by the circulation pump 61.
According to the present disclosure, circulating air may be humidified by utilizing heating water without installing a separate humidifier, and thus installation costs are reduced, and integrated control of the humidifier and the air heating apparatus may be performed.
The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential features of the present disclosure. Thus, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are not intended to limit the technology spirit of the present disclosure, but are intended to describe the present disclosure, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical spirits within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2022-0076445 | Jun 2022 | KR | national |
