The present invention relates to a thermostatic regulation device.
The present invention relates to a device for thermostatic regulation of a fluid.
The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, provided solely as an example and done in reference to the drawings, in which:
The present invention relates to a device for thermostatic regulation of a fluid. The invention applies to various fields of the thermal regulation of liquid fluids. Non-limitingly, the invention thus applies to the sanitation field, in particular for the regulation of mixed water resulting from the mixing of cold water and hot water. The invention also applies, inter alia, to the field of cooling/heating circuits, in which the circulation of a liquid is controlled as a function of the temperature of said liquid.
The invention more specifically examines the cases of thermostatic regulation, i.e., the cases where the heat of the fluid to be regulated is used to adjust the temperature of said fluid relative to an input value. To that end, the fluid to be regulated flows inside a housing and thermally stresses a heat-sensitive part of a thermostatic element there, said heat-sensitive part being designed so as, under the effect of its heating, to actuate the movement of an ad hoc part of the thermostatic element. The relative movement of the heat-sensitive part and the actuated part of the thermostatic element causes a regulation of the flow of fluid relative to the housing, by any closing and/or bypass member of the flow of fluid, one of the heat-sensitive and actuated parts of the thermostatic element commanding the movement of said member while the other of said heat-sensitive and actuated parts is connected to the housing. As an example, within a thermostatic cartridge for a sanitary tap, the mixed water resulting from the mixing of cold water and hot water is generally regulated by a slide valve controlling intakes of cold water and hot water inside the housing of the cartridge, said slide valve being driven relative to the housing by the heat-sensitive part of a thermostatic element, the position of the actuated part of which is commanded with respect to the housing by a mechanism for adjusting the temperature value around which the slide valve regulates the temperature of the mixed water. FR 2,821,411 provides an example of such a thermostatic cartridge.
In order for the thermostatic regulation of this type of device to be satisfactory, it is necessary for the fluid to communicate its heat effectively to the heat-sensitive part of the thermostatic element. In this perspective, it is known to use a turbulence-creating member, which is commonly called turbulator and an example of which is given in FR 2,821,411: this turbulator is arranged inside the housing of the thermostatic regulating device and surrounds the heat-sensitive part of the thermostatic element with an irregular surface that disrupts the flow of the fluid over said heat-sensitive part so as to increase the turbulence of said flow, to homogenize the temperature with which the fluid stresses the heat-sensitive part, and also to increase the local speed of said flow on the surface of the heat-sensitive part to promote thermal exchanges.
However, due to its fixed and fairly massive presence, such a turbulator restricts the passage section around the heat-sensitive part and therefore imposes a limitation on the maximum flow rate of fluid through the thermostatic regulating device. Conversely, when the fluid passes through the device with a low flow rate, the turbulator may have only a marginal effect on the flow of the fluid, without guaranteeing that the fluid has a homogeneous temperature, or that it flows over the heat-sensitive part of the thermostatic element. In other words, the dimensioning of the turbulator results from a compromise between the maximum admissible flow rate and the expected thermostatic regulation at a low flow rate.
The aim of the present invention is to propose a thermostatic regulating device, which reconciles a high value of its maximum acceptable flow rate and a good performance of its thermostatic regulation at a low flow rate.
To that end, the invention relates to a device for the thermostatic regulation of a fluid comprising:
A passage for circulating the fluid is delimited between the heat-sensitive portion of the thermostatic element and a flexible portion of the turbulator, said flexible portion being designed so as:
One of the ideas at the base of the invention is to modify the functional form of the turbulator as a function of the flow rate. To that end, the turbulator of the device according to the invention includes a flexible portion, arranged so as to delimit a fluid circulation passage between the latter and the heat-sensitive portion of the thermostatic element. When the flow rate of the fluid to be regulated is low, the flexible portion of the turbulator occupies a configuration close to that which it occupies when at rest: in this configuration, the flexible portion grips the aforementioned passage, locally throttling the flow passage of the latter, and therefore forces the fluid to flow against the heat-sensitive portion so as to best sensitize the latter. When the flow rate of the fluid increases, the flow of the fluid deforms the flexible portion of the turbulator, moving it locally away from the heat-sensitive portion: the flow section of the aforementioned passage therefore increases, the resiliency of the flexible portion, which allows this deformation, also making it possible to maintain the flow of the fluid against the heat-sensitive portion. At a very high flow rate, the flexible portion of the turbulator reaches a maximum deformed configuration, which maximally opens the aforementioned passage, freeing its passage section. Thus, owing to the resiliency of the flexible portion of the turbulator, the flow section of the passage delimited between said flexible portion and the heat-sensitive portion of the thermostatic element varies as a function of the flow rate of the fluid in said passage, while increasing when the flow rate increases and decreasing when the flow rate decreases, for a flow rate range from zero to a maximum acceptable flow rate value, not limited by the turbulator, for the device.
In practice, the flexible portion of the turbulator can have quite varied embodiments and/or component materials, provided the flexible portion adjusts its deformation state resiliently to the flow rate of the fluid in a passage delimited between it and the heat-sensitive portion of the thermostatic element, in order to best sensitize said heat-sensitive portion. Thus, according to additional features of the device:
As clearly shown in
The device 100 also includes a thermostatic element 120 that is at least partially arranged inside the housing 110. More specifically, the thermostatic element 120 comprises a heat-sensitive portion 121, which is situated on the flow of the fluid F inside the housing 110, and an actuated portion 122 that is movable relative to the heat-sensitive portion 121, in particular in translation parallel to the axis X-X, under the effect of the heat-sensitive portion 121 during the heating of the latter. According to one preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the heat-sensitive portion 121 primarily includes a cup, typically metal, that is centered on the axis X-X and that contains a thermodilatable material, typically wax-based, while the actuated part 122 globally forms a piston, also centered on the axis X-X and plunging inside the aforementioned cup, such that, during the heating of the cup, the thermodilatable material that it contains expands and thus pushes the aforementioned piston to deploy the latter along the axis X-X relative to the cup. That being said, other embodiments can be considered for the thermostatic element 120, such as an actuator with a heat-sensitive portion made from a shape memory alloy.
The device 100 further includes a turbulator 130, which is assembled to the rest of the device 100 in
As clearly shown in
As clearly shown in
Also as clearly shown in
In the embodiment considered in
In the assembled state of the device 100 like in
When there is no flow of the fluid F inside the housing 110, the flexible portion 131 stays at rest, typically in its configuration shown in
When fluid F flows inside the housing 110 like in
It is understood that the intensity of the deformation of the flexible portion 131 depends directly on the value of the flow rate of the fluid F in the passage P, the deformed state of the flexible portion 131 adjusting by resiliency to the value of said flow rate: thus, as a function of the flow rate of the fluid F in the passage P, the flow section of the passage P varies by corresponding resilient deformation of the flexible portion 131, in particular by radial separation of the elements 136 with respect to the heat-sensitive portion 121. In practice, in light of the centering of the heat-sensitive portion 121 and the flexible portion 131 on the axis X-X, the variation of the flow section of the passage P is thus done radially to said axis X-X.
It results from the preceding explanations that the flexible portion 131, in particular its elements 136, force the fluid F circulating in the passage P to flow over the heat-sensitive portion 121, channeling said flow against the heat-sensitive portion 121, irrespective of the value of the flow rate of said fluid. This arrangement is of notable interest when the flow rate of the fluid F is low, since despite the small quantity of fluid introduced inside the housing 110, the heat-sensitive portion 121 is best thermally stressed by said fluid. This advantage does not handicap the ability of the device 100 to be able to admit a high maximum flow rate, in that when the fluid F supplies the housing 110 with a high flow rate, the flexible portion 131 does not significantly hinder the circulation of the fluid, subject to the increase of the flow section of the passage P by deformation of the elements 136. In light of the fact that the elongate shape of the elements 136 extends lengthwise substantially in the flow direction of the fluid over the heat-sensitive portion 121 irrespective of the deformation state of the elements 136, the channeling of the fluid F over the heat-sensitive portion 121 is advantageously maintained over a substantial axial expanse of the latter, thus reinforcing its thermal stressing by the fluid F.
In all cases, the turbulator 130, in particular its flexible portion 131, disturbs the flow of the fluid inside the housing 110, by creating turbulence therein, particularly at the heat-sensitive portion 121, which homogenizes the temperature of the fluid in the passage P and favors the transfer of heat therein between said fluid and the heat-sensitive portion 121.
Furthermore, in particular to avoid any overly pronounced pressure differential axially on either side of the elements 136, the free spaces E136 arranged between these elements in a direction peripheral to the axis X-X allow the fluid F to circulate freely axially through the flexible portion 131 since, unlike the flow section of the passage P, the flow section of the free spaces E136 is independent of the deformation state of the elements 136.
In light of the fact that the elongate shape of the elements 136 extends lengthwise substantially in the flow direction of the fluid over the heat-sensitive portion 121, the channeling of the fluid F over the heat-sensitive portion 121 is advantageously maintained over a substantial axial expanse of the latter, thus reinforcing its thermal stressing by the fluid F.
The device 200 differs from the device 100 by its turbulator 230. More specifically, the turbulator 230 includes a flexible portion 231 and a support 232, which are functionally similar to the flexible portion 131 and the support 132 of the turbulator 130. In the example embodiment considered in
Indeed, the flexible portion 231 includes not one, but two bases 235 and 237. Each of said bases 235 and 237 is fixedly carried by the support 232, similarly to the base 135 with respect to the support 132. Furthermore, the bases 235 and 237 are connected to one another by a wall 236 of the flexible portion 231: this wall 236 thus extends from the bases 235 and 237, inside the support 232, while being freely deformable relative to said support 232, as clearly shown in
In the assembled state of the device 200, the wall 236 runs continuously all the way around the heat-sensitive portion 121 of the thermostatic element 120, as clearly shown in
Functionally similarly to the elements 136 of the flexible portion 131, the wall 236 is situated on the flow of the fluid F inside the housing 110: under the effect of the flow of the fluid in the passage P, the flexible portion 231 deforms resiliently in order to vary the flow section of the passage P, in particular by separating the wall 236 with respect to the heat-sensitive portion 121. When the flexible portion 231 is at rest like in
Advantageously, the wall 236 has a globally tubular elongate shape that, irrespective of the deformation state of said wall 236, extends lengthwise in the flow direction of the fluid over the heat-sensitive portion 121: in this way, the wall 236 forces the flow of the fluid F in the passage P over a substantial axial expanse of the heat-sensitive portion 121.
The device 300 differs from the devices 100 and 200 by its turbulator 330, which, although it has the same functional purpose, is structurally different from the turbulators 130 and 230. More specifically, the turbulator 330 includes a flexible portion 331 and a support 332. In the example embodiment considered in
The elements 336 of the turbulator 330 differ from the elements 136 of the turbulator 130 by their geometric shape, in that, although the elements 336 each have an elongate shape, the latter extends lengthwise in a direction that, when the flexible portion 331 is at rest, is substantially perpendicular to the flow direction of the fluid F over the heat-sensitive portion 121, as clearly shown in
The devices 100, 200 and 300 provide an overview of the multiplicity of embodiments that the thermostatic regulating device according to the invention may assume, in particular regarding its turbulator. In particular, as illustrated by the flexible portions 131, 231 and 331, the structural or geometric specifications of the flexible portion of the device according to the invention can be varied, without being limited to those described thus far and shown in the figures. The same is true for the component material of said flexible portion: this material can in particular be rubber, but various other materials imparting the necessary resilient flexibility to the operation of the turbulator can be considered.
Lastly, all or some of the features of each embodiment can be implemented, as a replacement or in combination, in the other embodiments, as long as doing so is technically possible.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1658569 | Sep 2016 | FR | national |
This application is the U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2017/073036, filed Sep. 13, 2017, designating the U.S. and published as WO 2018/050702 A1 on Mar. 22, 2018, which claims the benefit of French Application No. FR 1658569, filed Sep. 14, 2016. Any and all applications for which a foreign or a domestic priority is claimed is/are identified in the Application Data Sheet filed herewith and is/are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties under 37 C.F.R. § 1.57.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2017/073036 | 9/13/2017 | WO | 00 |