Patent Application
20210276894
The present invention relates to a filter for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network, according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of operation of said filter.
The present invention relates, in particular, to piping of heating and/or cooling systems, particularly for household and/or industrial use.
In hydronic heating and/or cooling systems, it has become increasingly common to take all possible actions aimed at keeping the heat-transfer fluid as clean as possible (which is normally water, possibly with the addition of glycol or similar substances) and free from impurities that, especially in old systems, usually have a very high concentration of ferrous particles released from system components, particularly from pipes (typically made of iron) and radiators.
Such impurities are circulated by a pump included in the system; therefore, they tend to impair the proper and efficient operation of control elements (e.g., valve components) and also of any heat exchangers included in the generators (e.g., boilers, refrigerators, heat pumps, and so on).
If such impurities are not removed, in the long run they can reduce the efficiency of the system and cause damage to its components, e.g., said control elements, exchangers and generators.
Moreover, such impurities may lead to perforation of the pipes due to corrosion; in fact, the accumulated impurities, in contact with the oxygen that is present in water, will tend to oxidize those parts of the system where they deposit and may cause corrosion of such parts, resulting in a perforated pipe.
For this reason, various techniques and methods exist in the art for removing impurities from the fluid circulating in the piping of a water supply network, in particular a heating and/or cooling system.
A first method requires the use of chemical additives that neutralize said impurities contained in the fluid; however, this technique has some significant drawbacks, in that the presence of such additives must be constantly monitored and the system has to be shut down in order to add more additive when its concentration is insufficient and/or lower than required for effectively removing the impurities.
Another method uses at least one filter associated with a pipe of the water supply network, in particular of a heating and/or cooling system, said filter trapping the impurities contained in the system and being typically associated with a pipe of the return circuit of the system, for protecting the power generator (whether a heating power generator, e.g., a boiler, or a cooling power generator). In particular, according to this other technology, it is known to use a filtering element comprising at least one magnetic element adapted to intercept and trap the ferrous impurities that are present in the fluid to be treated.
It is clear that the filters normally employed for heating and cooling system protection must be periodically maintained, in particular for the purpose of removing the residues of impurities that have accumulated after the heat-transfer fluid has flowed through it many times.
However, the filters known in the art suffer from a few drawbacks, in that they are so designed as to not allow one to know when said maintenance is required for removing the impurities accumulated on said at least one magnetic element of the filtering element, which impair the proper operation of the latter.
Another drawback of the filters known in the art is that they are designed in such a way that they cannot be installed in the limited space normally available in modern heating and cooling systems for a filter specifically designed for separating and removing ferrous parts from the heat-transfer fluid; it must be pointed out that this problem is particularly felt in apartments and houses where the power generator (boiler) is placed in suitable wall units that normally do not leave sufficient room for positioning a filter for separating and removing ferrous parts from the heat-transfer fluid.
A further drawback lies in the fact that the filters known in the art are not versatile and do not allow an installer to easily use the same filter in association with different types of power generators and different installation configurations.
In this frame, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a filter for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply system, which is so designed as to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.
In particular, it is one object of the present invention to provide a filter for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network, and a method of operation thereof, which can provide an indication about the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element, in particular for the purpose of knowing when maintenance is required in order to remove said impurities.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a filter and a method of operation thereof which are so conceived as to ensure optimal operation of the filter and to provide the user with indications about the accumulation of impurities on its filtering element.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a filter for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network, which is so conceived that it can be optimally installed in the limited space available in modern heating and cooling systems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a filter for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network, which is versatile and which allows an installer to easily use the same filter with different types of power generators and in different installation configurations.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a filter for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network of a heating and/or cooling system, which is so designed that it can be easily subjected to maintenance work for removing the residues of the impurities accumulated thereon after the heat-transfer fluid has flowed through it many times.
Said objects are achieved by the present invention through a filter for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network, and a method of operation thereof, incorporating the features set out in the appended claims, which are an integral part of the present description.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and from the annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non-limiting explanatory example, wherein:
In the annexed drawings, reference numeral 1 designates as a whole a filter for treating a fluid in a piping (not shown in the annexed drawings), in particular of a water supply network, according to the present invention. In particular, said water supply network consists of a heating and/or cooling system.
In particular, said filter 1 comprises:
In accordance with the present invention, the filter 1 comprises at least one magnetic detector 30 associated with said main body 10 for detecting the magnetic field generated by said at least one magnetic element 21.
In addition, the filter 1 according to the present invention comprises a control unit 40 associated with said at least one magnetic detector 30, said control unit 40 being adapted to process the magnetic field information received from said at least one magnetic detector 30 and to provide an indication about the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element 20.
In a first embodiment, said at least one magnetic detector 30 may consist of at least one magnetic switch adapted to detect the state of the magnetic field generated by said at least one magnetic element 21; alternatively, in accordance with a second embodiment, said at least one magnetic detector 30 may consist of at least one magnetic sensor adapted to measure the magnetic field generated by said at least one magnetic element 21.
Furthermore, said at least one magnetic detector 30 may be at least partially inserted in the chamber 10A, as shown in the embodiment example of
In particular, said indication may be provided as an alarm signal (of the visual type, when issued by the first signalling device 41, and/or of the audible type, when issued by the second signalling device 42) when the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element 20 is such as to require maintenance of the filter 1 in order to remove the impurities.
In addition, the filter 1 according to the present invention preferably comprises transmission/reception means 43 associated with said control unit 40 and adapted to:
Said remote station, which may be an integral part of a power generator with which the filter 1 is associated, or which may consist of a portable terminal, can thus acquire the indications processed by the control unit 40 pertaining to the clogging condition of the filter 1 and hence decide what actions need to be taken, which may include a notification integrated with an external application (via messaging, e-mail, etc.), sending specific instructions to the transmission/reception means 43 and to the control unit 40 (e.g., instructions for stopping the power generator before the filter 1 becomes totally clogged), and so on.
Preferably, the control unit 40 is associated with power supply means (not shown in the annexed drawings), which may consist, for example, of a battery; furthermore, said at least one magnetic detector 30, the control unit 40, the first signalling device 41 of the video type, the second signalling device 42 of the audio type and the transmission/reception means 43 are preferably mounted on a structure (not shown in the annexed drawings) that may be formed directly on the outer portion or surface of the main body 10 or associated with said outer portion or surface of the main body 10.
The peculiar characteristics of said at least one magnetic detector 30 and of the control unit 40 according to the present invention allow realizing said filter 1 in such a way as to ensure its optimal operation, since the magnetic detector 30 and the control unit 40 continuously provide a user with accurate indications about the accumulation of impurities on the filtering element 20. It is therefore clear that the user, thanks to said indications, is put in a condition to understand when maintenance work is needed for removing the impurities from the filtering element 20 and to readily take action in order to restore the filter 1 to its optimal operating condition.
In a preferred embodiment, the filter 1 comprises a plurality of magnetic detectors 30 associated with said main body 10, in particular said magnetic detectors 30 being positioned at different distances from said at least one magnetic element 21 of the filtering element 20. This provision ensures a more accurate and reliable indication about the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element 20. In fact, the arrangement of said magnetic detectors 30 at different distances from said at least one magnetic element 21 allows one to understand when the geometric zone concerned by the flux lines generated by the magnetic element 21 tends to get filled with ferrous impurities and, also due to a suitable management logic included in the control unit 40, allows providing the user with an appropriate signal. For example, said signal may be provided by means of a luminous sequence generated by the first signalling device 41 of the video type (e.g., by using light sources with colours ranging from green—to indicate the absence of impurities or a low concentration thereof—to red—to indicate an excessive concentration of impurities on the filtering element 20—possibly with a plurality of intermediate colours) and/or by means of an audible signal emitted by the second signalling device 42 of the audio type (e.g., said audible signal may be an intermittent signal and/or a signal the intensity of which increases with the concentration of impurities on the filtering element 20). In addition, said signalling may be provided by sending the indication, processed by said control unit 40, about the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element to a remote station by means of said transmission/reception means 43 and/or by responding to an interrogation from a portable terminal or from said remote station; as a result of such signalling, the remote station can acquire the indications processed by the control unit 40, concerning the clogging condition of the filter 1, and can decide accordingly what actions to take (notification integrated with an external application, sending instructions to the transmission/reception means 43 and to the control unit 40 to stop the power generator before the filter 1 becomes totally clogged, and so on).
It should be noted that, for simplicity,
It should also be noted that the principle according to which it is possible to know the concentration level of impurities on the filtering element 20 is based on the fact that the flux lines generated by the magnetic element 21 tend to go through the accumulated ferrous impurities and, when said accumulated ferrous impurities reach the magnetic detector 30 (especially when the latter consists of a magnetic switch), the circuit to which the detector is connected will be closed, thus making it also possible to discriminate between different degrees of clogging.
In accordance with the present invention, the filtering element 20 comprises a plurality of magnetic elements 21, in particular associated with one another in such a way as to form a substantially rod-like shape.
In particular, said plurality of magnetic elements 21 is so arranged as to develop parallel to a longitudinal axis A-A of the filter 1 (said longitudinal axis A-A being indicated in
Preferably, the filtering element 20 comprises also the following elements:
In particular, the magnet cartridge 22 and the sheath 24 extend in such a way as to allow said at least one magnetic element 21 to be positioned within the chamber 10A of the main body 10.
Moreover, said sheath 24 is removable, since it can be separated from said magnet cartridge 22 and/or from at least one magnetic element 21 and from the plug 23; also, it is preferably made of plastic material.
The fact that the sheath 24 can be removed facilitates the cleaning of the ferrous residues captured by said at least one magnetic element 21, which cleaning would otherwise be difficult to carry out because of the considerable intensity of the magnetic field generated by said at least one magnetic element 21.
Preferably, the filter 1 according to the present invention comprises at least one sealing element 25 (e.g., a gasket) positioned between the plug 23 and the main body 10 to prevent any leakage of fluid from the filter 1.
In particular, the plug 23 is screwed to the main body 10 with the interposition of a pair of sealing elements 25.
The particular provisions of the filtering element 20 according to the present invention allow providing a filter 1 for treating a fluid, in particular in a water supply network, which is so designed as to allow for optimal removal of the impurities contained in a fluid flowing in said water supply network, while also facilitating the maintenance required for removing the residues of the impurities accumulated after the heat-transfer fluid has flowed through it many times.
It must be pointed out that the filter 1 according to the present invention may also comprise a second filtering element 26, in particular of the mesh type, positioned in the chamber 10A; in particular, said second filtering element 26 allows the fluid to be subjected to an additional filtering action in order to trap the non-ferromagnetic impurities that might escape from the action of the magnetic field exerted by the magnetic filtering element 20.
In a preferred embodiment, said second filtering element 26 has a substantially tubular shape; in particular, the second filtering element 26 is so positioned as to embrace or enclose the assembly consisting of the filtering element 20, the magnet cartridge 22 and the sheath 24.
Advantageously, the main body 10 comprises a wall 14 that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A of the filter 1, so as to mate with a tract of the second filtering element 26 and allow it to be correctly positioned within the chamber 10A.
In particular, the wall 14 is also substantially tubular in shape and may have:
Moreover, the plug 23 is preferably so shaped as to comprise a recess 23A (in particular having a substantially circular shape in a front view, i.e., when viewed in a direction parallel to the axis A-A of the filter 1), which is adapted to house a terminal portion of the second filtering element 26 and allow it to be correctly positioned within the chamber 10A, in particular in co-operation with the wall 14.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the filter 1 according to the present invention, the main body 10 comprises a first mouth 11, a second mouth 12 and a third mouth 13, which have substantially the same shape.
As can be seen in
In particular, a first side 11A of the first mouth 11, a second side 12A of the second mouth 12 and a third side 13A of the third mouth 13 are made in substantially the same manner in terms of dimensions and shape; it should be noted that, in the present description, the term “side” refers to that surface of the mouths 11, 12, 13 which is opposite to that which faces the first duct C1, the second duct C2 and the third duct C3, respectively.
Moreover, the first mouth 11, the second mouth 12 and the third mouth 13 comprise similar connection means; for example, said connection means may consist of identical threads on the sides 11A, 12A, 13A of said first mouth 11, second mouth 12 and third mouth 13.
In a preferred embodiment, the first mouth 11, the second mouth 12 and the third mouth 13 are positioned on the main body 10 in such a way as to lie in substantially the same longitudinal plane, said longitudinal plane being parallel to a longitudinal axis A-A (visible in
In addition, the first mouth 11 and the third mouth 13 are positioned on the main body 10 on opposite sides relative to the chamber 10A and in such a way as to have first longitudinal axes X substantially coinciding with each other (note that said first longitudinal axes X are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis A-A of the filter 1); therefore, in the sectional view of
In this embodiment, the second mouth 12 is positioned on the main body 10 in such a way as to have a second longitudinal axis Y substantially perpendicular to the first longitudinal axes X of the first mouth 11 and third mouth 13; therefore, the second longitudinal axis Y is substantially parallel to (and may also coincide with) said longitudinal axis A-A of the filter 1.
In a preferred embodiment (shown in
It is clear that said distance A may also be a distance between the second axis Y and a straight line passing through a third inlet section 13B of the third mouth 13. Furthermore, said distance B may also be a distance between the first axis X of the third mouth 13 and a straight line passing through said second inlet section 12B of the second mouth 12, since the first mouth 11 and the third mouth 13 have substantially coinciding first longitudinal axes X.
Preferably, the main body 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape; in this embodiment, the first mouth 11 and the third mouth 13 are positioned on the side surface of the main body 10, whereas the second mouth 12 is positioned at one end (or base) of the substantially cylindrical main body 10.
The peculiar features of the filter 1 according to the present invention make said filter 1 suitable for optimal installation in the limited space available in modern heating and cooling systems.
In fact, as can be observed in
It should be noted that in the first configuration (
Therefore, the provisions of the present invention allow providing a filter 1 that turns out to be very versatile, in that such provisions will allow an installer to easily and readily use the filter 1 with different types of power generators and in different installation configurations.
As previously described, the main body 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape; in this embodiment, the plug 23 of the filtering element 20 is secured at one end of the main body 10, opposite to that with which the second mouth 12 is associated.
In
Advantageously, the wall 14 is so positioned in the chamber 10A as to surround the inlet portion of the second duct C2 in said chamber 10A.
The following will briefly describe a method of operation of a filter 1 for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network, said filter 1 comprising:
According to the present invention, said method comprises the following steps:
In accordance with the present invention, said step c) can be carried out through a step c1), wherein said control unit 40 activates (whether directly or indirectly) a first signalling device 41 of the video type and/or a second signalling device 42 of the audio type in order to provide a user with said indication about the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element 20.
In particular, said indication may be provided as an alarm signal (of the visual type, when issued by the first signalling device 41, and/or of the audible type, when issued by the second signalling device 42) when the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element 20 is such as to require maintenance of the filter 1 in order to remove the impurities.
Furthermore, said step c) can be carried out through a step c2), wherein said control unit 40 activates (whether directly or indirectly) transmission/reception means 43 in order to:
Preferably, said step a) of measuring the magnetic field is carried out through a plurality of magnetic detectors 30 associated with said main body 10; in particular, said magnetic detectors 30 being positioned at different distances from said at least one magnetic element 21 of the filtering element 20.
The features of the filter 1 according to the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof, are apparent from the above description.
In fact, the peculiar features of the filter 1 according to the present invention allow realizing said filter 1 in such a way as to ensure optimal operation thereof, since the magnetic detector 30 and the control unit 40 continuously provide the user with accurate indications about the accumulation of impurities on the filtering element 20. It is therefore apparent that the user, thanks to said indications, is put in a condition to know and understand when maintenance is necessary for removing the impurities from the filtering element 20 and to readily take action in order to restore the filter 1 to its optimal operating condition.
Moreover, by realizing the filter 1 in such a way that it comprises a plurality of magnetic detectors 30 associated with said chamber 10A, in particular said magnetic detectors 30 being positioned at different distances from said at least one magnetic element 21 of the filtering element 20, a more accurate and reliable indication can be obtained as concerns the quantity of impurities that have accumulated on the filtering element 20.
It should also be noted that the provisions of the present invention allow realizing said filter 1 in such a way that it can be optimally installed in the limited space available in modern heating and cooling systems.
Furthermore, the provisions of the present invention allow providing a filter 1 that turns out to be very versatile, in that such provisions will allow an installer to easily and readily use the filter 1 with different types of power generators and in different installation configurations.
The particular conformation of the filter 1 according to the present invention also facilitates the maintenance work required for removing the residues of the impurities that have accumulated after the heat-transfer fluid has flowed through it many times.
The filter 1 for treating a fluid in a piping, in particular of a water supply network, described herein by way of example may be subject to many possible variations without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea; it is also clear that in the practical implementation of the invention the illustrated details may have different shapes or be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
It can therefore be easily understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described filter and method of operation thereof, but may be subject to many modifications, improvements or replacements of equivalent parts and elements without departing from the inventive idea, as clearly specified in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102016000104280 | Oct 2016 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2017/056436 | 10/17/2017 | WO | 00 |
