EP1285202A1

EP1285202A1 - Heat exchanger for rooms

Info

Publication number: EP1285202A1
Application number: EP01980037A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Adriano Morigi
Original assignee: Us Commercial Service LLC
Current assignee: Us Commercial Service LLC
Priority date: 2000-05-23
Filing date: 2001-05-22
Publication date: 2003-02-26
Also published as: IT249515Y1; WO2001090658A1; ITTO20000079V0; AU1012802A; ITTO20000079U1

Abstract

Heat exchanger (2) for rooms which is frontally and behind defined at least by two radiant plates (8) provided with relevant smooth heat exchanging surfaces (12); a number of inner ducts (10) being placed between the plates (8) and being serially connected to each others to define a compact and completely closed structure with the plates (8) and an only canalisation path (P) placed in direct contact with the plates (8).

Description

HEAT EXCHANGER FOR ROOMS

DESCRIPTION The present . invention relates to a heat exchanger for rooms . In general, during cold seasons, for the conditioning of the air of rooms such as, for example, rooms of flats, it is well-known to use heat exchangers which are externally limited by a frontal uneven surface and by a rear uneven surface and comprise a given number of radiant sectors. These radiant sectors are placed between the two uneven surfaces, they are hydraulically connected, and each of them comprises two or more vertical ducts which are suited to the circulation of a heating fluid supplied by a heating system.

Furthermore, between two adjacent sectors and between two ducts of the same sectors, the heat exchangers of the type described above are provided with through horizontal and vertical canals which are able both to increase the a thermal exchanging surface and to favour an air flow which laps against the thermal exchanging surface from the bottom upwards .

The heat exchangers of the type described above present some drawbacks which are reflected both in

BESTATIGUNGSKOPIE the people's health who frequent these rooms and in the conditions of the same rooms. In other words, said through canals favour the accumulation of dusts inside the structure of the heat exchangers as well as the spreading in the rooms of micro-organisms which are typical of the dust. The through canals cause, furthermore, the forming of unpleasant heaps of dust in the area above the heat exchanger.

' Finally, the ducts arrangement and the hydraulic connection of the ducts do not allow the complete exploitation of the caloric power of the heating fluid which flows through these ducts due to the whirlpools and the blow-by of fluid inside the same ducts . The aim of the present invention is to produce a heat exchanger which allows not only an optimum exploitation of the caloric power of the fluid which flows through the same heat exchanger but even it allows to eliminate any inconvenience for the health of the people who frequent the rooms in which the heat exchanger is installed.

According to the present invention, a heat exchanger for rooms will be produced being frontally and behind defined at least by two heat exchanging surfaces and comprising a number of inner ducts which are placed between the two heat exchanging surfaces; the heat exchanger being characterised by the fact that it further comprises a compact structure which is completely closed around said inner ducts and it is provided with two frontal radiant plates and two junction valves which are connected by an only canalisation path defined by said inner ducts; the two plates defining said heat exchanging surfaces and being placed in direct contact with the canalisation path for all their extension.

The structure of the well-known heat exchangers does not to allow to use them for any other kind of purpose such as, for example, the conditioning of the air of rooms during hot seasons . Due to this fact it is necessary to use air-conditioning devices which are independent from the heat exchangers and they are very expensive. Moreover, these air-conditioning devices contribute to a further growth of troubles for the people, mainly for elderly people and children, because they are the harbingers of other typologies of micro-organisms and of not-wealthy environmental conditions .

A further aim of the present invention is to produce a heat exchanger which is always able to condition air of the rooms whichever the season be. In accordance with the second aim mentioned above and according a further embodiment of the above-defined heat exchanger, the said two valves being connectable to a closed hydraulic circuit which is provided with a hot supply portion comprising a boiler for the circulation of a heating fluid from the boiler to the heat exchanger and vice versa, and with a cold supply portion which is alternative and in paralleling to the hot supply portion and comprises a cooler for the circulation of a cooling fluid from the cooler to the heat exchanger and vice versa.

The invention will now be described in relation to the attached drawings, which illustrate a non- limiting embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows, in a schematic way and with parts removed for clarity, a first preferred embodiment of a conditioning device for rooms which is provided with a heat exchanger according to the present invention and in a first functioning operative configuration;

FIGURE 2 is a view, in a frontal elevational perspective and in section, of the heat exchanger shown in FIGURE 1 in the a first functioning operative configuration; FIGURE 3 shows a section of FIGURE 2 along the line

III-III; FIGURE 4 is a schematic view of the device s'hown in

FIGURE 1 in a second functioning operative configuration; and

FIGURE 5 is a view, in a frontal elevational perspective and in section, of the heat exchanger of the FIGURE 2 in the second functioning operative configuration; FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of a second preferred embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention; and FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic and perspective view of the heat exchanger shown in figure 7. With reference initially to FIG. 1, the number 1 indicates, in its entirety, a conditioning device for rooms which is able to heat and, alternatively, to cool the same rooms .

The device 1 comprises at least a heat ' exchanger 2 which is placed inside the room, a boiler 3, a cooler 4, and a closed hydraulic circuit 5. The hydraulic circuit 5 is provided with a hot supply portion 6 and a cold supply portion 7 which are paralleling to each other and are connected with the exchanger 2. More particularly, the hot portion 6 connects the boiler 3 and the heat exchanger 2 for the circulation of a heating fluid from the boiler 3 to the heat exchanger 2 and vice versa so as to heat the rooms, as far as the cold portion 7, besides being alternatively operated to the hot portion 6, connects the cooler 4 and the heat exchanger 2 for the circulation of a cooling fluid from the cooler 4 to the heat exchanger 2 and vice versa so as to cool the room.

The hydraulic circuit 5 comprises, for each portion 6 and 7, a selection valve V and a pump P for the circulation of the relevant fluid. The two valves V can be operated to exclude selectively a portion 6, 7 from the other portion 1 , 6 .

As is better illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 the heat exchanger 2 comprises two frontal radiant plates 8 and, for the purpose to connect the heat exchanger 2 to the hydraulic circuit 5, two junction valves 9, each of them defines an entry, or alternatively, an outlet for the fluids according to the second functioning operative configuration.

The heat exchanger 2 further comprises a number of inner ducts 10 which are which are interposed between the two plates 8 and are placed in a horizontal position. The ducts 10 are connected to each others to define an only canalisation path P which extends along all the inner volume of the heat exchanger 2 closely to the two plates 8 and which directly connects the two valves 9.

The horizontal arrangement of the ducts 10 between the two plates 8 and the external shape of the same plates 8 give to the heat exchanger 2 a compact structure which is completely closed around the ducts 10. Additionally this structure is utterly devoid of gaps and grooves able to receive dust or other and allows to the heat exchanger 2 to reach hygienic levels which are very difficult to be reached by the well-known heat exchangers installed in the flats.

Finally, the heat exchanger 2 comprises a collecting vessel 11 for the condensation which defines a lower portion of the radiant plates 8 and is mounted in a removable way with reference to the same plates 8. The plates 8 are provided with respective external surfaces 12 which are substantially smooth to allow the fall of the condensation into the collecting vessel 11.

When in use during cold seasons, or rather when the exigency of heating the rooms in which the above- described heat exchangers 2 are installed comes before, the two valves V are opened so as to solely the hot portion 6 be in connected with the heat exchangers 2: in this case, the conditioning device 1 works as a normal heating system and the heating fluid flows the heat exchangers 2 front the bottom upwards .

Nevertheless, the particular arrangement of the heat exchanger 2 allows a complete thermal exchange between the heating fluid and the plates 8 which are heated all along their extension increasing the amount of heat given to the room caloric capacity of the fluid being equal. Furthermore, the complete thermal exchange allows an energy conservation of at least 30% with reference to the current conditions involved calories being equal .

Figures 4 and 5 show the device 1 in a second functioning operative configuration which is activated during hot seasons, or rather when the exigency of cooling the rooms in which the above- described heat exchangers 2 are installed comes before. In this second operative configuration, the two valves V are opened so as to solely the cold portion 7 be connected with the heat exchangers 2 : in this case, the conditioning device 1 works as a cooling system and the cooling fluid flows the heat exchangers 2 from the top downwards .

In this case, due to the ' fact that the temperature of the fluid which flows through the heat exchanger 2 is inferior to the ambient temperature, some condensation forms on the plates 8 and the heat is taken from the room. The condensation glides on the substantially smooth surfaces 12 of the plates 8 due to the force of gravity and collects inside the vessel 11 from whose the condensation can be easily removed by detaching the vessel 11 from the plates 8 and discharging its content in the water system or by providing the vessel 11 with a draining device which can be easily bought at the market. The vessel 11 can also be detached in the first operative functioning condition to increase still further the total amount of air which laps against the plates 8 during the heating.

At this point it is advisable to underline that the cooling of the rooms provided by the device 1 in its second operative functioning condition allow to lower the temperature of the rooms without any of the typical drawbacks of the well-known conditioning devices . Figures 6 and 7 show a heat exchanger 20 which is another preferred embodiment of the heat exchanger 2 and from which the heat exchanger 20 differs due to the fact that the heat exchanger 20 comprises 'an inner plate 21, which is similar to the radiant plates 8 and it is placed between the radiant plates 8. The heat exchanger 20 comprises two series 21 of inner ducts 10 placed along the path P and each series 21 is defined by one radiant plate 8 and the inner plate 21. The ducts of the series 21 are connected each other to realise an only canalisation path P which directly connects the two valves 9, and each duct 10 presents a direction D of flow which is opposite to the direction D of flow of the two adjacent ducts 10. More particularly, for each series 21, a duct 10, which is parallel to the equivalent duct 10 of the other series 21, is jointed to the equivalent duct 10 of the other series 21 with a U-shaped elbow 22 which lies in a horizontal plane defined by the two equivalent ducts 10. Furthermore, for each series 21, a duct 10, which is parallel to the adjacent duct 10 of the same series 21, is jointed to the equivalent duct 10 of the same series 21 with a L-shaped elbow 23 which lies in a vertical plane defined by the two adjacent ducts 10. It is intended that the present invention not be limited to the forms of embodiment herein described and illustrated, which are to be considered as examples of preferred forms of embodiment for a heat exchanger for rooms, and which may be subject to further modifications in terms of the shape and arrangement of parts, constructive details and assembly.

Claims

1. Heat exchanger (2) for rooms which is frontally and behind defined at least by two heat exchanging surfaces (12) and comprises a number of inner ducts (10) which are placed between the two heat exchanging surfaces (12) ; the heat exchanger (2) being characterised by the fact that it further comprises a compact structure which is completely closed around said inner ducts (10) and it is provided with two frontal radiant plates (8) and two junction valves (9) which are connected by an only canalisation path (P) defined by said inner ducts (10) ; the two plates (8) defining said heat exchanging surfaces (12) and being placed in direct contact with the canalisation path (P) for all their extension.

2. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 1, characterised by the fact that said two valves (9) are connectable to a closed hydraulic circuit (5) which is provided with a hot supply portion (6) in turn comprising a boiler (3) for the circulation of a heating fluid from the boiler (3) to the heat exchanger (2) and vice versa, and with a cold supply portion (7) which is alternative and in paralleling to the hot supply portion (6) and comprises a cooler (4) for the circulation of a cooling fluid from the cooler (4) to the heat exchanger (2) and vice versa.

3. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 2 , characterised by the fact that the hydraulic circuit (5) is provided for each said supply portion (6, 7) with a selection valve (V) and a pump (P) for the circulation of the relevant fluid; the two valves (V) being operated to exclude selectively a supply portion (6) (7) from the other supply portion (7) (6) .

4. Heat exchanger as 'claimed in Claim 3, characterised by the fact that each junction valve (9) defines an entry, or alternatively, an outlet for said fluids .

5. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 4, characterised by the fact of comprising a collecting vessel (11) for the condensation which defines a lower portion of said radiant plates (8) and it is mounted in a removable way with reference to the same plates (8) .

6. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 1, characterised by the fact that the external surfaces (12) are substantially smooth.

7. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 1, characterised by the fact that said inner ducts (10) are parallel to each other and horizontal arranged.

8. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 1, characterised by the fact that it comprises an inner plate (21) , which is similar to the radiant plates

(8) and it is placed between the radiant plates (8) to define two series (21) of inner ducts (10) placed along the canalisation path (P) .

9. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 8, characterised by the fact that the ducts (10) of the series (21) are connected to each other to connect directly the two valves (9) ; each duct (10) being provided with a direction (D) of flow which is opposite to the direction (D) of flow of the two relevant adjacent ducts (10) .

10. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 9, characterised by the fact that, for each series (21) , a duct (10) , which is parallel to an equivalent duct

(10) of the other series (21) , is jointed to the equivalent duct (10) of the other series (21) with a

U-shaped elbow (22) which lies in a horizontal plane defined by the two equivalent ducts (10) .

11. Heat exchanger as claimed in Claim 9, characterised by the fact that, for each series (21), a duct (10), which is parallel to an adjacent equivalent duct (10) of the same series (21) , is jointed to the equivalent duct (10) of the same series (21) with a L-shaped elbow (23) which lies in a vertical plane defined by the two adjacent ducts (10) . ^!-