JP2001263791A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a hot water supply device capable of efficiently removing chlorine from hot water. SOLUTION: A hot water storage tank 1 and a circulation path connecting an intake port 26 of the hot water storage tank 1 and the inside of the tank are provided, and a heat exchange path 29 provided in the circulation path is heated by a heating source.
The city water from the water intake 26 is heated in the heat exchange path 29 to return the hot water to the inside of the tank, and the hot water storage tank 1
A hot water supply device configured to be able to supply hot water from a hot water supply port 4 of
A vent valve 37 capable of releasing chlorine generated from hot water to the atmosphere,
23 is provided in the high temperature part of the circulation path. The high temperature part is the outlet side 29 b of the heat exchange path 29 and the hot water supply port 4 at the top of the hot water storage tank 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water supply device installed in a house or the like, which heats city water to store hot water in a hot water storage tank and supplies hot water from the hot water storage tank to a bathroom, kitchen, washroom, or the like. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hot water supply apparatus includes a hot water storage tank to which city water is supplied, a water supply port of the hot water storage tank, and a circulation path having a heat exchange path interposed therebetween. A heating source for heating is provided, and the unheated water from the water intake port taken out by the water supply pump is heated in the heat exchange path to return hot water to the inside of the tank.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention] City water (tap water)
Contains chlorine used for disinfection at water treatment plants. This chlorine emits a peculiar odor and combines with organic substances in water to produce trihalomethane, which has been pointed out as a carcinogen. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for chlorine removal when using city water as drinking water. For example, a water purifier that can be attached to a kitchen faucet is on the market and is becoming popular.

By the way, it is known that chlorine is generated more from city water as the water temperature increases. When city water is heated and used in a bathroom with high airtightness, the generated chlorine fills the bathroom, giving a bather discomfort and may have various adverse effects. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for removing chlorine when using heated city water (hot water) in a bathroom. For example, shower heads with a dechlorination function are commercially available.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional disadvantages, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply apparatus capable of efficiently removing chlorine from hot water.

[0006]

Therefore, a hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1 includes a hot water storage tank 1 and an intake port 26 of the hot water storage tank 1.
And a circulation path connecting the tank and the inside of the tank. The heat exchange path 29 provided in the circulation path is heated by a heating source, and city water from the water intake 26 is heated in the heat exchange path 29. A hot water supply device configured to return hot water to the inside of the tank and to allow hot water to be discharged from a hot water supply port 4 of the hot water storage tank 1, and to release gas generated from the hot water to the atmosphere, such as an air release valve and a relief valve. The degassing valves 37 and 23 are provided in a high temperature part of the circulation path.

In the above hot water supply apparatus, chlorine generated from the hot water in the high temperature section of the circulation path is immediately released to the atmosphere from the gas release valves 37 and 23 provided in the high temperature section.
Therefore, chlorine can be efficiently removed from hot water.

Further, the hot water supply apparatus according to claim 2 is characterized in that the degassing valve 37 is provided at an outlet of the heat exchange path 29.

In the hot water supply apparatus of the second aspect, the heat exchange path 2
Chlorine generated by heating at 9 is immediately released to the atmosphere from a vent valve 37 provided at the outlet of the heat exchange path 29. Since the highest temperature in the circulation path is at the heat exchange path 29, chlorine is easily generated as compared with other places, and the generated chlorine is immediately discharged from the gas release valve 37.
Released into the atmosphere from Therefore, chlorine can be efficiently removed from hot water.

Further, the hot water supply apparatus according to claim 3 is characterized in that the degassing valve 23 is provided at the top of the hot water storage tank 1 and connected to the hot water supply port 4.

In the hot water supply apparatus according to the third aspect, since high-temperature hot water is stored at the top of the hot water storage tank 1, chlorine is easily generated from the hot water, and the generated chlorine immediately passes through the hot water supply port 4. The gas is released from the vent valve 23 to the atmosphere. Therefore, chlorine can be efficiently removed from hot water.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the heat source is a heat pump system including a water heat exchanger 44 functioning as a condenser, and a supercritical refrigerant such as ethylene, ethane, or nitrogen oxide is used as the refrigerant. It is characterized by using.

In the hot water supply apparatus according to the fourth aspect, since the hot water can be heated to a high temperature of about 85 ° C., chlorine is easily generated from the hot water. Therefore, chlorine can be efficiently removed from hot water.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, specific embodiments of the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a water system and a refrigerant system of a water heater according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, a bath circuit in a water system will be described.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a hot water storage tank.
Have three thermistors 11, 1 serving as temperature detecting means.
2, 13 are arranged at different heights. Specifically, the first thermistor 11, the second thermistor 12, and the third thermistor 13 are arranged in this order at a predetermined interval from the upper part to the lower part in the figure. A water supply pipe 3 for supplying city water to the hot water storage tank 1 while applying water supply pressure is connected to a water supply port 2 provided at the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1. In order from the side, a pressure-reducing check valve 7 with a relief valve and a freezing prevention thermistor 6 are interposed. On the other hand, a hot water supply pipe 8 is connected to a hot water supply port 4 provided at the top of the hot water storage tank 1, and the tip thereof is connected to an inflow side 9 a of a mixing valve 9. Here, on the hot water storage tank 1 side of the hot water supply pipe 8, an air release valve 23 for releasing steam to the outside and a water release valve 24 for releasing expansion of water are provided. Further, the water supply pipe 14 branched from the middle of the water supply pipe 3 is also connected to the mixing valve 9.
The mixing valve 9 mixes hot water from the hot water supply pipe 8 and city water from the water supply pipe 14 at a constant ratio. On the other hand, a branch pipe 1 is provided on the outflow side 9b of the mixing valve 9.
6 is connected, and is branched into a hot water supply pipe 17 for a bath and a hot water supply pipe 18 via the branch pipe 16. The hot water supply pipe 17 is connected to a bathtub 22 via a hot water supply solenoid valve 19 and a check valve 21, while the hot water supply pipe 18 is connected to a hot water outlet.

Next, a water heater circuit in the above water system will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a water intake pipe 27 is connected to a water intake 26 provided at the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1, and the tip thereof is connected to an inlet side 29 a of a heat exchange path 29 via a circulation pump 28. It is connected. Here, the heat exchange path 29 is provided so as to be able to exchange heat with a triple tube type water heat exchanger 44 functioning as a condenser of a refrigerant circuit described below.
The hot and cold water flows from the inlet side 29a to the outlet side 29b. At this time, the leak detector 34 is attached to the water heat exchanger 44. A tapping pipe 31 is connected to the outlet side 29 b of the heat exchange path 29, and the tip thereof is connected to the hot water supply pipe 8 closer to the hot water storage tank 1 than the mixing valve 9. The water intake pipe 27 connecting the circulation pump 28 and the heat exchange path 29 has
An electric proportional valve 32 and an incoming water temperature detection thermistor 33 are interposed. A hot water supply temperature detecting thermistor 36 and a relief valve 37 are interposed in the tapping pipe 31 extending from the heat exchange path 29 to the hot water supply pipe 8. The bath circuit and the water heater circuit in the water system are respectively controlled by control means (not shown), and the control means is configured using a microcomputer having a CPU, a memory, an input / output interface, and the like. Things.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerant system includes a compressor 41, a water heat exchanger 44, and an electric expansion valve 4.
5. The air heat exchanger 46 is configured by sequentially connecting the refrigerant pipes 50a to 50d. Further, a discharge pipe temperature thermistor 42 and an HPS 43 for pressure control are interposed on the discharge side of the compressor 41, and an air heat exchange temperature thermistor 47 and an outside air are provided near the air heat exchanger 46, respectively. A temperature thermistor 48 is provided. By the way, the compressor 4 is connected to the refrigerant circuit during the defrosting operation.
A bypass circuit for supplying the hot gas discharged from 1 to the air heat exchanger 46 is formed. That is,
As shown in the figure, a bypass pipe 51 via a defrosting electromagnetic valve 49 is branched from a refrigerant pipe 50a connecting the discharge side of the compressor 41 and the water heat exchanger 44, and the tip thereof is connected to the electric expansion valve. Refrigerant pipe 50 connecting the heat exchanger 45 and the air heat exchanger 46
The bypass circuit is formed by connecting to the terminal c. The refrigerant system circuit is also controlled by the control means (not shown).

Next, a description will be given of a bath hot water supply operation of the operation operation of the heat pump hot water supply device having the above-described configuration. First, in a state where hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank 1 shown in FIG. 1, the hot water supply solenoid valve 19 is opened. Then, the hot water of about 85 ° C. stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is pushed up by the water supply pressure of the water flowing through the water supply pipe 3, and flows into the inflow side 9 a of the mixing valve 9 from the hot water supply port 4 through the hot water supply pipe 8. I do. At this time, the water flowing through the water supply pipe 14 branched from the water supply pipe 3 also flows into the inflow side 9a of the mixing valve 9, where the water and the hot water are mixed at a constant ratio. And about 40 ° C-6 mixed above
The hot water of 0 ° C. is supplied from the outflow side 9 b of the mixing valve 9 through the branch pipe 16, one through the hot water supply pipe 17 to the bathtub 22, and the other through the hot water pipe 18 and the outlet. Supplied to

Further, a description will be given of a water heating operation in the heat pump type hot water supply apparatus. First, in a state in which the electromagnetic valve 19 for hot water shown in FIG. 1 is closed, the compressor 41 in the refrigerant circuit is driven, the water heat exchanger 44 functions as a condenser, and the air heat exchanger 46 is connected to an evaporator. Function as Next, the circulation pump 2 in the above water system circuit
Activate 8 Then, the stored water flows out of the water intake 26 provided at the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1, and flows through the heat exchange path 29 via the water intake pipe 27. This water is then heated by the water heat exchanger 44 functioning as a condenser,
The hot water is returned to the upper portion of the hot water storage tank 1 again through the hot water supply pipe 31 and the hot water supply pipe 8. By continuously performing such an operation, the hot water is gradually stored from the upper end side to the lower end side of the hot water storage tank 1. When the temperature of the hot water detected by the third thermistor 13 provided in the lower part of the hot water storage tank 1 becomes equal to or higher than the set temperature previously set by the control means (for example, 85 ° C. or higher), the whole amount is heated. Is completed, the above operation is terminated.

Next, a structure for removing chlorine from hot water, which is a gist of the present invention, will be described. As shown in FIG.
In the hot water supply device, between the water intake 6 and the hot water supply 4 of the hot water storage tank 1, an intake pipe 27, a heat exchange path 29, a water discharge pipe 31,
Are connected by a circulation path formed by hot water supply pipe 8,
The heat exchange path 29 provided in the circulation path is connected to the water heat exchanger 44.
And the city water (unheated water) from the water inlet 6 is heated in the heat exchange passage 29 to return the hot water from the hot water supply port 4 and to be able to tap the hot water from the hot water supply port 4 of the hot water storage tank 1. ing. The present invention is characterized in that a gas vent valve capable of releasing gas generated from hot water to the atmosphere is provided in a high-temperature portion of the circulation path.

Specifically, a relief valve 37 is provided on the outlet side 29b of the heat exchange path 29, and an air relief valve 23 is provided on the hot water supply pipe 8 on the side of the hot water storage tank 1. Since the hot water supply pipe 8 is connected to the hot water supply port 4 provided at the upper end of the hot water storage tank 1, the air release valve 23 is connected to the hot water supply port 4 at the top position of the hot water storage tank 1. Become.

The relief valve 37 is a safety device for releasing a pressure increase in the pipe (heat exchange path 29) due to the volume expansion of the water generated when boiling the hot water, and has a function of keeping the inside of the pipe at a constant pressure. The specific configuration is shown in FIG.

The relief valve 37 is provided in the casing 60 with the valve 6
1, and has an inlet 63 and an outlet 64 communicating with a space 62 for accommodating the valve body 61. An inflow direction R1 from the inflow port 63 to the space 62 and an outflow direction R2 from the space 62 to the outflow port 64 are substantially orthogonal.

The valve body 61 comprises a donut-shaped main body portion 61a having a through hole 65 at the center and a lid portion 61b formed by attaching a disk 67 to one end of a rod-shaped member 66.
In the main body portion 61a, the axial direction of the through hole 65 is the inflow direction R1.
And an outer peripheral portion thereof is attached to the casing 60 by a resilient piece 68, so that the main body portion 61a can move within a predetermined range along the inflow direction R1. . Further, the main body 6
1a is urged by a spring 69 rearward in the inflow direction R1.

On the other hand, the lid portion 61b is
6 is inserted into the through hole 65 of the main body portion 61a from the inflow direction R1, and is disposed so as to close the through hole 65 with the disk 67. The main body portion 61a is located at an initial position where no pressure is applied from the inflow direction R1 and the disk 6
7 closes the through hole 65, the distance between the other end of the rod-shaped member 66 and the inner wall of the casing 60 depends on the body portion 6.
It is set to be smaller than the movement range of 1a.

In the relief valve 37 configured as described above,
When the pressure of the hot water flowing from the inflow port 63 is lower than a predetermined value, the valve body 61 does not move, and the inflow port 63 and the outflow port 64 are shut off. On the other hand, when the pressure of the hot water flowing from the inflow port 63 becomes a predetermined value or more, the valve body 61 moves in the inflow direction R1. At this time, the lid portion 61b stops moving when the other end of the rod-shaped member 66 comes into contact with the inner wall of the casing 60, but the main body portion 61a moves further forward in the inflow direction R1. The part 61a separates,
The through hole 65 is opened. Thereby, the inflow port 63 and the outflow port 64 communicate, and high-pressure hot water and gas (such as chlorine)
Is released to the atmosphere.

The air relief valve 23 is a device for automatically discharging the air collected in the pipes and the hot water storage tank 1, and has the same basic configuration as the relief valve 37.

Next, the mechanism of removing chlorine from hot water will be described. FIG. 3 is a time chart illustrating an operation state of the hot water supply device. A solid line L indicates a change in the amount of hot water from the hot water supply device. In the hot water supply device, a hot water supply operation (water heating operation) is performed at night when the electricity rate is low (for example, 12:00 to 7:00 AM). In the water heating operation, the stored water in the hot water storage tank 1 flows from the water intake 26 and flows through the heat exchange path 29 via the water intake pipe 27, and is heated by the water heat exchanger 44 at this time to become hot water. Hot water pipe 31
Then, the hot water is returned to the upper portion of the hot water storage tank 1 again through the hot water supply pipe 8. Since the highest temperature in the circulation path of the stored water is the heat exchange path 29, chlorine is easily generated from the hot water as compared with other places. Then, chlorine generated from the hot water when flowing through the heat exchange passage 29 is immediately released from the relief valve 37 to the atmosphere.

The heat exchange system 29 is heated by a heat pump system, which uses a supercritical refrigerant such as ethylene, ethane, or nitrogen oxide. Therefore, compared with the case where another refrigerant is used, 8
Since hot water can be heated to a high temperature of about 5 ° C., chlorine is easily generated from the hot water.

On the other hand, after the completion of the water heating operation, hot water of a high temperature (about 85 ° C.) is stored in the hot water storage tank 1. In the hot water storage tank 1, the hottest hot water is stored at the top thereof. Therefore, chlorine is easily generated from the hot water also at the top of the hot water storage tank 1. Then, the generated chlorine is discharged to the atmosphere through the hot water supply port 4 and the hot water supply pipe 8.

As described above, in the hot water supply apparatus, chlorine is removed during the water heating operation (hot water supply operation) mainly when passing through the heat exchange path 29, and the hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank 1 even during a time period other than the water heating operation. Chlorine is removed in the state where it is done. Accordingly, chlorine is removed over the period W from the start of the water heater operation to the time of hot water supply to the bath, so that chlorine can be efficiently and reliably removed from the hot water.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, chlorine can be efficiently removed from city water (hot water) stored in hot water storage tank 1. Therefore, when the hot water from the water heater is used in the bathroom, chlorine does not fill the bathroom, so that the bather does not feel uncomfortable and the comfort of the bathroom is improved. In addition, it is a matter of course that the hot water from the hot water supply device may be used as drinking water.

In this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated component for removing chlorine, such as a water purifier. And
The relief valve 37 has a function of releasing the pressure of the hot water flowing through the heat exchange path 29, and the air relief valve 23 has a function of releasing steam to the outside. Therefore, the product cost can be reduced.

Incidentally, when gas other than chlorine is generated from hot water, it is released to the atmosphere similarly to chlorine.

[0035]

As described above, according to the hot water supply apparatus of claims 1 to 4, chlorine can be efficiently removed from hot water. Therefore, when the hot water from the water heater is used in the bathroom, chlorine does not fill the bathroom, so that the bather does not feel uncomfortable and the comfort of the bathroom is improved. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a dedicated component for removing chlorine, such as a water purifier, the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a water system and a refrigerant system of a water heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a structure of a relief valve.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing an operation state of the water heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 hot water storage tank 4 hot water supply port 23 air release valve 26 water intake port 29 heat exchange path 37 relief valve 44 water heat exchanger

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A heat exchange path (29) having a hot water storage tank (1) and a circulation path connecting an intake port (26) of the hot water storage tank (1) and the inside of the tank. Is heated by a heating source, and city water from the water intake (26) is heated in the heat exchange path (29) to return hot water to the inside of the tank and to supply hot water to the hot water storage tank (1). A hot water supply device configured to be capable of tapping water from a port (4), wherein a gas release valve (37) (23) capable of releasing gas generated from hot water to the atmosphere, such as an air release valve or a relief valve, is connected to a high temperature of the circulation path; A hot water supply device provided in a section. 2. The hot water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the vent valve (37) is provided at an outlet of the heat exchange path (29). 3. The hot water supply port (4), wherein the vent valve (23) is connected to the hot water supply port (4) at a top position of the hot water storage tank (1). 2 hot water supply device. 4. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein the heating source includes a water heat exchanger (44) functioning as a condenser.
2. A supercritical refrigerant such as ethylene, ethane, or nitrogen oxide is used as the refrigerant.
The hot water supply device according to claim 3.