Circulating pump unit and solar thermal plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016169239-A1
Application number	US-201414892727-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 28, 2014
Priority date	May 21, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A circulation pump assembly ( 2 ) includes an electric drive motor ( 6 ) and a control device ( 10 ) integrated into the circulation pump assembly ( 2 ). At least one internal temperature sensor ( 16 ) is arranged in the circulation pump assembly ( 2 ) and detects the temperature of the medium delivered by the circulation pump assembly ( 6 ) and issues a corresponding temperature signal ( 42 ) to the control device ( 10 ). The control device ( 10 ) is configured, on the basis of the temperature signal ( 42 ) of the internal temperature sensor ( 16 ), to approximately determine the temperature of the liquid in a liquid storage means ( 26 ) which is connected to the circulation pump assembly ( 2 ) via a heating circuit ( 28 ).

First claim

1 . A circulation pump assembly comprising:
a circulation pump, a liquid storage being connected to the circulation pump assembly via a heating circuit; an electric drive motor; a control device integrated into the circulation pump assembly; and at least one internal temperature sensor arranged in the circulation pump assembly to detect a temperature of a medium delivered by the circulation pump assembly and issue a corresponding temperature signal to the control device, wherein the control device is configured, on the basis of the temperature signal of the internal temperature sensor, to approximately determine the temperature of liquid in the liquid storage.

2 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured for the control of the electric drive motor.

3 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises a communication interface configured for communication with at least one external device comprising at least one of a sensor, an actuator and an external control.

4 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the communication interface is configured for communication with at least one external temperature sensor.

5 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the control device is configured in a manner such that the control device regulates the electric drive motor with regard to speed, in dependence on the temperature signal from the internal temperature sensor and on a temperature signal from the at least one external temperature sensor.

6 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the communication interface is configured as a wireless radio interface.

7 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the communication interface is configured for automatically coupling to a communication interface of the at least one external device.

8 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the communication interface is configured in a manner such that the control device automatically effects a coupling to a communication interface of an external device suitable for coupling, inasmuch as the external device is not yet coupled to another pump assembly.

9 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured for the control of a solar-thermal installation with at least the liquid storage and with at least one solar collector for heating the liquid in the liquid storage, wherein the circulation pump assembly is provided for installation into the heating circuit between the liquid storage and the solar collector.

10 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured in a manner such that with a standstill of the electrical drive motor, on the basis of a temperature signal which is issued previously by the internal temperature sensor on operation of the electric drive motor, in the further temporal course, the control device approximately determines a temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage connected to the circulation pump assembly via the heating circuit.

11 . A circulation pump assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the control device is configured in a manner such that the determining of the temperature of the fluid in the liquid storage is based on a predefined falling characteristic curve for the temporal course of the temperature, wherein the characteristic curve runs in an essentially linearly or exponentially falling manner.

12 . A solar-thermal installation comprising:
at least one solar collector; at least one liquid storage; and a circulation pump assembly, said assembly being arranged in a heating circuit ( 28 ) between the solar collector and the liquid storage means, said assembly comprising: a circulation pump; an electric drive motor; a control device integrated into the circulation pump assembly; and at least one internal temperature sensor arranged in the circulation pump assembly and detecting a temperature of a medium delivered by the circulation pump assembly and issuing a corresponding temperature signal to the control device, wherein the control device is configured to approximately determine the temperature of liquid in the liquid storage on the basis of the temperature signal of the internal temperature sensor.

13 . A solar-thermal installation according to claim 12 , further comprising at least one external temperature sensor arranged on the solar collector wherein the control device comprises a communication interface and the at least one external temperature sensor detects the temperature of a heating medium in the solar collector and comprises a communication interface, via which the at least one external temperature sensor is coupled to the communication interface of the control device of the circulation pump assembly in a manner such that the control device receives temperature signals from the external temperature sensor.

14 . A solar-thermal installation according to claim 12 , wherein the heating circuit is connected to the liquid storage via a heat exchanger situated in the liquid storage.

15 . A solar-thermal installation according to claim 13 , wherein the control device is configured to control the electric drive motor.

16 . A solar-thermal installation according to claim 15 , wherein the control device is configured to regulate a speed of the electric drive motor in dependence on the temperature signal from the internal temperature sensor and on a temperature signal from the at least one external temperature sensor.

17 . A solar-thermal installation according according to claim 15 , wherein the communication interfaces are configured as a wireless radio interfaces.

18 . A solar-thermal installation according to claim 17 wherein the communication interface of the control device is configured to automatically couple to the communication interface of the solar collector.

19 . A solar-thermal installation according to claim 18 , wherein the communication interface of the control device is configured to automatically effect a coupling to the communication interface of the solar collector with the solar collector not yet coupled to another pump assembly.

20 . A solar-thermal installation according to claim 12 , wherein:
the control device is configured in a manner such that with a standstill of the electrical drive motor, on the basis of a temperature signal which is issued previously by the internal temperature sensor on operation of the electric drive motor, in a further temporal course, the control device approximately determines a temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage connected to the circulation pump assembly via the heating circuit; and the control device is configured in a manner such that the determining of the temperature of the fluid in the liquid storage is based on a predefined falling characteristic curve for the temporal course of the temperature, wherein the characteristic curve runs essentially linearly or essentially in an exponentially falling manner.

Assignees

• Grundfos Holding As

Inventors

• Mortensen Lars Sund
• Jensen Kim Hulegaard

Classifications

• F04D15/0263

  the condition being temperature, ingress of humidity or leakage · CPC title

• Y02B10/70

  Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies · CPC title

• F24D2200/14

  Solar energy · CPC title

• F24D2200/08

  Electric heater · CPC title

• F24D2220/042

  Temperature sensors · CPC title