Hot water supply system and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400118-B2
Application number	US-201314081607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2013
Priority date	Aug 2, 2013
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

The invention disclosure provides a hot water supply system and method thereof which can control a solar heating unit, a first heat-pump unit, a boiler unit, and an electric heater unit through a control unit to heat water. The control unit operates in a pre-heating period and a heating period after the pre-heating period. In the pre-heating period, the solar heating unit and the first heat-pump unit preheat water. In the heating period, the boiler unit further heats water coming from the solar heating unit and the first heat-pump unit to an exit temperature and stores water in the boiler unit and the electric heater unit so as to provide water to an outflow device. The invention integrates many water heaters in one system, so as to improve the efficiency of generation of hot water and achieve the objectives of energy conservation and carbon reduction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hot water supply system, comprising:
a solar heating unit, for heating water;
a boiler unit, comprising a boiler machine and a boiler water tank, the boiler machine coupled to the boiler water tank and the solar heating unit, for heating water coming from the solar heating unit and storing heated water in the boiler water tank;
a control unit, coupled to the solar heating unit and the boiler unit, the control unit controlling the solar heating unit and the boiler unit, controlling the hot water supply system to operate in a pre-heating period and a heating period, the pre-heating period being previous to the heating period; and
a first heat-pump unit, comprising a first heat-pump machine and a first heat-pump water tank, the first heat-pump water tank is coupled to the first heat-pump machine, the first heat-pump unit coupled to the boiler unit and the control unit;
wherein, in the pre-heating period, the solar heating unit preheats water and stores preheated water, and the first heat-pump machine heats water stored in the boiler water tank;
wherein, in the heating period, the solar heating unit provides the preheated water to the boiler machine, the first heat-pump machine preheats water stored in the first heat-pump water tank and stores the preheated water, and the boiler machine heats water coming from the solar heating unit and the first heat-pump water tank to an exit temperature and stores the heated water in the boiler water tank.

2. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising an electric heater unit, the electric heater unit coupled to the control unit and the boiler water tank, wherein the electric heater unit receives water coming from the boiler water tank in the heating period.

3. The hot water supply system according to claim 2 , wherein the hot water supply system operates in an electric heating period after the heating period, and in the electric heating period the control unit turns off the boiler machine and the electric heater unit heats water coming from the boiler water tank to the exit temperature when the temperature of the water stored in the boiler water tank is lower than the exit temperature or the first heat-pump unit is failure.

4. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the solar heating unit comprises a solar thermal collector and a solar water tank, the solar water tank is coupled to the solar thermal collector, the solar water tank heats water stored in the solar water tank.

5. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the solar heating unit comprises an outflow valve, the outflow valve is opened to provide the heated water to an outflow device when the temperature of the water stored in the solar heating unit is higher than a first predetermined temperature.

6. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein, in the heating period, the first heat-pump unit heats water stored in the first heat-pump unit to a second predetermined temperature, and the boiler machine heats the water coming from the solar heating unit and the first heat-pump unit to the exit temperature, the second predetermined temperature is lower than the exit temperature.

7. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second heat-pump unit, the second heat-pump unit comprising a second heat-pump machine and a second heat-pump water tank, the second heat-pump water tank coupled to the solar heating unit and storing water coming from the solar heating unit, the control unit controlling the second heat-pump machine to heat water stored in the second heat-pump water tank to the exit temperature for providing water to an outflow device.

8. A hot water supply method according to claim 1 , comprising:
controlling the solar heating unit to preheat water and storing the preheated water, and controlling a first heat-pump unit to heat water stored in the boiler water tank in the pre-heating period; and
controlling the solar heating unit to provide the preheated water to the boiler machine, controlling the first heat-pump unit to preheat water stored in the first heat-pump unit to a second predetermined temperature and stores the preheated water, and controlling the boiler machine to heat water coming from the solar heating unit and the first heat-pump unit to the exit temperature and store the heated water in the boiler water tank in the heating period, wherein the second predetermined temperature is lower than the exit temperature and the first heat-pump unit is coupled to the boiler machine and the control unit.

9. The hot water supply method according to claim 8 , wherein, in the heating period, an electric heater unit receives water from the boiler water tank, wherein the electric heater unit is coupled to the control unit and the boiler water tank.

10. The hot water supply method according to claim 9 , wherein the how water supply system operates in an electric heating period after the heating period, and in the electric heating period turning off the boiler machine and controlling the electric heater unit to heat water coming from the boiler water tank to the exit temperature when the temperature of the water stored in the boiler water tank is lower than the exit temperature or the first heat-pump unit is failure.

11. The hot water supply method according to claim 8 , wherein the solar heating unit comprises an outflow valve, the outflow valve is opened to provide the heated water to an outflow device when the temperature of the water stored in the solar heating unit is higher than a first predetermined temperature.

12. The hot water supply method according to claim 8 , wherein the hot water supply system further comprises a second heat-pump unit, the second heat-pump water tank is coupled to the solar heating unit and stores water coming from the solar heating unit, and the control unit controls the second heat-pump unit to heat water stored in the second heat-pump unit to the exit temperature for providing water to an outflow device.

Assignees

• Univ Yuan Ze

Inventors

• Wei Jung-Tzung
• Huang Yu-Chih

Classifications

• F24D17/02

  using heat pumps · CPC title

• F24D17/0068 Primary

  with accumulation of the heated water · CPC title

• F24D19/106

  the system uses a heat pump and solar energy · CPC title

• F24D2200/12

  Heat pump · CPC title

• F24D2200/14

  Solar energy · CPC title