Solar thermal system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400122-B2
Application number	US-201113697045-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2011
Priority date	May 13, 2010
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solar thermal system which has improved use efficiency, enables heat acquired in a heat-collecting unit to be quickly used for a heating and hot water supply load, and can be operated in a stable manner. A solar thermal system comprises: a solar heat collector that absorbs solar heat and heats a heat medium received therein; a heat storage tank that contains heating water, includes a first heat storage exchanger and a second heat storage exchanger connected to the solar heat collector through an heat storage pipe at the upper and lower portions therein respectively, and includes a diffuser that diffuses heating return water to the inside; a press sensor sensing the pressure in the heat storage pipe and a circulation pump pressing and circulating the heat medium that are connected to the heat storage pipe; a heat medium supplementary water tank that is connected to the heat storage pipe through a pressing pump to supplement the lack of the heat medium; an auxiliary boiler that has a heating water outlet connected to a heating water supply pipe of the heat storage tank through a 3-way valve for controlling the heating water supply, and a heating water return port connected to the diffuser of the heat storage tank through a 3-way valve for controlling the heating water return, a check valve that is connected between the 3-way valve for controlling the heating water supply and the heating water return port of the auxiliary boiler; and a heating load that is connected to the heating water outlet of the auxiliary boiler and the 3-way valve for controlling the heating water return.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solar thermal system comprising:
a solar heat collector that absorbs solar heat and heats a heat medium received therein;
a heat storage tank that contains heating water, includes a first heat storage exchanger and a second heat storage exchanger connected to the solar heat collector through a heat storage pipe disposed at upper and lower portions therein respectively, and includes at least one diffuser that diffuses heating return water to an inside of the heat storage tank;
a pressure sensor sensing a pressure in the heat storage pipe and a circulation pump pressing and circulating the heat medium, wherein the pressure sensor and the circulation pump are connected to the heat storage pipe;
a heat medium supplementary water tank that is connected to the heat storage pipe through a pressing pump to supplement a lack of the heat medium;
an auxiliary boiler that has a heating water outlet connected to a heating water supply pipe of the heat storage tank through a first 3-way valve for controlling the heating water supply, and a heating water return port connected to the at least one diffuser of the heat storage tank through a second 3-way valve for controlling the heating water return;
a check valve that is connected between the first 3-way valve for controlling the heating water supply and the heating water return port of the auxiliary boiler; and
a heating load that is connected to the heating water outlet of the auxiliary boiler and the second 3-way valve for controlling the heating water return.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one diffuser includes a first
diffuser disposed at a middle portion of the heat storage tank and a second diffuser disposed at the lower portion of the heat storage tank, respectively, the first and second diffusers disposed at the middle portion and the lower portion respectively are connected to different outlets of the second 3-way valve having an inlet connected to the heating return water pipe, and a passage of the second 3-way valve is controlled such that the heating water flows to a portion with higher temperature than the temperatures of the heating return water at predetermined heights of the heat storage tank.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the heat storage tank includes a heat storage tank hot water heat exchanger having a direct water pipe connected to the inlet, a mixing valve is connected to a hot water pipe connected to the outlet of the heat storage tank hot water heat exchanger through the hot water heat exchanger of the auxiliary boiler, the direct water pipe is connected to one side of the mixing valve, temperature sensors are disposed at the hot water inlet and outlet of the mixing valve and a direct water inlet respectively, and the temperature of discharged water is controlled on the basis of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensors disposed at the inlet and outlet of the mixing valve.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein an upper temperature sensor, a middle temperature sensor, and a lower temperature sensor that sense the temperatures are provided at the upper, middle, and lower portions of the heat storage tank to control an inflow position of the heating return water and an inflow position of the heat medium of the heat collecting pipe.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein a heat radiator is connected to the upper portion of the heat storage tank through a heat radiating pipe to radiate heat by circulating the heating water in the heat storage tank to the outside, a 2-way valve and another circulation pump are connected to one end of the heat radiating pipe, a solar PV module is connected to the heat radiator to be driven by the power supplied from the solar PV module, and the heating water is circulated to the heat radiator to prevent overheating, when the temperature sensed by the hot water temperature sensor disposed at the outlet of the solar heat collector is higher than a predetermined temperature.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat storage tank includes a heat storage tank hot water heat exchanger having a direct water pipe connected to the inlet, a mixing valve is connected to a hot water pipe connected to the outlet of the heat storage tank hot water heat exchanger, and the direct water pipe is connected to one side of the mixing valve to control the temperature of discharged water.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein a lower water level sensor is disposed in the heat medium supplementary water tank to automatically supplement the heat medium and generate an alarm of leaking.

8. The system of claim 2 , wherein the heat storage tank includes a heat storage tank hot water heat exchanger having a direct water pipe connected to the inlet, a mixing valve is connected to a hot water pipe connected to the outlet of the heat storage tank hot water heat exchanger through the hot water heat exchanger of the auxiliary boiler, the direct water pipe is connected to one side of the mixing valve, while temperature sensors are disposed at the hot water inlet and outlet of the mixing valve and a direct water inlet respectively, and the temperature of discharged water is controlled on the basis of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor disposed at the inlet and outlet of the mixing valve.

Assignees

• Kim Sung Kab
• Shin Hyeon Gil
• Kyungdong Navien Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Sung Kab
• Shin Hyeon Gil

Classifications

• F24D11/004

  with conventional supplementary heat source · CPC title

• F24D17/0068

  with accumulation of the heated water · CPC title

• Y02B10/20

  Solar thermal · CPC title

• F24D2200/02

  Photovoltaic energy · CPC title

• F24D2220/048

  Level sensors, e.g. water level sensors · CPC title