Immediate hot-water supplying system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9951970-B2
Application number	US-201414587079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2014
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

An immediate hot-water supplying system 1 includes a P hot water supply device 10 configured to heat water flowing through a first supply pipe 2 , an N hot water supply device 30 configured to heat water flowing through a second supply pipe 3 , a check valve 6 , and a coupled controller 60 configured to, when the flow amount detected by a second flow amount sensor 34 is equal to or more than a hot-water-supply detection flow amount, perform a hot-water supply operation in which a first burner 12 or a second burner 32 is burned with a circulation pump 16 stopped, and when the flow amount detected by the second flow amount sensor 34 is less than the hot-water-supply detection flow amount, perform a circulation heat keeping operation in which the first burner 12 is burned with the circulation pump 16 activated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An immediate hot-water supplying system, comprising:
a first supply pipe having one end connected to a waterworks and the other end connected to a hot-water tap;
a return pipe configured to communicate between the one end and the other end of the first supply pipe;
a first hot water supply device including a first heating unit which is provided along the first supply pipe and configured to heat water flowing through the first supply pipe, and a circulation pump configured to circulate water in a circulation circuit including the first supply pipe and the return pipe;
a second supply pipe having one end connected to an upstream side of the first hot water supply device of the first supply pipe and the other end connected to a downstream side of the first hot water supply device of the first supply pipe;
a second hot water supply device including a second heating unit which is provided along the second supply pipe and configured to heat water flowing through the second supply pipe, and a second flow amount sensor configured to detect a flow amount of water flowing from the second supply pipe;
a check valve configured to enable water to flow from the second supply pipe to the second hot water supply device, and disable water to flow from the second hot water supply device to the second supply pipe; and
a controlling unit configured to,
start to perform a circulation heat keeping operation by starting operation of the circulation pump for circulating water in the circulation circuit and starting operation of the first heating unit heating water for flowing through the first supply pipe,
when the flow amount detected by the second flow amount sensor when the circulation heat keeping operation is performed is less than a predetermined hot-water-supply detection flow amount, continue to perform the circulation heat keeping operation by continuing operation of the first heating unit and the circulation pump, and
when the flow amount detected by the second flow amount sensor when the circulation heat keeping operation is performed is equal to or more than the hot-water-supply detection flow amount, stop at least operation of the circulation pump to stop performing the circulation heat keeping operation and perform a hot-water supply operation by at least one of a first sub-operation and a second sub-operation, wherein: the first sub-operation is continuing operation of the first heating unit for heating water flowing through the first supply pipe when the first heating unit is previously in operation, and starting operation of the first heating unit for heating water flowing through the first supply pipe when the first heating unit is previously not in operation; and the second sub-operation is starting operation of the second heating unit for heating water flowing through the second supply pipe,

wherein the circulation pump is configured to circulate water in the circulation circuit including the first supply pipe and the return pipe through only the first hot water supply device, among the first hot water supply device and the second hot water supply device.

2. The immediate hot-water supplying system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second hot water supply device includes a second water flow switching valve configured to switch between a water flowable state in which water is enabled to flow from the second supply pipe to the second heating unit, and a water unflowable state in which water is disabled from flowing from the second supply pipe to the second heating unit, the system further comprising
a plurality of second hot-water supplying units each including the second hot water supply device, the plurality of second hot-water supplying units sharing the second supply pipe and the check valve, wherein the check valve is configured to enable water to flow from the second supply pipe to the second hot water supply device of each of the plurality of second hot-water supplying units, and disable water to flow from the second hot water supply device of each of the plurality of second hot-water supplying units to the second supply pipe,
wherein
the controlling unit brings the second hot water supply device of at least one of the plurality of second hot-water supplying units into the water flowable state using the second water flow switching valve thereof to perform the circulation heat keeping operation, and during performing the circulation heat keeping operation, when a flow amount detected by the second flow amount sensor of the second hot water supply device which is brought into the water flowable state becomes equal to or more than the hot-water-supply detection flow amount, and the controlling unit finishes the circulation heat keeping operation by stopping at least operation of the circulation pump, to perform the hot-water supply operation, and
during performing the hot-water supply operation, changes a number of the second hot water supply devices to be brought into the water flowable state in accordance with a total amount of the flow amount detected by the second flow amount sensors of the second hot water supply devices being in the water flowable state.

3. The immediate hot-water supplying system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first hot water supply device includes a first flow amount sensor configured to detect a flow amount of water flowing from the first supply pipe, and a first water flow switching valve configured to switch between a water flowable state in which water is enabled to flow from the first supply pipe to the first heating unit, and a water unflowable state in which water is disabled from flowing from the first supply pipe to the first heating unit, the system further comprising
a plurality of first hot-water supplying units each including the first hot water supply device and sharing the first supply pipe, wherein
the controlling unit changes a number of the first hot water supply devices to be brought into the water flowable state in accordance with a total amount of the flow amount detected by the first flow amount sensors of the first hot water supply devices being in the water flowable state, during performing the hot-water supply operation.

4. The immediate hot-water supplying system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first hot water supply device includes a first flow amount sensor configured to detect a flow amount of water flowing from the first supply pipe, and a first water flow switching valve configured to switch between a water flowable state in which water is enabled to flow from the first supply pipe to the first heating unit, and a water unflowable state in which water is disabled from flowing from the first supply pipe to the first heating unit, the system further comprising
a plurality of first hot-water supplying units each including the first hot water supply device and sharing the first supply pipe, wherein
the controlling unit changes a number of the first hot water supply devices to be brought into the water flowable state in accordance with a total amount of the flow amount detected by the first flow amount sensors of the first hot water supply devices being in the water flowable state, during performing the hot-water supply operation.

5. An immediate hot-water supplying system, comprising:
a first supply pipe having one end connected to a waterworks and the other end connected to a hot-water tap;
a return pipe configured to communicate between the one end and the other end of the first supply pipe;
a plurality of first hot water supply devices, each including a first heating unit which is provided along the first supply pipe and configured to heat water flowing through the first supply pipe, and a circulation pump configured to circulate water in a circulation circuit including the first supply pipe and the return pipe;
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Assignees

• Rinnai Kk

Inventors

• Shimada Shigeki
• Yuge Ai

Classifications

• F24D2200/043

  More than one gas or oil fired boiler · CPC title

• F24H9/2035 Primary

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F24D19/1051

  for domestic hot water · CPC title

• F24H1/145

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F24D2220/044

  Flow sensors · CPC title