Electric resistance heating devices – Heating devices – With heat storage means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-05
2004-06-29
Jeffery, John A. (Department: 3742)
Electric resistance heating devices
Heating devices
With heat storage means
C165S010000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06757486
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heat storage type heater which stores heat in a heat-storing material and supplies the heat to different types of heat-utilizing facilities, e.g., for heating and hot-water supply, and a method of controlling input and output of heat to and from the heat storage type heater.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
FIG. 10
shows a basic configuration of conventional latent heat storage type heating-devices which utilize the supercooling phenomena of materials (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 62-228822, 3-292214, 6-11145 and 6-281372).
In
FIG. 10
, a heat-storing material 21, which presents a supercooling phenomenon, is contained in a container
22
, the container
22
is provided with a mechanism
23
to which energy is externally supplied so that the supercooled state of the heat-storing material
21
is released, the container
22
is enclosed with a case
25
in which a heat medium
24
is accommodated, and the entire surface or a part of the surface of the case is a heat radiation surface.
In this heat storage type heating-device, first, the heat-storing material
21
is externally heated through the heat medium
24
to be melted. The melted heat-storing material
21
is let to stand as it is till heat is required. When the stored heat is required, energy is supplied to the mechanism
23
for releasing the supercooled state so that the start of the nucleation in the heat-storing material
21
is promoted, and the material
21
is solidified. The heat-storing material
21
, after the solidification starts, is recovered to the melting point. The heat at the melting point is radiated to a material to be heated or a space via the heat medium
24
or via the heating medium
24
and the heat radiation surface
25
.
The conventional latent heat storage type heating-devices utilizing supercooling phenomena have been proposed in order to compensate a time lag between generation and emission of heat. This is a primary purpose of heat storage. In practice, the function of the devices is liable to stop, due to phase-segregation. Moreover, such a significant difference as expected can not be attained between the melting point and the nucleation temperature (hereinafter, the difference will be referred to as a degree of supercooling in this specification). Thus, the latent heat storage type heating-devices can not be subjected to industrial applications.
That is, in the above-described respective latent heat storage heating-devices, a heat-storing material capable of being supercooled is filled into a large container.
Molecules with different masses are present in the liquid formed by melting the heat-storing material. Molecules with higher masses precipitate downward against the Brownian motion, so that the molecules with higher masses and the molecules with lower masses tend to be segregated from each other. Therefore, as a container for a heat-storing material has a larger length in the direction of gravity, it is more difficult to restore the heavy and light molecules which are separated from each other and react with each other. After the phase-segregation, the melting points and the solidifying temperatures inherent in the respective separated substances appear. Accordingly, in the above-described conventional example, the primary function of the heat-storing material, that is, the melting (solidification) at a particular melting point can not be performed, due to the phase-separation. Moreover, the frequency at which crystal nuclei are formed per unit time and unit volume is determined by the temperature. On the other hand, if nuclei are formed at one site in the heat-storing material, the formation triggers the solidification of the heat-storing material, irrespective of the volume of the heat-storing material. Accordingly, the probability at which the heat-storing material having a predetermined volume is solidified is defined as the product of the volume of the heat-storing material and the frequency of formation of crystal nuclei per unit time and unit volume.
Accordingly, as the volume of the heat-storing material becomes larger at a constant temperature, nuclei are formed more readily, and the degree of supercooling is decreased. For this reason, in the conventional example, such a high supercooling as expected can not be attained, as described above. Thus, the industrial use of the latent heat storage type heating device has not been realized with much troubles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat-storage type heater which solves the above-described conventional problems and can completely compensate a time lag between the input and output of heat, which is a purpose inherent in heat-storage, and to provide a method of controlling the input and output of heat.
Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat-storage type heater by which a desired degree of supercooling can be obtained without the function being stopped due to the phase separation and to provide a method of controlling the input and output of heat.
To achieve the above-described objects, a heat-storage type heater in accordance with the present invention comprises means for supplying heat to a heat-storing material capable of being supercooled, the heat-storing material, together with a phase-segregation preventive agent, being filled into a plurality of small containers, means for releasing the supercooled state of the heat-storing material, and a heat radiation surface.
The means for releasing the supercooled state may comprise a heat exchanger which is disposed so as to be in contact with the containers for the heat-storing material, and circulates a fluid, a thermoelectric element disposed so as to be in contact with the containers for the heat-storing material, a vibrator disposed so as to be in contact with the containers for the heat-storing material, or electrodes disposed so as to be in contact with the containers for the heat-storing material.
Moreover, a heat-storage type heater in accordance with the present invention comprises means for supplying heat to a heat-storing material capable of being supercooled, the heat-storing material being filled into a plurality of small containers together with a phase-segregation preventive agent, and a heat radiation surface. In this case, preferably, the heat-storing material capable of being supercooled spontaneously starts to be solidified at a predetermined temperature in the supercooled state thereof.
Preferably, the small containers have a shape having a smaller size in the gravity direction or a shape elongated in the horizontal direction. The means for supplying heat to the heat-storing material may comprise a heat exchanger which circulates a fluid therein, or an electric heater. Moreover, the surface of the heat-storage type heater except for the heat radiation surface may be covered with a heat insulating material, or the heat-storage type heater may further comprises means for causing forced convection of a fluid on the heat radiation surface so that the heat radiation is accelerated.
The above-described heat-storage type heater can be effectively used for a floor heating system.
Moreover, a method of controlling the input and output of heat to and from a heat-storing material in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of externally supplying heat energy to the heat-storing material capable of being supercooled and filled into a plurality of small containers together with a phase-separation preventive agent by use of means for supplying heat, whereby the heat-storing material is melted, maintaining the heat-storing material in the supercooled state by emission of heat, and when the stored thermal energy is required, releasing the supercooled state of the heat-storing material by use of means for releasing the supercooled state of the heat-storing material, or allowing the heat-storing material to be spontaneously solidified at a predetermined temperature, whereby the heat
Jeffery John A.
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
LandOfFree
Heat storage type heater and method of controlling input and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Heat storage type heater and method of controlling input and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Heat storage type heater and method of controlling input and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3365306