FEED WATER SUPPLEMENTARY THERMAL EXCHANGE APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A heat exchange system for transferring heat energy to control the temperature of a building, comprising a first heat exchanger for transferring thermal energy between waste water and a first water supply, a second heat exchanger connected to the first heat exchanger for transferring heat energy between the thermally treated first water supply and a second water supply, and a heat pump operatively arranged to supply the first water supply to the first heat exchanger, fluidly arranged between the building and the first heat exchanger, and fluidly arranged between the building and the second heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A heat exchange system for transferring heat energy to control the temperature of a building, comprising: a first heat exchanger, including: a first inlet; a second inlet; a first outlet; and a second outlet, wherein waste water flows through the first inlet and out the first outlet while a first water supply flows through the second inlet and out the second outlet so as to transfer heat energy between the waste water and the first water supply; a second heat exchanger, including: a third inlet; a fourth inlet; a third outlet; and a fourth outlet, wherein a second water supply flows through the third inlet and out the third outlet while the first water supply from the second outlet flows through the fourth inlet and out the fourth outlet so as to further transfer heat energy between the second water supply and the water supply from the second outlet and control the temperature of the building; a diverter valve for diverting the second water supply to the second heat exchanger; and at least one valve and at least one pump for selectively delivering a first circuit for cooling the temperature of the building, wherein the waste water is cooler than the first water supply for cooling the first water supply through the first heat exchanger, and for further cooling the first water supply through the second heat exchanger so as to cool the building.

2. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 1, wherein: the at least one valve and the at least one pump selectively deliver at least a second circuit for heating the temperature of the building; and the waste water is warmer than the first water supply for heating the first water supply through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is bypassed so as to heat the building.

3. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second heat exchanger comprises a plate frame heat exchanger.

4. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for controlling the temperature of the second water supply supplied to the building.

5. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 1, wherein the diverter valve is operatively arranged to selectively divert the second water supply supplied from a second water supply source to one of the second heat exchanger and the building.

6. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one pump is fluidly arranged between the building and at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

7. A heat exchange system for transferring heat energy to control the temperature of a building, comprising: a first heat exchanger, including: a first inlet; a second inlet; a first outlet; and a second outlet, wherein waste water flows through the first inlet and out the first outlet while a first water supply flows through the second inlet and out the second outlet so as to transfer heat energy between the waste water and the first water supply; a second heat exchanger, including: a third inlet; a fourth inlet; a third outlet; and a fourth outlet, wherein a second water supply flows through the third inlet and out the third outlet while the first water supply from the second outlet flows through the fourth inlet and out the fourth outlet so as to further transfer heat energy between the second water supply and the water supply from the second outlet and control the temperature of the building; a diverter valve for diverting the second water supply to the second heat exchanger; and at least one valve and at least one pump for selectively delivering a circuit for heating the temperature of the building, wherein the waste water is warmer than the first water supply for heating the first water supply through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is bypassed so as to heat the building.

8. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 7, wherein the second heat exchanger comprises a plate frame heat exchanger.

9. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 7, further comprising a temperature sensor for controlling the temperature of the second water supply supplied to the building.

10. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 7, wherein the diverter valve is operatively arranged to selectively divert the second water supply supplied from a second water supply source to one of the second heat exchanger and the building.

11. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least one pump is fluidly arranged between the building and at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

12. A heat exchange system for transferring heat energy to control the temperature of a building, comprising: a first heat exchanger for transferring thermal energy between waste water and a first water supply; a second heat exchanger connected to the first heat exchanger for transferring heat energy between the thermally treated first water supply and a second water supply; and a heat pump: operatively arranged to supply the first water supply to the first heat exchanger; fluidly arranged between the building and the first heat exchanger; and fluidly arranged between the building and the second heat exchanger.

13. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 12, wherein the heat pump supplies the first water supply to the first heat exchanger from the building.

14. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 12, wherein the heat pump supplies the thermally treated first water supply from the first heat exchanger to the building.

15. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 12, wherein the heat pump supplies the supplemented thermally treated first water supply from the second heat exchanger to the building.

16. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 12, wherein the heat pump supplies: the thermally treated first water supply from the first heat exchanger to the building; and the supplemented thermally treated first water supply from the second heat exchanger to the building.

17. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 12, further comprising a diverter valve operatively arranged to selectively divert the second water supply supplied from a second water supply source to at least one of the second heat exchanger and a destination.

18. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 17, wherein the destination is the building.

19. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 17, further comprising a temperature sensor fluidly arranged between the diverter valve and the destination.

20. The heat exchange system as recited in claim 12, wherein the waste water is supplied to the first heat exchanger from a sewer line.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0035] The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein as part of the specification. The drawings described herein illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter and are illustrative of selected principles and teachings of the present disclosure. However, the drawings do not illustrate all possible implementations of the presently disclosed subject matter and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a heat exchange system.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the heat exchange system of FIG. 1, in a cooling circuit.

[0038] FIG. 3 is schematic view of the heat exchange system of FIG. 1, in a heating circuit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed aspects.

[0040] Furthermore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular methodology, materials, and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0041] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the example embodiments.

[0042] It should be appreciated that the term “substantially” is synonymous with terms such as “nearly,” “very nearly,” “about,” “approximately,” “around,” “bordering on,” “close to,” “essentially,” “in the neighborhood of,” “in the vicinity of,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term “proximate” is synonymous with terms such as “nearby,” “close,” “adjacent,” “neighboring,” “immediate,” “adjoining,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. The term “approximately” is intended to mean values within ten percent of the specified value.

[0043] It should be understood that use of “or” in the present application is with respect to a “non-exclusive” arrangement, unless stated otherwise. For example, when saying that “item x is A or B,” it is understood that this can mean one of the following: (1) item x is only one or the other of A and B; (2) item x is both A and B. Alternately stated, the word “or” is not used to define an “exclusive or” arrangement. For example, an “exclusive or” arrangement for the statement “item x is A or B” would require that x can be only one of A and B. Furthermore, as used herein, “and/or” is intended to mean a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more of the elements or conditions recited may be included or occur. For example, a device comprising a first element, a second element and/or a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element.

[0044] Moreover, as used herein, the phrases “comprises at least one of” and “comprising at least one of” in combination with a system or element is intended to mean that the system or element includes one or more of the elements listed after the phrase. For example, a device comprising at least one of: a first element; a second element; and, a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element. A similar interpretation is intended when the phrase “used in at least one of:” is used herein.

[0045] Adverting now to the figures, FIG. 1 generally illustrates a schematic drawing of the apparatus, system, and method of this disclosure generally shown as heat exchange system 200. In particular, the disclosure includes first heat exchanger 10, second heat exchanger 30, heat pump 50, and/or building 70. In some embodiments, heat exchange system 200 comprises a domestic feed water supplementary cooling (DFSC) system.

[0046] Waste water 20 is pumped through first heat exchanger 10 at the same time as first fluid 22 is introduced through first heat exchanger 10 to transfer thermal energy between waste water 20 and first fluid or water supply 22. Generally speaking, waste water 20 is used to reduce the temperature of first fluid 22 as it passes through first heat exchanger 10.

[0047] In some embodiments, first heat exchanger 10 may comprise a HUBER ROWIN heat exchanger, although the disclosure comprises other types of heat exchangers. A HUBER ROWIN heat exchanger may comprise an arrangement for reclaiming heat energy from wastewater associated with a sewer line, the arrangement including an intermediate storage (not shown) connected to the sewer line (not shown) by means of at least one inlet 12 and having heat exchanger 10 associated with the intermediate storage (not shown). The arrangement may further comprise pump device 11 associated with the intermediate storage (not shown) for transporting wastewater 20 into heat exchanger 10, and discharge 16 connected to the sewer line (not shown) and through which wastewater 20 can flow back into the sewer line (not shown) after passing through heat exchanger 10. In some embodiments, the HUBER ROWIN heat exchanger comprises inlet 12 including a filter device (not shown), wherein the filter device comprises a cleaning device including a conveyor screw (not shown) as described and illustrated in European Patent Application No. 1,970,660.

[0048] First heat exchanger 10 has first inlet 12, second inlet 14, first outlet 16, and second outlet 18. Waste water 20 is pumped through pump 11 to first heat exchanger 10, through first heat exchanger inlet 12, through first heat exchanger 10, and out first heat exchanger outlet 16. The waste water at first heat exchanger 10 first inlet 12 is at first waste water temperature 13, and exits first heat exchanger 10 first outlet 16 at second waste water temperature 17. In some embodiments, waste water 20 at first heat exchanger inlet 12 is at first waste water inlet temperature 13, which is lower that the waste water temperature at first heat exchanger outlet temperature 17.

[0049] Generally speaking, the heat pump shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a building. The heat pump has a first circuit where chilled water is supplied to building 70 through the evaporator side so as to extract heat from the building. In some embodiments, the heat pump supplies chilled water at, for example, 5.6 degrees centigrade, and is returned at 12.2 degrees centigrade. This is by way of example only, where the heat pump is used in a cooling circuit to be described herein. The heat pump also has a second circuit where hot water is supplied to building 70 through the condenser loop where, for example, hot water is supplied to the building at 50-60 degrees centigrade and returned at 40-50 degrees centigrade. This is by way of example only where the heat pump is used in a heating circuit to be described herein.

[0050] Heat pump 50 can be used for drawing heat energy from building 70. In some embodiments, heat pump 50 is connected to building 70 through the evaporator loop as previously described so as to deliver first fluid 22 at first fluid inlet 14 at temperature 15. Once first fluid or water supply 22 passes through second inlet 14 of first heat exchanger 10 it exits first heat exchanger 10 at second outlet 18 at thermally treated first water supply (or first fluid) temperature 19. In some embodiments, water supply or first fluid 22 at second inlet 14 of first heat exchanger 10 is at first water supply temperature 15, which is higher that the thermally treated first water supply (or first fluid) at first heat exchanger 10 second outlet 18 temperature 19.

[0051] In some embodiments, the apparatus, system, and method of this disclosure further includes second heat exchanger means 30 including first inlet 32, first outlet 38, second inlet 36, and second outlet 34.

[0052] Water supply or domestic water supply 40 is introduced at first inlet 32 of second heat exchanger 30 at first domestic water temperature 33, through second heat exchanger 30, and exits first outlet 38 of second heat exchanger 30 at second domestic water temperature 39. At the same time, in some embodiments, thermally treated water supply 18 at thermally treated water supply temperature 19 is introduced at second inlet 36 at temperature 37 and exits second heat exchanger 30 at second outlet 34 at a supplemented thermally treated water supply at supplemented thermally treated temperature 35. Generally speaking thermally treated first water supply (or first fluid) temperature 19 is the same as temperature 37 or close thereto, as there could be some slight temperature change due to the length of travel between outlet 18 and inlet 36.

[0053] In some embodiments, second heat exchanger 30 comprises a plate frame heat exchanger, although the disclosure comprises other typical heat exchangers as described herein having DFSC systems. Generally speaking, the supplemented thermally treated water supply at second outlet 34 of second heat exchanger 30 is at supplemented thermally treated temperature 35. In some embodiments, supplemented thermally treated temperature 35 is lower than thermally treated water supply temperature 19 that is introduced at second inlet 36 at temperature 37. In other words, it is cooled.

[0054] In some embodiments, apparatus and system 200 includes the fluid conduits shown as well as the valves 1-7 shown. In some embodiments, apparatus and system 200 includes pumps 11, 80, 82, and 84.

[0055] FIG. 2 generally describes the system and method of FIG. 1 in a cooling mode, wherein the system and method are operated in a first circuit. As shown, in the cooling mode valves 7 are open, valves 2, 3, and 5 are normally open, and valve 1 is normally closed. Valve 4 (for example a three-way diverter valve) is operated based on the suitable domestic supply temperature to the building. In particular, the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 includes temperature sensor T connected to valve 4. Temperature sensor T may be selected to control the temperature of the blended domestic water supply that is actually supplied to the building. For example, cold water being supplied to the building should generally not be above 15 degrees centigrade as bacteria and other pathogens develop at warmer temperatures. Furthermore, many people do not enjoy drinking water above 15 degrees centigrade. Accordingly, if temperature sensor T senses an elevated temperature of the blended temperature approaching a selected level, such as 15 degrees centigrade, valve 4 diverts a portion of the domestic water from the city to blend with supplemental thermally treated water supply exiting outlet 38 of heat exchanger 30 at temperature 39 so as to reduce the temperature of domestic water supply 40. In some embodiments, diverter valve 4 can divert anywhere from greater than zero to 100 percent of domestic water 40 to second heat exchanger 30.

[0056] FIG. 2 illustrates a method of controlling or cooling the temperature of building 70 by selectively activating valves 2, 3, 5, and 7 in an open position (normally open position NO), valve 1 is in a closed (normally closed position NC), and valve 4 is operated based on a suitable domestic supply temperature to building 70 as described above through temperature sensor T, so that pumps 11, 80, and 82 with the valves are activated to define a first circuit (or cooling circuit to building 70). In such cooling circuit, in some embodiments (i) waste water 20 at first waste water temperature 13 is lower than second waste water temperature 17, (ii) the water supply at second inlet temperature 15 is higher than the thermally treated water supply at second temperature 19, (iii) the domestic water at first domestic water temperature 32 is lower than second domestic water temperature 39, and (iv) the thermally treated water supply at second temperature 37 is higher than supplemented thermally treated water supply temperature 35.

[0057] By way of example only, in some embodiments temperature 13 can be in the range of 5-15 degrees centigrade, temperature 17 can be in the range of 10-20 degrees centigrade, temperature 15 can be in the range of 35-40 degrees centigrade, temperature 19 can be in the range of 25-30 degrees centigrade, temperature 37 can be in the range of 25-30 degrees centigrade, temperature 39 can be in the range of 15-20 degrees centigrade, temperature 33 can be in the range of 4-8 degrees centigrade, temperature 35 can be in the range of 15-20 degrees centigrade, the domestic water from the city can be in the range of 4-8 degrees centigrade, the domestic water supply to the building can be 8-15 degrees centigrade.

[0058] In the cooling mode of FIG. 2, valves 7 are open and valves 6 shown in FIG. 1 are closed. The temperature ranges described above are for illustration purposes only and the actual temperatures may change based on the DFSC system sizing. Furthermore the DFSC system is only in operation during the cooling mode.

[0059] In the heating mode illustrated in FIG. 3, the valves and pumps are selectively activated to deliver a second circuit wherein the temperature of the waste water is warmer than the water supply for heating the water supply through the first heat exchanger and second heat exchanger 30 is bypassed so as to heat building 70. Thus, second heat exchanger is in a bypass mode when system 200 is in heating mode or its heating circuit.

[0060] FIG. 3 generally illustrates the heating circuit where the DFSC system is in by-pass operation and valve 1 is open, valves 2, 3, and 5 are closed, and valve 4 is locked in by-pass mode.

[0061] It will be appreciated that various aspects of the disclosure above and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art, which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.