DRINKING WATER CIRCULATION DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention intends to provide a drinking water circulation device (2) for cold water consumption, which is compactly accommodable in a building, universally and easily connectable to different cooling devices, easy to operate and, in addition, little failure-prone and easy to install. This drinking water circulation device (2) comprises a heat exchanger for cooling the drinking water, a return connection (24) for feeding drinking water returned from a circulation pipe into the drinking water circulation device (2), a supply connection (26) for discharging the cooled drinking water from the drinking water circulation device (2), a drinking water circulation pump (10) provided between the return connection (24) and the supply connection (26), a buffer tank (4) for a cooling medium (22), a cooling medium pump (22) provided in a cooling medium flow path between the buffer tank (4) and the heat exchanger (6), a control device (12) for controlling the cooling medium pump (8) and a supply temperature sensor (56), which is associated with the supply and is data-connected to the control device (12).

Claims

1. A drinking water circulation device (2) comprising a heat exchanger for cooling the drinking water, a return connection (24) for feeding drinking water returned from a circulation pipe into the drinking water circulation device (2), a supply connection (26) for discharging the cooled drinking water from the drinking water circulation device (2), a drinking water circulation pump (10) provided between the return connection (24) and the supply connection (26), a buffer tank (4) for a cooling medium (22), a cooling medium pump (22) provided in a cooling medium flow path between the buffer tank (4) and the heat exchanger (6), a control device (12) for controlling the cooling medium pump (8) and a supply temperature sensor (56), which is associated with the supply and is data-connected to the control device (12).

2. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, comprising a temperature sensor (58) associated with the drinking water return, characterized in that the temperature sensor (58) is data-connected to the control device (12) and that the control device controls the circulation pump (10).

3. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized by a cooling medium temperature sensor, which is associated with the buffer tank (4) and is data-connected to the control device (12).

4. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the buffer tank (4) defines a flat support area (20) and that the heat exchanger, the pipes of the drinking water path within the drinking water circulation device (2), the drinking water circulation pump (10), the cooling medium pump (8) and the control device (12) are arranged above the buffer tank (4) when the flat support area is horizontally oriented.

5. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized by at least one horizontally extending perforated plate installed in the buffer tank (4) in the area of a cooling medium inlet.

6. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat exchanger is a plate heat exchanger mounted, in oblique orientation relative to the gravitational field of the earth, above the surface of the buffer tank (4).

7. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized by a thermal insulation surrounding at least the buffer tank (4) and formed by thermal insulation components (28; 30), which are plug-connected to one another with an intermediate sealing element (38) therebetween.

8. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the thermal insulation surrounds the media-carrying components of the drinking water circulation device (2) in a contour-following manner.

9. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that an operating unit (16) of the control device (12) is exposed in a cover of a thermal insulation surrounding at least the buffer tank (4).

10. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the thermal insulation comprises a circumferentially extending foamed component (28), which insulates the buffer tank (4) on the outer circumference thereof and on the outer side of which the supply and return connections (26, 24) are exposed, cooling medium supply and return pipes (22), which lead to the buffer tank (4), extending through the foamed component (28).

11. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the buffer tank (4) contains a water/glycol mixture.

12. The drinking water circulation device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the buffer tank (4) has a storage capacity of 100 l+/30 l.

Description

[0022] Further details and advantages of the present invention result from the description of an embodiment following hereinafter in combination with the drawing, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a perspective side view of the technical components of the embodiment;

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a perspective top view of the embodiment with full thermal insulation and

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a view similar to FIG. 2 with the cover removed.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a drinking water circulation device without thermal insulation and without an external housing, which forms a visual cover. The technical components of the drinking water circulation device 2 are a buffer tank 4, a plate heat exchanger 6 forming the heat exchanger, a cooling medium pump 8, a drinking water circulation pump 10 and a control device 12, which also comprises a data logger 14. The control device 12 comprises an operating unit 16, which is exposed on the outside of the drinking water circulation device.

[0027] The buffer tank 4 is cylindrical in shape and is formed with a bottom 20 having the specified support area, which has the technical components placed thereon. The technical components provided above the buffer tank are located within the base area defined by the buffer tank 4. The control device 12 is insulated on the underside thereof against the buffer tank 4 via a thermal insulation component, which is not shown.

[0028] On a circumferential section of the buffer tank 4, supply and return connections protrude radially in relation to the buffer tank 4, of which only one cooling medium connection 22 is visible and via which the cooling medium is delivered to the buffer tank 4 and excessively warm cooling medium is discharged from the buffer tank 4. The same circumferential section has provided thereon a supply connection 26 and a return connection 24 for the drinking water to be cooled in the device 2. At these points, the insulation provided around the complete rest of the whole circumference of the buffer tank 4 is cut out so that suitable feed pipes can be passed through the insulation.

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates the thermal insulation comprising three thermal insulation components, viz. a circumferentially extending foamed component of the buffer tank 4 surrounding the latter almost completely and identified by reference numeral 28, a cover 30 and a control element insulation 32. These three thermal insulation components 28 to 32 each consist of a foamed plastic material.

[0030] The cover 30 has formed therein a window 34, in which part of the control element insulation 32 as well as the upper side of the control device 12 and the data logger 14 are exposed. These electronic components of the embodiment can thus be accessed and operated at any time.

[0031] As illustrated by FIG. 3, the cover rests with its peripheral edge on a collar 36 formed by the circumferentially extending foamed component 28 and surrounded on the circumference thereof by a sealing strip 38, which, together with the rim of the cover 30 attached to the circumferentially extending foamed component 28, provides a tightly sealing contact.

[0032] FIG. 3 further illustrates that the technical components of the embodiment are surrounded by the sealing material of the circumferentially extending foamed component 28 in a contour-following manner, so that only small free spaces remain within the seal. The control element insulation 32 is separated and spaced apart from the technical components of the fluid circuit of the embodiment by metallic angle pieces, whereby the thermal insulation of the control device 12 and the data logger 14, respectively, is improved. Reference numeral 40 identifies an upper vent valve 40 to a piping of the cooling medium circuit identified by reference numeral 42.

[0033] FIG. 3 further illustrates that the supply and return connections 26, 24 for the drinking water protrude beyond the circumference of the insulation in the form of the circumferentially extending foamed component 28 and thus provide connection points for the drinking water to be cooled. The same applies to the cooling medium connections. Also FIG. 3 shows only one of these connections 22.

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates also the electrical connection of the embodiment. For this purpose, the cover 30 has formed therein a cable duct 44 that ends in a connector reception means 46, in which a cable strand 48 routed thereinto and ending in a plug element 50 is connected to a mating connector 52 of a cable strand 54 leading to the control device 12/14. For lifting off the cover 30, the plug connection between the two plug elements 50, 52 must be disconnected. This will inevitably result in powering-off the embodiment for the purpose of mounting.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows the positions of a temperature sensor 56 for the drinking water supply and of a temperature sensor 58 for the drinking water return.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0036] 2 drinking water circulation device [0037] 4 buffer tank [0038] 6 plate heat exchanger [0039] 8 cooling medium pump [0040] 10 drinking water circulation pump [0041] 12 control device [0042] 14 data logger [0043] 16 operating unit [0044] 20 bottom/support area [0045] 22 cooling medium connection [0046] 24 return connection drinking water cold [0047] 26 supply connection drinking water cold [0048] 28 circumferentially extending foamed component [0049] 30 cover [0050] 32 control element insulation [0051] 34 window [0052] 36 collar [0053] 38 sealing strip [0054] 40 vent valve [0055] 42 piping of the cooling medium circuit [0056] 44 cable duct [0057] 46 connector reception means [0058] 48 routed cable strand [0059] 50 plug element [0060] 52 mating connector [0061] 54 cable strand [0062] 56 temperature sensor drinking water supply [0063] 58 temperature sensor drinking water return