Method for operating a heat exchanger system and heat exchanger system

Abstract

A method of operating a heat exchange system includes a heat exchanger including an outer boundary formed by inflow and outflow surfaces, a fan configured and arranged such that a transport fluid is transported through the heat exchanger over the inflow surface to the outflow surface and a control unit that receives one or more actual values from the heat exchanger and/or fan in the operating state and that one or more predetermined values of the heat exchanger and/or of the fan are adjusted by the control unit. The heat exchange system further includes a communication module in signal communication with the control unit, the communication module receiving one or more actual values from the control unit and/or one or more predetermined values transmitted from the communication module to the control unit, with the communication module being in signal communication with a communication unit at least at times.

Claims

1. A method of operating a heat exchange system including a heat exchanger having an outer boundary formed by an inflow surface and an outflow surface, the method comprising: in an operating state, exchanging heat between a transport fluid and a heat transfer fluid flowing through the heat exchanger by supplying the transport fluid to the heat exchanger over the inflow surface, so as to be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger and to be led out of the heat exchanger over the outflow surface, the heat exchanger being operated in a thermal power range of 5 kW to 5,000 kW; operating a fan such that the transport fluid is transported through the heat exchanger over the inflow surface to the outflow surface; operating with a controller the heat exchanger and the fan at respective set point values; receiving at the controller one or more actual values from at least one of the heat exchanger and the fan in the operating state; receiving at a communication module, the communication module being a first communicator in signal communication with the controller, at least one of the one or more actual values and at least one of the set point values from the controller; transmitting by the first communicator, in signal communication at least at times with a communication unit, the communication unit being a second communicator, the at least one of the one or more actual values and at least one of the set point values to the second communicator; adjusting at the second communicator one or more of the set point values; transmitting the one or more adjusted set point values from the second communicator to the first communicator; transmitting the one or more adjusted set point values from the first communicator to the controller; and adjusting, by the controller, at least one of the heat exchanger and the fan to operate at the adjust adjusted set point values.

2. A remote heat exchange system for carrying out a method in accordance with claim 1.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second communicator is in wireless signal communication with the first communicator.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first communicator is in signal communication with an access point and the second communicator is in signal communication with the access point at least at times.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the access point receives the one or more actual values from the first communicator and the one or more predetermined values are transmitted to the first communicator and the second communicator receives the one or more actual values from the access point and the one or more predetermined values are adjusted at the second communicator and the one or more predetermined values are transmitted from the second communicator to the access point.

6. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more actual values and the predetermined values are stored at the access point.

7. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the heat exchange system comprises a further heat exchanger, a further fan, a further controller control unit and a further first communicator, with the further first communicator being in signal communication with the access point, the access point receiving the one or more actual values from the further first communicator and the one or more predetermined values being transmitted from the access point to the further first communicator.

8. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the one or more predetermined values comprise at least one of a predetermined number of rotations for the fan; a first predetermined temperature value for the heat transfer fluid; a second predetermined temperature value for the transport fluid; a predetermined time interval for an operating time of the heat exchange system; and an operating mode of the heat exchange system.

9. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the controller comprises a PI regulator and the one or more predetermined values comprise a regulating portion of the PI regulator.

10. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the heat exchange system comprises a wetting unit, the controller receives the one or more actual values from the wetting unit in the operating state and the one or more predetermined values are adjusted by the controller at the wetting unit.

11. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the controller and the further controller are in signal communication.

12. The method remote heat exchange system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first communicator is a unit of the controller.

13. The remote heat exchange system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the second communicator is arranged to adjust the one or more set point values, and further arranged to transmit the one or more adjusted set point values to the first communicator.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first communicator is in wireless signal communication with an access point and the second communicator is in wireless signal communication with the access point at least at times.

15. The remote heat exchange system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the controller includes a data processor.

16. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the controller and the further controller are in wireless signal communication.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure.

(2) FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention; and

(3) FIG. 2 is a second embodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(4) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a heat exchange system 1 in accordance with the invention. The heat exchange system 1 comprises a heat exchanger 2, wherein an outer boundary of the heat exchanger 2 is formed by an inflow surface 21 and by an outflow surface 22 such that, in the operating state, for the exchange of heat between a transport fluid and a heat transfer fluid flowing through the heat exchanger 2, the transport fluid can be supplied to the heat exchanger 2 over the inflow surface 21, can be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger 2 and the transport fluid can be led off again out of the heat exchanger 2 over the outflow surface 22. The heat exchange system 1 additionally comprises a fan 5 which is configured and arranged such that the transport fluid can be transported through the heat exchanger 2 over the inflow surface 21 to the outflow surface 22 and a control unit 3, in particular a control unit 3 having a data processing system, so that the control unit 3 receives one or more actual values from the heat exchanger 2 and/or fan 5 in the operating state and that one or more desired values of the heat exchanger 2 and/or of the fan 5 can be adjusted by the control unit 3. A flow path 7 of the transport fluid is likewise shown in FIG. 1; it can be seen in this respect how the transport fluid can be transported through the heat exchanger 2 due to the fan 5. The heat exchange system 1 further comprises a communication module 4, wherein the communication module 4 is in signal communication with the control unit 3, the communication module 4 receives one or more actual values from the control unit 3 and/or one or more desired values can be transmitted from the communication module 4 to the control unit 3. The communication module 4 is furthermore in signal communication with a communication unit 9 at least at times, wherein the communication unit 9 receives operating data in the form of one or more actual values from the communication module 4 and/or one or more desired values can be adjusted at the communication unit 9 and one or more desired values can be transmitted from the communication unit 9 to the communication module 4. The communication module 4 can in this respect be formed as a unit of the control unit 3. The communication unit 9 can be in wireless signal communication 8 with the communication module 4. The heat exchanger 2 in the first embodiment shown is a fin heat exchanger but can also be a microchannel heat exchanger. The heat exchange system can also comprise a wetting device 6 for providing a wetting fluid, wherein the heat exchange system 1, in particular the heat exchanger 2, can be wetted by the wetting device 6.

(5) The control unit 3 can receive one or more actual values from the heat exchange system 1, in particular from the heat exchanger 2 and/or fan 5 and/or environment, and one or more desired values of the heat exchange system 1, in particular of the heat exchanger 2 and/or of the fan 5, can be adjusted by the control unit 3. With the control unit 3, actual values can be received, for example from one or more sensors (not shown), with which the actual values can, for example be measured or calculated. The control unit 3 can, however, also receive further actual values, for example from further sensors or from a further control unit. By using the control unit 3, however, desired values can also be transmitted, for example to one or more actuators (not shown) with which the desired values are adjusted, that is controlled and regulated. The control unit 3 can, however, also transmit desired values to further actuators or to a further control unit.

(6) A schematic illustration of a second embodiment of a heat exchange system 1 is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 substantially corresponds to FIG. 1 so that only the differences will be looked at. The communication module 4 is in signal communication, in particular in wireless signal communication, with an access point 10 and the communication unit 9 is in signal communication, in particular in wireless signal communication 8, with the access point 10 at least at times. The access point 10 receives one or more actual values from the communication module 4 and transmits one or more desired values to the communication module 4. The communication unit 9 receives one or more actual values from the access point 10, one or more desired values can be adjusted at the communication unit 9 and one or more adjusted desired values are transmitted from the communication unit 9 to the access point 10. One or more actual values and desired values can be stored at the access point. As is shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchange system 1 comprises a further heat exchanger 12, a further fan (not shown), a further control unit 13 and a further communication module 14, wherein the further communication module 14 is likewise in signal communication with the access point 10, the access point 10 receives one or more actual values from the further communication module 14 and one or more desired values are transmitted from the access point 10 to the further communication module 14.

(7) The one or more desired values comprise a desired number of rotations for the fan and/or a first desired temperature value for the heat transfer fluid and/or a second desired temperature value for the transport fluid and/or a desired time interval for an operating time of the heat exchange system and/or an operating mode of the heat exchange system.

(8) The method in accordance with the invention of operating a heat exchange system 1 and the measures described in the dependent claims can be carried out with the described heat exchange system 1.