HEATING SYSTEM, KIT AND METHOD OF USING

Abstract

A system and method for improving the responsiveness of forced hot water heat exchangers placed around the baseboards of conditioned living spaces and improving the efficiently of centralized hot water heating systems. The control system may comprise a convector baseboard heat exchanger or a replacement heat exchanger cover, and a blower, a diffuser and sensors which are mounted to one or more of the baseboard heat exchangers, the heating system influent and effluent loops, the fuel supply and the recirculation pump. When the heating system and forced hot water loop reaches its operating temperature, the blower activates to rapidly transfer energy from the-forced hot water loop into the air and disperse treated, heated air into the conditioned spaces. After the centralized heating system turns off, the system continues to transfer energy from the forced hot water into the air of the conditioned spaces until the latent heat of the centralized heating system has been extracted and the return loop temperatures are at levels consistent with optimal boiler performance.

Claims

1. A heating efficiency control system and method for monitoring the thermal envelope of a structure and monitoring and controlling the heat transfer of hydronic emitters and centralized forced hot water heating systems, the heating efficiency control system comprising of: a closed hydronic loop; a sensor a hydronic emitter; an advector; an advector controller; a boiler efficiency monitor; and, a system controller; wherein the advector controller receives input from a sensor to signal to the advector controller to activate the advector when the water temperature at the influent of the emitter reaches a determinable temperature and deactivates the advector when the water temperature at the emitter effluent reaches a determinable temperature, said influent and effluent water temperatures coinciding with the most efficient operation of the heating system, the influent determinable temperature and the effluent determinable temperature capable of being determined via a wireless network, a home automation network, a wireline system, an Ethernet or other comparable communications means.

2. The heating efficiency control system of claim 1, wherein the closed loop system comprises a central heating system comprising of: a heat source; a hydronic fluid; and, a hydronic fluid distribution system.

3. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein the hydronic emitter comprises a heat exchanger including: emitter influent piping; a heat exchanger; a housing; and, emitter effluent piping.

4. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein the hydronic emitter is a tube and fin heat exchanger, a panel heat exchanger, a radiator or other comparable heat transfer means.

5. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein the advector is a blower, said blower configured to draw air from the ambient surroundings of said emitter.

6. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein the advector is squirrel cage fan, centrifugal fan, axial fan, cross flow fan, propeller, bellows or other comparable advection means.

7. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein the advector controller is microcircuit in communication with a sensor and an advector.

8. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein the advector controller is method of regulating the parameter at which the advector turns on, the parameter at which the advector turns off and/or the speed of the advector, in order to regulate temperature in a space or article, a central hydronic heating system, the efficiency of the thermal envelope of a structure, and/or the rate of heat transfer in an emitter or hydronic loop.

9. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor senses temperature, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, humidity and/or is a heating system efficiency monitoring and optimization control system.

10. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein a recirculation loop allows hydronic fluid to flow between the effluent of the boiler and an emitter, the recirculation loop consisting of piping, a normally closed solenoid valve, and a check valve.

11. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein a boiler efficiency monitor observes the fuel consumption, influent loop temperature, effluent loop temperature, and loop flow rates, the boiler efficiency monitor consisting of a temperature sensor, a fuel sensor, a level sensor, and/or a flow rate sensor.

12. The heating control system of claim 1, wherein a heating system efficiency monitoring and optimization control system monitors and controls the heat source, a hydronic fluid distribution system, and/or an advector to optimize heating system and thermal envelop performance, the heating system efficiency monitoring and optimization control system consisting of: a router; a web server; library services; system attributes; business rules, and, executable commands.

13. A heating efficiency control system and method for monitoring the thermal envelope of a structure and monitoring and controlling the heat transfer of hydronic emitters and centralized forced hot water heating systems, the heating efficiency control system comprising of: a closed loop system; a sensor a hydronic emitter; an advector; an advector controller; a loop recirculation valve; a loop check valve; a boiler efficiency monitor; and, a heating system efficiency monitoring and optimization control system; wherein the advector controller activates the advector when the loop influent temperature to the emitter reaches a predetermined temperature and deactivates the advector when the loop effluent temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, the influent predetermined temperature and the effluent predetermined temperature capable of being set by the advector controller and/or from the heating system efficiency monitoring and optimization control system, wherein the loop recirculation valve opens when the water within the closed loop is greater than the determinable temperature which activates the advector and the boiler is not in operation, allowing water to flow though said recirculation loop and closes the loop recirculation valve when the boiler is in operation.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] For a better understanding of the present embodiments, together with other and further aspects thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a pictorial of one embodiment of a centralized hydronic heating system with two heating zones, illustrating the: 100 boiler; 102 fire box; 104 heat exchanger; 106 fuel source; 108 emitter influent piping; 110 emitter; 112 emitter effluent piping; 114 combined system return piping; 116 loop cross-connect piping; 118 loop cross-connect valve; 120 loop cross-connect check valve.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a pictorial of one embodiment of the 100 emitter; 200 advector; 300 advector controller.

[0019] FIG. 3 a schematic pictorial of one embodiment of the 300 advector controller illustrating the 302 microprocessor; the 304 memory; 306 sensors; 308 transceiver; and, 310 antenna.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic pictorial of one embodiment of the heating system efficiency monitoring and optimization control system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] A user can set the parameters by which the heating system efficiency monitoring and optimization control system will optimize heating system performance. This is accomplished by controlling the rate of heat transfer at the emiter. The system can be set to function automatically or it can be controlled manually at the emitter or through a website or internet connected device.

[0022] To minimize fuel consumption, the user would establish a set of rules that would limit boiler operations to the minimum necessary heat occupied spaces to a temperature the users establishes as comfortable. The system will determine when a space is occupied by user established parameters such as time of day, day of the week and room. The user can also designate one or more internet connected devices as indicators of occupancy. When temperature falls below a determinable temperature in an occupied space, the system will send a signal to the 100 boiler controller to turn on the boiler. When the water temperature at the 108 influent to the emitter or emitters within the occupied space reach a certain temperature and ise increasing, the system will send a signal to the 300 advector controller to turn on the 200 advector at a speed which will insure that as much of the heat being produced by the 100 boiler is being transferred into the room to heat the room up to the most efficient temperature for that space and structure within the given ambient conditions.

[0023] Because heating oil and other home heating fuels burn as such high temperatures relative to the temperature of the hydronic fluid, heating systems can only cycle on for short periods of time before they risk over heating the hydronic fluid and creating the conditions where a house could be flooded with steam. Once hydronic loop temperature has reached 195 F. the boiler must be cycled off. The boiler must remain off until the loop temperature decreases to such a level that is it safe to turn the boiler on again.

[0024] The other parameter that controls the boiler operations in a traditional heating system is room temperature. In a traditional system, the room thermometer sends a signal to turn a boiler at a certain low temperature set point and turn it off at a certain high temperature setpoint. When a structure has a poor thermal envelope or during periods of cold weather or high winds, the rate of heat loss to the ambient will be greater than the rate of heat transfer into the space from the heating system. In these situations, the thermometer will send a constant on signal to the boiler. As a result the boiler will repeatedly cycle on before all of the heat in the hydronic loop has been transferred into the conditioned spaces of the dwelling.

[0025] The present invention solves this problem by increasing the rate of heat transfer of natural convection emitters by converting them to advectors. The advectors of the present invention can increase the heat transfer of each emitter by 500. The ability to increase the rate of heat transfer coupled with the ability to control which emitter's transfer rate is increased allows the system to heat only the rooms that are occupied and fully transfer all of the heat being produced by the boiler. Transferring more heat into the room, reduces the emitter effluent water temperature, ensuring that the differential temperature across the boiler is maintained within levels consistent with optimal performance. Lastly, transferring more heat into a room increases the time between cycles and increases the amount of time that the boiler runs during each cycle. Reducing cycle times minimizes the amount of unburned fuel that is created at system start-up and shut down.

[0026] Controlling these three factors result in dramatic reduction in fuel consumption. Similarly by monitoring the rate of heat loss, the system can limit room temperature to the optimal temperature for the system given the dwelling's heat loss within a given set of ambient parameters. Monitoring fuel consumption, loop temperatures, heat transfer and ambient losses allows the system to determine the systems efficiency and thermal envelop at each emitter.