JP2002062074A - Liquefied gas evaporating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To resolve a problem that the capacity of a hot-water tank can not satisfy simultaneously the speed of rise-up and the capacity of heat storage since each of them are in a relation against to each other. SOLUTION: The evaporating tank of liquefied gas is dipped into a heat storage tank, reserving a heat medium. The temperature of the heat medium is raised indirectly employing the heat source of hot-water supplied from a hot-water supplier. In this case, a means that the liquefied gas in the evaporating tank is evaporated directly by the hot-water is employed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquefied gas evaporator using hot water supplied from a water heater as a heat medium, and has a rapid rise from the start of operation to gas supply, and stops the supply of hot water from the water heater. The present invention relates to a liquefied gas evaporator having a novel structure capable of evaporating a liquefied gas for a certain period of time even when the liquefied gas is evaporated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an evaporator in which a heat exchanger is immersed in a hot water tank and hot water is used as a heat medium for evaporating liquefied gas. Also, a configuration in which hot water is generated by a water heater and the hot water is circulated between the water heater and the hot water tank is also known.

[0003]

By the way, in this type of evaporator, it is preferable that the time from the start of operation to the gas supply, that is, the so-called rise is made faster. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to secure the heat medium more quickly.
Looking at the configuration using the above-mentioned hot water tank,
Assuming that the combustion capacity of the water heater is constant, it is necessary to minimize the capacity of the hot water tank. This is because if the capacity of the hot water tank is reduced, the temperature of the water can be quickly raised by the water heater.

[0004] On the other hand, even when the circulation and supply of hot water is temporarily stopped due to a failure of the water heater, the evaporating capacity is not lost for a certain period of time. It is preferable that the gas supply to the consuming side be continued until the gas can be restarted. In order to achieve this object, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the hot water tank as much as possible to increase the amount of heat stored in the hot water tank.

That is, the two objects mentioned above are in conflict with each other with respect to the capacity of the hot water tank, and these objects could not be achieved at the same time by the conventional technology, but the present invention aims to solve these problems. It was done.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a liquefied gas evaporating tank is immersed in a heat storage tank storing a heat medium, and the heat medium is heated water supplied from a water heater. A means was used in which the temperature was raised indirectly as a heat source, and the liquefied gas in the evaporation tank was directly evaporated using the hot water.

According to this means, since the liquefied gas in the evaporating tank is directly evaporated by the hot water, the rise from the start of operation to the supply of the gas can be accelerated. In the present invention, the term “warm water” is a concept that includes not only water whose temperature is simply raised but also water to which an antifreeze, a rust preventive, and the like are added.

On the other hand, the temperature of the heat medium in the heat storage tank is also indirectly increased by the warm water, and the liquefied gas can be evaporated by the heat medium. Therefore, if the supply of hot water from the water heater is stopped due to a failure of the water heater or the like, the evaporating capacity is ensured for a certain time by the heat medium in the heat storage tank. During this time, inspections and repairs of failures can be performed,
How much time is secured depends on the capacity of the heat storage tank. The term “indirect” means that the heat medium in the heat storage tank does not have the evaporation function as it is, but has the evaporation function only when heated by another heat medium such as hot water.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the heat exchange path is constituted by one pipe continuous with the evaporating tank and the heat storage tank, it is not necessary to provide a separate heat exchange path for each tank, and the apparatus can be simplified. However, the configuration for heat exchange with hot water is described in claim 2
The present invention is not limited to this, and other configurations can be adopted as long as the liquefied gas in the evaporation tank can be directly evaporated by hot water.

Further, in the third aspect, since the heat exchange path is formed in a serpentine tube, the overall length is increased, and the contact area with the liquid liquefied gas and the heat medium is increased, so that the heat exchange amount can be increased. .

Further, in the present invention, means for supplying hot water from another water heater as a heat medium for the heat storage tank when the water heater is stopped is used. According to this means, the liquefied gas can be evaporated by the hot water supplied from another water heater, so that compared to a case where this means is not employed, the other water heater stopped due to a failure or the like for inspection and repair of the other water heater. A longer time can be secured, and the vaporized gas can be stably supplied for a longer time.

[0012]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the evaporator of the present invention. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a heat storage tank storing a heat medium 2, and 3 denotes an evaporation tank immersed in the heat storage tank 1. The LPG liquid is supplied to the evaporation tank 3 from a line 4, and the LPG liquid is supplied at a predetermined level L. Store. Reference numeral 5 denotes a heat exchange path for the heat medium 2 arranged so as to surround the evaporator tank 3 in the heat storage tank 1, and reference numeral 6 denotes a heat exchange path for the LPG liquid arranged in the evaporator tank 3. Heat medium 2 or LP
In order to secure a large contact area with the liquid G, it is formed into a flexible tube. However, the shape of the heat exchange paths 5 and 6 is not limited to a coiled tube, and may be another shape.

The ends of the pipes 5 and 6 are connected via a connecting pipe 7 which extends through the bottom plate 3a of the evaporating tank 3. The other pipe end of the heat medium heat exchange path 5 is connected to a hot water supply port of a water heater (not shown) provided in advance on the consumer side, and the other end of the LPG liquid heat exchange path 6 is connected. The pipe end is connected to the hot water recovery port of the water heater. That is, both heat exchange paths 5 and 6 are connected to the water heater and function as a circulation path for hot water.

Reference numeral 8 designates an appropriate vaporized gas discharge valve installed at the upper part of the evaporating tank 3, from which the vaporized gas is sent out to the consumer side. As a specific configuration, for example, when the liquid level L of the LPG liquid in the evaporating tank 3 rises, a shutoff valve that automatically closes the valve by a float corresponds.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a heat medium supply line for charging the heat medium 2 into the heat storage tank 1, and this line 9 has a water heater (not shown) different from those connected to the heat exchange paths 5 and 6. Zu) can be connected. Reference numeral 10 denotes a drain port for extracting the heat medium 2 from the heat storage tank 1.

The volumes of the heat storage tank 1 and the evaporating tank 3 and the lengths and diameters of the heat exchange passages 5 and 6 can be changed or adjusted depending on the amount of heat exchange desired. For example, if the capacity of the heat storage tank 1 is increased and the LPG liquid heat exchange path 6 is lengthened, the amount of heat exchange can be increased. Further, the heat exchange amount can be increased even when the contact area with the heat medium 2 is increased by making the outer wall shape of the evaporation tank 3 corrugated.

Next, the function of the evaporator of the present invention having the above configuration will be described. First, a predetermined amount of the heat medium 2 is stored in the heat storage tank 1 and the hot water supply is operated to flow hot water through the continuous heat exchange paths 5 and 6. Next, by supplying the LPG liquid to the evaporating tank 3 through the line 4, heat exchange is performed between the LPG liquid and the hot water, and as a result, the LPG liquid is evaporated to obtain a vaporized gas. At this time, even if the heat medium 2 is still in a low temperature state in which heat exchange is not possible, the LPG liquid in the evaporating tank 3 can be evaporated by hot water passing through the LPG liquid heat exchanging path 6 provided in the evaporating tank 3. In this respect, in the conventional apparatus, the vaporized gas is obtained after the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank rises by a certain degree or more, whereas in the present apparatus, the vaporized gas is obtained only in a few minutes (about 2 to 3 minutes) from the start of the water heater. Can be obtained and rises very fast.

Here, in the present apparatus, the LPG liquid is evaporated mainly by warm water passing through the LPG liquid heat exchange passage 6 in the evaporation tank 3 during normal operation. At this time, if the temperature of the heat medium 2 in the heat storage tank 1 is increased, an evaporating effect of the heat medium 2 can also be obtained. For example, the liquid level L of the LPG liquid is reduced by the heat exchange path 6 in the evaporation tank 3. When it is above the flexible tube portion, the heat medium 2 can evaporate the LPG liquid in a manner that complements the heat exchange path 6.

On the other hand, an emergency when the water heater is stopped due to a failure or the like and the supply of hot water is stopped will be described. If the supply of hot water from the water heater is stopped, evaporation of the LPG liquid cannot be expected through the heat exchange path 6 provided in the evaporation tank 3. However, in the present invention, since the evaporating tank 3 is housed in the heat storage tank 1, the liquid level L of the LPG liquid rises,
The LPG liquid can be evaporated by heat exchange with the heat medium 2.

At this time, the temperature of the heat medium 2 is reduced by continuing the heat exchange with the LPG liquid in the evaporating tank 3 to reach a temperature at which the heat medium 2 cannot be evaporated. By setting it as appropriate, at least a time during which maintenance can be performed can be secured. That is, the heat medium 2 of the heat storage tank 1 functions as a so-called emergency heat exchange medium in an emergency. With this configuration, the vaporized gas can be continuously supplied to the consumer side. Therefore, even if the hot water supply is interrupted due to a failure of the water heater or the like, the consumer can continue production or the like for a predetermined period of time, and can eliminate defective products.

Also, a feature of the present invention is that if the supply of the LPG liquid to the evaporating tank 3 is continued when the temperature of the heat medium 2 decreases after the stop of the hot water, the LP in the evaporating tank 3
The amount of the liquid G increases, and the liquid surface level increases. On the contrary, since the contact area with the heat medium 2 increases, the heat exchange by the heat medium 2 is promoted accordingly, and the liquid level of the LPG liquid is unnecessarily increased. The level never rises. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an accident that the LPG liquid flows out to the consumer side, and the safety is high.

In the present embodiment, the amount of heat storage that can be evaporated by the heat medium 2 is expected to be about 30 minutes to 1 hour. In the present invention, the heat medium 2 may be hot water or hot water to which an antifreeze solution, a rust preventive, or the like has been added, but is not limited thereto. For example, when using hot water as the heat medium 2 of the heat storage tank 1, it is also possible to connect a water heater different from the one connected to the heat exchange paths 5 and 6 to the heat medium supply line 9 as described above. . The feature of this configuration is that the LPG liquid can be evaporated by the hot water from the separate water heater, so that the vaporized gas can be supplied stably for a longer time and the maintenance time of the water heater on the stop side can be secured longer. What you can do. In the drawing, reference numeral 11 denotes a heat medium outlet for overflow.

In order to make the above-mentioned preliminary heat exchange more effective, it is preferable to employ a system for monitoring a failure of a water heater or a stop of hot water supply and reporting the fact that the situation has occurred.

There are no special requirements for the water heater used in the present invention. In other words, it is only necessary to supply hot water stably. That is, most of conventional water heaters, particularly home water heaters, do not have a sheath tank for storing hot water or have a small capacity. Is valid. In this regard, in the case of the present invention, since the hot water supply side is provided with the heat storage tank, it is not necessary to store the hot water, and the supply of the hot water can be normally received.

Further, an appropriate heat source for the water heater can be employed, but it is very reasonable and economical if the vaporized gas obtained by the apparatus of the present invention is used as fuel.

The material of each of the heat exchange paths 5 and 6 is not particularly limited, but preferably a metal tube having corrosion resistance is used. Specifically, a tube of stainless steel, copper, or the like is used. With this configuration, it is possible to avoid adverse effects on the device of the present invention and the pump of the water heater.

Also, the material of the heat storage tank 1 and the evaporation tank 3 can be appropriately selected in the same manner. For example, when carbon steel is used, the apparatus can be provided at low cost.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, during normal operation, the LPG liquid is directly evaporated by the hot water passing through the heat exchange passage provided in the evaporating tank. Get up fast to get.

On the other hand, even when the supply of hot water is stopped due to an abnormality in the water heater, the LPG liquid can be evaporated by the heat medium stored in the heat storage tank. Since predetermined maintenance can be performed and the supply of hot water can be restarted, vaporized gas can be continuously generated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat storage tank 2 Heat medium 3 Evaporation tank 5.6 Heat exchange path 7 Connecting pipe 8 Vaporized gas discharge valve 9 Heat medium supply line 10 Drain port 11 Overflow

Claims (4)

[Claims] A liquefied gas evaporating tank is immersed in a heat storage tank storing a heat medium, and the temperature of the heat medium is indirectly raised by using hot water supplied from a water heater as a heat source, and the evaporating tank is heated with the hot water. A liquefied gas evaporator characterized by directly evaporating a liquefied gas inside. 2. The liquefaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a single continuous heat exchange path is provided inside the evaporator tank and the heat storage tank, and the heat exchange path circulates hot water between the evaporator tank and the heat storage tank. Gas evaporator. 3. The liquefied gas evaporator according to claim 2, wherein the heat exchange path is formed in a flexible tube. 4. The liquefied gas evaporator according to claim 1, wherein when the water heater is stopped, hot water is supplied from another water heater as a heat medium for the heat storage tank.