EP-4739953-A1 - HIGH ENERGY SAVING PROXIMITY HEATER WITH CAPILLARY TUBE

Abstract

A heating apparatus for fluids and/or air is described comprising: a capillary tube heater (1) connected to a power stage (5); an electronic control board (7); first means (9) for sealing and connecting fluid; power supply means (30) designed to provide a variable power supply from 380V to 5V of a multi-purpose power driving power supply type; one or more pumps (22) to control flow rate and pressure of fluid and/or air in the capillary tube heater (1); a first temperature sensor (50) to deactivate the supply of the capillary tube (3) in case of danger; a second and a third temperature sensors (56, 58) designed to read the temperature of the fluid entering and exiting the capillary tube (3), in order to provide operating parameters for the heating apparatus; a first electronic circuit (52) and a second electronic circuit (54) to deactivate the power supply to the capillary tube (3) in the event of failures of the first temperature sensor (50) or of an anomaly in the electronic control board (7).

Inventors

• TORCHIO, Francesca
• TORCHIO, Giorgio

Assignees

• Torchio, Francesca
• Torchio, Giorgio

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240530

Claims (9)

1. 1. Heating apparatus for fluids and/or air comprising : - a capillary tube heater (1) composed of at least one capillary tube (3) , having a section for passage of fluids and/or air, said capillary tube heater (1) being suitable for containing the fluid and/or air from heat and connected to a power stage (5) capable of supplying electrical voltage to the capillary tube heater (1) ; - an electronic control board (7) connected to the capillary tube heater (1) and designed to control flow and temperature of fluid and/or air and to drive a frequency generator and provide power supply safety; - at least first fluid sealing and connecting means (9) operatively connected to said capillary tube (3) at one end (I) of entry of fluid and/or air into the capillary tube (3) ; - power supply means (30) designed to provide a variable power supply from 380V to 5V, said power supply means (30) being a multi-purpose power driving power supply; one or more pumps (22) connected to the capillary tube heater (1) and designed to be operated by the electronic control board (7) to control flow rate and pressure of fluid and/or air in the capillary tube heater (1) ; - at least one first temperature sensor (50) designed to read the temperature of the capillary tube (3) , monitored by the electronic control board (7) capable of deactivating the power supply of the capillary tube (3) if a dangerous temperature limit is reached; - at least one second temperature sensor (56) designed to read the temperature of the fluid entering the capillary tube (3) , monitored by the electronic control board (7) in order to provide operating parameters for the heating apparatus; - at least one third temperature sensor (58) designed to read the temperature of the fluid exiting the capillary tube (3) , monitored by the electronic control board (7) in order to provide operating parameters for the heating apparatus; - a first electronic circuit (52) designed to deactivate the power supply to the capillary tube (3) in the event of a failure of the first temperature sensor (50) ; - a second electronic circuit (54) designed to deactivate the power supply to the capillary tube (3) in the event that an anomaly is detected in the operating parameters of the electronic control board ( 7 ) .
2. 2. Heating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature detector (20) operatively connected to the electronic control board (7) and designed to provide values for forecasting future operating conditions of the heating apparatus.
3. 3. Heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said multi-purpose power driving power supply has a direct current type output voltage.
4. 4. Heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said multi-purpose power driving power supply has an alternate current type output voltage .
5. 5. Heating apparatus according to any of the previous claims, further comprising at least second fluid sealing and connecting means (13) operatively connected to said capillary tube (3) at one end (0) of fluid and/or air outlet in the capillary tube (3) .
6. 6. Heating apparatus according to any of the previous claims, further comprising a third electronic circuit for PWM driving of the pumps
7. 7. Heating apparatus according to any of the previous claims, wherein the capillary tube heater (1) is made of high transmissivity steel.
8. 8. Heating apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the capillary tube heater (1) is made of graphene or other conductive materials .
9. 9. Heating apparatus according to any of the previous claims, wherein the power stage (5) consists of a low frequency signal generator and a capillary power drive.

Description

HIGH ENERGY SAVING PROXIMITY HEATER WITH CAPILLARY TUBE The present invention refers to a proximity heater with capillary tube with high energy saving, and in particular to the sector of heating fluids and/or air, mainly water, through the use of electric current; in particular, the present invention refers to a device for heating fluids with high energy savings through the use of electrical current supplied appropriately after an electronic control. In particular, from here on, the term "fluid" or "fluids" contained in the description must be interpreted as "fluid and/or air" or "fluids and/or air", respectively. In particular, the fluids are placed under pressure in one or more capillary-sized tubes, and are subsequently dispensed, leaving the device at the desired temperature and pressure via a nozzle. The production of hot water for domestic use and for the operation of household appliances in the on-board washing cycle, and for the preparation of hot drinks (such as tea or coffee) or for the solution of other household tasks, is well known. However, the technologies used are strictly linked to the use of electrical resistors of more or less large dimensions, and electrical consumption, despite improved efficiency in recent years, is still high, with negative consequences for the environment and the economy of the user. In recent years, high and very high pressures have been produced (from 50 to 100 atmospheres) , and even 224 atmosphere boilers (critical pressure) . The steam boiler today constitutes the essential part of a complex system apparatus, i.e. the steam generator, the system in which the thermal energy produced by a fuel is converted into energy . Today, water heating in household appliances occurs mainly through the use of a resistor. The resistance is the element, normally made up of a copper coil, which is used to heat water or fluids. The heating operation is usually carried out by electricity which, passing inside it, heats the copper part which, in contact with water or surfaces, releases its heat. To prevent electrical energy in contact with water from causing a short circuit, the resistor is equipped with ceramic insulation inside the filament where it passes between the current and the copper part which allows the transfer of heat from this energy. The reason why the electrical energy passing through an electric filament generates heat is called "Joule Effect", a well-known physical law, which is the basis of most modern heating technologies and which, generically, "governs" any energy transformation of the electricity into other forms of energy. The Joule Effect, therefore, states that the power transferred to the material in which an electric current flows is given by the following formula: P=VI, which shows that the electric power (P) supplied is directly proportional to the electric potential (V) as well as directly proportional to the electrical intensity (I) circulating in the circuit itself. Due to Joule's discovery, we now know that heat is nothing more than a form of energy, specifically "degraded" energy. This type of energy can hardly be transformed into another form of energy instead of, for example, kinetic energy or gravitational energy which are easily transformable . Heat, in fact, is the sum of the kinetic energies of atoms and molecules that form a body and the index of this kinetic energy of each particle is the temperature. Likewise, electric current is nothing more than the ordered movement, generated by an electric field, of electrons having kinetic energy. When the flow of electric charges passes through a resistance, the kinetic energy of the electric charges (electrons) is transferred, partially or totally, to the material through which the same electric current passes. In its macroscopic form, applying Ohm's law, Joule's Formula can be expressed with the following o equation P=RI , where V=RI . The electric power is therefore directly proportional to the resistance (R) of the circuit and to the square of the intensity of the electric current ( I ) . In the case of household appliances, the resistor is provided with two terminals, called electrical poles, to which the electrical power cables of the household appliances themselves are connected . The present invention overcomes the technical problems described above, due to a new system that allows the heating of fluids and/or air of variable flow rates and with significant energy savings. This invention works for flows with extremely small microscopic fluid passage sections, with only a capillary size tube. Flow rates for normal domestic or industrial sizing (e.g. 1 inch or more up to 394 inches, one inch being 2.54 cm) , can be obtained by multiplying in a bundle of capillary tubes or, separately, up to the number necessary to obtain the flow of hot fluid (e.g. water) that comes out of a nozzle or a connecting element (closed circuit) of the desired size. The outgoing or circulating fluid is control