IP Library Granted Patent US 9,732,994
Granted Patent B2
US 9,732,994 · App. 14/085,747 · Granted Aug 15, 2017

Device and method for an efficient surface evaporation and for an efficient condensation

Inventors: Holger Sedlak (Lochhofen/Sauerlach, DE); Oliver Kniffler (Munich, DE)
Assignee: Efficient Energy GmbH
F25B30/02F25B39/00F28F13/12F28F13/182
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,732,994
App. No.
14/085,747
Granted
Aug 15, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

An evaporator or a condenser includes a surface on which the operating liquid is arranged. Further, turbulence generators are provided to generate turbulences in the operating liquid located on the operating surface. In the condenser, alternatively or additionally, a laminarizer is present to make the vapor stream laminar provided by the compressor. On the evaporator side, the evaporation efficiency is increased and, on the condenser side, the condenser efficiency is increased, which may be used for a substantial reduction in size without loss of power of these components, in particular for a heat pump for heating a building.

Claims (43)

1. A condenser condensing an evaporated operating liquid, comprising:

a condenser surface on which an operating liquid is arranged;

a plurality of turbulence generators generating current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface; and

a laminarizer making a vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid and directed to the operating liquid located on the condenser surface laminar,

wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar by the laminarizer is warmer than the operating liquid located on the condenser surface,

wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar by the laminarizer impinges on the current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface and generated by the plurality of turbulence generators, and

wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar by the laminarizer directly condenses into the current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface, whereby the operating liquid is heated.

2. The condenser according to claim 1 , comprising:

a condenser housing in which the condenser surface is arranged, the condenser housing maintaining a pressure in the condenser housing at the condenser surface, the pressure being at such a value that a condensed operating liquid has a predetermined minimum temperature.

3. The condenser according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined minimum temperature is higher than or equal to 22° C.

4. The condenser according to claim 1 , wherein the condenser surface is inclined in an operating position, wherein the operating liquid is supplied to the condenser surface, wherein the operating liquid flows from an intake for the operating liquid to a drain of the condenser surface due to gravity.

5. The condenser according to claim 4 , wherein the condenser surface is pyramid-shaped, conical, funnel-shaped or in the form of an inclined plane which is level or non-level.

6. The condenser according to claim 4 , wherein the intake for the operating liquid to the condenser surface is surrounded by the condenser surface, wherein the operating liquid flows across the condenser surface at several sides of the intake.

7. The condenser according to claim 1 , wherein both the turbulence generators and also the laminarizer are formed by a same element.

8. The condenser according to claim 7 , wherein the same element comprises a fiber tissue protruding beyond an operating liquid level on the condenser surface.

9. The condenser according to claim 8 , wherein the fiber tissue is a plastic wool with non-absorbing fibers or a metallic wool.

10. The condenser according to claim 1 , wherein a distance of the laminarizer from the operating liquid on the condenser surface, which the laminarized vapor has passed, is smaller than 25 mm.

11. The condenser according to claim 10 , wherein the laminarizer is formed of honeycomb material or a tube material with laminarizer cells, wherein a length of a laminarizer cell is implemented such that, in proportion to a diameter of the laminarizer cell, on the output side a gas current is generated which is at least half as turbulent as a gas current which is fed into the laminarizer.

12. The condenser according to claim 11 , wherein the laminarizer cell is longer than 10 mm if it has a diameter greater than 5 mm and is longer than 1 mm if it has a diameter smaller than 1 mm.

13. The condenser according to claim 1 ,

wherein the condenser surface is formed in a tilted manner, so that the operating liquid flows off the condenser surface subsequent to being heated due to the direct condensation of vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid into the operating liquid located on the condenser surface,

wherein the condenser further comprises an operating liquid reservoir into which the operating liquid flowing off the condenser surface is introduced, and

wherein the operating liquid reservoir is arranged in such a way that operating liquid stored in the operating liquid reservoir and being cooler than the operating liquid flowing off the condenser surface is supplied from the operating liquid reservoir to the condenser surface to form an operating liquid current on the condenser surface.

14. The condenser according to claim 1 , which is implemented for being used in a heat pump.

15. The condenser according to claim 1 , which is implemented for the use of a heat pump for heating a building for buildings with less than 10 apartment units.

16. A condenser of claim 1 , wherein the operating liquid is water.

17. A heat pump, comprising:

an evaporator evaporating an operating liquid, the evaporator comprising:

an evaporator surface on which the operating liquid evaporated by the evaporator is arranged; and

a plurality of first turbulence generators generating turbulences in the operating liquid evaporated on the evaporator surface;

a condenser condensing the evaporated operating liquid, the condenser comprising:

a condenser surface on which the operating liquid is arranged;

a plurality of second turbulence generators generating current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface; and

a laminarizer making a vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid and directed to the operating liquid located on the condenser surface laminar, wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar by the laminarizer is warmer than the operating liquid located on the condenser surface, wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar by the laminarizer impinges on the current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface and generated by the plurality of turbulence generators, and wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar by the laminarizer directly condenses into the current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface, whereby the operating liquid is heated; and

a compressor compressing the operating liquid evaporated by the evaporator, wherein the compressor is coupled to the condenser and feeds compressed vapor into the condenser, and

wherein the condenser further comprises a heating forward flow supplying warm heating liquid and a heating return flow supplying cold heating liquid to the condenser.

18. A method of condensing an evaporated operating liquid, comprising:

arranging operating liquid on a condenser surface;

generating turbulences in the operating liquid arranged on the condenser surface; and

making a vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid and directed to the operating liquid located on the condenser surface laminar,

wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar is warmer than the operating liquid located on the condenser surface,

wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar impinges on the current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface, and

wherein the vapor current of the evaporated operating liquid made laminar directly condenses into the current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface, whereby the operating liquid is heated.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE RECEIVING PARTY DATA PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 066154 FRAME: 0071. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jan 25, 2024
From: EFFICIENT ENERGY GMBH
To: VERTIV S.R.L.
Reel/Frame 066370/0659 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 17, 2024
From: EFFICIENT ENERGY GMBH
To: VERTIV S.R.L.
Reel/Frame 066154/0071 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2014
From: SEDLAK, HOLGER; KNIFFLER, OLIVER
To: EFFICIENT ENERGY GMBH
Reel/Frame 032297/0463 →
Priority Claims (2)
DE 10 2008 029 597 · Jun 23, 2008 · national
DE 10 2008 031 300 · Jul 2, 2008 · national
Continuity (3)
Division 12976230 · Dec 22, 2010
Continuation PCTEP2009004519 · Jun 23, 2009
Related Publication 20140075978A1 · Mar 20, 2014