JPH078380A - Electric water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] The purpose is to improve the water permeability of the filter and efficiently remove turbid components such as scale in hot water and iron from the filter. [Structure] A hot water storage container 2, a heater 3 for heating water in the hot water storage container 2, a circulation path 11 for circulating the water in the hot water storage container 2, and a pump 7 and a heat-resistant container in the circulation path 11. A filter device 8 having a hollow fiber membrane 16 is provided, and a water inflow chamber 13 and an outflow chamber 14 are stacked in the filter device 8 so that the inflow chamber 13 is located above. A heat-resistant air bleeding mechanism communicating with the container 2 is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric water heater that heats and keeps a contained liquid and draws it out of the body by an electric pump.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since tap water in recent years has been sterilized, it contains a large amount of free chlorine and has a lot of chlorine odor. Therefore, in the conventional electric water heater, the one that keeps boiling for several minutes or activated carbon is arranged to release or decompose free chlorine, trihalomethane and musty odor in water into the atmosphere to remove unnecessary components in tap water.

[0003]

However, in an area where water with high hardness is used, scale is generated in the water heater, and the scale adheres to the hot water storage container to deteriorate heat conduction. In addition, water containing a lot of iron is supplied from the water supply that uses aged pipes, which not only impairs the flavor of the hot water, but when tea is added, iron is the tannin of the tea. Reacts with the taste of the tea and spoils it. As described above, the conventional electric water heater described above cannot remove turbid components such as scale contained in the hot water and dissolved substances such as iron. Further, just by arranging the filter of the hollow fiber membrane made of cellulose acetate, polyamide, polysulfone, etc. in the electric water heater, sufficient water cannot be secured in the hollow fiber membrane due to the gas coming out of the water during the water heating, Unnecessary substances cannot be removed.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the conventional electric water heater and to provide an electric water heater capable of easily removing scale components and iron components.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention according to claim 1 provides a container for storing hot water, a heater for heating water in the container for storing hot water, and a container for storing hot water. A circulation path for circulating the water in the inside and a filter device having a pump and a heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane are provided in this circulation path, and an inflow chamber and an outflow chamber of the water are stacked in the filter device. Is located above the outflow chamber, and a heat-resistant air vent mechanism communicating with the hot water storage container is provided above the inflow chamber.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is that a container for hot water storage, a heater for heating water in the container for hot water storage, a circulation path for circulating water in the container for hot water storage, and a pump for the circulation path. A filter device having a hollow fiber membrane serving as a heat-resistant filter is provided inside the hot water storage container at the inlet of the hot water storage container of the circulation path, and a water inflow chamber and an outflow chamber are provided in the filter device. The inflow chambers are stacked and the inflow chamber is located above, and a heat-resistant air bleeding mechanism communicating with the inside of the hot water storage container is provided in the upper part of the inflow chamber.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is such that the inlet, outlet, and air vent of the filter device having the heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane are provided in one direction so that they can be detached from the main body. It was done.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, a constant vortex is generated in the flow of water in the inflow chamber of the filter device having the hollow fiber membrane.

Further, in the invention described in claim 5, in the water circulation process to the filter device having the hollow fiber membrane,
It is configured to turn on / off the power supply to the circulation pump in relation to the water temperature.

[0010]

When the water in the hot water storage container is heated, scale components such as calcium in the water precipitate and precipitate.

Further, when the temperature of the water rises, carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the water escapes into the atmosphere and the pH of the water rises. pH
When the temperature rises, iron dissolved in water will precipitate.

By passing the water containing these scales and iron through a heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane having a filter function, the scales and iron in the water are removed and the water is purified, but with the rise of the water temperature during boiling. Bubbles that come out of the water adhere to the surface of the fibers of the hollow fiber membrane, and the water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane cannot be secured.

On the premise of the above, according to the invention described in claim 1, the inflow chamber and the outflow chamber of the filter device are laminated, the inflow chamber is positioned above, and the upper part of the inflow chamber is located. Since the air bleeding mechanism is installed in the water, air bubbles that come out of the water as the water temperature rises while boiling the water are evacuated from the air bleeding mechanism to eliminate accumulation in the inflow chamber and ensure water permeability in the filter device. Turbid components and iron can be efficiently removed with a filter.

According to the invention described in claim 2,
Since a hollow fiber membrane, which is a heat-resistant filter, is installed inside the inlet of the filter device installed in the circulation path, a simple circulation path configuration efficiently removes turbid components such as scale in hot water and iron content with a filter. can do.

According to the invention described in claim 3, since the inlet, outlet and air vent of the filter device having the hollow fiber membrane are provided in one direction, the water passage of the filter device and the water passage of the main body are connected. The filter device can be installed in one direction, and the filter device can be easily and surely attached to and detached from the main body.

According to the invention described in claim 4,
By generating a certain vortex by the flow of water into the inflow chamber of the filter device itself, the air bubbles attached to the fiber surface of the hollow fiber membrane functioning as a filter are removed by vortex flow as the water temperature rises during boiling. The water permeability of the membrane can be improved, and turbid components such as scale in hot water and iron can be removed more efficiently with a filter.

According to the invention described in claim 5, in the water circulation process of the hollow fiber membrane having a function of a filter,
Since the electricity to the circulation pump is turned on / off in relation to the water temperature, the bubbles adhering to the fiber surface of the hollow fiber membrane can be easily separated due to the change of the flow velocity, and the water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane can be improved. Turbid components such as scales in hot water and iron can be removed more efficiently with a filter.

[0018]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a main body, 2 is a bottomed cylindrical hot water storage container with a built-in heater 3, 4 is a lid for opening and closing the opening of the hot water storage container 2, and 5 is one for hot water storage The other is a lead-out passage communicating with the container 2 and opened to the outside, and 6 is a first pump for lead-out, which is provided in the middle of the lead-out passage 5.
7 is a second pump for circulation, and 8 is a filter device, which is arranged between the inflow passage 9 and the outflow passage 10. Reference numeral 11 denotes a circulation path including an inflow path 9 and an outflow path 10, 12 denotes an air vent path, and 13 denotes an inflow chamber formed at an upper portion of the filter device 8 and communicates with an outflow chamber 14 formed at a lower portion of the filter device 8. It is a thing. Reference numeral 15 is a filter case made of polysulfone or the like which houses the hollow fiber membrane 16 made of polysulfone or the like and constitutes the filter device 8, 17 is a potting material made of epoxy or the like for fixing the hollow fiber membrane 16 to the filter case 15, and 18 is a mesh. Activated carbon layer supported by materials, etc., 19 is an air vent material made of porous fluororesin, 20
Is the inlet of the filter device 8 and 21 is the filter device 8
, 22 is an air vent, and the filter device 8 is such that an inflow chamber 13 having an inflow port 20 and an outflow chamber 14 having an outflow port 21 are vertically stacked, and the inflow chamber 13 is located above the inflow chamber 13. A hollow fiber membrane 16 and an activated carbon layer 18 are incorporated between 13 and the outflow chamber 14. An air vent member 19 is provided above the inflow chamber 13 and communicates with the air vent port 22. The inflow port 20, the outflow port 21, and the air vent port 22 are in communication with a circulation path 11 composed of an inflow path 9 and an outflow path 10, respectively. 23 is a cover,
The filter device 8 is configured to be easily attached to and detached from the main body 1 by opening the cover 23. Reference numeral 24 is a hot water outlet knob, 25 is a control circuit, and 26 is a sensor for detecting the hot water temperature.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the control circuit 25
The hot water is boiled by the heater 3 controlled by the
The first pump 6 is driven by the operation of 4 and the hot water is led to the outside from the outlet path 5. Further, the second pump 7 is driven to circulate the hot water in the water heating process in association with the hot water temperature detected by the sensor 26. At this time, the hot water circulates from the inflow passage 9 through the filter device 8 and the outflow passage 10 to the hot water storage container 2.

When the water in the hot water storage container 2 is heated, scale components such as calcium in the water are precipitated and settled. Also,
When the temperature of the water rises, carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the water escapes into the atmosphere and the pH of the water rises. When the pH of water rises, iron dissolved in water precipitates and becomes particles.

By passing the water containing the scale component and iron through the filter device 8, the scale component and iron in the water are removed to purify the water. However, the water is generated from the water at a high temperature as the water temperature rises during boiling. Due to the bubbles, the water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane 16 having a filter function cannot be ensured.

Therefore, the air bubbles generated in the filter device 8 are collected in the upper part of the inflow chamber 13, and the air vent passage is made from the air vent port 22 through the hydrophobic air vent material 19 that allows the air to pass through but not the hot water. 12 for hot water storage container 2
It is possible to provide tasty hot water by ensuring the water permeability of the hollow fiber membranes 16 that has been discharged into the interior and efficiently removing turbid components such as scales and iron in the hot water with a filter.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 3 and 4, constituent members having the same names as those in the first embodiment will be described by giving the same numbers.

The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.
A filter device 8 is detachably provided inside the hot water storage container 2 at the inlet of the hot water storage container 2. The structure inside the filter device 8 is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, and the bubbles generated from the hot water flowing from the inflow port 20 into the inflow chamber 13 are introduced into the hot water storage container 2 through the hydrophobic air vent material 19, and the hollow fiber membrane is obtained. It is possible to secure water permeability of 16 and efficiently remove turbid components such as scales in hot water and iron components to provide delicious hot water and to easily replace the filter device 8.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, in addition to the first embodiment, the inflow port 20, the outflow port 21, and the air vent port 22 of the filter device 8 are configured so as to have a fixed direction, so that the inflow passage 9 and the outflow passage 10 on the main body 1 side are The communication of the filter device 8 can be easily and reliably performed, and the filter device 8 can be easily attached / detached or replaced from the outside of the main body by opening the cover 23.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The basic structure is the same as in the first and second embodiments described above, and in FIG.
As shown in A and section BB, the position of the inflow port 20 of the hot water to the inflow chamber 13 is provided on the outer peripheral wall side as shown in the figure, so that a swirl flow in a certain direction is generated in the inflow chamber 13 by the inflow speed of the hot water. , The air bubbles attached to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 16 are removed by a vortex to ensure the water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane 16, and the turbid components such as scales in the hot water and iron components are efficiently removed by the filter device 8 to obtain delicious hot water. Is provided.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition to the first, second, and fourth embodiments, in FIG. 5, in the water circulation process of the hollow fiber membrane 16 to the filter device 8, energization of the second pump 7 for circulation is controlled by the control circuit in relation to the water temperature. It is turned on / off by 25. By turning on / off this energization, the flow in the inflow chamber 13 of the filter device 8 is changed so that the air bubbles attached to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 16 are easily removed, and water permeability is secured. Iron and iron can be removed more efficiently by the filter device 8, and delicious hot water can be provided.

[0028]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, in a filter device having a heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane which functions as a filter provided in the middle of a circulation path, the inflow chamber of the stacked inflow chambers and the outflow chamber is moved upward. Furthermore, by providing a heat-resistant air venting mechanism that communicates with the hot water storage container in the upper part of this inflow chamber, it is easy to remove air bubbles adhering to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane as a filter, and the passage of the hollow fiber membrane. The water is improved, and cloudy components such as scales in hot water and iron are efficiently and easily removed with a filter to provide delicious hot water.

Further, in the filter device having the heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane provided inside the hot water storage container at the inlet of the hot water storage container of the circulation path, the inflow chamber of the laminated inflow chamber and the outflow chamber is By placing a heat-resistant air venting mechanism that is placed above and in the upper part of this inflow chamber and opened to the hot water storage container, the water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane is improved, and turbid components such as scale in hot water and In addition to being able to efficiently remove iron with a filter, the structure of the water channel can be simplified.

Further, the filter device having the heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane having the heat-resistant air bleeding mechanism is provided with an inflow port, an outflow port, and an air bleeding port in one direction, which is detachable from the main body, so that clogging can be prevented. The filters that have been installed can be easily replaced.

Further, by generating a certain vortex in the flow of the water inflow chamber of the filter device having the hollow fiber membrane, the bubbles generated in the water are efficiently removed, the water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane is improved, and It is a filter that easily removes turbid components such as the scale inside and iron.

Further, in the water circulation process to the filter device having the hollow fiber membrane, by turning on / off the electricity to the circulation pump in relation to the water temperature, it is possible to more efficiently remove the bubbles generated in the water. The water permeability of the hollow fiber membrane is improved, and turbid components such as scales in hot water and iron are easily removed with a filter.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an electric water heater according to first and third embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 (a) is a plane sectional view of a filter device according to Examples 1, 3 and 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 (b) is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an electric water heater according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 (a) is a horizontal sectional view of a filter device according to Examples 2 and 4 of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the increase in water temperature and the water flow rate index when water is passed through the filter in Example 5 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Hot water container 3 Heater 6 First pump 7 Second pump 8 Filter device 9 Inflow passage 10 Outflow passage 11 Circulation passage 12 Air vent passage 13 Inflow chamber 14 Outflow chamber 16 Hollow fiber membrane 19 Air venting material 20 Flow Inlet 21 Outlet 22 Air vent

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hot water storage container, a heater for heating water in the hot water storage container, a circulation path for circulating water in the hot water storage container, and a pump and a heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane in the circulation path. A filter device is provided, and an inflow chamber and an outflow chamber of water are stacked in the filter device, the inflow chamber is located above the outflow chamber, and the upper part of the inflow chamber is heat-resistant to communicate with the hot water storage container. Electric water heater equipped with the air bleeding mechanism. 2. A container for hot water storage, a heater for heating water in the container for hot water storage, a circulation path for circulating water in the container for hot water storage, and a pump for the circulation path. A filter device having a hollow fiber membrane serving as a heat-resistant filter is provided inside the hot water storage container at the inflow port of the water, and an inflow chamber and an outflow chamber of water are stacked in the filter device, and the inflow chamber is set upward. An electric water heater equipped with a heat-resistant air vent mechanism that communicates with the inside of the hot water storage container at the upper part of this inflow chamber. 3. The filter device having a heat-resistant hollow fiber membrane has an inlet, an outlet, and an air vent which are opened in one direction, and the filter device is detachable from the main body. Electric water heater. 4. The electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein a constant vortex is generated in the flow of water in the inflow chamber of the filter device having the hollow fiber membrane. 5. The electric water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, in the water circulation process to the filter device having the hollow fiber membrane, the energization of the circulation pump is turned on / off in association with the water temperature. .