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DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The present invention regards an apparatus for heating, cooling and producing sanitary hot water.

More in particular, the invention regards an apparatus including a reversible heat pump suitable for serving cooling functions during summer time and heating functions during winter time and also suitable to produce sanitary hot water any time during the year.

Description of the relative art

Apparatus for heating, cooling and producing sanitary hot water for household use currently available in the market use a heat pump with a compressor driven by an electric motor. In the prior art apparatuses, production of sanitary hot water is solely obtained by the internal circuit of the heat pump using electrical energy.

DE-A-30 11 840 discloses a heating system exploiting environmental heat by means of a roof heat absorber and a geothermal heat absorber. A heat pump has an expansion part connected the two absorbers and a compression part connected to at least one heat consumer. The expansion part of the heat pump is connected, through a first circuit, to the geothermal absorber and the latter is connected, through a second circuit, with the roof absorber.

Object and summary of the invention

The present invention has the aim of providing an apparatus for heating, cooling and producing sanitary hot water capable of allowing obtaining a greater efficiency than the prior art apparatuses available in the market up to date.

According to the present invention, such object is attained by means of an apparatus having the characteristics indicated in the attached claim 1.

The apparatus according to the present invention uses a reversible heat pump for summer cooling and winter heating and it is also adapted to produce sanitary hot water at any time of the year through connection to a thermal solar system and to the heat pump. The apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a control assembly for the solar system operating under the control of the control unit which manages the operation of the heat pump. The apparatus according to the invention is capable of producing sanitary hot water using different sources of heat: solar energy, the heat pump and, possibly, an auxiliary electric resistance.

Brief description of the drawing

The present invention shall now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawing, purely provided by way of non-limiting example, illustrating a diagram of an apparatus according to the present invention .

Detailed description of an embodiment

With reference to the attached figure, an apparatus for heating, cooling and producing sanitary hot water according to the present invention is indicated with 10. The apparatus 10 comprises a housing cabinet 12 in which all components of the apparatus 10 are housed.

The apparatus 10 comprises a tank 14 in which a heat exchanger 16 for heating sanitary hot water is housed. In the figure, C and H designate un inlet connection for sanitary cold water and an outlet connection for sanitary hot water, respectively. The apparatus 10 comprises a reversible heat pump 18 including:

- a compressor 20 driven by an electric motor,

- a plate heat exchanger 22, heating/cooling side, - a plate heat exchanger 24, tank side,

- a four-way reverse valve 26, and

- an electronic control and adjustment unit 28. The apparatus 10 is connected, through valves 30, to a heating/cooling circuit 32 located outside the housing cabinet 12 and including at least one radiant panel 34. A first heat exchange liquid is destined to circulate in the heating/cooling circuit 32, which first heat exchange liquid operates, in the installed and operating condition of the apparatus 10, in heat exchange relationship with the heat exchanger 22 of the heat pump 18. A circulation pump 36 is provided for circulating the first heat exchange liquid through the heating/cooling circuit 32 and through the heat exchanger 22.

In the installed and operating condition of the apparatus 10, the tank 14 containing the heat exchanger 16 for heating the sanitary hot water is filled with a second heat exchange liquid. The second heat exchange liquid is destined to circulate in heat exchange relationship within the heat exchanger 24 of the heat pump 18. A second circulation pump 38 is provided for circulating the second heat exchange liquid through the tank 14 and through the heat exchanger 24.

A further heat exchanger 40, which is arranged in heat exchange relationship with the liquid contained in the tank 14, is housed inside the tank 14. The heat exchanger 40 is connected to two connection fittings 42 prearranged for connection to a solar system including at least one thermal solar panel 44. The thermal solar panel 44 is arranged outside the cabinet 12 and is connected in closed circuit to the heat exchanger 40. The apparatus 10 comprises an assembly 46 for controlling the solar system. The control assembly 46 comprises a pump 48 controlled by the control unit 28 of the heat pump 18.

The control assembly 48 further comprises safety valves and the accessory components required for the correct operation of the solar system.

The tank 14 may also be provided with an auxiliary electric resistance 50.

During operation, the heating of the sanitary hot water is mostly obtained using the energy supplied by the solar system, supplemented with the energy coming from the heat pump 18. The control of the entire system is performed by the control unit 28 which controls the heating/cooling circuit 32, the solar system and the circuit for heating the sanitary water through the heat pump 18 according to the data supplied by various temperature sensors, not indicated.

Naturally, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the construction details and the embodiments may widely vary with respect to what has been illustrated without departing from the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the claims that follow.