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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
HEATING INSTALLATION
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2013/011266
Kind Code:
A2
Abstract:
A heating installation (10) comprises a heat pump (11) adapted to be installed in a chimney breast (14) behind a fireplace (13). A heat exchanger (15) in fluid communication with the heat pump (11) may also be installed in the 5 fireplace (13), to enable the transfer of heat from the heat pump (11) to a room (19). The heat exchanger (15) may desirably be incorporated within a hydronic heating appliance (12) installed in the fireplace (13). Alternatively, or additionally, connectors (34) may be provide for establishing a fluid connection between the heat pump (11) and a domestic hot water system and/or a domestic central 10 heating system.

Inventors:
WEBSTER GARY STANTON (GB)
Application Number:
PCT/GB2012/050939
Publication Date:
January 24, 2013
Filing Date:
April 27, 2012
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
SMITH S ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS LTD (GB)
WEBSTER GARY STANTON (GB)
International Classes:
F24D18/00
Foreign References:
GB1010759A1965-11-24
GB2475243A2011-05-18
GB2453342A2009-04-08
GB1110951A1968-04-24
GB1014827A1965-12-31
GB2378241A2003-02-05
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
WALDER, Jeremy Thomas et al. (34 East Stockwell StreetColchester, Essex CO1 1ST, GB)
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Claims:
Claims

1 . A heating installation comprising:

- a heat pump adapted to be installed in a chimney breast behind a fireplace; and at least one of:

- a heat exchanger also adapted to be installed in the fireplace and in fluid communication with said heat pump to enable the transfer of heat from said heat pump to a room; and

- connectors for establishing a fluid connection between said heat pump and a domestic hot water system and/or a domestic central heating system.

2. A heating installation as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an electric heating element for location in said fireplace and arranged to enable the transfer of heat therefrom to said room.

3. A heating installation as claimed in claim 2, wherein the heating element comprises a part of a self-contained heating appliance.

4. A heating installation as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a hydronic heating appliance located in said fireplace and associated with the heat exchanger thereby to enable the transfer of heat to said room.

5. A heating installation as claimed in claim 4, wherein the hydronic heating appliance comprises an electrically-driven fan arranged to cause air to flow over said heat exchanger thereby to enable the transfer of heat to said room.

6. A heating installation as claimed in claim 5, wherein the hydronic heating appliance further comprises flame simulation means.

7. A heating installation as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flame simulation means comprises flame-effect generators arranged to be blown by the electrically-driven fan so as to cause motion of said flame-effect generators.

8. A heating installation as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the heat pump is a water-to-water heat pump.

9. A heating installation as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the heat pump is a ground source heat pump.

10. A heating installation as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the heat pump is a geothermal heat pump.

1 1 . A heating installation as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the heat pump is an air source heat pump.

12. A heating installation as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one auxiliary energy source in communication with said heat pump.

13. A heating installation as claimed in claim 12, wherein said auxiliary energy source is a solar panel.

14. A heating installation as claimed in claim 13, wherein said solar panel is a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panel.

15. A heating installation as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, further comprising electrical and/or fluid connectors connecting said solar panel to said heat pump. 16. A heating installation as claimed in claim 15, wherein said electrical and/or fluid connectors are provided and connect the solar panel to the heat pump via a flue of said chimney.

17. A heating installation as claimed any of the preceding claims wherein the heat pump is adapted to feed a low energy domestic heating system utilising one or more fan-assisted radiators.

18. A heat pump adapted to be installed in a chimney breast behind a fireplace, and having at least one of: a heat exchanger also adapted to be installed in the fireplace and in fluid communication with said heat pump to enable the transfer of heat from said heat pump to a room; and connectors for establishing a fluid connection between said heat pump and a domestic hot water system and/or a domestic central heating system.

19. A heat pump as claimed in claim 18 and adapted for use in a heating installation as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17.

Description:
Heating Installation

This invention relates to a heating installation. In particular, the invention relates to a heating installation comprising a heat pump adapted to be installed in a chimney breast behind a fireplace, thereby to replace a conventional back boiler. A further aspect of the present invention relates to a heat pump adapted for use in such an installation.

A back boiler is a compact boiler installed behind the firebox of a fireplace. The term "chimney breast" is used herein to mean the cavity at the bottom of the chimney behind the firebox, and not the front wall of the fireplace flue. Back boilers are often used in combination with an open fire, or a wood-burning or multi-fuel stove, to recover excess heat which would otherwise be lost up the chimney, and to transfer that heat to a domestic hot water and/or central heating system. Back boilers can also be located behind electric, gas or oil-fired room heaters installed in a fireplace, and in such arrangements there may be no direct connection between the room heater and the back boiler. That is to say, the back boiler operates independently of the room heater and does not recover heat therefrom, but merely takes advantage of the otherwise redundant space in the chimney breast behind the room heater.

Despite their efficiency in providing domestic hot water and central heating whilst occupying minimal space within a house, back boilers have fallen out of fashion in recent times, with the trend being towards condensing gas boilers with balanced flues, which must be fitted against an external wall of a building. At the same time, concerns regarding climate change and future availability and cost of fossil fuels have led to a marked increase in appliances such as heat pumps which utilise renewable energy sources.

A conventional heat pump capable of providing sufficient heating capacity to meet the domestic hot water and central heating needs of an average house will tend necessarily to be rather large in size. This usually leads to heat pumps being located in an area away from the living area of the house, such as in a garage or cellar. In houses without such areas, the expected size of a heat pump can discourage many people from adopting this highly efficient and clean technology. The present invention stems from the realisation that heat pump technology can be made more accessible by making a heat pump significantly small for installation in a chimney breast behind a fireplace, in the space that otherwise would be occupied by a back boiler. Furthermore, by facilitating installation of the heat pump in that space, the heat pump will in use appear to be quieter to occupants of the room.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating installation comprising:

- a heat pump adapted to be installed in a chimney breast behind a fireplace; and at least one of:

- a heat exchanger also adapted to be installed in the fireplace and in fluid communication with the heat pump to enable the transfer of heat from the heat pump to a room; and

- connectors for establishing a fluid connection between said heat pump and a domestic hot water system and/or a domestic central heating system.

Preferably, the heat pump is arranged to supply both a domestic hot water system and a domestic central heating system.

The adaptation of the heat pump to enable it to be installed in a chimney breast requires the heat pump to be appreciably smaller than a conventional heat pump. The required reduction in size also necessitates an increase in the efficiency of the heat pump in order to perform to the same capacity as a standard unit. A heat pump exhibiting increased efficiency, which is particularly suitable for use in the heating installation of the present invention, is described in the Applicant's co-pending UK Patent Application No. 10 10759.7. The efficiency of the heat pump can also be further enhanced by utilising it in combination with a low energy central heating system, rather than a conventional central heating system. A particularly suitable low energy heating installation is described in the Applicant's co-pending UK Patent Application published as GB 2,475,243. Most preferably, the heat pump is adapted to feed a low energy domestic central heating system utilising one or more fan-assisted radiators. Examples of particularly suitable fan-assisted radiators are described in the Applicant's co- pending UK Patent Application published as GB 2,453,342 and in the Applicant's co-pending UK Patent Application No. 1 1 10951 .9. A heat pump having improved sound attenuation properties may also be beneficial in the heating installation of the present invention for delivering a quieter performance. Such a heat pump is described in the Applicant's co-pending UK Patent Application No. 10 14827.8.

The provision of a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the heat pump enables the heat pump to function also as a space heater, removing the need for a separate electric, gas or oil-fired room heater to be installed in the fireplace. This provides a further benefit as regards energy efficiency and environmental concerns, since a single renewable heat source is now employed to provide direct space heating, domestic hot water, and domestic central heating.

The heating installation may further comprise an electric heating element for location in the fireplace and arranged to enable the transfer of heat therefrom to said room by converting electrical energy into heat energy. Such a heating element may comprise a part of a self-contained heating appliance. Alternatively or additionally, where a heat exchanger is provided, the heating installation may further comprise a hydronic heating appliance located in the fireplace and incorporating the heat exchanger, thereby to enable the transfer of heat to the room. The term "hydronic" is used herein in this context to mean a heating appliance which heats air by causing it to flow over, around or through a heat exchanger through which heated water is passed. To this end, the hydronic heating appliance preferably comprises an electrically-driven fan arranged to cause air to flow through the heat exchanger, thereby to enable the transfer of heat to the room.

To enhance the desirability of the heating installation of the present invention, it is important that the hydronic heating appliance should have aesthetic appeal. It is thus preferred that the hydronic heating appliance should further comprises flame simulation means. Most preferably, the flame simulation means comprises flame-effect generators arranged to be blown by the electrically-driven fan, so as to cause motion of the flame-effect generators. A particularly suitable flame-effect hydronic heating appliance is described in the Applicant's UK Patent No. 2,378,241 .

The heat pump is preferably a water-to-water heat pump, and may utilise any appropriate heat source, such as ground source, geothermal or air source heat.

In preferred embodiment of the present invention the heating installation further comprises at least one auxiliary energy source in communication with said heat pump. The auxiliary energy source preferably is a solar panel, and most preferably is a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panel, adapted both to deliver hot water to "top-up" the heated water provided by the heat pump to the domestic hot water system, central heating system and/or hydronic heat exchanger, and also to deliver electricity to feed into the mains supply and/or operate the electrical components of the heat pump and the electric fan of the hydronic heating appliance.

A further benefit of the installation of the heat pump in the chimney breast is that the solar panel may conveniently be installed on the roof adjacent the chimney stack, whilst the electrical and/or fluid connectors required to connect the solar panel to the heat pump may be routed to the heat pump via the chimney flue.

The scope of the present invention extends to include a heat pump adapted for use in a heating installation as hereinbefore described.

Therefore, according to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a heat pump adapted to be installed in a chimney breast behind a fireplace, and having at least one of: a heat exchanger also adapted to be installed in the fireplace and in fluid communication with said heat pump to enable the transfer of heat from said heat pump to a room; and connectors for establishing a fluid connection between said heat pump and a domestic hot water system and/or a domestic central heating system.

The preferred features of the invention as hereinbefore described with reference to the heating installation according to the first aspect of the present invention should be understood to correspond to the preferred features of the heat pump according to the second aspect of the present invention. In order that the present invention may be more clearly understood, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described in detail, though only by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a preferred embodiment of heating installation according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the heating installation of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an alternative embodiment of heating installation, installed in a house.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a preferred embodiment of heating installation, generally indicated 10, according to the present invention. The heating installation comprises a heat pump 1 1 coupled with a hydronic heating appliance 12. The heat pump 1 1 has connectors (not shown) for establishing a fluid connection between the heat pump 1 1 and a domestic hot water and central heating system. As is best shown in Figure 3, the hydronic heating appliance 12 is adapted to be installed in a fireplace 13, whilst the heat pump 1 1 is adapted to be installed in a chimney breast 14 behind the fireplace 13.

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, the heat pump 1 1 is in fluid communication with a heat exchanger 15, which is incorporated as an integral component of the hydronic heating appliance 12. The hydronic heating appliance 12 also includes an electrically driven fan 16 arranged to draw in ambient air through an air inlet 17 near the bottom of the appliance 12, to blow the air through the heat exchanger 15 thereby causing warming of the air, and then to drive the warmed air our through an air outlet 18 located near the top of the appliance 12. The passage of air through the hydronic heating appliance 12 is illustrated by arrows in Figure 1 . As can be appreciated by reference again to Figure 3, this arrangement enables the heat pump 1 1 effectively to operate, via the hydronic heating appliance 12, as a direct space heater to warm the room 19 in which the hydronic heating appliance 12 is installed, in addition to driving the domestic hot water and central heating system.

Referring again to Figure 1 , the hydronic heating appliance 12 incorporates a flame simulation effect in order to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the heating installation 10. To this end, the appliance 12 includes flame-effect generators 21 disposed in the air stream illustrated by the arrows. The fan 16 thus causes the flame-effect generators 21 to oscillate, thereby providing the illusion of a flickering flame, in addition to driving the air through the heat exchanger 15. The flame simulation effect is further enhanced by the provision of simulated fuel 22 and a viewing screen 23 on which the image of the simulated flames appears.

Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown an alternative embodiment of heating installation 10 according to the present invention, installed in a house, generally indicated 30. The components of the heating installation 10 are the same as those described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2, except that the heat pump 1 1 is supplied by an auxiliary energy source in the form of a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panel 31 . The solar panel 31 is installed on the roof 32 of the house 30, adjacent the chimney stack 33 corresponding to the chimney breast 14 in which the heat pump 1 1 is installed. The electrical and fluid connectors 34 required to connect the solar panel 31 to the heat pump 1 1 can thus conveniently be routed down the chimney flue 35.