Hot water boiler

The present invention relates to a hot water boiler. According to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a hot water boiler comprising: a water tube unit, which includes a combustion chamber in which combustion gas is generated, at least one water tube provided in the combustion chamber, and an outlet supplying hot water to a place needing hot water, which flows through the water tubes and is heated by absorbing heat from the combustion gas; a smoke tube unit including a main body, at least one smoke tube provided in the main body and vertically extended so as to allow the combustion gas to pass therethrough, an inner chamber encompassing the smoke tubes, and a supply passage supplying cold water, which is supplied from the outside, to an inner space of the inner chamber, wherein the inner chamber is configured so as to allow water flowing into the inner space of the inner chamber to be heated by absorbing the heat from the smoke tubes, and then to move to an outer space of the inner chamber from the upper part of the inner chamber; and a connection unit including a connection chamber supplying, to the smoke tube unit, the combustion gas provided from the water tube unit, and at least one connection water tube supplying, to the water tube unit, the water provided from the smoke tube unit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2016/000169, filed Jan. 8, 2016, which claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2015-0009658, filed Jan. 21, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a hot water boiler, and more particularly, to a combined hot water boiler combining a water tube-type boiler and a smoke tube type boiler.

BACKGROUND

Hot water boilers are devices that supply water by heating and may be divided into domestic and industrial types according to the purpose of use. Generally, industrial boilers may be used in industrial facilities such as factories and large-scale residential facilities. Accordingly, such industrial boilers are required to supply high-temperature hot water or steam in large quantities, and thus, they are required to have high capacity and high efficiency.

Such large capacity hot water boilers may be divided into a water tube type boiler in which water flowing along a plurality of water tubes connecting vertically arranged headers absorbs heat from gas burned by a burner to become hot water; a smoke tube type boiler in which water contained in a main body forming a water tank absorbs heat from combustion gas passing through a plurality of smoke tubes passing through the inside of the main body to become hot water; and a combined boiler combining the water tube type boiler and smoke tube type boiler, according to the hot water production methods. Among these, the combined boiler has both the characteristics of the water tube boiler and the smoke tube type boiler and exhibits an advantage of excellent thermal efficiency.

The combined boilers are used to heat large residential facilities in some district heating energy facilities in Korea.

FIG. 1shows a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a conventional combined hot water boiler.

Referring toFIG. 1, the conventional combined hot water boiler may include a water tube unit1and a smoke tube unit2arranged side by side, and a connection unit3connecting them at the bottom of the water tube unit1and the smoke tube unit2. Here, the connection unit3allows the water tube unit1and the smoke tube unit2to communicate with each other.

The water tube unit1may include an upper header1a, a lower header1e, a combustion chamber1cdisposed between the upper header1aand the lower header1e, and a plurality of water tubes1bwhich connects the upper header1aand the lower header1eand is provided in the combustion chamber1c. A burner4installed on the upper header1amay generate a flame downward toward the combustion chamber1cprovided with the water tubes1b, and the combustion gas thus generated may be moved to the smoke tube unit2through a post-combustion chamber3cof the connection unit3. The combustion gas transferred to the smoke tube unit2heats cold water (circulation water) supplied into a main body2aof the smoke tube unit2while moving upward along a plurality of smoke tubes2bextending in the longitudinal direction in the main body2aand is then discharged to an exhaust duct5provided at an upper part of the main body2a.

The circulation water heated by the combustion gas in the main body2aof the smoke tube unit2is further heated by sequentially passing through a plurality of connecting water tubes3bconnected to the bottom2cof the main body2, a header3aof the connection unit3and the water tubes1bof the water tube unit1, and the further heated water is then supplied to a place needing the hot water through an outlet1dprovided at the upper header1aof the water tube unit1. Accordingly, the high efficiency of the boiler may be achieved by such hot water supply method.

The combined hot water boiler, as shown inFIG. 1, may be referred to as a stand type hot water boiler with a combined water tube/smoke tube since the water tubes1band the smoke tubes2bare formed by extending in a longitudinal direction, that is, in the direction of gravity.

However, in the conventional combined hot water boilers, since after discharged through the outlet1dand circulated through a predetermined path, the cold water returning into the main body2aof the smoke tube unit2through the circulation water port2dis discharged near the top of the smoke tube2bfor effective heat exchange, the following problems may entail.

First, since the heated water in the main body2aof the smoke tube unit2, particularly the water heated from the lower side, is transferred to the upper part by convection, a flowing collision phenomenon occurs between the cold water flowing through the circulation water port2dand the heated water moving to the upper part. Therefore, the cold water flowing through the circulation water port2dcannot move smoothly to the lower side of the main body2a. In addition, since there is a phenomenon in which the heated water is stagnated at the central portion of the main body2aand thus relatively less heated water is positioned at the edge portion of the main body2ain which the connecting water tubes3bare arranged. As a result, the cold water flowing into the main body2ais not heated sufficiently but is supplied to the connecting water tube3band the water tube1b. Accordingly, this not only lowers the thermal efficiency of the boiler, but also affects the reliability of the heating system using these boilers.

In addition, due to the above phenomenon, heat exchange cannot be performed smoothly at the lower junction of the smoke tube2binto which the combustion gas of high temperature is introduced. Therefore, the damage around the smoke tube2bfrequently occurs due to severe thermal shock. Specifically, the temperature of the combustion gas generated in the burner4is about 1,100 degrees Celsius. Since however the cold water introduced into the main body2acannot smoothly move to the lower portion of the main body2a, the heat transfer from the combustion gas to the cold water is not performed sufficiently. As a result, a large thermal load is applied to the bottom portion of the main body2a, that is, the bottom portion of the smoke tube2band the bottom portion2cof the main body2a.

As shown inFIG. 2, since the smoke tube2bis jointed to the bottom2cof the main body2aby welding, the joint portion is relatively weaker than the other parts. As described above, if the thermal load is continuously applied to the joint portion of the smoke tube2band the bottom2cof the main body2a, cracks can easily occur on the joint portion. If such cracks occur continuously during the operation of the boiler, the joint portion is damaged, and as a result, water in the main body2aof the smoke tube unit2may leak, as shown inFIG. 3. If it is left unattended, it may be a serious threat to the safety of the boiler. Therefore, there are problems that maintenance work such as replacing the smoke tube2bis inevitable, the maintenance cost of the boiler is excessively high, and the life of the boiler is shortened and its stability is not guaranteed.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems of the conventional art, and is to provide a hot water boiler which can reduce maintenance cost, increase life span, and operate stably.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a hot water boiler with improved thermal efficiency.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hot water boiler, which includes: a water tube unit, the water tube unit including a combustion chamber in which combustion gas is generated, at least one water tube provided in the combustion chamber, and an outlet supplying hot water to a place needing the hot water, which flows through the water tubes and is heated by absorbing heat from the combustion gas; a smoke tube unit, the smoke tube unit including a main body, at least one smoke tube provided in the main body and vertically extended so as to allow the combustion gas to pass therethrough, an inner chamber encompassing the smoke tubes, and a supply passage supplying cold water, which is supplied from the outside, to an inner space of the inner chamber, wherein the inner chamber is configured so as to allow water flowing into the inner space of the inner chamber to be heated by absorbing the heat from the smoke tubes and then to be moved to an outer space of the inner chamber from the upper part of the inner chamber; and a connection unit, the connection unit including a connection chamber for supplying, to the smoke tube unit, the combustion gas provided from the water tube unit, and at least one connection water tube for supplying, to the water tube unit, the water provided from the smoke tube unit.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein one side of the water tube unit is provided with a burner for generating the combustion gas in the combustion chamber, and one side of the smoke tube unit is provided with an exhaust duct for exhausting combustion gas discharged from the smoke tube.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the supply passage is connected to a lower portion of the inner chamber to discharge cold water to the lower portion of an inner space of the inner chamber

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the upper end of the inner chamber is spaced apart from an upper surface of the main body or provided with a communication hole so that water in the inner space can be moved to the outer space.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the connection water tube is connected to the lower surface of the main body so as to be communicated with an outer space of the inner chamber.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the connection chamber is a post-combustion chamber, and the connection water tube is disposed in the connection chamber so that water supplied from the smoke tube unit can be heated and then supplied to the water tube unit.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the supply passage is installed in the tangential direction of the inner chamber to guide the supplied water to be flowed into the upper part while rotating inside the inner chamber.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the inner space is provided with a guide vane for guiding water so that water discharged from the supply passage can be moved by a predetermined distance without bumping into the smoke tube.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the supply passage has an extended portion extending to the inner space, and the extended portion is formed with a plurality of discharge ports.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the extended portion is formed in a ‘+’ shape, and the smoke tube is disposed in an empty space of the extended portion.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, which further includes an intermediate cylinder that is provided in a space between the inner chamber and the main body to provide a buffer space into which water supplied through the supply passage flows, wherein the inner chamber is formed with a plurality of inlet holes so that water in the buffer space can be introduced into the inner space.

The aspect is directed to the hot water boiler, wherein the intermediate cylinder has one end portion connected to the lower surface of the main body and the other end portion connected to the outer surface of the inner chamber to form the buffer space.

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, it is possible to provide a hot water boiler in which the maintenance cost is reduced, the lifetime is increased, and stable operation is achieved.

In addition, a hot water boiler with improved thermal efficiency can be provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In addition, in the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when considering that it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

FIG. 4is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a hot water boiler according to an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 5is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state taken along a line V-V ofFIG. 4.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, the hot water boiler according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a water tube unit10for heating water moving through at least one water tube13by combustion gas filled therein, a smoke tube unit20for heating water filled therein by the combustion gas moving through at least one or more smoke tubes22, a connection unit30for connecting the water tube unit10and the smoke tube unit20to allow the combustion gas and the water to pass respectively therethrough, a burner40for generating the combustion gas, and an exhaust duct50for exhausting the combustion gas discharged from the smoke tube unit20. In this embodiment, it will describe an example in which a plurality of water tubes13are provided.

The water tube unit10includes an upper header11and a lower header12spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and a combustion chamber14provided between the upper header11and the lower header12in which the combustion gas is formed by flame generated in the burner40. The water tubes13extend vertically in the combustion chamber14to connect the upper header11and the lower header12. In addition, the upper header11is provided with an outlet15for discharging heated hot water to a place needing the hot water.

In this embodiment, the water tubes13may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction within the combustion chamber14. Further, the water tubes13may be bent in a predetermined shape at the center of the upper header11to form a hole for installing the burner40. Meanwhile, one side of the bottom of the water tube unit10may be formed with a gas passage for guiding the combustion gas toward the connection chamber33of the connection unit30by bending the water tubes13as well.

This water tube unit10may be shielded from the outside by covering the outside thereof with an insulating cover.

On the other hand, the smoke tube unit20includes a main body21filled with cold water therein, an inner chamber23extending vertically inside the main body21to surround a portion of at least one or more smoke tubes22through which the combustion gas passes, and a supply passage25for supplying water into the main body21.

The smoke tube22has its both ends which penetrate the upper surface and the lower surface21cof the main body21such that they are connected by welding or the like to be communicated with the connection chamber33of the connection unit30and the exhaust duct50, respectively.

The inner chamber23may be formed in a cylindrical shape upwardly extending from the lower surface21cof the main body21by a predetermined length and the inner space of the main body21may be separated into the inner space21aand the outer space21bof the inner chamber23, wherein the smoke tubes22are arranged in the inner space21aof the inner chamber23.

In the embodiment, the inner space21aand the outer space21bseparated by the inner chamber23are communicated with each other at an upper portion of the main body21. For this end, the upper portion of the inner chamber23may be formed with a communication hole, or an upper end of the inner chamber23may be spaced apart from the upper surface of the main body21by a predetermined distance. In the present embodiment, the latter case is shown as an example.

In addition, a plurality of brackets24for supporting the inner chamber23may be supported on the inner wall of the main body21around the inner chamber23.

The supply passage25is to supply low-temperature water such as circulation water or cold water, which is returned after the hot water is used in the place needing the hot water, to the inside of the main body21and has one end exposed to the outside of the main body21to receive water and the other end connected to the inner chamber23to supply the water to the inner space21aof the inner chamber23. Specifically, the supply passage25is connected to the lower portion of the inner chamber23so that water can be discharged to the lower portion of the inner space of the inner chamber23. That is, the water supplied from the outside is flowed into the lower portion of the inner space21aof the inner chamber23through the supply passage25.

In this embodiment, the supply passage25may be installed in the tangential direction of the transverse section of the inner chamber23, as shown inFIG. 5. In this case, the water supplied to the inner space21aof the inner chamber23may be heated while rotating along the inner wall of the inner chamber23to be smoothly moved to the upper part of the main body21.

Meanwhile, the connection unit30may include a connection header31connected to the water tube unit10, a connection chamber33through which the combustion gas discharged from the water tube unit10passes, and at least one or more connection water tubes32for transferring the water discharged from the smoke tube unit20to the water tube unit10. Here, the connection chamber33may act as a post-combustion chamber.

The connection water tube32has one end which may be connected to the lower surface21cof the main body21so as to be communicated with the outer space of the inner chamber23and the other end which may be connected to the header31. In turn, the water in the outer space of the inner chamber23may be discharged from the main body21and transferred to the water tube unit10.

The burner40is installed in the upper part of the water tube unit10to burn the fuel by forming a flame in the combustion chamber14downwardly, and the exhaust duct50is installed in the upper part of the main body21of the smoke tube unit20to exhaust the combustion gas that has passed through the plurality of smoke tubes22to the outside.

The operation and effect of the hot water boiler according to one embodiment of the present invention are as follows.

When the fuel is burned in the combustion chamber14of the water tube unit10by the burner40, high-temperature combustion gas (for example, about 1,100 degrees Celsius) may be generated and the combustion gas generated in the combustion chamber14may be exhausted to the exhaust duct50by means of the smoke tube22of the smoke tube unit20through the connection chamber33of the connection unit30.

The water supplied to the smoke tube unit20through the supply passage25is first heated in the smoke tube unit20and then further heated through the connection water tube32of the connection unit30. In addition, the heated water is further heated through the water tube13of the water tube unit10to supply the hot water to the place needing the hot water through the outlet15. The high-temperature hot water thus discharged may be circulated through a predetermined path, and then again supplied to the smoke tube unit20through the supply passage25in a state of a low-temperature.

Specifically, since the water supplied through the supply passage25is supplied to the inner space21aof the inner chamber23, it is supplied to the lower side of the smoke tube22through which the high-temperature combustion gas passes. The temperature of the water heat-exchanged with the combustion gas flowing through the smoke tube22rises and the water rises up to the upper part of the inner chamber23by convection. At this time, the inner space21aof the inner chamber23is formed with a flow in which water is permitted to be upwardly moved as a whole by the water pressure and convection supplied through the supply passage25. The water supplied through the supply passage25is smoothly moved upwardly and is heated during its movement by absorbing heat from the smoke tube22.

The water moved to the upper side of the inner space21aof the inner chamber23along with heating is moved to the outer space21bof the inner chamber23through a space between the upper end of the inner chamber23and the upper surface of the main body21, and moved downwardly through an outer space21bof the inner chamber23to be discharged through the connection water tube32. Since the water is heated to cause less convection in the outer space21bof the inner chamber23, such that the water can be moved smoothly and downwardly in the outer space21bof the inner chamber23.

As described above, the supply passage25supplies water to the lower portion of the inner space21aof the inner chamber23, so that the upward flow is formed in the inner space21aof the inner chamber23, and the downward flow is formed in the space21bthe inner chamber23. Accordingly, the water may be smoothly flowed and heated without any flow collision between the cold water and the pre-heated hot water as in the conventional combined hot water boiler.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the supply passage25is installed in the tangential direction of the inner chamber23. Accordingly, since the water to be circulated is heated while rotating in the inner space21aof the inner chamber23, not only the heat exchange is performed uniformly, but also the movement to the upper part may be performed very smoothly.

In this way, since the low-temperature water supplied through the supply passage25is supplied to the inner space of the inner chamber23, particularly to the lower side of the smoke tube22into which the high-temperature combustion gas flows, it is possible to absorb heat from the combustion gas. In addition, since the water may flow continuously and smoothly without stagnation in the main body21, the thermal load in the vicinity of the bottom joint portion of the smoke tube22may be effectively reduced. In particular, since this flow may be maintained while the boiler is running, even if the high-temperature combustion gas flows into the smoke tube22for a long time, the thermal load applied to the connection portion of the smoke tube22may be effectively reduced.

Accordingly, the problems caused by cracks in the joint portion of the smoke tube22generated in the conventional combined hot water boiler may be effectively prevented, and therefore the damage of the smoke tube22and the main body21may be prevented as much as possible, and the leakage of the smoke tube22may be prevented even when operated for a long period of time.

In addition, since the water circulated by the inner chamber23is sufficiently heated by the smoke tube22and naturally moves toward the connecting water tube32, it is possible to prevent the problem in that the central portion of the main body21is sufficiently heated, but the edge portion is not sufficiently heated, as in the conventional art. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem in that the hot water may be supplied in a state in which the hot water is not sufficiently heated.

As a result, in the hot water boiler according to the present embodiment, the maintenance cost of the smoke tube22and the main body21may be reduced, and the lifetime thereof may be increased.

Further, since the operation failure that may be caused by the leakage of water generated at the connection portion of the smoke tube22may be prevented, there is an effect in that the operation may be performed stably.

Furthermore, since the water flows smoothly and the heat may be sufficiently exchanged with the smoke tube22, it is possible to improve the overall thermal efficiency of the boiler.

Hereinafter, a hot water boiler according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 6 to 9. However, since the following embodiments are different from the above embodiments in the structure of the smoke tube unit20in comparison therebetween, the differences will be mainly described, and the same portions will use the descriptions and the reference numerals of the above embodiments.

FIG. 6is a cross-sectional view showing an inner portion of an inner chamber of a hot water boiler according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 6, in the hot water boiler according to another embodiment of the present invention, the inner space21aof the inner chamber23may be provided with a guide vane27to allow the water discharged from the supply passage25to be discharged into the inner space21awithout directly bumping into the smoke tube22.

The guide vane27is disposed adjacent to the outlet of the supply passage25and has the outer surface thereof formed in a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the inner chamber23, so that the guide vane27can be tightly fixed to the inner chamber23. The inner surface of the guide vane27has a curved shape with a predetermined curvature to guide the water so that the high-pressure water discharged through the discharge port of the supply passage25can meet with another smoke tube22after proceeding a certain distance without directly colliding with the smoke tube22.

In addition, since the guide vane27is sufficient to guide the water discharged from the supply passage25, it may be formed to have a height corresponding to the discharge port of the supply passage25.

The hot water boiler provided with the guide vanes27has an effect of preventing the smoke tube22from being damaged by the continuous impact applied by the water continuously discharged at a high pressure through the supply passage25. As a result, the service life of the hot water boiler may be further extended and the operation stability thereof may be improved.

FIG. 7is a cross-sectional view showing an inner portion of an inner chamber of a hot water boiler according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 7, the supply passage25aof the hot water boiler according to another embodiment of the present invention has an extended portion25bextending to the inner space of the inner chamber23. The extension25bmay protrude from the inner surface of the inner chamber23and may be branched into a predetermined geometric shape. The extension portion25bmay be provided with a plurality of discharge ports25cand the cold water supplied through the supply passage25amay be discharged to the inner space21athrough the end of the extended portion25band/or the discharge port25c. In this embodiment, the extended portion25bis formed in a ‘+’ shape, and water is discharged through the end portion of the extended portion25band the discharge port25c, as shown in an example.

The smoke tube22may be disposed in an empty space of the inner space21aaccording to the shape of the extended portion25b.

As described above, since the hot water boiler has the supply passage25ain which the extended portion25band the discharge port25care provided, the water may be discharged with a relatively low supply pressure. Accordingly, since the impact load applied to the smoke tube22may be reduced, there is an advantage in that the life of the smoke tube22may be increased.

In addition, since the cold water supplied from the outside is evenly spread and supplied in the inner space21aof the inner chamber23and the smoke tube22is provided in the empty space of the inner space21a, the heating of the cold water may be more effectively achieved.

FIG. 8is a cross-sectional view showing an inner portion of an inner chamber of a hot water boiler according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 9is a cross-sectional view showing a part of an inner portion of the smoke tube unit of the hot water boiler ofFIG. 9.

Referring toFIGS. 8 and 9, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, an intermediate cylinder29may be provided between the inner chamber23and the main body21of the hot water boiler. The intermediate cylinder29may be provided to form a buffer space29ainto which the cold water supplied through the supply passage25dis primarily introduced. The intermediate cylinder29may have one end portion connected to the lower surface21cof the main body21and the other end portion connected to the outer surface of the inner chamber23to form the buffer space29a. In addition, the supply passage25dis connected to the intermediate cylinder29to discharge water toward the buffer space29a. A plurality of inlet holes28may be formed in the inner chamber23so that the water introduced into the buffer space29aflows into the inner space21aof the inner chamber23.

In this case, the smoke tube22may be disposed between the adjacent inlet holes28so that the water flowing into the inlet hole28does not directly collide.

As a result, in the case of the hot water boiler having the intermediate cylinder29, since the water is firstly introduced into the buffer space29aand then flows into the inner space21aof the inner chamber21athrough the inlet hole28, relatively low pressure water is discharged toward the smoke tube22. Therefore, since the impact load applied to the smoke tube22may be reduced, there is an advantage in that the life of the smoke tube22may be increased.

Although the hot water boilers according to the embodiments of the present invention have been described above as specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto and should be construed as having the broadest scope according to the basic idea disclosed in the present specification. In addition, the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined or embodied with other patterns of shape that are not expressly recited herein, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will appreciate that they are also within the scope of the present invention. In addition, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be readily made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The hot water boiler according to embodiments of the present invention may be used in domestic and industrial hot water supply industries.