Distribution manifold for thermal system with forced circulation

Abstract

 A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, of the type being used in heating systems providing a plurality of manifolds (11; 41), each one associated to a different set of heating elements, said manifold (11; 41) being associated through relevant duct and housing elements (17; 47; 75; 85) to valve means (23, 32; 72) apt to put the manifold (11; 41) in communication with the heating system. According to the invention, said distribution manifold (41) is incorporated in a one-piece monoblock (40, 80), also incorporating the duct and housing elements (47;85), which associate said valve means (23, 32; 72)

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, which system is used in heating systems providing a plurality of manifolds, each one of them associated to a different set of heating elements, said manifold being associated through special duct and housing elements to such valve means apt to put the manifold in communication with the heating system.

[0002] Heating systems, in particular heating systems for household users, consist of forced circulation heating systems, i.e. they are equipped with a fan pump to let water circulate within the heating elements provided in each household system. In said systems hot water from the boiler is first circulated through common ducts, whereas distribution manifolds are provided in the various system areas, whose function is to draw water from the common duct and transfer it to the heating elements, such as radiators, located in that particular area. Therefore, said manifolds refer to particular areas of the environments to be heated, so that such valves, called zone valves, may be assembled on the connection between the common duct and the distribution manifold, which are used either for supplying or cut out heating to the various rooms. In fact, the function of said zone valves is controlled by one or more thermostats provided for temperature control, whereby, for example, if the thermostat is programmed for reducing the temperature of the bedroom or night area of the apartment during day time, the zone valves related to the distribution manifolds of that area will be conveniently closed, thus hindering supply to the radiators through the manifolds and avoid heat dissipation in unused areas.

[0003] Figure 1 illustrates a partial section of a distribution manifold 11 according to the known state of the art, which has an inlet connector 12 for connecting a common duct from the boiler not shown here to the inlet line, as well as a return connector 13, which is apt to connect the distribution manifold 11 to the return line of the common duct reintroducing water into the boiler.

[0004] The distribution manifold 11 also has a plurality of radiators inlet connectors 14, which convey the water drawn from the common duct to other radiators not shown here, as well as a number of radiators return ducts 15 to let water be conveyed back from the radiators to the common duct through the distribution manifold.

[0005] Also an additional inlet connector 16 and additional return connector 33 are provided, on which e.g. air valves not represented here may be assembled for venting residual air.

[0006] Therefore, Figure 1 shows a valve housing 17, which consists of a valve body 18 and equalizer body 19, placed on the return line and inlet line, respectively, by means of the connectors 30. The valve body 18 and equalizer body 19 are connected to each other by means of a by-pass duct 20 provided on the equalizer body 19, which is coupled in a special housing 21 assembled on the valve body 18 and tightened by a collar 22.

[0007] The valve body 18 houses a valve 23, which comprises substantially a plug 24 operating over a lumen 26; this plug is controlled by an actuator rod 25, which is controlled in turn by an actuator device not shown in Figure 1, such as an electromechanical or electrothermal servomotor operated by a thermostat.

[0008] The equalizer body 19 contains an equalizer device 32 consisting substantially of a hand operated plug 27, which is adjusted so as to occlude the by-pass duct 20 to a desired extent, thus controlling the amount of the hydraulic short-circuit with respect to the distribution manifold 11, i.e. controlling the flow rate to said distribution manifold 11.

[0009] The valve housing 17 is associated to the distribution manifold 11 by means of special connectors 31, one on the inlet line and the other on the return line, respectively.

[0010] The distribution manifold 11, the valve housing 17 and connectors 31 are manufactured and machined separately by the manufacturers of hydraulic systems and also supplied separately to the heating systems installers. Therefore, a first drawback lies in the separate manufacture required for the various duct elements, with consequent longer manufacturing times and higher final costs for the systems. A second drawback is due to longer installation times and assembly difficulties, which levy on the installer. For example, when assembling the system, the installer has to operate on the collar 22 for the correct adjustment of the distance between centres with respect to the by-pass duct 20. A third drawback is that since available standard duct elements have to be used, the addition of optional devices or ducts may cause arrangement and housing problems for the manifold. Finally, the use of separated duct elements, such as connectors, leads to undesired load losses.

[0011] It is the object of the present invention to solve the above drawbacks and provide a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, having a more efficient and improved performance with respect to existing solutions.

[0012] In this frame, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, which has lower costs and shorter working times.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, which makes installation of the heating system easier and faster.

[0014] A further object of the present invention is to provide a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, which is suitable for its arrangement and for the duct elements to be installed.

[0015] A further object of the present invention is to provide a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, which reduces load losses.

[0016] In order to achieve such aims, it is the object of the present invention to provide a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system and/or forced circulation heating system incorporating the features of the annexed claims, which form an integral part of the description herein.

[0017] Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non limiting example, wherein:

• Figure 1 is an exploded partial sectional view of a distribution manifold according to the known state of the art;
• Figure 2 is a partial sectional view of a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to the present invention;
• Figure 3 is an exploded partial sectional view of a known distribution manifold, which is a different embodiment to the manifold represented in figure 1;
• Figure 4 an exploded partial sectional view of a distribution manifold according to the present invention, which is a different embodiment to the manifold represented in figure 2.

[0018] Figure 2 is representing a monoblock 40 obtained by a brass casting. According to the present invention, this monoblock 40 comprises a distribution manifold 41 and a valve body 47 forming just a one-piece body, whereas the connectors 31 of Figure 1 have been replaced by two ducts 61, still pertaining to the monoblock 40, which put the valve body 47 in communication with the distribution manifold 41. Therefore, the distribution manifold 41 comprises the plurality of radiators inlet connectors 14 as well as the radiators return connectors 15, which are similar or analogous to the ones shown in Figure 1. Therefore, also the additional inlet connector 16 and additional return connector 33 are equally provided to let other distribution manifolds 11 or other monoblocks 40 being associated.

[0019] The valves body 47 itself is also a one-piece body comprising a valve body 48 and an equalizer body 49, joined together by means of a by-pass duct 50, also belonging to the monoblock 40.

[0020] The valve body 48 of the monoblock 40, as illustrated in figure 1, has the lumen 26 occluded by the plug 24 of the valve 23.

[0021] The equalizer body 49 contains the equalizer device 32, complete with plug 27, which is apt to open or occlude the by-pass duct 50.

[0022] Figures 3 and 4 describe another embodiment of the distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 represents in fact the distribution manifold 11, valves body 17 and connectors 31 already shown in Figure 1, with further connectors 71 arranged between them for locating a by-pass valve body 75, which houses a by-pass valve 72 between the valves body 17 and the distribution manifold 11. This by-pass valve 72 has the following function as known: since local radiators are normally fitted with independent thermostatic heads, which are apt to likely cut off hot water inflow inside the relevant radiator, said thermostatic heads may stop inflow to all the radiators supplied by one same distribution manifold 11. In this instance, since the valve 23, on the contrary, is caused to open by the thermostat, the by-pass duct 20 cannot operate. Therefore, the by-pass valve 72, which is a differential valve, has to be introduced with a plug 73, which has an adjustable spring operating on it. The by-pass valve 72 is housed in a first body 76 of the by-pass valve body 75, which is a through-duct element with a connector 77 for a by-pass duct 74 placed on a second body 78, fastened by a collar 79. The plug 73 operates proportionally to the water pressure on the by-pass duct 74, which is sized according to the condition as if all radiators were closed.

[0024] Figure 4 is representing an monoblock 80, which according to the present invention comprises the distribution manifold 41 and the valves body 47, forming in fact a one-piece body, along with a by-pass valve body 85. This by-pass valve body 85 comprises a first body 86 and a second body 88 also obtained as a one-piece block, along with a by-pass duct 84. Moreover, connectors 81 and 82 related to the first body 86 and associated to the return path are not straight, but are bent for a double function: first of all the monoblock 80 has a shorter extension compared to the length of the elements shown in Figure 2, if assembled. Secondly, the first body 86 is lowered compared to the first body 76 of Figure 3. This results to be advantageous, because the servomotor controlling the actuation rod 25 of the valve 23 is usually positioned right in the area above the by-pass valve 72, whereby lowering the first valve body 76 installation will be easier. This is not possible when using conventional connectors 31 and 71 as shown in Figure 3.

[0025] From the above description the features of the present invention as well as the relevant advantages thereof are clear.

[0026] The distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to the present invention is advantageously manufactured as a one-piece casting, also comprising the valves housings. Thus, manufacturing costs and times are lower, since a monoblock casting is by far less expensive compared to separated manufacture of three different elements, i.e. manifold, connector and valves bodies.

[0027] Moreover, a distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to the present invention is extremely simple and fast to install, requiring no further adjustments nor alignment.

[0028] Also, advantageously, the distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to the present invention eliminates load losses due to the connectors.

[0029] Moreover, the distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to the present invention is particularly advantageous for all systems requiring an additional by-pass valve or additional valves bodies, since it is no longer necessary to add connectors for increasing their length and weight, making installation critical.

[0030] It is obvious that many changes are possible for the man skilled in the art to the distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system and/or to the forced circulation heating system described above by way of example, without departing from the novelty spirit of the innovative idea, and it is also clear that in practical actuation of the invention the components may often differ in form and size from the ones described and be replaced with technical equivalent elements.

[0031] The monoblock can be obtained by means of castings other than brass castings, such as bronze castings or dezincified brass.

Claims

1. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system, of the type being used in heating systems providing a plurality of manifolds (11; 41), each one associated to a different set of heating elements, said manifold (11; 41) being associated through relevant duct and housing elements (17; 47; 75; 85) to valve means (23, 32; 72) apt to put the manifold (11; 41) in communication with the heating system, characterized in that said distribution manifold (41) is incorporated in a one-piece monoblock (40, 80), also incorporating the duct and housing elements (47;85), which associate said valve means (23, 32; 72).

2. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to claim 1, characterized in that said monoblock (40;80) is obtained by means of a sole casting process.

3. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to claim 2, characterized in that said casting is a brass casting.

4. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that the duct and housing means (47;85) comprise a housing (48) for a valve (23).

5. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that the duct and housing, means (47;85) comprise a housing (49) for a equalizer device (23).

6. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that said monoblock (40) comprises connecting elements (61; 81, 82) apt to put the duct and housing elements (47;85) in communication with the distribution manifold (41).

7. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to claim 6, characterized in that said duct and housing elements (47;85) comprise a by-pass valve body (85), apt for housing a by-pass valve (72), also pertaining to said monoblock (80).

8. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to claim 7, characterized in that said monoblock (80) also comprises the connectors (81, 82), joining the by-pass valve body (85) with the distribution manifold (41) and the housing (48) for the valve (23).

9. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to claim 8, characterized in that said connectors (81, 82) are bent for lowering the position of the by-pass valve body (85).

10. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said housing (48) for the valve (23) and the housing (49) for the equalizer device (32) are connected through a by-pass duct (50) being part of said monoblock (40).

11. A distribution manifold for forced circulation heating system according to claim 7, characterized in that said by-pass valve body comprises a by-pass duct (84) being part of said monoblock (80).

12. A forced circulation heating system incorporating one or more distribution manifolds as described in claim 1.

Drawing