Heat accumulator on the street. The heat accumulator is an important element of the heating system of a comfortable and safe home. Thermal storage and hot water supply
How to increase the efficiency of a solid fuel boiler? Reduce energy purchase costs? Reduce the number of fireboxes (number of approaches to throw/load coal or firewood into the boiler) per day? The answer is to install a buffer tank, the so-called. heat accumulator, and “charge” it with energy from the heat generator - heat water in reserve. And then, as necessary, use it for the heating system. You can buy a heat accumulator ready-made - factory-made, or try to save money and make it yourself. We will talk about the successful implementation of homemade products in this article.
- How to make a heat accumulator for a solid fuel boiler from a tank.
- How to connect a buffer tank to a heating system with a solid fuel boiler.
- Experience in using a heat accumulator.
Homemade heat accumulator for a TT boiler from a tank from a fire truck
Sjawa User FORUMHOUSE
Our gas is expensive. Therefore, besides gas boiler for 24 kW, which I currently use to heat the house, I bought a solid fuel (FF) boiler with a capacity of 20 kW. Heated area – 135 sq.m. m. Of it: 110 sq. m heated with warm floors and another 25 sq. m. m radiators. The TT boiler, after installation, paid for itself in almost a season. I believe that installing a heat accumulator (TA) will increase the efficiency of the heating system. In the off-season, with HT, I’m generally thinking of switching only to TT heating with a boiler and using a gas boiler as a reserve and for quick reheating of the coolant. Then I plan to save even more - I’ll install a solar collector, and in the summer I’ll dump the “free” energy from it into a buffer tank.
First, let's show a diagram of the heating system Sjawa.
The circuit, after putting the heat accumulator into operation, underwent a slight change, which we will discuss below.
Now let's show how the user made a heat accumulator. The basis of the TA is a used barrel - a 1.5 cubic meter tank from a fire truck.
It is easier and cheaper to make a heat accumulator from a ready-made container than to weld a steel tank with 0 yourself.
Important. If barrels/tanks from fuels and lubricants are used as a homemade container for fuel tanks(fuels and lubricants), then, in order to avoid accidents, because vapors remain flammable for many years, Great care must be taken when working, especially welding.
V757V User FORUMHOUSE
I once got into a conversation with a fuel truck driver, and he told me how they boil tanks at their oil depot. Fill the tank to capacity with water. Place a raft with a burning candle on top and slowly drain the water. The water gradually flows out, and everything that can burn quietly burns out as the container is emptied.
All excess was cut off from the tank, measuring 2 (height) x 1.35 x 0.75 m.
Because The heat accumulator is placed vertically so that the tank filled with water does not swell; the user made “ties” from a pipe with a diameter of 22 mm.
The “ties” are reinforced with washers, although, according to Sjawa, it's too much.
Pipe ties can be used as sleeves for installing thermometers or temperature sensors in the TA.
The tank hatch is used as an inspection hatch and for inserting heating elements (tubular electric heaters) with built-in magnesium anodes 3 pcs. 2 or 3 kW.
Water in the TA will also be heated with electricity at a cheaper nightly rate.
Hatch details.
The bottom of the TA tank is reinforced profile pipes cross section 4x4 cm.
Welded pipes for piping the heating unit with the boiler and heating system.
The top of the TA is also reinforced, otherwise it will bulge under pressure when the water heats up.
A homemade manifold has been welded.
Couplings for heating elements are welded into the hatch.
The base under the TA is made of plywood and timber with a cross-section of 100x100 mm with slots so that the pipes welded to the bottom of the tank do not put pressure on the base.
The base for the heat accumulator is insulated with foam plastic.
In parallel with the production of the heating system, components arrived for the heating system. Thermostatic valve.
Circulation pump with taps, which will later be replaced with “American” ones.
Heating elements with magnesium anodes.
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Magnesium anodes protect the TA metal from rust.
Cover seal Sjawa made using original technology. First, the user sealed the lid with sealant. I tightened the cover with 16 bolts, but when testing the TA with a pressure of 2 bar, water began to ooze from under the roof. The DIYer did not cut out the rubber gasket. It’s too complicated, and there are no guarantees of tightness. Eventually Sjawa I made a silicone gasket.
Step-by-step instructions for making it:
- The place where the gasket is placed is painted, because silicone in contact with unprotected ferrous metal activates corrosion.
- Using hot-melt adhesive, the beads are glued around the circumference of the lid.
The inner collar is a piece electric cable, and the outer one is packing tape.
Then the user, having previously calculated the volume of the gasket, took balloons with silicone and filled the entire space between the beads, gradually smoothing out the silicone with an old credit card.
Gasket thickness 8 mm.
Sjawa User FORUMHOUSE
I warn you right away that silicone takes about a week to dry. I removed the beads on the fourth day. When everything dried, an elastic silicone mass was obtained. I drilled the holes later on high speed tool. The bolts enter with tension, and when they are clamped with nuts, they additionally seal the joint. Budget engineering solution- 3 cylinders of sanitary silicone (actually it took 2.5 cylinders).
Rings (2 pcs.) for the lid are homemade, welded from two metal corners rolled around a circle.
The assembly - tank-ring-lid-ring - is first assembled using tacks and only then are all the holes drilled. This ensured high accuracy of pairing of parts.
Diagram of the neck of the heat accumulator cover.
So, the homemade heat accumulator is ready. Next, the user began routine work - piping the heat exchanger to the boiler and connecting it to the heating system. And this is what happened.
Knots close up.
Schemes for connecting a buffer tank to a solid fuel boiler and heating system
Subject Sjawa aroused keen interest on the portal. Users began to discuss the scheme for connecting the TA to the boiler.
ZelGen User FORUMHOUSE
I looked at the heating system diagram. The question arose, why is the entrance to the TA located slightly above the middle of the tank? If the entrance is made from above buffer tank, then the hot medium from the boiler TT is immediately supplied to the outlet, without mixing with the colder medium in the TT. The container is gradually filled with hot coolant from top to bottom. And so, until the upper half of the TA warms up, which is approximately 500 liters, the hot carrier in the TA is mixed and cooled.
According to Sjawa, the input to the heat accumulator is made this way for a better EC ( natural circulation, if the electricity is turned off) and to reduce unnecessary mixing of the coolant at a time when CO does not take away heat or takes little of it. Because The diagram of the heating system with TA laid out at the beginning is general, then the user sketched out more detailed options for the operation of the tank.
Advantages - if the light is turned off, natural circulation works. The disadvantage is the inertia of the system.
Similar to the first scheme, but if all the thermal heads in the heating system are closed, then the upper part of the heat accumulator is the warmest and there is no intense mixing. When the thermal heads are opened, the coolant is immediately supplied to the CO. This reduces inertia. There is also an EC.
The heat accumulator is parallel to the system. Advantages - fast supply of coolant, but natural circulation in the system is questionable. Possible boiling of the coolant.
Development of the third circuit with closed thermal heads. The disadvantage is that all layers of water in the heat accumulator are completely mixed, which is bad during natural circulation if there is no electricity.
This made it possible to change the connection diagram of the heat accumulator from parallel to serial. For example, ended heating season and the heat accumulator has cooled down, but it has suddenly become colder, then, without heating the heat accumulator, you can quickly heat the house with a boiler.
Operation of a heat accumulator with a solid fuel boiler: personal experience
The user's conclusions from the operation of the unit are interesting:
- The boiler reaches + 80-85 °C in 10-15 minutes. As a result, there is no soot or smoke. After two or three fireboxes, tar deposits and streaks from last year’s condensate burned out. After two weeks of operation at optimal temperature conditions, the boiler furnace became almost like new, there is now only ashes inside. The wood in the boiler burns completely, with maximum heat release, and the heat generator is not driven into smoldering mode.
If you lower the coolant temperature below 60-65 °C, then conditions are created in the TTK combustion chamber for the appearance of condensate (harmful acids).
- A solid fuel boiler in tandem with a heat accumulator operates with maximum efficiency both in winter and in the off-season, at street temperatures of 0 °C - -5-10 °C. Excess heat from a well-fired boiler is simply dumped into the heat accumulator, and then, as needed, the coolant is consumed.
- The water in the TA is “charged” layer by layer:
- Top - + 80 °C.
- Middle - + 65-70 °C.
- Lower part - +50-60 °C.
- When the boiler is not working, the water temperature in the lower part does not drop below the return temperature, and the upper part gradually discharges. According to observations Sjawa The TA is “charged” to the above-mentioned temperatures in 3-4 hours. If there is no frost outside, and most of The branches of the heated floor are closed, then the heat extraction into the CO decreases and the TA charge occurs faster.
- The thermostat is installed at the outlet of the flow from the heat accumulator to the heating system. At his command, if the water temperature drops to + 40 °C, the gas boiler is turned on for reheating.
Sjawa User FORUMHOUSE
With the vent in the boiler fully open, the supply temperature is max + 90 °C. Usually the temperature is + 80-85 °C. The heat accumulator is charged in layers. First, the temperature of the top increases, and then the middle and bottom. For example, when the top heats up to the supply temperature, the temperature of the coolant in the middle of the heater begins to rise (the top remains 80-85 °C), then the temperature rises downwards.
The heat accumulator should be well insulated and placed vertically, because hot water concentrated at the top of the TA.
Questions arise: is this volume of TA enough for a house in cold weather? According to calculations Sjawa for his cottage, at a temperature of - 25 °C, a heat accumulator of 5000 liters is needed. To quickly heat such a volume of water, you will need a boiler with a capacity of 50-100 kW. But it is spent on an expensive system.
In current times of rising prices for all types of energy resources, many homeowners have become seriously concerned about their economical use. One option is to include a large container of water in the heating circuit - a heat accumulator.
But factory-made containers are quite expensive. At the same time, some home craftsmen have figured out how to make a heat accumulator with their own hands, which will be much cheaper. This experience will be discussed in this article.
A little about the purpose and design
Before giving recommendations for making this important node, let’s briefly determine what it is needed for and consider its factory design. So, water storage tanks are used in cases of periodic heating of a house, or more precisely:
- when operating an electric boiler with a multi-tariff meter, when heaters can operate economically only at night. The unit is working on full power, heats the house and accumulates thermal energy in a water tank;
- heat accumulation is also necessary for solid fuel boilers, which, on the contrary, stop at night or at other times if there is no one to put a new portion of firewood or coal into the firebox;
Factory-made units are a tank round shape, filled with water. Several coils are immersed in it; the coolant of the boiler and other heating circuits circulates in them. The design is quite complex to manufacture and therefore expensive, as you can see by looking at the drawings of the heat accumulator.
If you try to use such a device as a basis to make your own heat accumulator, then in the end it will not cost much less than a factory one. Copper or stainless steel tubes and the work of winding coils from them, sealing inputs and insulation will take up a lot of your time and Money. For homeowners who want to assemble and install a homemade heat storage device, there is a simpler solution described below.
Calculation of storage tank volume
This solution lies in the fact that a home-made heat accumulator is a regular insulated container with two pipes for connection to the heating system. The bottom line is that during operation, the boiler partially directs the coolant to the storage tank when the radiators do not need it. After turning off the heat source, the reverse process occurs: the operation of the heating system is supported by water coming from the battery. To do this, you will need to perform the strapping correctly. storage capacity with a heat generator.
The first step is to determine the volume of the tank for accumulating thermal energy and assess the possibility of placing it in the boiler room. In addition, the production of heat accumulators for solid fuel boilers does not have to start from scratch; there is various options selection of ready-made vessels of suitable capacity.
We suggest approximately determining the volume of the tank using the most in a simple way, based on the laws of physics. To do this you need to have the following initial data:
- thermal power required to heat the house;
- the time during which the heat source will be turned off and its place will be taken by a heating storage tank.
We will show the calculation method with an example. There is a building with an area of 100 m2, where the heat generator is idle for 5 hours a day. In aggregate we take the required thermal power in the amount of 10 kW. This means that every hour the battery must supply 10 kW of energy to the system, and for the entire period of time it must accumulate 50 kW. In this case, the water in the tank is heated to at least 90 ºС, and the supply temperature in heating systems of private houses under standard mode is assumed to be 60 ºС. That is, the temperature difference is 30 ºС, we substitute all this data into the formula well known from the physics course:
Q = cmΔt
Since we want to find out the amount of water that the heat accumulator should contain, the formula takes the following form:
m = Q / c Δt, Where:
- Q – total thermal energy consumption, in the example equal to 50 kW;
- c – specific heat capacity of water is 4.187 kJ / kg ºС or 0.0012 kW / kg ºС;
- Δt is the temperature difference between the water in the tank and the supply pipeline, for our example it is 30 ºС.
m= 50 / 0.0012 x 30 = 1388 kg, which occupies an approximate volume of 1.4 m3. So, a thermal battery for a solid fuel boiler with a capacity of 1.4 m3, filled with water heated to 90 ºС, will provide a house with an area of 100 m2 with coolant at a temperature of 60 ºС for 5 hours. Then the water temperature will drop below 60 ºС, but some more time (3-5 hours) will be needed to completely “discharge” the battery and cool down the premises.
Important! In order for a home-made heat accumulator to have time to fully “charge” while the boiler is operating, the latter must have at least one and a half power reserves. After all, the heater must simultaneously heat the house and load the storage tank hot water.
If you need to make a storage tank from scratch, then it is best to use a regular one for this purpose. sheet metal 2 mm thick. You can also cook a tank from stainless steel, but it is not at all necessary, since similar material will be very expensive. For the convenience of subsequent insulation and ease of manufacture, it is better to make the container rectangular shape. Knowing the volume of the tank, it is easy to calculate its dimensions in accordance with the conditions of its installation in the boiler room.
Advice. If you want to ensure the joint functioning of a storage vessel and a gravity heating system, then you need to make a heat accumulator open type, that is, to ensure its communication with the atmosphere through a tube in the upper part of the tank. It must be placed above the level of the radiators, for which you will have to additionally weld a stand from steel pipes or corners.
In some cases, there is no point in brewing a container from scratch; you can make a water heat accumulator from a barrel. Good fit iron barrel large capacity, you will need to cut two pipes into it to connect to the system. It is risky to use plastic barrels due to the high temperature of the water, unless the product labeling indicates a maximum temperature of the contents of up to 100 ºC.
We give the same warning to those home craftsmen who make heat accumulators from Eurocubes. Of course it's very convenient way, but this plastic container is designed for a maximum temperature of no more than 70 ºС. Therefore, the Eurocube is suitable as storage tank, working with heated floors, where the coolant temperature rarely exceeds 50 ºС, it is not suitable for radiator systems.
How to insulate a heat accumulator
Even when the tank is in a warm room, the temperature difference between the air and the coolant is too large - from 50 to 70 ºС. In order not to lose heat and not heat the furnace room with it, it is necessary to insulate the heat accumulator. The easiest way to do this is using foam plastic with a thickness of 100 mm and a density of 25 kg/m3. It is easy to glue it to metal walls and cut holes for pipes.
Mineral wool of the same thickness is also suitable for insulation, although it is somewhat more difficult to attach. Material density – 135-145 kg/m3. For round tanks from barrels you will have to use roll insulation type ISOVER, you will have to tinker a lot with the fasteners, especially in the lower part of the container.
The video below shows the installation and diagram of the heat accumulator with its connection to the boiler and heating system:
Conclusion
Using a storage tank allows you to save fuel when operating wood-burning boilers and benefit from a favorable night tariff in the case of an electric heat generator. Making a tank is not that difficult, you just need to have some skills.
Currently, during the period of constant increase in prices for main types of energy resources, the issue of energy saving and the use of highly economical heating systems is of particular relevance. The efficiency of heating systems is especially important for country cottages, which use liquid or solid fuel boilers as a heat source.
Typically, the heating system of a private home includes:
- heating boiler running on various types fuel or electricity;
- main pipeline system;
- heating radiators (convectors).
To improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel consumption in modern systems heating systems include thermal accumulators (heat accumulators). This device is a large-volume container that is included in the heating system and has different design and implementing different ways heat exchange.
Today, industry produces a variety of thermal energy storage devices for household purposes. However, most of them have a high cost, a rather complex connection and the need for insertion into the heating system additional devices(temperature sensors, manual and controlled valves, as well as other devices).
At the same time, today there are a sufficient number homemade designs heat accumulators that you can make and connect with your own hands. At the same time, their cost if manufactured independently will be much cheaper, and in terms of functionality they are not much inferior to factory designs.
Purpose and functionality of a heat accumulator
The use of heat accumulators is not justified for all types of systems. In the West, they are often used as part of solar heaters. In Russian private homes they are mainly used in the following two cases:
- when connecting an electric heating boiler to a multi-tariff boiler, when at night the electric heater is turned on at full power and the battery effectively accumulates heat, and during the day the living space is heated using the accumulated energy, and the boiler is turned on only to maintain a certain temperature level;
- when heating a home with a solid fuel boiler, when due to the thermal energy accumulated during the day, a constant supply of coal or firewood at night is not required and the heater operates in an economical mode.
In addition, the inclusion of a heat accumulator in the heating system can significantly expand it functionality, the main of which can be considered:
- implementation of hot water supply for residential premises;
- stabilization temperature regime and microclimate of residential premises;
- a significant increase in the energy efficiency of the heating system, which makes it possible to reduce energy use costs;
- allows you to combine several different types of heaters into a single heating system;
- implementation of the possibility of accumulating excess thermal energy generated by the heating boiler.
Designs of factory-made heat accumulators
Thermal accumulators manufactured industrially, are a steel tank (usually cylindrical) in internal cavity which contains one or more coils through which the main and additional heating circuits circulate.
Some systems have additional water heating, which is provided by thermal electric heaters located inside. Factory heat accumulators have various devices automation and control of water heating.
Self-copying such devices at home is quite problematic and will not cost much less than the cost in a store. The most complex elements are coils made from stainless steel or copper tubes, the winding of which is sufficient challenging task when solving it at home.
No less complex are the issues of sealing the outlet fittings to which the heating system is connected and their sealing. Thermal insulation battery tank is also a serious problem.
Below we will describe the design of a thermal energy accumulator, which is quite suitable for repetition at home. The principle of its operation is as follows:
- the coolant, when the heating boiler is operating at full capacity, is partially directed to the heat accumulator;
- after the boiler is turned off, the heated coolant from the heat accumulator, circulating through, provides heating of living quarters;
- if you place an additional coil inside the device body and connect it to a regular water main, hot water supply to the living space will be provided;
- switching the operation of the heating system when powered from a heating boiler or from a heat accumulator is provided by special shut-off and control valves, which can be activated automatically or switched manually.
Heat accumulator connection diagram CO – heating system. 1 – automatic coolant distributor;
2 – circulation pump; 3; 4; 5 – shut-off and control valves;
6;7 – temperature sensors.
Calculation of tank volume
Typically, in recommendations for the independent production of heat accumulators for heating private houses, the volume of its tank is taken to be more than 150.0 liters. However, the location and area occupied by the tank depends on this parameter, so it is advisable to determine by calculation method the volume of water required to heat the room, which the thermal energy accumulator tank should accommodate.
The initial data for the calculation are the following data:
Q – specific thermal power required to heat the room, kilowatt-hours;
T – operating time of the heat accumulator per day, hours
t 1 – coolant temperature at the inlet to the heating system, °C;
t 2 – coolant temperature at the outlet of the system, °C;
m – mass of water, kilogram;
c – thermal constant (specific heat capacity of the coolant).
The equation heat balance has the form:
Q × T = c× m×(t 1 – t 2 ) (1)
Solving this equation for mass m we obtain the formula:
m = Q× T/[ c× (t 1 – t 2 )] (2)
For heating a private house with a heated area of 100.0 square meters it is required to expend 10.0 kilowatts of thermal energy every hour. Let the heat accumulator be assumed to operate with the heating boiler turned off for 5.0 hours at a time. We take the coolant temperature at the inlet – t 1 =80.0°C; at the outlet t 2 =30.0°C. If water circulates in the system, then it specific heat c = 0.0012 kilowatts divided per kilogram and per degree Celsius. Substituting the initial data into formula 2, you will get the required mass of water:
m = 10.0×5.0/ = 833.33 kilograms
Thus, the capacity of the heat storage device tank must be at least 850.0 liters. Taking into account the thermal inertia of the heating system as a whole and the permissible decrease in coolant temperature, the device will be able to operate in inertial mode for an additional 2.0...3.0 hours.
It should be taken into account that the thermal power of the heating boiler, for normal functioning heat storage systems must exceed the thermal power required for heating the room by 30.0%...50.0%.
To make a heat accumulator, you can purchase a ready-made metal container suitable volume. Water tanks designed for watering garden plots are perfect. Some recommend using plastic containers (such as a Eurocube or septic tank).
However, when choosing plastic vessels, even those designed for operating temperatures up to 80.0C...90.0C, you should be aware that the reliability of the entire system drops sharply, and it is unlikely that any owner will be pleased to find himself without heating in the winter with a cubic meter of water spilled in the room.
The ideal solution would be self-production. At the same time, knowing the volume of the tank and the area of the room where it will be located, it is not difficult to independently determine the dimensions. For manufacturing, sheet steel with a thickness of at least 2.0 millimeters is suitable.
In this case, there will be no difficulties with the installation (welding) of the inlet and inlet fittings. If you make a tank in the shape of a parallelepiped or cube, the work on its further thermal insulation will be greatly facilitated.
Insulation of the device body
To increase the energy efficiency of a heat storage device and reduce heat losses through the walls of the housing into the atmosphere, it must be insulated. Ideal heat-insulating material Sheet foam is considered to be 100.0 millimeters thick.
In this case, the density of the material must be at least 25.0 kilograms per cubic meter (foam grade “PSB-S 25” and higher). It is easy to process, cut to size, and you can easily cut holes for fittings in it. Attach foam plastic () to the outer walls using glue.
You can also use rolled mineral wool (ISOVER material), with a density of 135.0...145.0 kilograms per cubic meter. However, this material is somewhat more difficult to attach to the walls (especially to the bottom of the tank). However, mineral wool rolls are more optimal for insulating cylindrical containers.
Disadvantages of heat storage devices
The disadvantages of heat accumulators include:
- a significant increase in the volume of coolant, which makes it necessary to use only water;
- the need for a significant reserve volume of water, which makes the choice of designs with additional heating using thermal electric heaters more preferable;
- The capacity and dimensions of the tank without additional electrical heating require a significant area, which is usually solved by installing a mini boiler room.
Main conclusions
The inclusion of a water heat storage device in the heating system allows you to:
- use all the advantages of the “night” tariff when using electric heating boilers;
- save any kind solid fuel;
- increase the energy efficiency of the heating system as a whole.
Heat accumulator for heating boilers
We continue our series of articles with a topic that will be of interest to those who heat their homes solid fuel boilers. We will tell you about a heat accumulator for heating boilers (HS) using solid fuel. It's really the required device, which allows you to balance the operation of the circuit, smooth out differences in coolant temperature and also save money. Let us immediately note that a heat accumulator for electric heating boilers is used only if the house has an electric meter with separate calculation of night and day energy. Otherwise, installing a heat accumulator for gas heating boilers makes no sense.
How does a heating system with a heat accumulator work?
A heat accumulator for heating boilers is a part of the heating system designed to increase the time between loading solid fuel into the boiler. It is a reservoir into which there is no air access. It is insulated and has a fairly large volume. There is always water in the heat accumulator for heating, and it circulates throughout the entire circuit. Of course, non-freezing liquid can also be used as a coolant, but still, due to its high cost, it is not used in circuits with TA.
In addition, there is no point in filling a heating system with a heat accumulator with antifreeze, since such tanks are placed in residential premises. And the essence of their use is to ensure that the temperature in the circuit is always stable, and therefore the water in the system is warm. Application of a large heat accumulator for heating in country houses temporary residence is impractical, and a small tank is of little use. This is due to the operating principle of the heat accumulator for the heating system.
- TA is located between the boiler and the heating system. When the boiler heats the coolant, it enters the heat exchanger;
- then the water flows through pipes to the radiators;
- the return flow returns to the TA, and then directly to the boiler.
Although the heat accumulator for the heating system is a single vessel, due to its large sizes The direction of the flows at the top and bottom are different.
In order for the TA to perform its main function of storing heat, these flows must be mixed. The difficulty is that heat always rises, but the cold tends to fall. It is necessary to create such conditions so that part of the heat sinks to the bottom of the heat accumulator in the heating system and heats the return coolant. If the temperature is equalized throughout the tank, then it is considered fully charged.
After the boiler has burned out everything that was loaded into it, it stops working and the TA comes into play. The circulation continues and it gradually releases its heat through the radiators into the room. All this happens until the next portion of fuel enters the boiler again.
If the heat accumulator for heating is small, then its reserve will last only for a short time, while the heating time of the batteries increases, since the volume of coolant in the circuit has become larger. Disadvantages of using for temporary residences:
- the room warm-up time increases;
- larger volume of the circuit, which makes filling it with antifreeze more expensive;
- higher installation costs.
As you understand, filling the system and draining water every time you come to your dacha is troublesome, to say the least. Considering that the tank alone will be 300 liters, it makes no sense to take such measures for the sake of a few days a week.
Additional circuits are built into the tank - these are metal spiral pipes. The liquid in a spiral does not have direct contact with the coolant in the heat accumulator for heating the house. These could be contours:
- low temperature heating (warm floor).
Thus, even the most primitive single-circuit boiler or even stove can become a universal heater. He will provide for the whole house necessary warmth and hot water at the same time. Accordingly, the heater's performance will be fully used.
IN serial models, manufactured in production conditions, are built into additional sources heating These are also spirals, only they are called electric heating elements. There are often several of them and they can work from different sources:
- circuit;
- solar panels.
This heating refers to additional options and is not mandatory, keep this in mind if you decide to make a heat accumulator for heating with your own hands.
Heat accumulator wiring diagrams
We dare to suggest that if you are interested in this article, then, most likely, you have decided to make a heat accumulator for heating and its wiring with your own hands. You can come up with many connection schemes, the main thing is that everything works. If you correctly understand the processes occurring in the circuit, then you can experiment. How you connect the TA to the boiler will affect the operation of the entire system. Let's first look at the most simple diagram heating with a heat accumulator.
A simple TA strapping scheme
In the figure you see the direction of movement of the coolant. Please note that upward movement is prohibited. To prevent this from happening, the pump between the heating element and the boiler must pump large quantity coolant than the one that stands before the reservoir. Only in this case will a sufficient drawing force be generated, which will remove part of the heat from the supply. The disadvantage of this connection scheme is long time heating the circuit. To reduce it, you need to create a boiler heating ring. You can see it in the following diagram.
Scheme of piping TA with boiler heating circuit
The essence of the heating circuit is that the thermostat does not add water from the heater until the boiler warms it up to established level. When the boiler has warmed up, part of the supply goes into the TA, and part is mixed with coolant from the reservoir and enters the boiler. Thus, the heater always works with an already heated liquid, which increases its efficiency and the heating time of the circuit. That is, the batteries will become warm faster.
This method of installing a heat accumulator in a heating system allows you to use the circuit in autonomous mode when the pump will not work. Please note that the diagram shows only the connection points of the heating unit to the boiler. The coolant circulates to the radiators in a different way, which also passes through the heat exchanger. The presence of two bypasses allows you to be on the safe side twice:
- the check valve is activated if the pump is stopped and the ball valve on the lower bypass is closed;
- in case of pump stop and breakdown check valve circulation is carried out through the lower bypass.
In principle, some simplifications can be made to this design. Given the fact that the check valve has high flow resistance, it can be excluded from the circuit.
TA piping diagram without a check valve for a gravity system
In this case, when the light goes out, you will need to manually open the ball valve. It should be said that with such a layout, the TA must be located above the level of the radiators. If you do not plan for the system to operate by gravity, then connecting the heating system to the heat accumulator can be done according to the diagram shown below.
TA piping diagram for a circuit with forced circulation
The correct movement of water is created in the TA, which allows it to be heated ball by ball, starting from the top. The question may arise, what to do if there is no light? We talked about this in an article about . It will be more economical and convenient. After all, gravity circuits are made of pipes large section, besides, not always convenient slopes must be observed. If you calculate the price of pipes and fittings, weigh all the inconveniences of installation and compare all this with the price of a UPS, then the idea of installing alternative source nutrition will become very attractive.
Calculation of heat storage volume
Heat accumulator volume for heating
As we have already mentioned, it is not advisable to use small-volume TAs, and tanks that are too large are also not always appropriate. So the question has arisen about how to calculate required volume TA. I really want to give a specific answer, but, unfortunately, there cannot be one. Although there is still an approximate calculation of a heat accumulator for heating. Let's say you don't know what heat loss your house has and you can't find out, for example, if it hasn't been built yet. By the way, to reduce heat loss, you need . You can select a tank based on two values:
- area of the heated room;
- boiler power.
Methods for calculating the volume of heating equipment: room area x 4 or boiler power x 25.
It is these two characteristics that are decisive. Various sources They offer their own method of calculation, but in fact these two methods are closely interrelated. Suppose we decide to calculate the volume of a heat accumulator for heating, based on the area of the room. To do this, you need to multiply the square footage of the heated room by four. For example, if we have little house 100 sq. m., then you will need a tank of 400 liters. This volume will allow reducing the boiler load to twice a day.
Undoubtedly, this is true pyrolysis boilers, in which fuel is added twice a day, only in this case the operating principle is slightly different:
- the fuel flares up;
- air supply decreases;
- the smoldering process begins.
In this case, when the fuel flares up, the temperature in the circuit begins to increase rapidly, and then smoldering keeps the water warm. During this very smoldering, a lot of energy disappears into the pipe. In addition, if a solid fuel boiler operates in tandem with a leaky heating system, then at peak temperature expansion tank sometimes it boils. Water literally begins to boil in it. If the pipes are made of polymers, then this is simply destructive for them.
In one of the articles about TA, it takes away some of the heat and the tank can boil only after the tank is fully charged. That is, the possibility of boiling, with the correct volume of TA, tends to zero.
Now let's try to calculate the volume of the heater based on the number of kilowatts in the heater. By the way, this indicator is calculated based on the square footage of the room. At 10 m 1 kW is taken. It turns out that in a house of 100 square meters there should be a boiler of at least 10 kilowatts. Since the calculation is always done with a margin, we can assume that in our case there will be a 15 kilowatt unit.
If you do not take into account the amount of coolant in the radiators and pipes, then one kilowatt of the boiler can heat approximately 25 liters of water in the heating unit. Therefore, the calculation will be appropriate: you need to multiply the boiler power by 25. As a result, we will get 375 liters. If we compare with the previous calculation, the results are very close. Only this takes into account that the boiler power will be calculated with a gap of at least 50%.
Remember, the more TA, the better. But in this matter, as in any other, one must do without fanaticism. If you install a TA for two thousand liters, then the heater simply cannot cope with such a volume. Be objective.
The heat accumulator is built into the heating system so that the temperature throughout the apartment or house is uniform and releases its heat gradually. This can be achieved due to the fact that it accumulates very quickly thermal energy
, which is produced during the operation of a solid fuel boiler.
This energy is designed to minimize heat loss at home and, if possible, compensate for it by supplying a certain amount of heated coolant to the radiators of the heating system. So, the principle of operation of this device is as follows: the coolant is sent to the battery in top part
, and the cooled coolant is removed from below. Due to this connection, no mixing occurs. With the passage of time and circulation of the coolant, cold water gradually leaves the battery. Due to this design, the radiator and boiler operate independently of each other and are able to function normally in their own mode. It is worth noting that the radiators in this case will work on approximately the same principle as in centralized system
heating. With the help of heat accumulators you can not only maintain comfortable temperature indoors, but also to provide residents with hot water and greatly reduce the financial costs of heating itself
DIY heat accumulator If the owner of a house or apartment is going to do similar design
independently, then he should first find out exactly what functions it performs.
With the help of heat accumulators, you can not only maintain a comfortable temperature in the room, but also provide residents with hot water and greatly reduce the financial costs of heating itself. By installing such equipment, you can immediately combine several heat sources, forming one common circuit.
Before you start making a heat accumulator, you need to do everything necessary calculations, which will help you choose the right volume of the product. First of all, it should be taken into account that the required amount of thermal energy must match the level of heat loss.
You can try to use enough simple principle, which does not take into account various kinds additional factors, since this will be quite enough for heating a private house.
When making calculations, it should be taken into account that for every ten square meters of heated area, 1 kW of heat is wasted.
This value is very average, but it is best to start from this indicator.
To properly replenish heat losses, it is necessary to take into account the moment associated with the volume of water circulating through the heating system, as well as its temperature. Approximately, about 7 thousand kW will be spent monthly only on heat loss for a house, the heated area of which is about one hundred square meters. For this reason, the volume of the battery should be selected so that it can release a similar amount of heat during the specified period.
You should also remember that the temperature range in this battery will be 40 degrees – from 50 to 90. Moreover, these designs are able to function normally even when the boiler is turned off - their energy reserve is enough for eight hours of continuous operation. The heat accumulator has a certain thermal insulation in its design so that the water does not transfer heat to the walls of the tank. It's best to isolate it with thermal insulation materials
modern type
, since they are able to retain heat for a long time. In principle, a thermal insulation thickness of 10 cm will be quite sufficient. If the design turns out to be too bulky, then the thickness of this layer can be made somewhat smaller.
- Required materials and tools Before starting work, you should stock up on everything you need so that everything is at hand:
- Sheet insulation suitable diameter (the highest quality product today is mineral wool) - 20 square meters will be quite enough;
- Pipes, through which the coolant will enter the tank;
- Copper tubes or ;
- Cement-sand mortar
- or a concrete slab of suitable thickness; Foil tape;
Sheet metal
When all the necessary calculations have been made, the volume of the heat accumulator has been determined, and everything necessary for assembly is at hand, you can begin to assemble the structure itself.
If a metal barrel will play the role of a heat accumulator, then it must first be completely cleaned of debris, rust and other contaminants.
It is also advisable to treat the product with anti-corrosion compounds, at least from the inside, but it is better to cover the outside with them so that rust does not form for as long as possible. To do this, it is better to take phosphoric acid, cover the metal surface with it, and then better waterproofing
treat the barrel with four or even five layers of primer.
At the next stage, care should be taken to ensure that the heat does not escape from the barrel. This is to ensure that the water remains at a suitable temperature for a long period of time. In addition, thermal insulation is designed to prevent the air surrounding the battery from heating up. This will save significant energy.
If you couldn’t get mineral wool, then instead you can take foam plastic, the thickness of which should be no more than 10 cm. This material is quite easy to work with - cutting and attaching. Moreover, it is quite lightweight. In case of mineral wool
it will have to be secured with foil tape; the density of this insulation is much higher. If necessary, an additional outer casing can be made from tin or other sheet metal. In the future, you should make a coil within which the coolant will move. It is made of copper tubes, the diameter of which should be no more than 30 mm. The length of this structural element directly depends on how large the volume of the heat accumulator is. On average, about 15 meters of this pipe are wasted. This element must be connected to the boiler, as hot water will flow through it. Cold water
located in the tank will begin to heat up precisely thanks to this coil.
The structure is almost completely ready. It is necessary to make two holes through which the inlet and outlet pipes will be connected. In the future, you will need to install shut-off valves on them. In the place where this barrel will be installed, you should put concrete slab
or make some other rigid base so that the structure does not move out of place during operation. It can be laid out of brick or you can fill the floor with concrete yourself.
Previously described classic design heat accumulator, however, there are several basic tricks with which you can make the operation of this device more efficient and economical:
- Below you can place another one, the functioning of which will be based on the use. This option will do for users who prefer clean energy;
- If the heating system has several operating circuits, then it is best to divide the inside of the barrel into several sections.
- This will allow you to further maintain the temperature at a very acceptable level for as long as possible; If financial resources allow, then polyurethane foam can be used as insulation.
- This material is much more expensive, but it retains heat much better. The water will maintain its temperature for a very long time; You can install several pipes at once, which will make the heating system more complex
- , equip it with several circuits at once; It is allowed to install an additional heat exchanger together with the main one.
The water heated in it will be used for various household needs - this is quite convenient.
How to connect On initial stage
- The boiler should be installed according to the diagram. A special safety group will need to be installed on the pipe that will go to the storage tank to prevent condensation from occurring. In the future, a heat accumulator should be connected to the system, and the pipe coming out of it will need to be connected. Thermal accumulators are gaining more and more popularity today
- largely due to its characteristics such as efficiency and economy.
- You can load fuel into a boiler connected to a heating system with an integrated heat accumulator once a day, and if the design is more advanced, then fuel will have to be added once every few days. The first start-up of the boiler should be carried out in the presence of appropriate specialists.
- They will have to check how correctly the entire system works, whether there is water circulation in the heating, whether there are any leaks, whether the heat accumulator is well insulated, and so on. The heat accumulator can be perfectly combined with boilers
