Dishwasher with heat recovery apparatus
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsHarald Disch, Martin Schrempp
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dishwasher includes a heat recovery apparatus to recover thermal energy of the wastewater and/or exhaust air and to transfer the thermal energy to at least one treatment liquid to be sprayed and/or to a drying air. A primary circulation system has a heat pump assembly and a secondary circulation system. A heat exchanger unit of the heat pump assembly enables at least a portion of the thermal energy transferred to refrigerant of the primary circulation system to be transferred to a carrier medium in the secondary circulation system. A heat exchanger unit of the secondary circulation system enables at least a portion of the thermal energy transferred to the carrier medium to be transferred as utility heat to the treatment liquid and/or to the drying air.
Claims16
A dishwasher, adapted as a program machine or as a transport washer, wherein the dishwasher comprises a heat recovery apparatus, adapted to recover at least a portion of a thermal energy of the wastewater discharged, or to be discharged, from the dishwasher during operation of the dishwasher and/or at least a portion of a thermal energy of the exhaust air discharged, or to be discharged, from the dishwasher as utility heat during operation of the dishwasher and to transfer said thermal energy to at least one treatment liquid to be sprayed in the dishwasher, and/or to a drying air used for drying in the dishwasher,
- wherein the heat recovery apparatus comprises a primary circulation system having a heat pump assembly and at least one secondary circulation system, wherein the heat pump assembly is adapted to transfer at least a portion of the reclaimed thermal energy of the wastewater and/or the exhaust air to a refrigerant circulating in the primary circulation system, and wherein the heat pump assembly comprises a heat exchanger unit associated with the secondary circulation system and the secondary circulation system comprises at least one heat exchanger unit in fluid communication with the heat exchanger unit of the heat pump assembly, wherein, with the aid of the heat exchanger unit of the heat pump assembly, at least a portion of the thermal energy transferred to the refrigerant circulating in the primary circulation system is transferred to a fluidic carrier medium circulating in the secondary circulation system, and wherein, with the aid of the at least one heat exchanger unit of the secondary circulation system, at least a portion of the thermal energy transferred to the carrier medium circulating in the secondary circulation system is transferred as utility heat to the at least one treatment liquid and/or to the drying air to be sprayed in the dishwasher;
- wherein the at least one heat exchanger unit of the secondary circulation system is arranged in a washing tank of the dishwasher, in a fresh water tank of the dishwasher or in an area for heating drying air.
A dishwasher, adapted as a program machine or as a transport washer, wherein the dishwasher comprises a heat recovery apparatus, adapted to recover at least a portion of a thermal energy of the wastewater discharged, or to be discharged, from the dishwasher during operation of the dishwasher and/or at least a portion of a thermal energy of the exhaust air discharged, or to be discharged, from the dishwasher as utility heat during operation of the dishwasher and to transfer said thermal energy to at least one treatment liquid to be sprayed in the dishwasher, and/or to a drying air used for drying in the dishwasher,
- wherein the heat recovery apparatus comprises a primary circulation system having a heat pump assembly and at least one secondary circulation system, wherein the heat pump assembly is adapted to transfer at least a portion of the reclaimed thermal energy of the wastewater and/or the exhaust air to a refrigerant circulating in the primary circulation system, and wherein the heat pump assembly comprises a heat exchanger unit associated with the secondary circulation system and the secondary circulation system comprises at least one heat exchanger unit in fluid communication with the heat exchanger unit of the heat pump assembly, wherein, with the aid of the heat exchanger unit of the heat pump assembly, at least a portion of the thermal energy transferred to the refrigerant circulating in the primary circulation system is transferred to a fluidic carrier medium circulating in the secondary circulation system, and wherein, with the aid of the at least one heat exchanger unit of the secondary circulation system, at least a portion of the thermal energy transferred to the carrier medium circulating in the secondary circulation system is transferred as utility heat to the at least one treatment liquid and/or to the drying air to be sprayed in the dishwasher;
- wherein the primary circulation system is a closed-loop circulation system and the secondary circulation system is a closed-loop circulation system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.