Solid fuel boilers are of increased interest to consumers today. The popularity of heating equipment operating on solids is caused by a number of factors that influence the choice of buyers. Due to the complexity of the system hardware gas heating and rising prices natural gas, the main emphasis in terms of organizing heating of residential premises is shifting to heating devices running on solid fuel. However, the operation of solid fuel boilers is not as simple as it seems at first glance.
The main reason is that such heating equipment requires additional devices and devices that regulate its operation. An important connection for the entire heating complex is a solid fuel boiler connected together with a heat accumulator into one system. Let's take a closer look at how much a heat accumulator is needed for an autonomous heating system, and whether it can be made with your own hands.
Solid fuel heating technology is convenient, practical and efficient. Residents of country houses and cottages especially appreciated the capabilities of modern solid fuel boilers. Installation of an autonomous heating system using coal or wood heating devices can be easily done on your own. Moreover, the installation of solid fuel units does not require permission. All the main elements of the heating complex, except for the heating unit itself and a number of control mechanisms, can be assembled and made independently. The main thing is to know what is being installed and for what purpose!
In addition, the ability to make some devices and mechanisms yourself will allow you to save significant money. A heat accumulator is just the device that you can build yourself, given the fact that factory-made products are quite expensive.
Competent recommendations from specialists and additional sources of technical information will tell you how to make a heat accumulator for a solid fuel boiler with your own hands. Compliance with certain requirements and conditions during manufacturing will provide you with the necessary reliability and performance of the mechanisms. Before starting the work process, you should familiarize yourself with the heat storage device.
It is possible to understand the design of a thermal accumulator only after we have determined the meaning and place of this unit in the heating system. By its design, the heat accumulator is a thermos, i.e. a special container into which the heated coolant flows. For a certain time, the boiler water accumulated in the container maintains the set temperature parameters. When the combustion intensity in the boiler decreases, or if it stops, the coolant from the tank will flow into the heating system, continuing to maintain the temperature in the radiators at a certain level.
Important! Heat accumulators ensure the safety of heating equipment and the home heating system from excessive cooling, but also from overheating. Task storage capacity consists of removing excess heat generated by the heating unit at the peak of its operation.
Due to the presence of a thermal accumulator in the system, it became possible not only to achieve a balanced heat supply to the heating circuit, but also to ensure significant fuel savings. The heat accumulator, which comes into operation when the boiler power decreases, will increase the time interval between fuel loadings. In addition, this operating principle will give you more freedom, freeing you from the need to frequently add fuel to the boiler.
On a note: the participation of a buffer tank (heat accumulator) in the operation of the heating system reduces fuel consumption by 30-50%, depending on the type and type of heating equipment. The number of fuel loads into the firebox is directly proportional to the volume of the heat accumulator.
The operating principle of the device determines the design itself. Typically, factory-made devices are a solid, spacious metal container, inside of which additional heat exchangers are located. As a rule, such products have a spiral, serpentine shape, repeating the cylindrical configuration of the main device.
In each individual case, depending on the power of the heating unit and the requirements for the heating system, the number of additional heat exchange circuits may be different. The required volume of the heat accumulator is determined by simple calculations, which we will discuss later.
This number of heat exchangers is explained not only by the desire to remove as much heat as possible at the time of peak load of the solid fuel boiler, but also by technical feasibility. One coil can be used to remove excess thermal energy from the boiler, the other heat exchanger is used to maintain the coolant at the desired temperature going into the heating circuit. The third coil, if there is one, is provided to provide hot water supply to the residents of the house.
Looking at the design of the unit, we can summarize the advantages of installing such a device. And they are as follows:
The diagram shows the most common option for connecting a heat accumulator to an autonomous heating system.
At first glance it looks complicated in design storage tank there is nothing. A large steel container in which the coils are placed. However, the difficulty of working at home lies precisely in the subtleties and nuances.
You should start by finding the required capacity. You will need a tank of sufficiently large capacity and volume. The bigger, the better. Of course, you shouldn’t go to extremes and chase the huge size of your future brainchild. Otherwise, you will be faced with the problem of how to squeeze a bulky device inside the boiler room.
Important! It should be said right away that if you decide to make the device yourself, immediately prepare yourself for a large amount of work, both from a technical point of view and from a theoretical one. By saving on your purchase, you risk losing time and the manufacturability of the finished product.
On at this stage in addition to searching and selecting the appropriate components and design details, you will have to do theoretical calculations to determine the optimal tank volume in this case. Calculating the capacity of a heat accumulator for a home solid fuel boiler will help you further understand the placement of the unit in the boiler room and will tell you how to connect the equipment. First, let's determine the volume of the container by the most in a simple way, in which physical laws occupy a key place.
Having the initial data:
Let's look at further actions using an example:
The area of the house is approximately 100 m2, the solid fuel boiler is idle at night for 5 hours. We take the average thermal power for heating a house to be 10 kW.
Based on this, it is clear that the heat accumulator must supply up to 10 kW of thermal energy to the system. For the entire period of inactivity of the heating unit, this value will be 50 kW. These calculations are carried out taking into account the fact that the water in the storage tank is heated to a temperature of 90 0 C. and in the heating circuit no more than 60 0 C. The temperature difference is 30 degrees. We substitute the initial data into the formula:
Q = cmΔt If we are interested in the amount of water that should flow into the tank, then the formula will take a different form m = Q / c Δt, where:
Q is the thermal energy consumption required to heat a house with an area of 100 m2 (in our case, 50 kW);
c—specific heat capacity of water 4.187 kJ/kg. (0.0012 kW/kg)
Δt – difference between the temperature of the boiler water in the tank and in the heating radiators (30 0 C)
We get 50 /0.0012 x 30 = 1.388 kg, which means the approximate volume of the tank for the heat accumulator should be 1.4 m3. Accordingly, the thermal storage for your solid fuel unit must be at least 1.4 cubic meters. meters.
Important! In order for a solid fuel boiler to fully charge your storage device with thermal energy, the heating device will require a larger power reserve. This need arises due to the fact that the boiler will work on two, if not three fronts: simultaneously heating residential premises, ensuring the operation of the hot water system and filling the heat accumulator with hot water.
Having made the necessary calculations, select the appropriate container. Water heating tanks used in canteens and catering establishments can be used as the main body. Typically such devices are made from of stainless steel. If you are unable to find such items, use any steel containers for your purposes, preferably with a lid. Under one condition: the tank wall should not be thin (minimum 4-5 mm).
A more promising option is metal barrel. For installation in a country house, the optimal capacity volume is 1000 liters. Large tanks, more than 5 m3, must be equipped with stiffeners. Proper installation and location of the tank will allow the unit to achieve the necessary stability in the future, with increased metal consumption. For ease of making a tank from scratch, choose a rectangular shape.
For reference: with a heating system with natural circulation storage is being made open type, allowing the container to communicate with atmospheric air. Such a unit is always installed in the very high place at home, preferably in the attic.
When working with a barrel, you need to cut pipes into the body according to the number of coils. Coils are made of steel water pipes. In this case, it is necessary to create as large a surface area as possible through which thermal energy will be removed. The finished heat exchangers are welded to the pipes from the inside. How many heat exchangers, respectively, so many pairs of pipes for inlet and outlet.
After you have made a storage tank and managed to make the correct piping, you need to work on the thermal insulation of the unit. A heat accumulator made of metal, without proper insulation, will crush precious heat left and right. Here you can use any available materials, from mineral wool to polystyrene foam.
You can insulate your heat accumulator as you wish. The main thing is that the container performs the task of a thermos; there is no heat exchange between the walls of the storage tank and the atmospheric air. When you have a single-circuit boiler with natural circulation, the insulation of the storage tank must be enhanced. Otherwise (the attic is one of the coldest places in the house), your boiler will constantly work with increased load, and the heating system will be replenished with already cooled coolant.
Factory-made buffer tank from leading manufacturers, 500 liters. will cost approximately 30,000-38,000 rubles. Making a heat accumulator for a heating boiler with your own hands will cost approximately half as much. The price will be even lower if you install the container yourself and do the piping.
The volume of the tank determines how long the heating of the building will be maintained in autonomous mode. Before you begin manufacturing a heating system with a homemade heat accumulator, you will need to calculate the volume of the tank.
There are two calculation methods:
According to the table, effective water heating with a homemade container for the home, capable of working in autonomous mode for about 10 hours, 2.19 m³. The volume can be reduced to 1.4 m³, while the heat accumulator will be able to provide heat for 5 hours. After making the calculations, you can start making the battery tank yourself.
For gravity system heating will do only open buffer tank. The difference is in the design: the presence of a pipe in the upper part of the container, communicating with the atmosphere.
The walls of the heat accumulator must be insulated. It is recommended to use mineral or basalt wool with a thickness of at least 6-8 cm. Cotton wool is easy to work with. The mineral thermal insulation of the tank allows moisture and condensation to pass through (breathes) without accumulating liquid inside the fibers.
Another plus. As practice shows, buffer containers insulated with cotton wool do not like mice. When insulated with polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene, rodents often settle inside the heat-insulating layer. The holes that appear lead to rapid heat loss and a decrease in the efficiency of the drive.
You can make a heat accumulator with your own hands. It is enough to calculate the volume of the tank, select the appropriate material and insulation.
By installing a heat accumulator for heating boilers, owners significantly increase the efficiency of the entire heating system, optimize the overall costs of maintaining the property and significantly save on the purchase of the necessary fuel.
You can service the boiler at a convenient time of day, without feeling a decrease in the level of comfort in your living quarters.
A heat accumulator is a buffer reservoir designed to accumulate excess heat volumes generated during boiler operation. The saved resource is then used in the heating system in the period between scheduled loads of the main fuel resource.
Connecting a properly selected battery allows you to reduce the cost of purchasing fuel (in some cases up to 50%) and makes it possible to switch to one load per day instead of two.
If you equip the equipment with intelligent regulators and temperature sensors, and the heat supply from storage tank V heating system automate, heat transfer will increase significantly, and the number of portions of fuel loaded into the combustion chamber of the heating unit will noticeably decrease.
The heat accumulator is a vertical cylinder-shaped tank made of high-strength black or stainless steel sheet. There is a layer of bakelite varnish on the inner surface of the device. It protects the buffer tank from the aggressive influence of industrial hot water, weak salt solutions and concentrated acids. On outside The unit is coated with powder paint that is resistant to high thermal loads.
External thermal insulation is made of recycled polyurethane foam. The thickness of the protective layer is about 10 cm. The material has a specific complex weave and an internal polyvinyl chloride coating. This configuration prevents particles of dirt and small debris from accumulating between the fibers, provides a high level of water resistance and increases the overall wear resistance of the heat insulator.
The surface of the protective layer is covered with a leatherette cover good quality. Thanks to these conditions, the water in the buffer tank cools much more slowly, and the level of overall heat loss of the entire system is significantly reduced.
The heat accumulator operates according to the simplest scheme. A pipe from a gas, solid fuel or electric boiler is connected to the unit from above. Through it, it enters the storage tank hot water. Cooling down during the process, it falls down to the location of the circular pump and, with its help, is fed back into the main passage to return to the boiler for the next heating.
A boiler of any type, regardless of the type of fuel resource, operates in stages, periodically turning on and off when the optimal temperature of the heating element is reached.
When work stops, the coolant enters the reservoir, and in the system it is replaced by hot liquid that has not cooled due to the presence of a heat accumulator. As a result, even after the boiler is turned off and goes into passive mode until the next fuel supply, the batteries remain hot for some time, and warm water comes out of the tap.
All buffer tanks perform almost the same function, but have some design features. Manufacturers produce three types of storage units:
Connect the heat accumulator to the heating boiler and the communication wiring of the home heating system via threaded holes located in the outer casing of the unit.
A device that has neither a coil nor a built-in boiler inside is one of the most simple types equipment and costs less than its more “sophisticated” analogues. It is connected to one or more (depending on the needs of the owners) energy sources through central communications, and then through 1 ½ pipes it is routed to points of consumption.
It is planned to install an additional heating element operating on electrical energy. The unit provides high-quality heating of residential property, minimizes the risk of coolant overheating and makes operation of the system completely safe for the consumer.
A heat accumulator equipped with one or two heat exchangers (coils) is a progressive option for equipment with a wide range of applications. The upper coil in the design is responsible for the selection of thermal energy, and the lower one carries out intensive heating of the buffer tank itself.
The presence of heat exchange units in the unit allows you to receive hot water for domestic needs around the clock, heat the tank from the solar collector, warm up house paths and make the most efficient use of useful heat for any other convenient purpose.
A heat accumulator with a built-in boiler is a progressive unit that not only accumulates excess heat generated by the boiler, but also ensures the supply of hot water to the tap for domestic purposes. The internal boiler tank is made of stainless alloy steel and equipped with a magnesium anode. It reduces the level of water hardness and prevents the formation of scale on the walls.
A unit of this type connects to various energy sources and works correctly with both open and closed systems. Controls the temperature level of the operating coolant and protects the heating complex from overheating of the boiler. Optimizes fuel consumption and reduces the number and frequency of loading. Compatible with solar collectors of any model and can function as a substitute for a hydraulic boom.
The heat accumulator collects and stores the energy generated by the heating system, and then helps to use it as rationally as possible for efficient heating and providing residential premises with hot water.
Work with different types equipment, but most often used in conjunction with solar collectors, solid fuel and electric boilers.
A solar collector is a modern type of equipment that allows you to use free solar energy for everyday household needs. But without a heat accumulator, the equipment is not able to fully function, since solar energy does not flow evenly. This is due to the change in time of day, weather conditions and seasonality.
If the heating and water supply system is powered only by a single energy source (the sun), at some points residents may have serious problems with the supply of resources and obtaining the usual elements of comfort.
A heat accumulator will help you avoid these unpleasant moments and make the most efficient use of clear, sunny days to accumulate energy. To operate in a solar system, it uses the high heat capacity of water, 1 liter of which, cooling by just one degree, releases thermal potential to heat 1 cubic meter of air by 4 degrees.
During the period of peak solar activity, when the collector collects the maximum amount of light and energy production significantly exceeds consumption, the heat accumulator accumulates excess and supplies it to the heating system when the supply of resource from the outside decreases or even stops, for example, at night.
Cyclicity is a characteristic feature of the operation of a solid fuel boiler. At the first stage, firewood is loaded into the firebox and heating occurs for some time. Maximum power and the highest temperatures are observed at the peak of the bookmark combustion.
Then the heat transfer gradually decreases, and when the wood finally burns out, the process of generating useful heating energy stops. All boilers operate on this principle, including long-burning appliances.
It is not possible to precisely configure the unit to generate thermal energy in relation to the level of consumption required at any given moment. This function is only available in more advanced equipment, for example, in modern gas or electric heating boilers.
Therefore, immediately at the moment of ignition and when reaching actual power, and then during the process of cooling and the forced passive state of the equipment, there may simply not be enough thermal energy for full heating and heating of hot water.
But during peak operation and the active phase of fuel combustion, the amount of energy released will be excessive and most of it will literally “fly down the drain.” As a result, the resource will be spent irrationally, and the owners will have to constantly load new portions of fuel into the boiler.
This problem is solved by installing a heat accumulator, which will accumulate heat in the tank at times of increased activity. Then, when the wood burns out and the boiler goes into passive standby mode, the buffer will transfer the collected energy to the coolant, which will warm up and begin to circulate through the system, heating the room bypassing the cooled appliance.
Electric heating equipment is a rather expensive option, but it is sometimes installed, and, as a rule, in conjunction with a solid fuel boiler. This is usually done where other sources of heat are not available due to objective reasons. Of course, with this heating method, electricity bills increase significantly and home comfort costs owners a lot of money.
In order to reduce electricity costs, it is advisable to use the equipment to the maximum during the preferential tariff period, that is, at night and on weekends. But such an operating mode is possible only if there is a capacious buffer tank, where the energy generated during the grace period will accumulate, which can then be spent on heating and supplying hot water to residential premises.
The simplest possible model of a heat accumulator can be made with your own hands from a ready-made steel barrel. If you don’t have one at your disposal, you will have to purchase several sheets of stainless steel with a thickness of at least 2 mm and weld them into a container of a suitable size in the form of a vertical cylindrical tank.
To heat the water in the buffer, you will need to take a copper tube with a diameter of 2-3 centimeters and a length of 8 to 15 m (depending on the size of the tank). It will have to be bent into a spiral and placed inside the tank.
The battery in this model will be the top of the barrel. From there you need to remove the outlet pipe for the hot water outlet, and make the same one from below for the cold water inlet. Each outlet should be equipped with a tap to control the flow of liquid into the accumulation zone.
The next step is to check the container for leaks by filling it with water or lubricating the welds with kerosene. If there is no leak, you can proceed to creating an insulating layer that will allow the liquid inside the tank to remain hot for as long as possible.
To start outer surface containers must be thoroughly cleaned and degreased, and then primed and painted with heat-resistant powder paint, thus protecting them from corrosion. Then wrap the tank with insulation or rolled basalt wool 6-8 mm thick and secure it with cords or regular tape. If desired, cover the surface with sheet metal or “wrap” the tank in foil film.
Holes for outlet pipes should be cut in the outer layer and the container should be connected to the boiler and heating system. The buffer tank must be equipped with a thermometer, internal pressure sensors and an explosion valve. These elements allow you to control potential overheating of the barrel and relieve excess pressure from time to time.
It is impossible to accurately answer the question of how quickly the heat accumulated in the battery is consumed.
How long the heating system will operate using the resource collected in the buffer tank directly depends on such items as:
Heating of a private house in a passive state of the heating system can be carried out from several hours to several days. At this time, the boiler will “rest” from the load and its working life will be enough for large quantity time.
Heat batteries made at home with your own hands are subject to special safety requirements.
If these rules are followed, the operation of a self-made heat accumulator will be completely safe and will not cause any problems or hassle for the owners.
How to make a large-volume heat accumulator with your own hands with a convenient and practical removable lid. Step-by-step instructions with explanations.
Why is it beneficial to use heat accumulators in a home heating system? A good example saving money while significantly increasing the level of comfort in the living space.
Installing a heat accumulator for a home heating system is very profitable and economically justified. The presence of this unit reduces labor costs for lighting the boiler and allows you to add a heating resource not twice a day, but only once.
The fuel consumption required for the correct operation of heating equipment is significantly reduced. The heat produced is used optimally and is not wasted. Costs for heating and hot water supply are reduced, and living conditions become more convenient, comfortable and enjoyable.
sovet-ingenera.com
If the owner of a house or apartment is going to make such a structure on his own, 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 begin manufacturing a heat accumulator, you must make all the necessary calculations that will help you select the correct 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 a fairly simple principle that does not take into account various 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 the 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.
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 is best to insulate it using 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.
Before starting work, you should stock up on everything you need so that everything is at hand:
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, for 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.
In the case of mineral wool, it will have to be secured using 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 from 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. The cold water located in the tank will begin to warm 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, a concrete slab should be placed or some other rigid base should be made so that the structure does not move from its place during operation. It can be laid out of brick or you can fill the floor with concrete yourself.
The classic design of a heat accumulator was previously described, but there are several basic tricks that can be used to make the operation of this device more efficient and economical:
At the 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 drive and three-way valve to prevent condensation. In the future, a heat accumulator should be connected to the system, and a three-way mixing valve will need to be connected to the pipe coming out of it.
The heat accumulator will not do without installation circulation pump, which must be equipped with a relay thermostat with an immersion sleeve. Two check valves should also be installed.
housetronic.ru
Once installed the heat accumulator in the main heating country house, the following goals will be achieved:
By combining the main heating with a buffer storage tank, it becomes possible to significantly reduce energy costs without compromising the comfort of the residents. At the same time, savings can be significantly increased by installing additional sensors and thermostats. Thanks to this, when the temperature in the house reached given parameters, the flow of coolant into the radiators stops.
The thermal energy generated by the boiler, which continues to operate, begins to accumulate in the heat accumulator. After the coolant has cooled, heat from the buffer tank begins to be transferred back to the heating system past the cooled boiler. Moreover, the larger the capacity of the heat accumulator, the longer the heating will work due to the accumulated heat.
Buffer tank design made from sheet steel, resembling the shape of a cylinder. In this case, the volume of the tank varies from hundreds of liters to several tens of cubic meters. Naturally, the larger the container, the more difficult it is to find a place to place it. Due to the impressive dimensions of the storage tank, problems arise with its installation in a boiler room or other utility room.
Manufacturers produce ready-made heat accumulators, which are supplied to store shelves together with thermal insulation. The thickness of high-quality insulation should be at least 100 mm. The insulated container is covered with a casing made of high-quality leather substitute. Thanks to high-quality thermal insulation, the coolant in the storage tank cools much more slowly. By their design, heat accumulators There are the following types:
The steel body of the tank is equipped with several threaded pipes used to connect the storage device to the boiler and the main heating distribution to the rooms.
To date, there is no accurate data on heat consumption in a heat storage device. First of all, this is due to the fact that the energy accumulated in the buffer tank is consumed depending on the following factors:
Heating of country houses in passive mode a solid fuel boiler can last from a couple of hours to several days. When the heat accumulator is operating, the main heating unit is idle, which means fuel is saved.
In order for all assembly work on making a buffer tank with your own hands to go successfully, you need prepare the following things:
In order to assemble a heat accumulator with your own hands you need adhere to a certain procedure.
It is important to carry out all calculations regarding the power parameters of the storage device and the thickness of the tank before the assembly stage.
Do-it-yourself buffer tank connection diagram directly depends on coolant circulation in heating. With the natural movement of water, the equipment is installed as close as possible directly next to the solid fuel boiler. In a situation where a circulation pump is used, the location of the heat accumulator does not play a big role.
The storage device must be placed in a room with temperature indicators not lower than 10° C. Plus, it is necessary to provide access to the connecting pipes in the event of a breakdown or maintenance work. The buffer tank is placed directly in the boiler room at the same level as the solid fuel boiler, but in no case higher.
Thanks to the circulation pump, which is usually installed in the area connecting the boiler to the heat accumulator, coolant is supplied to the upper part of the buffer tank. At the same time, from the lower pipes there is cold the water comes back into the central heating device.
The installation of a second circulation pump is carried out between the heat accumulator and the batteries, which ensures the supply of hot water through the distribution of the heating system until the specified temperature parameters are reached in the heated room.
When the coolant cools below the minimum parameter, the temperature sensors are triggered and the pumps resume the supply of hot water to the heating system. In this case, thermal energy will be accumulated when the pump at the output of the buffer tank is inactive.
If you do not use a heat accumulator, then the coolant overheats rooms in the house and the homeowner has to open the windows to reduce the temperature in the room. Simply put, the boiler operates to heat the street, which is now considered criminal waste.
After the fuel in the boiler has completely burned out, the equipment goes into standby mode, and the house is heated through a heat accumulator, which releases the accumulated heat into the heating system. The cooled coolant returns to the buffer tank, gradually reducing the temperature of the coolant located in the thermos tank.
Based on the experience of specialists who have repeatedly made a heat accumulator for a boiler with their own hands, we have identified some recommendations, simplifying and reducing the cost of equipment assembly:
In the process of choosing a ready-made heat accumulator for any type of boiler, it is advisable to pay attention to availability of the required number of pipes. The ability to connect the device to a hot water supply system or heated floors, as well as the use of alternative heating devices such as solar collectors, directly depends on this.
Almost everyone can assemble a heat accumulator on their own. You don't need to buy expensive spare parts for this. The simplest model consists of materials that can gather dust in the garage or country house. But if you have doubts about your own abilities, you can always purchase ready product, especially since the price of a heat accumulator is affordable for people with any budget.
kotel.guru
This is a type of passive heating fittings that makes the operation of the heating system as convenient as when using gas boiler. It stores excess thermal energy when the solid fuel boiler is operating normally, heating water for the heating system and hot water supply.
When the intensity of the flame in the firebox decreases until it completely extinguishes, hot water from the battery automatically begins to flow into the system. In this way, you can maintain a comfortable temperature until the next ignition of the boiler, after which the battery automatically returns to charging mode.
It is a metal tank of various, but most often oval, shapes, equipped with flanges for connecting incoming and outgoing pipelines.
According to the available equipment, batteries are divided into:
The container is made of carbon or stainless steel by welding sheet metal. Inside the battery there may be heat exchangers through which boiler water circulates, thereby heating the water in the tank.
The operating principle of a solid fuel boiler previously implied the need to add fuel around the clock. With the advent of the heat accumulator, this problem disappeared. Boiler water passing through heat exchangers inside the tank, it partially gives off its heat to the water in it and the water in the additional tank for DHW needs.
When the fuel is completely burned in the furnace, the coolant circulating through the system begins to cool and coolant is supplied to the system from the tank. The presence of automatic supply depends on the complexity of the heating system; in homemade batteries, they often do without this option by switching manually.
Scope of application of the battery - heating systems various designs. In fact, there is no limit for any system, but the larger it is, the larger the tank capacity should be. Industrial models provide the possibility of creating a cascade of several batteries connected to each other.
On Russian market, today well-known foreign companies offer their products, as well as domestic producers:
In current times of rising prices for all types of energy resources, many homeowners have become seriously concerned about the issue of 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.
Before giving recommendations for the manufacture of this important unit, let us briefly define 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:
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.
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 correctly connect the storage tank to the 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 finished vessels suitable capacity.
We propose to approximately determine the volume of the tank in the simplest way, based on the laws of physics. To do this you need to have the following initial data:
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 know the amount of water that the heat accumulator should contain, the formula takes the following form:
m = Q / c Δt, Where:
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 temperature water will fall 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 with hot water.
If you need to make a storage tank from scratch, then it is best to use ordinary sheet metal 2 mm thick for this purpose. You can also cook a tank from stainless steel, but it is not at all necessary, since such 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 an open type heat accumulator, that is, 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. Plastic barrels It is risky to use due to the high temperature of the water, unless the product labeling indicates a maximum temperature of the contents of up to 100 ºС.
We give the same warning to those home craftsmen who make heat accumulators from Eurocubes. Of course, this is a very convenient way, but this plastic container designed for a maximum temperature of no more than 70 ºС. Therefore, the Eurocube is suitable as a storage tank working with heated floors, where the coolant temperature rarely exceeds 50 ºС; it is not suitable for radiator systems.
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 made from barrels, you will have to use roll insulation like ISOVER; here you will have to tinker a lot with the fasteners, especially in the lower part of the tank.
The video below shows the installation and diagram of the heat accumulator with its connection to the boiler and heating system:
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.
Content
If a solid fuel boiler is installed in the house, and we're talking about about the convenience and effectiveness of its use, you should purchase or make a heat accumulator with your own hands. IN Western Europe It is considered mandatory to install a heat accumulator if the house is heated by a solid fuel boiler. In our country, the mandatory presence of this unit in the system has not yet been regulated, but homeowners who care about saving have managed to appreciate the advantages of the device.
Thermal accumulator of a solid fuel boiler
A traditional Russian stove has two significant advantages over a modern solid fuel boiler:
In order for a solid fuel boiler to function optimally, fully burning fuel, it must operate at its rated power. But when buying a boiler unit for heating a house, the power is chosen based on the coldest days in the region, but these accumulate for no more than two weeks during the winter. Thus, for almost the entire heating season, the boiler operates in a limited oxygen supply mode, which reduces its efficiency and fuel is wasted inefficiently, since it releases less heat during combustion.
TA strapping diagram To avoid this problem, a heat accumulator is connected to the boiler unit - a reservoir of water that accumulates heat during operation of the boiler and supplies heated water to the heating system when the boiler is turned off at night and the temperature of the coolant has dropped.
Note! It is economically profitable to include a thermal accumulator in a heating system with an electric boiler unit if the region has a division into day and night tariffs. In this case, the boiler is turned on only at night to heat the water in the heat accumulator and in the heating system. This allows you to significantly reduce energy costs.
Manufacturers produce a heat accumulator for a boiler in the form of a cylindrical water tank into which coils are immersed to circulate the coolant of different heating circuits and the boiler unit.
The water in the tank absorbs excess thermal energy during the operation of the boiler, which heats the coolant and prepares water for the hot water system. A solid fuel boiler (if we are not talking about long-burning boilers or an automatic pellet unit) requires quite frequent loading of firewood or coal, so it is stopped at night.
This leads to a gradual cooling of the coolant circulating in the system. Automatic supply of heated water from a heat accumulator to radiators or a heated floor system allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature in the heated rooms of the house for longer.
Models offered by manufacturers vary in design and functionality.
Eg, For the sake of convenience and economy, you can heat water in a container in several ways:
However, the cost of factory-made heat accumulators is quite high, so many homeowners prefer to make a heat accumulator for a solid fuel boiler with their own hands.
When self-made the device is usually not equipped with coils, choosing the simplest option - a container with installed pipes in the upper and lower parts. The supply and return pipes from the boiler are connected to the first pair of pipes, and the supply and return pipes of the heating system are connected to the pair of pipes installed on the opposite side of the tank.
Design and purpose of the capacitive tank But if you have the desire, time, suitable tools and financial capabilities, you can make a heat accumulator for heating with your own hands, copying a factory-made model or developing your own design. Copper pipe is used to make coils; it is also necessary to take care of sealing the places where the ends of the coil are brought out. This approach is primarily in demand when there is a solar collector.
The container requires high-quality thermal insulation, thanks to which the water temperature remains high longer.
Attention! If the heating system does not provide forced circulation coolant, the heat accumulator is installed on a stand made of pipes or a corner to be positioned above the level of the radiators - in this case, the heated water can move by gravity. A tube must be installed on the upper horizontal surface of the container to communicate with the atmosphere.
Ideally, the tank is made of stainless steel so that the device can function for many years without the risk of corrosion. But the use of such material seriously increases the cost of the design.
A homemade heat accumulator can be made from a metal barrel of suitable volume if the wall thickness is at least 3 mm. The ends of the barrel are sealed with airtight lids.
Homemade heat accumulator The tank can also be welded from sheet metal with a thickness of 3 mm, in which case it is more convenient to make it rectangular. Moreover, this design simplifies the calculations of the required volume.
You should not use barrels made of polymer materials, since the water in the heat accumulator can heat up to 90 degrees. The exception is polymer containers, the marking of which indicates that the material can withstand heating up to 100 degrees.
A plastic container such as a Eurocube can only be used as a heat accumulator for a heated floor system. The Eurocube material is designed for maximum heating of up to 70 degrees, and coolant heated to 45-50 degrees is supplied to the heated floor circuit.
Thermal accumulator from Eurocube The better the tank is insulated, the less fuel is required to heat the entire volume of water, and the longer the coolant will maintain a high temperature.
You may come across advice to insulate rectangular tanks with sheets of polystyrene foam - it is affordable, not afraid of moisture, and can be easily glued to a flat surface with a heat-resistant compound. However, this is not the best option, since the steel walls of the container become very hot, and polystyrene foam releases harmful substances when heated.
Reliable option heat accumulator insulation - basalt wool It is better to perform insulation with rolled material made of basalt wool, intended for thermal insulation of chimneys. If you decide to use conventional insulation made of mineral or stone wool, it is necessary to ensure that its composition does not include phenol-formaldehyde resins, which are also exposed to high temperatures release substances hazardous to health.
Note! The recommended density of mineral wool thermal insulator is 135-145 kg/m3.
The protective casing is made of thin sheet metal. It simultaneously protects the heat insulator from moisture and external influences, serves as a reflector for thermal radiation passing through the insulating layer.
It is worth thinking about installing a heat accumulator at the stage of designing a heating system.
Important! Since the boiler unit will have to heat not only the coolant and water for the hot water system, but also the water in a large-volume tank, the load on the boiler increases significantly. This means that you should purchase a solid fuel boiler, the power of which is approximately 1.5 times higher than the calculated one.
Solid fuel boilers are designed for installation in a specially designated room. When designing a boiler room, you should consider the place where the heat storage device will be installed. It must be freely accessible in order to connect the container to the pipeline.
If it is not possible to place a tank of the required volume in close proximity to the boiler, you can connect two or more small heat accumulators in series.
For a solid fuel boiler, it is necessary to provide a specially designated place - a boiler room Before preparing drawings and developing diagrams for connecting the heat accumulator to the boiler and pipelines, a number of calculations must be performed.
First of all, it is necessary to calculate the thermal performance of the heating system. But the indicator should be average, and not with a reserve for frosty days, otherwise the volume of the tank will be excessively large and a high-power boiler will be required to heat it.
A rational solution is a full calculation of the heat loss of the house, but here it is more convenient to use the simplified principle, according to which 10 m2 of house area requires 1 kW of heat to warm it up very coldy. The average value will be less than half. Thus, to heat your house of 100 m2, you need a maximum of 10 kW, and on average 5 kW.
It should be assumed that the period of time during which the system should operate when the boiler is not working is 8 hours. That is, if 5 kW is required per hour, then the required supply of thermal energy for 8 hours will be 8 × 5 = 40 kW.
The maximum water temperature in the tank will be 90 degrees, and optimal temperature The coolant in the local radiator system is approximately 60 degrees, so we find the temperature difference, it will be equal to 30 degrees.
We carry out the calculations: m = 40 / 0.0012 x 30 = 1111 kg, that is, if rounded up, the volume of the tank should be about 1.2 m 3. Knowing the required volume and using simple geometric formulas, you can calculate the dimensions of a cylindrical or rectangular tank.
Such a device is capable of maintaining the temperature of the coolant in the radiators at 60 degrees for 8 hours, then the temperature will gradually decrease, but it will take about another 3-4 hours until the rooms completely cool down.
When considering how to make a heat accumulator yourself, you need to pay attention to the requirements for the container - it must be strong enough to withstand the operating pressure in the system, this parameter is usually 3 atmospheres.
If a used metal drum is used as a reservoir, it should be thoroughly cleaned inner surface from traces of corrosion.
Before making a thermal energy storage device, decide how it will be used in the circuit. Typically, a thermal accumulator is installed as a hydraulic separator. In this case, four fittings cut into it. For ease of connection, the length of the fittings should be greater than the thickness of the insulation.
TA with embedded fittings A pair of fittings are cut into the upper and lower parts on the side of the boiler, the second pair - symmetrically on the opposite side, the heating circuit will be connected to them. Tees with thermometers are connected to the pipes installed in the lower part of the container.
The container with installed fittings should be wrapped in foil, creating a reflective layer. A thermal insulator is attached on top. Roll material can be secured with wire, tightening the loops by twisting the free ends.
It is advisable to cover the completed thermal insulation layer with a casing, for the manufacture of which thin sheet metal is suitable.
Note! By adding a heating element to the design, you can use electricity to heat the coolant in emergency situations - in case of fuel shortages, boiler breakdown, etc.
Even the simplest heat accumulator for heating boilers can significantly improve a heating system with a solid fuel boiler. Its installation makes it possible to maintain a comfortable temperature level in the house for several hours by extinguishing the fire in the boiler. You have to heat your house less often, which reduces energy costs.
