How to run elevators in the heating system. Modern elevator units of the heating system

No one will argue that the heating system is one of the most important life support systems for any housing, both a private house and an apartment. If we talk about apartments, then they are often dominated by centralized heating, in private houses most often found autonomous systems heating. In any case, the device heating system requires close attention. For example, in this article we will talk about such important element, as elevator unit heating, the purpose of which is not known to everyone. Let's figure it out.

In order to clearly understand the device and the purpose of the elevator unit, you can go to a regular basement high-rise building. There, among the rest of the elements thermal unit and you can find the part you need.

Consider circuit diagram supply of coolant to the heating system of a residential building. Hot water is supplied through pipelines to the house. It should be noted that there are only two pipelines, of which:

• 1- supply (brings hot water to the house);
• 2 - reverse (carries out the removal of the coolant that gave off heat back to the boiler room);

Heated to a certain temperature, water from the thermal chamber enters the basement of the building, where shut-off valves are installed on pipelines at the entrance to the thermal unit. Formerly as stop valves valves were installed everywhere, now they are gradually being replaced Ball Valves made from steel. The further path of the coolant depends on its temperature.

In our country, boiler houses operate according to three main thermal regimes:

• 95(90)/70 0 С;
• 130/70 0 С;
• 150/70 0 С;

If the water in the supply pipeline is heated to no more than 95 0 C, then it is simply distributed through the heating system using a manifold equipped with control devices (balancing valves). In the event that the temperature of the heat carrier is higher than 95 0 С, then, according to the current standards, such water cannot be supplied to the heating system. You need to cool it down. This is where the elevator assembly comes into play. It should be noted that the elevator heating unit is the cheapest and in a simple way coolant cooling.

The principle of operation of the elevator heating unit and the scheme

With the help of an elevator, the temperature of the superheated water drops to the calculated value, after which the prepared coolant is sent to the heating devices. The principle of operation of the elevator unit is based on mixing in it the superheated coolant from the supply pipeline with cooled water from the return pipe.

The diagram of the elevator assembly below clearly shows that the elevator performs 2 functions at once, which improves the overall efficiency of the heating system:

• Works as a circulation pump;
• Performs the function of mixing;

The advantage of the elevator is its simple design and, despite this, its high efficiency. Its cost is low. It does not require an electrical connection to operate.

It is worth mentioning the disadvantages of this element:

• There is no possibility to control the outlet water temperature;
• The pressure difference between the supply and return pipelines must not exceed the range of 0.8-2 bar;
• Only the exact calculation of each detail of the elevator guarantees its efficient operation;

To date, elevators are still widely used in the thermal units of residential buildings, since their efficiency does not depend on changes in thermal and hydraulic modes in thermal networks. In addition, the elevator assembly does not require constant supervision, and to adjust it, it is enough to choose the right nozzle diameter. It is worth remembering that the entire selection of elements of the elevator assembly should be trusted only to specialists who have the appropriate permissions.

What is the elevator assembly made of?

• Jet elevator;
• Nozzle;
• resolution camera;

In addition, the elevator assembly includes the so-called “elevator piping”, consisting of control pressure gauges, thermometers, and shut-off valves. AT recent times there were elevators equipped with an electric drive to control the diameter of the nozzle. Such an elevator allows you to automatically adjust the temperature of the coolant entering the heating system. However, such models are not yet widely used due to the low degree of reliability.

Conclusion

Technologies used in the utility sector are constantly evolving. Elevators are being replaced by thermal units with automatic regulation temperature of the supplied and return heat carrier. They are more economical, compact, but their cost is quite high compared to the elevator. In addition, they require electricity to operate.

The elevator unit of the heating system is used to connect the house to an external heating network (heat supply source), if necessary, to reduce the temperature of the coolant by mixing water from the return pipeline to it.

Functions and characteristics

At correct installation the elevator unit of the heating system performs circulation and mixing functions. This device has the following advantages:

• Lack of connection to the electrical network.
• Efficiency.
• Simplicity of design.

Disadvantages:

• Inability to control the outlet temperature.
• Accurate calculation and selection is required.
• The differential pressure must be observed between the return and supply pipes.

Elevator unit of the heating system: diagram

by design this device the following elements are provided:

• Nozzle.
• Discharge chamber.
• Jet elevator.

Additionally, the elevator unit of the heating system is equipped with pressure gauges, thermometers and shut-off valves.

As an alternative to this device, equipment with automatic temperature control can be used. It is more economical, more energy-saving, but it costs much more. And most importantly, this equipment is not able to work in the absence of electricity.

For this reason, the installation of an elevator is relevant today. It has a number of undeniable advantages, and it will be used by utilities for a long time to come.

The role of the elevator node

Heating domestic apartment buildings carried out by a centralized heating system. For this purpose, in small and big cities small thermal power plants and boiler houses are being built. Each of these objects generates heat for several houses or neighborhoods. The disadvantage of such a system is a significant loss of heat.

If the path of the coolant is too long, it is impossible to control the temperature of the transported liquid. For this reason, every house must be equipped with an elevator unit. This will solve many problems: it will significantly reduce heat consumption, prevent accidents that may occur as a result of a blackout or equipment failure.

This issue becomes especially relevant in the autumn and spring periods of the year. The heat carrier is heated in accordance with established standards, but its temperature depends on the outside air temperature.

Thus, more hot coolant. It is for this reason that the elevator assembly of the system is so necessary. central heating. It will dilute the superheated coolant cold water and thereby compensates for heat loss.

Operating principle

The elevator unit of the heating system functions as follows:

• From the main network, the coolant is directed to the nozzle narrowed at the outlet, and then, due to the pressure difference, it is accelerated.
• The superheated coolant exits the nozzle at an increased speed and with reduced pressure. This creates a vacuum and suction of liquid into the elevator from the return pipeline.
• The amount of superheated and cooled return heat carrier must be regulated in such a way that the temperature of the liquid leaving the elevator corresponds to the design value.

Elevator unit of the heating system: dimensions

Kinds

There are two types of these devices:

• Elevators that are not amenable to regulation.
• Elevators, the regulation of which is carried out by means of an electric drive.

In the process of installing any of them, it is very important to maintain tightness. This equipment is installed in a heating system that is already in operation. Therefore, before installation, it is recommended to study the place where the subsequent placement of this equipment is planned. This type it is recommended to entrust the work to specialists who are able to understand the scheme, as well as develop drawings and perform calculations.

Provide in apartments multi-storey buildings optimum temperature in winter time is possible only by supplying hot coolant to the radiators. Heating of water to operating parameters is carried out using a special thermal unit - an elevator installed in basement at home or in a boiler room. We will talk about what this device is and how it works later in the article.

How the elevator assembly works

Before dealing with the device of the elevator unit, we note that this mechanism is designed to connect the end consumers of heat with heating networks. By design, the thermal elevator unit is a kind of pump that is included in the heating system along with shut-off elements and pressure meters.

The elevator heating unit performs several functions. First of all, it redistributes the pressure inside the heating system so that water is supplied to the end consumers in the radiators at a given temperature. When passing through pipelines from the boiler room to apartments, the amount of coolant in the circuit almost doubles. This is only possible if there is a supply of water in a separate sealed vessel.

As a rule, a heat carrier is supplied from the boiler room, the temperature of which reaches 105-150 ℃. Such high performance unacceptable for domestic purposes from a safety point of view. Maximum temperature water in the circuit according to regulations can not exceed 95 ℃.

It is noteworthy that SanPin currently has a coolant temperature standard within 60 ℃. However, in order to save resources, they are actively discussing the proposal to reduce this standard to 50 ℃. According to the expert opinion, the difference will not be noticeable for the consumer, and in order to disinfect the coolant, it will need to be heated up to 70 ℃ every day. However, these changes in SanPin have not yet been adopted, since there is no unequivocal opinion about the rationality and effectiveness of such a decision.

The scheme of the elevator heating unit allows you to bring the temperature of the coolant in the system to the standard values.

This node avoids the following consequences:

• Batteries that are too hot can cause skin burns if handled carelessly;
• Not all heating pipes designed for long term high temperature under pressure like extreme conditions may lead to premature failure.
• if the wiring is made of metal-plastic or polypropylene pipes, it is not designed for the circulation of hot coolant.

Elevator Advantages

Some users argue that the elevator scheme is irrational, and it would be much easier to supply consumers with a lower temperature coolant. In reality, this approach provides for an increase in the diameter of main pipelines to supply more cold water which results in additional costs.

It turns out that the qualitative scheme of the thermal heating unit makes it possible to mix with the supply volume of water the proportion of water from the return that has already cooled down. Despite the fact that some sources of elevator units of heating systems are old hydraulic units, in fact they are efficient in operation. There are also newer units that have come to replace the schemes of the elevator assembly.

These include the following types of equipment:

• plate type heat exchanger;
• mixer equipped with a three-way valve.

How does an elevator work

Studying the scheme of the elevator unit of the heating system, namely what it is and how it functions, one cannot but note the similarity of the finished design with water pumps. At the same time, it does not require energy from other systems to operate, and reliability can be observed in specific situations.

The main part of the device from the outside looks like a hydraulic tee installed on the return. Through a simple tee, the coolant would calmly get into the return line, bypassing the radiators. Such a scheme of a heating unit would be impractical.

In the usual scheme of the elevator assembly of the heating system, there are such details:

• Pre-chamber and supply pipe with a nozzle of a certain section installed at the end. A coolant is supplied through it from the return branch.
• There is a built-in diffuser at the outlet. It is designed to transfer water to consumers.

On the this moment you can find nodes where the nozzle cross section is adjusted by an electric drive. Thanks to this, it is possible to automatically adjust the acceptable temperature of the coolant.

The selection of the scheme of the heating unit with an electric drive is done on the basis of the fact that it is possible to change the mixing ratio of the coolant within 2-5 units. This cannot be achieved in elevators in which the nozzle cross section cannot be changed. It turns out that systems adjustable nozzle make it possible to significantly reduce funds for heating, which is very important in houses with central meters.

The principle of operation of the thermal unit circuit

Consider the schematic diagram of the elevator unit - that is, the scheme of its operation:

• hot coolant is supplied from the boiler room through main pipeline to the entrance to the nozzle;
• moving through pipes of small cross section, the water gradually picks up speed;
• in this case, a somewhat rarefied region is formed;
• the resulting vacuum begins to suck water from the return;
• homogeneous turbulent flows through the diffuser enter the outlet.

If a heating unit scheme is used in the heating system apartment building, then its efficient operation can be ensured only if the operating pressure between the supply and return flows is greater than the calculated hydraulic resistance.

A few shortcomings

Despite the fact that the thermal node has many advantages, it also has one significant disadvantage. The fact is that it is impossible to regulate the temperature of the outgoing coolant with the elevator. If the measurement of the return water temperature shows that it is too hot, it will need to be lowered. Such a task can be carried out only by reducing the diameter of the nozzle, however, this is not always possible due to the design features.

Sometimes the thermal unit is equipped with an electric drive, with the help of which it is possible to correct the diameter of the nozzle. It sets in motion the main part of the structure - a throttle needle in the form of a cone. This needle moves a predetermined distance into the hole along the inner section of the nozzle. The depth of movement allows you to change the diameter of the nozzle and thereby control the temperature of the coolant.

On the shaft can be installed as a drive manual type in the form of a handle, and an electric remote-controlled motor.

It should be noted that the installation of such a kind of temperature controller allows you to upgrade common system heating with a thermal unit without significant financial investments.

Possible problems

As a rule, most problems in the elevator assembly occur for the following reasons:

• the formation of blockage in the equipment;
• changes in the diameter of the nozzle as a result of the operation of the equipment - an increase in the cross section complicates the temperature control;
• blockages in the mud pits;
• failure of shutoff valves;
• regulator failure.

In most cases, finding out the cause of the problems is quite simple, since they immediately affect the temperature of the water in the circuit. If the temperature drops and deviations from the standards are insignificant, then there is probably a gap or the nozzle cross section has increased slightly.

A temperature difference of more than 5 ℃ indicates the presence of a problem that only specialists can solve after diagnosing.

If, as a result of oxidation from constant contact with water or involuntary drilling, the nozzle cross-section increases, the balance of the entire system is disturbed. This defect needs to be corrected as soon as possible.

It is worth noting that in order to save finances and use heating more efficiently, electricity meters can be installed at thermal units. And metering devices hot water and heat make it possible to further reduce utility bills.

The heat carrier in district heating systems passes through heating point before getting directly into the radiator sections of each apartment and individual room. In such a node, the water is brought to the design temperature, and the balance is ensured due to the fact that the circuit of the elevator heating unit is working correctly. In the basement of any multi-storey building heated along the central highway, you can find such an elevator.

The principle of operation of the node

Understanding what an elevator is, it is worth noting the need for this complex to connect heating networks and private consumers with it. A thermal unit is a module that performs the functions pumping equipment. To see what an elevator is in a heating system, you need to go down to the basement of almost any apartment building. There, among the shut-off valves and pressure meters, it will be possible to find the desired element of the heating system (the diagram is shown in the figure below).

Finding out what an elevator is, it is worth determining its functionality according to the tasks performed. These include the redistribution of pressure from inside the heating system, while the coolant is issued with allowable temperature. In fact, the volume of water doubles, moving along the highways from the boiler room. This effect is achieved in the presence of water in a separate sealed vessel.

The temperature of the heat carrier coming from the boiler room is usually in the range of 105-150 0 C. It is not possible to use it with this parameter in domestic conditions for safety reasons.

Regulatory documents the boundary temperature value for the coolant is regulated, which should be no more than 95 0 С.

For reference. Currently, the issue of reducing the temperature of hot water from 60 0 C, provided for by SanPin, to 50 0 C, is being actively discussed, citing the need to save on resources. According to experts, the consumer will not notice such a minimal difference, and in order for proper disinfection of water in pipes to be carried out daily, it is recommended to increase it to 70 0 C. It is too early to judge how rational and thoughtful this initiative is. Changes to SanPin have not yet been made.

Returning to the topic of the heating system elevator, we note that it is he who provides the temperature in the system. These steps help reduce the risk of:

• with excessively overheated batteries, it is easy to get burned;
• heating radiators are not always able to withstand long time impact elevated temperature coolant under pressure;
• wiring made of polymer or metal-plastic pipes does not provide for their use with such hot heat transfer fluids.

How convenient is this node

You can hear the opinion that it would be more convenient not to use a heating elevator with this principle of operation, but to directly supply water at a lower temperature. However, this opinion is erroneous, because it will be necessary to significantly increase the diameters of the lines to transfer a colder coolant.

VIDEO: Elevator node of the central heating main

Actually, competent scheme The thermal heating unit allows you to mix part of the volume from the return, which has already cooled down, into the supply volume of water. Although in some sources the elevator unit of the heating system is considered obsolete hydraulic equipment, but it has proven its effectiveness in the work. More modern appliances, used instead of the elevator node scheme, are the following types:

• plate heat exchanger;
• mixer with three-way valve.

Operation of the elevator

Considering the elevator unit of the heating system, what it is and how it works, it is worth noting that the working structure has similarities with water pumps. However, operation does not require the transfer of energy from other systems. It shows its reliability under certain conditions.

From the outside, the base part of the device looks similar to a hydraulic tee mounted on the return branch. However, through a standard tee, the coolant would painlessly penetrate into the return line without passing through the radiators. Such behavior would be meaningless.

Standard elevator layout

AT classical pattern the elevator assembly of the heating system contains the following components:

• A prechamber, a supply pipe, at the end of which there is a nozzle of a certain diameter. It receives the coolant from the return.
• A diffuser is installed in the outlet part. It delivers water to consumers.

Today there are nodes where the diameter of the nozzle is controlled by an electric drive. This makes it possible to optimize the temperature of the coolant in automatic mode.

The choice of a unit with an electric drive is based on the fact that it is possible to change the mixing ratio of the coolant within 2-5, which is impossible in elevators where the nozzle diameter is not adjustable. Thus, a system with an adjustable nozzle allows significant savings on heating, which is possible in houses where central meters are installed.

Structure

How does the thermal node scheme work?

In general, the principle of operation can be described as follows:

• water moves along the line from the boiler room to the entrance to the nozzle;
• during the passage along a small diameter, the speed of the working coolant increases significantly;
• an area with a small discharge is formed;
• due to the resulting vacuum, water is sucked from the return;
• turbulent flows in a homogeneous mass are sent to the outlet through the diffuser.

In more detail, you can see everything on the working diagram.

For effective work system, in which the scheme of the elevator unit of the heating system is involved, it is necessary to ensure that the value of the pressure values ​​​​between the supply and return is greater than the value of the calculated hydraulic resistance.

System Disadvantages

In addition to positive qualities, a thermal node or a thermal node circuit has a certain disadvantage. It consists of the following. The elevator of the heating system does not have the ability to adjust the output temperature mixture. In such a situation, it will be necessary to measure the heated coolant from the main or from the return pipeline. It will be possible to lower the temperature only by changing the dimensions of the nozzle, which cannot be done structurally.

In some cases, elevators with an electric drive are saved. Their design includes a mechanical drive. This unit is powered by an electric drive. In this way, it is possible to vary the diameter of the nozzle. The basic element of this design is a throttle needle, which has a conical shape. It enters the hole along the inner diameter of the structure. Moving a certain distance, it manages to correct the temperature of the mixture precisely by changing the diameter of the nozzle.

Both a manual drive in the form of a handle and a remotely started electric drive engine can be mounted on the shaft.

Due to such modernized solutions, the boiler room in the basement does not undergo significant costly refurbishments. It is enough to mount the regulator to get a modern heating unit.

Faults

In most cases, breakdowns are caused by the following factors:

• equipment clogging;
• a gradual increase in the diameter of the nozzle during operation, as a result of which the temperature of the coolant is more difficult to control;
• clogged mud tanks;
• breakage of fittings;
• failure of regulators, etc.

It is not difficult to determine the breakdown of this device, it immediately affects the temperature of the coolant and its sharp drop. With minor deviations from the norm, most likely, we are talking about clogging or a slight increase in the diameter of the nozzle. If the difference is very significant (more than 5 degrees), then it is already necessary to carry out diagnostics and call a specialist for repair.

The diameter of the nozzle increases either in the process of corrosion in contact with water, or as a result of involuntary drilling. Both ultimately lead to an imbalance in the system and must be eliminated immediately.

You need to know that modern modernized systems can be operated with electricity consumption metering units. In the absence of this device in the heating circuit, it is difficult to achieve an economical effect. Installing heat and hot water meters can significantly reduce utility bills.

VIDEO: The principle of operation of the node

Of course, heating is essential system life support in any home. It can be found in any buildings that receive district heating. In such a system, elevator heating units are very important mechanisms.

What parts do they consist of, how do they function, and in general, what is an elevator heating unit in this article we will consider.

What is an elevator

To understand and understand what this element is, it is best to go down to the basement of the building and see with your own eyes. But if you have no desire to leave your home, then you can see the photo and video files in our gallery. In the basement, among the many valves, valves, pipelines, pressure gauges and thermometers, you will definitely find this unit.

We suggest that you first understand the principle of work. Hot is supplied to the building from the district boiler house, and cooled is discharged.

This requires:

• Supply pipeline– performs the supply of hot coolant to the consumer;
• Return pipeline– performs work on the removal of the cooled coolant and its return to the district boiler house.

For several houses, and in some cases for each, if the houses are large, thermal chambers are equipped. In them, the coolant is distributed between the houses, and shut-off valves are installed, which serves to cut off pipelines. Also, drainage devices can be made in the chambers, which serve to empty pipes, for example, for repair work. Further, the process depends on the temperature of the coolant.

In our country, there are several basic modes of operation of district boiler houses:

• Supply 150 and return 70 degrees Celsius;
• Respectively 130 and 70;
• 95 and 70.

The choice of mode depends on the latitude of residence. So, for example, for Moscow, a 130/70 schedule will be enough, and for Irkutsk, a 150/70 schedule will be needed. The names of these modes have the numbers of the maximum load of pipelines. But depending on the air temperature outside the window, the boiler room can operate at temperatures of 70/54.

This is done so that there is no overheating in the rooms and that it is comfortable to be in them. This adjustment is carried out at the boiler room and is a representative central type adjustments. Interesting is the fact that in European countries another type of adjustment is performed - local. That is, there is an adjustment at the heat supply facility itself.

Heating networks and boiler houses in such cases operate at the maximum mode. It is worth saying that the highest performance of boiler units is achieved precisely when maximum loads. comes to the consumer and already in place is regulated by special mechanisms.

These mechanisms are:

• Outdoor and indoor air temperature sensors;
• Servo;
• Actuator with valve.

Such systems are equipped individual devices to account for thermal energy, due to this, great savings are achieved monetary resources. Compared to elevators, such systems are less reliable and durable.

So, if the coolant has a temperature of no more than 95 degrees, then the main task is the high-quality physical distribution of heat throughout the system. To achieve these goals, collectors and balancing valves are used.

But in the case when the temperature is above 95 degrees, then it needs to be slightly reduced. This is what elevators do in the heating system, they mix chilled water from the return to the supply pipeline.

Important. The process of adjusting the elevator assembly is the simplest and cheapest mechanism, the main thing is to correctly calculate the heating elevator.

Functions and characteristics

As we have already dealt with you, the elevator of the heating system is engaged in cooling superheated water to a predetermined value. Then this prepared water enters.

This element improves the quality of the entire building system and correct installation and selection performs two functions:

• Mixing;
• Circulation.

The advantages it has elevator system heating:

• Simplicity of design;
• High efficiency;
• No electrical connection required.

Disadvantages:

• We need an accurate and high-quality calculation and selection of a heating elevator;
• There is no possibility to regulate the outlet temperature;
• It is necessary to observe a pressure difference between supply and return in the region of 0.8-2 bar.

In our time, such elements have become widespread in the economy of thermal networks. This is due to their advantages, such as resistance to changes in hydraulic and temperature conditions. In addition, they do not require the constant presence of a person.

Important. Calculation, selection and adjustment of elevators should not be done by hand, it is better to leave this matter to specialists, since a selection error can lead to big problems.

Design

The elevator consists of:

• rarefaction chambers;
• Nozzles;
• jet elevator.

Among heat engineers there is a concept as a strapping of the elevator assembly. It consists in installing the necessary shut-off valves, pressure gauges and thermometers. All this is assembled and is a node.

Important! To date, manufacturers are selling elevators that are capable, thanks to electric drive adjust the nozzle. At the same time, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the coolant in automatic mode. But it is also worth noting that such equipment is not yet distinguished by a high degree of reliability.

Reliability for many years

Technological progress never stops. More and more new technologies are being used in the heating of buildings. There is one alternative to the usual elevators - this is equipment with automatic temperature control. They are considered to be more energy-saving and economical, but their price is higher. In addition, they cannot work without power supply, and periodically need high power. What is better to use only time will tell.

Results

In this article, we found out what an elevator is in a heating system, what it consists of and how it works. As it turned out, such equipment is widespread due to its undeniable advantages. There are no prerequisites for utilities to abandon them.

There are alternatives for this equipment, but they differ in their high cost, less reliability and energy efficiency, because they require electricity and periodic repairs for their work.