JPH03105101A - Steam generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the flow-out of the hot water from a steam evaporation tank before by stopping the supply of water and the heating by the ON signal from a third water level detection switch that is located at a position higher than a second water level detection switch when a defective ON develops during heating in the second water level detection switch. CONSTITUTION:If, in spite of the judgement that a second water level detection switch 8B is not ON, the water level of an evaporation tank 2 reaches an upper water level L3 due to the supply of water and a third water level detection switch 8C is ON, then the operations of a water supply device 1 and a heating device 3 are stopped and at the same time an alarm device 16 is actuated. By the way it is also possible to display on a liquid crystal display panel 14 in an operational unit 9 the content of a trouble, that is, the second water level switch 8B has the trouble on ON switching. Further, in the case in which the first water level detection switch which is for indicating that the water level reaches, during heating, the water level to start water supply develops defective OFF, the heating is stopped by OFF signal of a fourth water level detection switch newly provided at a position lower than the first water level detection switch.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a steam generation device used for steam saunas, steam heating, etc., and more specifically, to solve problems caused by failure of a water level detection switch during steam generation operation. This relates to devices equipped with abnormality handling functions to avoid occurrences. Prior Art> As a steam generator, the applicant has filed Utility Application No. 1-36
The proposed method is shown in Publication No. 250. This device will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

In the figure, l indicates the water supply valve 1a, the water tank 1b, and the water supply pump IC.
2 is an evaporation tank that is supplied with water from the water supply means 1 and heated by a heating means 3 such as a burner; 4 is connected to an opening 2a provided at the bottom of the evaporation tank 2 and is disposed below the water supply means; The scale collecting tank 5 is a drain valve interposed in the middle of a drain pipe 6 connected to the upper part of the scale collecting tank 4. Further, 7 is a water level detection chamber communicating with the evaporation tank 2, and 88 to 8C are respectively provided at three locations in the water level detection chamber 7 from the lower side to the upper side. The water level is on the lower and middle levels. 1st to 3rd water level detection switches 9 detect whether each water level in the upper stage has been reached; reference numeral 9 indicates an operation/operation stop switch 10.
Temperature control switch? 1. Heating switch 12. An operation unit equipped with a sauna switch l3, a liquid crystal display panel 14, etc., and 15 are first to third water level detection switches 8A to 8C.
This controller controls the operations of the water supply means 1, the heating means 3, and the drain valve 5 based on the on/off status of the water supply means 1, the heating means 3, and the drain valve 5, respectively, and executes necessary operations in response to various output signals given from the operation unit 9.

The water level detection switches 8A to 8C have the same construction, for example, a float switch as shown in FIG. ~Reed switch 8 installed inside 8C+
A■~8Ct and floats 8As~8C with built-in magnets slidably attached to guide rods 8A,~8C+
The reed switch 8
At ~ 8C, is turned on and off. The controller l5 includes an operation unit 9 as shown in FIG.
a discriminating means 20 for discriminating the operation of various switches provided for the operation and the first to third water level detection switches 8A to 8C; It has 1,000 sequence control stages 30 that control the operation of the floating water valves 5, respectively, and executes the operations described below. Next, the operation will be explained based on the flowchart in FIG. First, when steam generation operation is started by pressing the operation/operation stop switch 10 of the operation unit 9, step 31
At this point, water is supplied to the evaporation tank 2 by the water supply means 1. As the water level of this evaporation tank 2 rises, the first. The second water level detection switches 8A and 8B are turned on sequentially, but first, when the water level rises and reaches the lower water level L1, that is, the water supply start water level, and the first water level detection switch 8A is turned on, step S2
The determination is YES, and heating by the heating means 3 is started in step S3. Thereafter, as the water supply continues, the water level rises and reaches the middle water level L8, that is, the water supply stop water level, and the second water level detection switch 8B is turned on.
The determination is YES, and the water supply by the water supply means 1 is stopped in step S5. Steam generated in the evaporation tank 2 by heating is supplied to a steam chamber (not shown) as shown by the arrow. When the water level in the evaporator tank 2 falls below the lower water level L, that is, the water supply start water level due to this heating and the first water level detection switch 8A is turned off, a YES determination is made in step S6, and water is supplied by the water supply means 1 in step S7. is performed, and the process returns to step S4. When the water level rises to the middle water level L2, that is, the water supply stop water level due to water supply in step S7, and the second water level detection switch 8B is turned on, step S
If YES is determined in step 4, the water supply is stopped in step S5. That is, under normal conditions, by repeating the processes of steps S4 to S7, the water level is maintained between the middle water level L and the lower water level, and the water level is generated.

Note that when the steam generation operation is stopped by pressing the operation/operation stop switch 10 of the operation unit 9, the inside of the evaporation tank 2 is cleaned at the same time as the operation is stopped, but a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. Water supply during this cleaning. The third water level detection switch 8C is used to perform the drainage operation. Problems to be Solved by the Invention Incidentally, even in the above conventional example, there is room for improvement in the following points.

The scale generated in the evaporator tank 2 due to steam generation may enter the water level detection chamber 7, and the scale may become clogged between the guide rods 8A1 to 8C+ and the floats 8A, to 8Cz in the water level detection switches 8A to 8C. This may cause malfunction of water level detection switches 8A to 8C.
Note that during the steam generation operation, the water level changes between L1 and L2, so in the first and second water level detection switches 8A and 8B that detect this water level, especially if the first water level detection switch 8A is turned off. Turn-on failure of the second water level detection switch 8B is likely to occur.

In particular, if an off failure occurs in which the first water level detection switch 8A does not turn off during heating, water cannot be supplied during heating, leading to dry heating, and the second water level detection switch 8B may not turn on during heating. If an unavoidable turn-on failure occurs, the water supply during heating cannot be stopped, leading to hot water leaking into the fumigation room (steam sauna storage), which is dangerous. The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and has the purpose of preventing abnormal situations caused by malfunction of the water level detection switch, especially during fresh air generation operation, and enabling early countermeasures. There is.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an evaporation tank that is supplied with water from a water supply means and heated by a heating means, and a drain pipe connected to the bottom of the evaporation tank. a drain valve interposed in the middle; and first to third valves provided at three locations in the vertical direction in a water level detection chamber communicating with the evaporation tank and detecting the water level of the evaporation tank.
In a steam generator equipped with a third water level detection switch and a controller that controls the operation of the water supply means, heating means, and non-water valve, based on the on/off status of these water level detection switches, the following il1 command is applied. Take.

In the steam generator of the first invention, the controller detects the upper stage water level even though the on signal of the second water level detection switch for middle stage water level detection indicating that the water supply stop level has been reached during heating is not input. an abnormality detection means that outputs an abnormality signal when the ON signal of the third water level detection switch is input; and an abnormality that stops the operation of the water supply means and the heating means in response to the abnormality signal given from the abnormality detection means. It is characterized by including countermeasures.

Further, in the steam generator of the second invention, a fourth water level detection switch is provided in the water level detection chamber further below the first water level detection switch for detecting the lower stage water level, and the controller is configured to control the supply of water during heating. When the ON signal of the 3rd water level detection switch for upper stage water level detection is input even though the ON signal of the 2nd water level detection switch for middle level water level detection indicating that the water level has reached the stop level is not input.
While the abnormal signal is output, the off signal of the fourth water level detection switch is not inputted, regardless of whether the off signal of the first water level detection switch for detecting the lower stage water level indicating that the water supply start water level has been reached during heating is input. an abnormality detection means that outputs a second abnormality signal when inputted; and an abnormality detection means that stops the operation of the water supply means and the heating means in response to the input of the first abnormality signal from the abnormality detection means, while inputting the second abnormality signal. The heating means is characterized in that it includes an abnormality handling means that stops the operation of the heating means in response to the abnormality. Note that the first abnormal signal in the structure of the second invention is the first abnormal signal.
This corresponds to an abnormal signal in the composition of the invention.

<Function> If the controller is normal during heating, when the water level falls due to evaporation and the first water level detection switch is turned off, water supply is started, and the water level rises due to water supply and the second water level detection switch is turned off. When turned on, the water supply will be stopped. Therefore, the operation according to the structure of the first invention will be explained. First, even if the water level rises due to water supply to the water supply stop level, that is, the second water level detection switch is turned on, if an on failure occurs in which the second water level detection switch does not turn on, the water supply cannot be stopped. , the water level will rise further due to the N1 continuation of the water supply. However, when the second water level detection switch is turned on due to this rise in water level, and the third water level detection switch located above it is also turned on, the abnormality detection means gives an abnormality signal to the abnormality handling means, and the abnormality handling means Stops the operation of the water supply means and heating means in response to the signal input. Therefore, the water level does not rise above the level where the third water level detection switch exists, and the hot water in the evaporation tank does not overflow. Further, according to the structure of the second invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, the following effects occur. That is, even if the water level drops due to evaporation to the water supply start water level, that is, the first water level detection switch is turned off, if an off failure occurs in which the first water level detection switch is not turned off, water supply cannot be started. Evaporation due to continued heating will cause the water level to fall further. However, even if the first water level detection switch is turned off due to this drop in water level, when the fourth water level detection switch below it is also turned off, the abnormality detection means gives a second abnormality signal to the abnormality handling means, and the abnormality handling means turns off the fourth water level detection switch. 2. Stop the operation of the heating means in response to the input of the abnormal signal. Therefore, the water level does not fall below the level where the fourth water level detection switch exists, and the evaporator tank does not run dry. In this way, during steam generation, it is turned on and off at approximately regular intervals.
1. Repeat off and on. Even if the second water level detection switch fails, the operation can be stopped urgently by using the other water level detection switches as described above.
This will make it possible to prevent abnormal situations from occurring like before. Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. In the figure, Fig. 7 of the conventional example. Components and portions that are the same as those shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. The difference in this embodiment from the conventional example is the controller 15, which, as shown in FIG.
and a discriminating means 20 for discriminating the operation of the water supply means 1. in response to an output signal from the discriminating means 20. Heating means 3, drain valve 5
and an abnormality detection means 40 that outputs an abnormality signal when the third water level detection switch 8C is turned on even though the second water level detection switch 8B is turned off during steam generation operation. and an abnormality handling means 50 that stops the operation of the water supply means 1 and the heating means 3 in response to the input of an abnormality signal from the abnormality detection means 40.

Further, the controller 15 has a built-in timer T+, and the operation unit 9 is equipped with alarm means 16 such as an alarm buzzer operated by the controller 15. The timer T1 is set to the timer operation state when steam operation is started and water supply is started, and when a predetermined threshold value is exceeded, a time-up signal is sent to the controller 15.
1. It is used to discover abnormalities in the water supply system. The threshold value of the timer T is set based on the normal elapsed time from the start of the initial water supply until the first water level detection switch 8A is turned on.

Next, the operation will be explained based on the flowchart in Fig. 3. First, when steam generation operation is started by pressing the operation/operation stop switch 10 of the operation unit 9, step SI
At O, water is supplied to the evaporation tank 2 using the water supply stage 1,
In step 311, timer TI is set to an active state.

As the water level in the evaporator tank 2 rises due to the water supply,
, second water level detection switch 8A. 8B are turned on one after another, but if the water supply system is malfunctioning and water is not supplied, the water level detection switches 8A and 8B will not turn on no matter how long it takes. Therefore, in step S12, it is determined whether or not the timer TI has timed up. This step S1
If the determination is NO in step S13, the water level rises to L, and the first water level detection switch 8 is turned on.
Determine whether A is turned on. This step S1
If the judgment is NO in step 3, that is, the first
If the water level detection switch 8A is not turned on, the process returns to step S12 and steps 312 and 313 are repeated, while if YES is determined in step 31.3, the timer T is reset in step 314, and the following step Sl5 Start the operation of heating stage 3 with
Proceed to 18 or later. However, steps 312 and 31 described above
During the repeated processing of step 3, if it is determined that the time has expired in step S12, that is, if the water supply system is out of order and water is not supplied, it is determined that the water supply system is out of order and step S12 is determined.
In step 16, the operation of the water supply means 1 is stopped, and the alarm means 16 is activated, and in step 517, the timer T1 is reset, and all operations are completed. In step 318 described above, it is determined whether the second water level detection switch 8B is turned on.

If the water supply system is normal and the second water level detection switch 8B is turned on, it is determined YES in step 31B and the process proceeds to step 319.
If the second water level detection switch 8B remains off even though the water supply system is normal, the process proceeds to steps 322 to 323 with a negative determination in step 318. Transition.

The operations of steps 319 to 321 described above will be explained. After stopping the water supply by the water supply means l in step S19,
In the following step S20, it is determined whether the first water level detection switch 8A is turned off. If the first water level detection switch is not turned off, wait until it is turned off, and then the water level in the evaporation tank 2 will fall below the lower water level L, that is, the water supply start water level due to heating and evaporation, and the first water level detection switch 8A will be turned off. Then, the determination in step 320 is YES, and in step S21 water is supplied by the water supply means 1, and the process returns to step 318. In other words, when normal, step 3
By repeating the processes from 18 to S21, the water level is maintained between the middle water level Lx and the lower water level Ll, and steam is generated. Also, the operations of steps 322 to 323 described above will be explained. In step 322, it is determined whether the third water level detection switch 8C for detecting the upper stage water level is turned on. If the determination in step S22 is No, that is, if the third water level detection switch 8C for detecting the upper stage water level is off, the process returns to step 31B and steps 318 and 322 are repeated. However, even though it is determined in step 818 that the second water level detection switch 8B is not turned on, the water level in the evaporation tank 2 reaches the upper water level L, due to the water supply in step 310.
When the water level is reached and the third water level detection switch 8C is turned on, it is determined YES in step S22 and the process proceeds to step S23, where the operation of the water supply means 1 and the heating stage 3 is stopped, and the alarm means 16 is activated, and the process ends. . It is also possible to display on the liquid crystal display panel 14 of the operation unit 9 the details of the failure, that is, the fact that the second water level detection switch 8B is turned on incorrectly. As described above, the water level rises due to water supply during heating, and even though the second water level detection switch 8B, which indicates that the water supply stop level has been reached, is not turned on, the third water level detection switch 8C above it is turned on. If there is a contradiction in the operation such as
The abnormality handling means 50 immediately stops water supply and heating to prevent hot water from flowing out due to overflow of the evaporation tank 2. Further, in this embodiment, when a failure of the second water level detection switch 8B is detected, the alarm means 16 is activated to notify the user, thereby allowing early repair. Furthermore, in this embodiment, by detecting a failure in the water supply system during the initial water supply using a timer T, it is possible to accurately recognize a failure to turn on the second water level detection switch 8B. , is also included in the present invention. An embodiment of the second invention is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. In these figures, Figures 1 to 3 of the above embodiment are shown.
Parts and parts that are the same as those shown in the figures are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted. This embodiment has a different structure from the embodiment according to the first invention described above.
In addition to being able to deal with a failure to turn on the water level detection switch 8B, it is also possible to deal with a failure to turn off the first water level detection switch 8A during heating.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in the water level detection chamber 7, a fourth water level detection switch 8D is provided further below the first water level detection switch 8A for detecting the lower water level, and the controller 15 has the above-mentioned timer. In addition to T, timer T,
is built-in. This timer T2 is set to the timer operating state by turning off the first water level detection switch 8A for detecting the lower stage water level during heating, and gives a time-up signal to the controller 15 when the water level exceeds a predetermined threshold. It is used to discover abnormalities in the water supply system during outbreaks. The threshold value of the timer T2 is set based on the normal elapsed time from the start of water supply when the first water level detection switch 8A is turned off until the first water level detection switch 8A is turned on during steam generation operation. In addition, as shown in FIG.
Even though A is on, the second abnormality signal is output when the fourth water level detection switch 8D is turned off. In addition to the operations described in the above embodiments, the abnormality handling means 50 is configured to stop the operation of the heating means 3 in response to the input of the second abnormality signal from the abnormality detection means 40. Next, the operation will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 6. This embodiment is almost the same as the flowchart of FIG. 3 of the above embodiment, but the processing after step S20 is different from the above embodiment. That is, if the determination is NO in step S20, the flow proceeds to steps 330 to S31, and if the determination is YES, the flow proceeds to steps 332 to 338. First, the operations in steps 330 to S31 will be explained. In step S30, it is determined whether the fourth water level detection switch 8D for detecting the lowest water level is turned off. If the determination in step S30 is NO, the process returns to step S20 and is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined as YES in Step S3o, that is, even though it is determined in Step S20 that the first water level detection switch 8A is not turned off.
When the water level in the replenishment tank 2 falls below the lowest water level L0 due to the start of heating in step 317 and the water supply stop in step 319, and the fourth water level detection switch 8D is turned off, the heating means 3 is turned off in the following step S31. The operation is stopped, the alarm means 16 is activated, and all operations are completed. At this time, it is also possible to display on the liquid crystal display panel 14 in the operation unit 9 the details of the failure, that is, the fact that the first water level detection switch 8A is turned off. Next, the operation of staves 332 to 338 will be explained.

In step 332, the operation of the water supply means 3 is started,
In step S33, timer T is placed in a timer operating state, and in step S34, it is determined whether or not timer T2 has timed out. If the time has not expired, the determination in step 334 is No, and in the next step S35, the water level rises to L1 and the first water level detection switch 8A is activated.
Determine whether or not it is turned on. This step S35
If the determination is No, that is, if the first water level detecting switch 8A is not turned on while the water level is rising, the temperature controller T is reset and the process returns to step 818.

However, during the repeated processing of steps S34 and S35, if the water supply system is malfunctioning and water is not supplied and the timer T2 is timed, it is determined as YES in the above-mentioned step S34, and step 3 is executed as the water supply system is malfunctioning.
In step 37, the operation of the water supply means 1 and the heating means 3 is stopped, and the alarm means 16 is activated, and in step 338
Reset the timer Tt and end all operations. As described above, the water level falls due to steam generation, and even though the first water level detection switch 8A, which indicates that the water level has reached the water supply start level, is not turned off, the fourth water level detection switch 8D below it is turned off. such as. If there is a contradiction in operation, the abnormality detection means 40 detects this, and the abnormality handling means 50 immediately stops heating to prevent dry heating. In addition, in this embodiment, the first
If a failure of the water level detection switch 8A is detected, an alarm will be activated.
6 is activated and the user is notified, allowing for early repair.

In this embodiment, by using the timer T2 to detect a failure in the water supply system during steam generation operation, it is possible to accurately recognize the failure of the first water level detection switch 8C to turn off. The present invention also includes a structure that does not use.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the present invention also includes a structure in which the scale collection tank is omitted.

Effects of the Invention> As explained above, according to the first invention, even if the second water level detection switch, which indicates that the water supply stop level has been reached during heating, fails to turn on, the The water supply and heating are stopped by the ON signal of the existing 3rd water level detection switch located at the 2nd water level detection switch.
This contributes to improved safety by preventing hot water from flowing out of the evaporation tank, which previously occurred due to failure of the water level detection switch to turn on. Further, according to the second invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, the following effects are achieved. In other words, even if the first water level detection switch, which indicates that the water supply start water level has been reached, fails to turn off during heating, the heating is stopped by the off signal of the fourth water level detection switch newly installed below the first water level detection switch. As a result, it is possible to prevent the evaporator tank from burning dry, which conventionally occurs due to failure of the first water level detection switch to turn off, contributing to further improvement of safety. As described above, the present invention is excellent in that it is possible to quickly take appropriate measures in response to a failure of the water level detection switch, and to prevent the occurrence of abnormal situations as described in the conventional example.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 relate to an embodiment of the first invention, in which FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic structure of the steam generator, FIG. 2 is a functional block corresponding to the function of the controller, and FIG. The figure is a flowchart to explain the operation. 4 to 6 relate to an embodiment of the second invention, in which FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the qi generator, and FIG. 5 is a functional block corresponding to the function of the controller, and FIG. Figure 6 is a flowchart used to explain the operation. In addition, FIGS. 7 to 10 relate to conventional examples, in which FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of the steam generator, FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the specific structure of the water level detection switch, and FIG. are functional blocks corresponding to the functions of the controller, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Water supply means, 2... Evaporation tank, 3... Heating means, 4... Scale collection tank, 5...
Drain valve, 7...Water level detection chamber, 8A...1st water level detection switch, 8B...2nd water level detection switch, 8C...3rd water level detection switch, 8D...4th water level detection switch , 15... Controller, 40... Abnormality detection means,
50...Anomaly handling measures. Applicant Stock 2 Company Noritsu

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An evaporation tank that is supplied with water from a water supply means and heated by a heating means, a drain valve interposed in the middle of a drain pipe connected to the bottom of the evaporation tank, and a water level detection chamber that communicates with the evaporation tank with a First to third water level detection switches provided at three locations in the direction and detecting the water level of the evaporation tank, and controlling the operations of the water supply means, the heating means, and the drain valve, respectively, based on on/off of these water level detection switches. In the steam generator, the controller is configured to detect the water level in the upper stage even though the ON signal of the second water level detection switch for detecting the water level in the middle stage indicating that the water supply stop level has been reached during heating is not input. Abnormality detection means outputs an abnormality signal when an on signal of a third water level detection switch for detection is input; and in response to the abnormality signal given from the abnormality detection means, the operation of the water supply means and the heating means is stopped. A steam generator characterized by comprising: abnormality handling means; (2) An evaporation tank that is supplied with water from a water supply means and heated by a heating means, a drain valve interposed in the middle of a drain pipe connected to the bottom of the evaporation tank, and a water level detection chamber that communicates with the evaporation tank with a First to third water level detection switches provided at three locations in the direction and detecting the water level of the evaporation tank, and controlling the operations of the water supply means, the heating means, and the drain valve, respectively, based on on/off of these water level detection switches. In the steam generator, a fourth water level detection switch is provided in the water level detection chamber further below the first water level detection switch for detecting the lower water level, and the controller is configured to stop the water supply during heating. 1st abnormal signal when the ON signal of the 3rd water level detection switch for upper stage water level detection is input even though the ON signal of the 2nd water level detection switch for middle stage water level detection indicating that the water level has been reached is not input. On the other hand, even though the off signal of the first water level detection switch for lower stage water level detection indicating that the water supply start water level has been reached during heating is not input, the off signal of the fourth water level detection switch is input. an abnormality detection means that outputs a second abnormality signal when the abnormality detection means stops operating the water supply means and the heating means in response to the input of the first abnormality signal from the abnormality detection means; and abnormality handling means for stopping the operation of the heating means.