Buffer tank (heat accumulator) for the heating system. Heat accumulators for heating boilers Heat accumulator for heating boilers

Good day everyone! If you have landed on this page of my blog, then you are interested in at least 2 questions:

• What is a heat accumulator?
• How is a heat accumulator arranged?

I will start answering these questions in order.

What is a heat accumulator?

In order to answer this question, a definition needs to be given. It sounds like this, a heat accumulator is a container in which a large volume of hot coolant accumulates. Outside, the container is covered with thermal insulation made of mineral wool or polyethylene foam.

Why do you need a heat accumulator?

You ask: “Why do we need this overgrown thermos?” Everything is very simple here, it allows you to optimally use the heat given off by the boiler. Paired with a heat accumulator, a powerful boiler always works (most often). The boiler quickly and non-stop transfers heat from the burned fuel to the heat accumulator, and it, in turn, slowly and in the right mode gives this heat to the heating system. The volume of the system is much smaller than the capacity of the battery. This allows you to "stretch" the heat from the fuel over time. It actually turns out. When the battery capacity is heated, the boiler constantly operates at full capacity, and this avoids the appearance of tarry condensate in the boiler.

How is a heat accumulator arranged?

As mentioned above, TA is a container in which hot water (or another) accumulates. To make it clear, look at the following figure:

The tank has several nozzles for connecting various equipment:

• Thermal energy generator - boiler,.
• Plate heat exchanger for heating hot water.
• Various boiler equipment - safety group, expansion tank and so on.

Water container materials.

• Carbon steel of various grades with or without protective enamel or varnish on the inner surface is the cheapest and therefore the most common material.
• Stainless steel is the most durable material that does not corrode. Its main disadvantage is the high price.
• Fiberglass - collapsible heat accumulators are made from this "exotic" material, which are assembled directly on site. This method allows you to carry the TA along the narrowest stairs and assemble it exactly in the right place. If you're interested, watch the video to see what it looks like.

Heat accumulator connection diagram.

Now let's look at how the battery is included in the heating system:

From this diagram it can be seen that the TA is included in the heating system as a hydraulic separator (). I recommend reading a separate article dedicated to this useful device. I will say briefly that such a switching scheme excludes the mutual influence of different ones and allows you to provide the boiler with the required volume of coolant, which has a positive effect on the life of the heat exchanger.

Heat accumulator and hot water supply.

Another important issue is the device in the house of hot water. Here TA can also come to the rescue. Of course, it is impossible to use water directly from the heating system for sanitary needs. But there are at least two solutions here:

• Connection to the TA of a plate heat exchanger in which sanitary water will be heated is used on the simplest TA models.
• Purchase of a heat accumulator with a built-in DHW system - it can be implemented using either a separate heat exchanger (coil) or according to the “tank in tank” scheme.

You can, of course, still purchase separately, but I believe that this can only be done if you have the necessary space in your boiler room.

Summary.

A heat accumulator is another way to increase the time between fuel fillings in the boiler. In addition, TA can be used in systems with solar collectors and heat pumps. Most often, TA is used as a replacement for boilers. long burning. The alternative is certainly interesting and worthy of your attention. This concludes my story. I look forward to your questions in the comments.

How to organize the operation of an autonomous heating system in an economical mode? It is necessary to install a heat accumulator for heating boilers. As a result, efficiency will increase significantly while reducing fuel costs, and the overall costs of maintaining the property will also decrease.

We will talk about how the unit works, which allows you to collect and store the heat generated by the boiler. We describe in detail all the device options used in everyday life. In the article presented by us, the scope of application of heat accumulators and the rules of operation are given.

A heat accumulator is a buffer tank designed to accumulate excess heat generated during boiler operation. The stored resource is then used in the heating system during the period between scheduled loads of the main fuel resource.

Connecting the right 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.

In addition to the function of accumulating the released heat, the buffer tank protects cast iron units from cracking in the event of an unexpected and sharp drop in the temperature of the working network water.

If the equipment is equipped with intelligent controllers and temperature sensors, and the heat supply from the storage tank to the heating system is automated, the heat transfer will increase significantly, and the number of fuel portions loaded into the combustion chamber of the heating unit will noticeably decrease.

Features of internal and external device

The heat accumulator is a tank in the form of a vertical cylinder, made of black or stainless steel. sheet steel high strength.

On the inner surface of the device there is a layer of bakelite varnish. It protects the buffer tank from the aggressive influence of industrial hot water, weak salt solutions and concentrated acids. The outer side of the unit is powder coated, resistant to high thermal loads.

The volume of the tank varies from 100 to several thousand liters. The most capacious models have large linear dimensions that make it difficult to place equipment in the limited space of a home boiler room.

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 weaving 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 thermal insulator.

The heat insulator is not always included in the heat accumulator kit. Sometimes you have to buy it separately, and then mount it yourself on the unit

The surface of the protective layer is covered with a leatherette cover good quality. Due to these conditions, water buffer tank cools much more slowly, and the level of total heat loss of the entire system is significantly reduced.

The principle of operation of a heat-saving product

The heat accumulator functions according to the simplest scheme. From above, a pipe is supplied to the unit from a gas, solid fuel or electric boiler.

Hot water flows through it into the storage tank. Cooling down in the process, it goes down to the location of the circulation pump and with its help is fed back into the main passage to return to the boiler for the next heating.

Installing a heat accumulator prevents overheating of the coolant when the boiler is operating at full capacity and provides maximum heat transfer with economical fuel consumption. This reduces the load on the heating system and prolongs its service life.

A boiler of any type, regardless of the type of fuel resource, operates in steps, periodically turning on and off when the optimum temperature of the heating element is reached.

When work stops, the coolant enters the tank, and in the system it is replaced by a hot liquid that has not cooled down due to the presence of a heat accumulator. As a result, even after turning off the boiler and switching it to passive mode until the next fuel filling, the batteries remain hot for some time, and warm water comes out of the tap.

Varieties of heat-accumulating models

All buffer tanks perform almost the same function, but have some design features.

Manufacturers produce storage units of three types:

• hollow(not having internal heat exchangers);
• with one or two coils, providing more efficient operation of the equipment;
• with built-in boiler tanks small diameter, designed for the correct operation of an individual complex of hot water supply of a private house.

The heat accumulator is connected to the heating boiler and the communication wiring of the home heating system through threaded holes located in the outer casing of the unit.

How does a hollow aggregate work?

A device that does not have either a coil or a built-in boiler inside is one of the most simple species equipment and is cheaper than their more "fancy" counterparts.

It is connected to one or several (depending on the needs of the owners) sources of energy supply through central communications, and then through 1 ½ branch pipes it is diluted to consumption points.

It is planned to install an additional heating element operating on electric energy. The unit provides high-quality heating of residential real estate, minimizes the risk of overheating of the coolant and makes the operation of the system completely safe for the consumer.

When the residential building already has separate system hot water supply and the owners do not plan to use solar thermal heat sources for space heating, it is advisable to save money and install a hollow buffer tank in which the entire useful area of ​​the tank is given to the coolant, and not occupied by coils

Heat accumulator with one or two coils

A heat accumulator equipped with one or two heat exchangers (coils) is a progressive version of equipment for a wide range of applications. The upper coil in the design is responsible for the selection of thermal energy, and the lower one performs 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 the house paths and make the most efficient use of useful heat for any other convenient purposes.

Module with internal boiler

A heat accumulator with a built-in boiler is a progressive unit that not only accumulates excess heat generated by the boiler, but also supplies 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.

The owners choose the appropriate volume of buffer capacity on their own, but experts say that there is no practical sense in buying a tank of less than 150 liters

This type of unit is connected 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 boiler overheating.

Optimizes fuel consumption and reduces the number and frequency of downloads. It is compatible with solar collectors of any models and can function as a substitute for a hydraulic switch.

Scope of the heat accumulator

The heat accumulator collects and accumulates the energy generated by the heating system, and then helps to use it as rationally as possible for efficient heating and providing residential premises hot water.

You need to purchase a device for accumulating excess heating resource only in specialized stores. The seller must provide the buyer with a certificate of product quality and complete instructions on use

Work with different types equipment, but is most often used in combination with solar collectors, solid fuel and electric boilers.

Heat accumulator in solar system

The solar collector is modern look 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, as it comes in unevenly. This is due to the change of time of day, weather conditions and seasonality.

A solar collector equipped with a heat accumulator is placed on the south side of the site. There, the device absorbs maximum energy and gives an effective return.

If the heating and water supply system is powered only from a single source of energy (the sun), at some point the residents may have serious problems with the supply of the resource and getting the usual elements of comfort.

To avoid these unpleasant moments and make the most efficient use of clear, sunny days for energy storage, a heat accumulator will help. To work in the solar system, it uses the high heat capacity of water, 1 liter of which, cooling down by only a degree, releases thermal potential to heat 1 cubic meter of air by 4 degrees.

The solar collector and the heat accumulator make up a single system that makes it possible to use solar energy as the only source for heating a residential building

During the period of peak solar activity, when it collects the maximum amount of light and energy production significantly exceeds consumption, the heat accumulator accumulates excess and supplies them to the heating system when the supply of the resource from the outside decreases or even stops, for example, at night.

The following article, which we recommend reading, will acquaint you with options and schemes for suburban property.

Buffer tank for solid fuel boiler

Cyclicity is a characteristic feature of work. At the first stage, firewood is loaded into the firebox and heating takes place for some time. The maximum power and the highest temperatures are observed at the peak of the bookmark combustion.

Then the heat transfer gradually decreases, and when the firewood finally burns out, the process of generating useful heating energy stops. All boilers, including long-burning appliances, operate according to this principle.

It is not possible to precisely adjust the unit for the generation of thermal energy with reference to the level of consumption required at any given moment. This function is only available in more advanced equipment, such as modern gas or electric heating boilers.

Therefore, immediately at the moment of ignition and during reaching the actual power, and then in the process of cooling and the forced passive state of the equipment, thermal energy for full-fledged heating and hot water heating may simply not be enough.

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 out into the pipe”. As a result, the resource will be spent irrationally, and the owners will have to constantly load new portions of fuel into the boiler.

In order for the house to be heated for a long time after turning off the solid fuel boiler, you need to purchase a large buffer tank. It will not be possible to accumulate a solid amount of a resource in a small reservoir, and its purchase will turn out to be a waste of money.

The installation of a heat accumulator solves this problem, which at the time of increased activity will accumulate heat in the reservoir. Then, when the firewood burns out and the boiler goes into passive standby mode, the buffer will transfer the collected energy, which will warm up and begin to circulate through the system, heating the room, bypassing the cooled device.

Reservoir for electrical system

Electric heating equipment is a rather expensive option, but it is also sometimes installed, and, as a rule, in combination with a solid fuel boiler.

Usually arranged where other sources of heat are not available due to objective reasons. Of course, with this method of heating, electricity bills seriously increase and home comfort costs the owners a lot of money.

The buffer tank must be installed directly next to the heating boiler. The equipment has solid dimensions and in a private house you will have to allocate for it special room. The system will fully pay off within 2-5 years

In order to reduce the cost of paying for electricity, it is advisable to use the equipment to the maximum during the period of preferential tariffication, 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.

DIY energy storage

The simplest model of a heat accumulator can be made with your own hands from a finished steel barrel. If this is not available, you will have to purchase several sheets of stainless steel with a thickness of at least 2 mm and weld from them a container of suitable size in the form of a vertical cylindrical tank.

It is not recommended to use the eurocube for the manufacture of a heat accumulator. It is designed for contact with a coolant having an operating temperature of up to + 70 ºС and simply cannot withstand hotter liquids.

DIY guide

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 upper part of the barrel. From there, you need to bring out the outlet pipe for the outlet of hot water, and make the same from below for the inlet of cold water. Equip each outlet with a tap to control the flow of liquid into the accumulation zone.

In an open heating system, a rectangular steel tank can be used as a buffer tank. In a closed system, this is excluded due to possible jumps in internal pressure.

At the next stage, it is necessary to check the container for leaks by filling it with water or lubricating the welds with kerosene. If there is no leakage, you can proceed to create an insulating layer that will allow the liquid inside the tank to remain hot for as long as possible.

How to insulate a homemade unit?

To begin with, the outer surface of the container must be thoroughly cleaned and degreased, and then primed and painted with heat-resistant powder paint, thus protecting it from corrosion.

Then wrap the tank with glass wool insulation or rolled basalt wool 6-8 mm thick and secure it with cords or ordinary tape. If desired, cover the surface with sheet metal or “wrap” the tank in foil.

Do not use extruded polystyrene foam or polystyrene for insulation. With the onset of cold weather, mice can start in these materials, looking for a warm place for their winter residence.

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 the potential overheating of the barrel and relieve excess pressure from time to time.

Accumulated resource consumption rate

It is impossible to accurately answer the question of how quickly the heat accumulated in the battery is consumed.

How long it will work on a resource collected in a buffer tank directly depends on such positions as:

• the actual volume of the storage capacity;
• the level of heat loss in the heated room;
• outdoor air temperature and the current season;
• set values ​​of temperature sensors;
• useful area of ​​​​the house that needs to be heated and supplied with hot water.

Heating of a private house in the 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 resource will last for a longer amount of time.

Rules for safe operation

Do-it-yourself heat accumulators are subject to special safety requirements:

1. The hot parts of the tank must not come into contact with or otherwise come into contact with flammable and explosive materials and substances. Ignoring this item can provoke the ignition of individual objects and a fire in the boiler room.
2. A closed heating system assumes a constant high pressure of the coolant circulating inside. To ensure this point, the design of the tank must be completely tight. In addition, it is possible to strengthen its body with stiffeners, and equip the lid on the tank with durable rubber gaskets that are resistant to intense operating loads and elevated temperatures.
3. If an additional heating element is present in the design, it is necessary to insulate its contacts very carefully, and the tank must be grounded. In this way, it will be possible to avoid electric shock and short circuit, which can disable the system.

Subject to these rules, the operation of a self-made heat accumulator will be completely safe and will not cause any problems or troubles to the owners.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Installing a heat accumulator for a home heating system is very beneficial and economically justified. The presence of this unit reduces the labor costs for kindling the boiler and allows you to bookmark the 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. Heating and hot water costs are reduced, and living conditions become more convenient, comfortable and enjoyable.

Tell us about how the heat accumulator was installed on your boiler. Share the technological subtleties of the process and impressions about the efficiency of the device. Please leave comments in the block below, post photos, ask questions on controversial issues.

Heat accumulator for heating boilers

We continue our series of articles with a topic that will be of interest to those who heat their homes with solid fuel boilers. We will talk about the heat accumulator for heating boilers (TA) on solid fuels. This is a really necessary device that allows you to balance the operation of the circuit, smooth out the temperature drops of the coolant, while also saving money. We note right away that a heat accumulator for electric heating boilers is used only if the house has an electric meter with separate calculation of night and day energy. Otherwise, installing a heat accumulator for gas heating boilers does not make any sense.

How does a heating system with a heat accumulator work?

A heat accumulator for heating boilers is a part of the heating system designed to increase the time between loading solid fuel into the boiler. It is a reservoir in which there is no air access. It is insulated and has enough large volume. There is always water in the heat accumulator for heating, it also circulates throughout the circuit. Of course, an antifreeze liquid can also be used as a coolant, but still, due to its high cost, it is not used in circuits with TA.

In addition, there is no point in filling the heating system with a heat accumulator with antifreeze, since such tanks are placed in residential premises. And the essence of their application is to ensure that the temperature in the circuit is always stable, and, accordingly, the water in the system is warm. The use of a large heat accumulator for heating in country houses temporary residence is impractical, and a small reservoir is of little use. This is due to the principle of operation of the heat accumulator for the heating system.

• The TA is located between the boiler and the heating system. When the boiler heats up the coolant, it enters the TA;
• then the water flows through the pipes to the radiators;
• The return line returns to the TA, and then immediately to the boiler.

Although the heat accumulator for the heating system is a single vessel, due to its large size, the flow direction at the top and bottom is different.

In order for TA to perform its primary function of heat storage, these streams must be mixed. The difficulty lies in the fact that the heat always rises, and the cold tends to fall. It is necessary to create conditions so that part of the heat sinks to the bottom of the heat accumulator in the heating system and heats the return coolant. If the temperature has evened out in the entire tank, then it is considered fully charged.

After the boiler fired everything that was loaded into it, it stops working and TA comes into play. The circulation continues and it gradually releases its heat through the radiators into the room. All this happens until the next portion of fuel enters the boiler again.

If the heat storage for heating is small, then its reserve will last for a very short time, while the heating time of the batteries increases, since the volume of the coolant in the circuit has become larger. Cons of using for temporary residences:

• the warm-up time increases;
• a larger volume of the circuit, which makes filling it with antifreeze more expensive;
• higher installation costs.

As you understand, filling the system and draining water every time you arrive at your dacha is at least troublesome. Considering that the tank alone will be 300 liters. For the sake of several days a week, it is pointless to take such measures.

Additional circuits are built into the tank - these are metal spiral pipes. The liquid in the spiral does not have direct contact with the coolant in the heat accumulator for heating the house. These can be contours:

• low-temperature heating (warm floor).

Thus, even the most primitive single-circuit boiler or even a stove can become a universal heater. It will provide the entire house with the necessary heat and hot water at the same time. Accordingly, the performance of the heater will be fully utilized.

In serial models manufactured under production conditions, additional heating sources are built in. These are also spirals, only they are called electric heating elements. There are often several of them and they can work from different sources:

• circuit;
• solar panels.

This heating is additional options and is not mandatory, consider this if you decide to make a heat accumulator for heating with your own hands.

Heat accumulator piping schemes

We dare to assume that if you are interested in this article, then most likely you decided to make a heat accumulator for heating and tie it yourself. You can come up with a lot of connection schemes, the main thing is that everything works. If you correctly understand the processes occurring in the circuit, then you can quite experiment. How you connect the HA to the boiler will affect the operation of the entire system. Let's first analyze the simplest heating scheme with a heat accumulator.

A simple TA strapping scheme

In the figure you see the direction of movement of the coolant. Please note that upward movement is prohibited. To prevent this from happening, the pump between the TA and the boiler must pump a larger amount of coolant than the one that stands up to the tank. Only in this case will a sufficient retracting force be formed, which will take part of the heat from the supply. The disadvantage of such a connection scheme is long time circuit heating. To reduce it, you need to create a boiler heating ring. You can see it in the following diagram.

TA piping scheme with a boiler heating circuit

The essence of the heating circuit is that the thermostat does not mix water from the TA until the boiler warms it up to the set level. When the boiler is warmed up, part of the supply goes to the TA, and the part is mixed with the coolant from the reservoir and enters the boiler. Thus, the heater always works with an already heated liquid, which increases its efficiency and the heating time of the circuit. That is, the batteries will get warm faster.

This method of installing a heat accumulator in a heating system allows you to use the circuit offline when the pump is not running. Please note that the diagram shows only the nodes for connecting the TA to the boiler. The circulation of the coolant to the radiators occurs in a different way, which also passes through the TA. The presence of two bypasses allows you to play it safe twice:

• check valve turns on if the pump is stopped and the ball valve on the lower bypass is closed;
• in the event of a pump stop and a check valve failure, circulation is carried out through the lower bypass.

In principle, some simplifications can be made in such a construction. Given the fact that the check valve has a high flow resistance, it can be excluded from the circuit.

TA piping scheme without check valve for gravity system

In this case, when the light disappears, you will need to manually open the ball valve. It should be said that with such a wiring, the TA should be above the level of the radiators. If you do not plan that the system will work by gravity, then the piping of the heating system with a heat accumulator can be performed according to the scheme shown below.

Scheme of piping TA for a circuit with forced circulation

In TA, the correct movement of water is created, which allows ball after ball, starting from the top, to warm it up. Perhaps the question arises, what to do if there is no light? We talked about this in an article about alternative power sources for the heating system. It will be more economical and more convenient. After all, gravity circuits are made of large-section pipes, and besides, not always convenient slopes must be observed. If you calculate the price of pipes and fittings, weigh all the inconveniences of installation and compare it all with the price of a UPS, then the idea of ​​​​installing an alternative power source becomes very attractive.

Calculation of the volume of the heat storage

The volume of the heat accumulator for heating

As we have already mentioned, it is not advisable to use a small volume TA, while too large tanks are also not always appropriate. So the question is how to calculate desired volume TA. I really want to give a specific answer, but, unfortunately, it cannot be. Although there is still an approximate calculation of a heat accumulator for heating. Let's say you don't know what heat loss your house is and you can't find out, for example, if it hasn't been built yet. By the way, to reduce heat loss, you need to insulate the walls of a private house under the siding. You can choose a tank based on two values:

• the area of ​​the heated room;
• boiler power.

Methods for calculating the volume of TA: room area x 4 or boiler power x 25.

It is these two characteristics that are decisive. Various sources offer their own method of calculation, but in fact these two methods are closely related. Suppose we decide to calculate the volume of a heat accumulator for heating, starting from the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room. To do this, you need to multiply the quadrature of the heated room by four. For example, if we have a small house of 100 square meters, then we need a tank of 400 liters. This volume will reduce the loading of the boiler up to two times a day.

Undoubtedly, there are pyrolysis boilers that are loaded with fuel twice a day, only in this case the principle of operation is slightly different:

• fuel ignites;
• the air supply is reduced;
• the smoldering process begins.

In this case, when the fuel flares up, the temperature in the circuit begins to rise rapidly, and then smoldering keeps the water warm. During this very smoldering, a lot of energy escapes into the pipe. In addition, if a solid fuel boiler works in tandem with a leaky heating system, then at peak temperatures the expansion tank sometimes boils. In the truest sense of the word, water begins to boil in it. If the pipes are made of polymers, then this is simply fatal for them.

In one of the articles about polymer pipes, we talked about their characteristics. TA takes away some of the heat and the tank can boil only after the tank is fully charged. That is, the possibility of boiling, with the right amount of TA, tends to zero.

Now let's try to calculate the volume of TA, based on the number of kilowatts in the heater. By the way, this indicator is calculated on the basis of the quadrature of the room. 1 kW is taken for 10 m. It turns out that in a house of 100 square meters there should be a boiler of at least 10 kilowatts. Since the calculation is always done with a margin, we can assume that in our case there will be a 15 kilowatt unit.

If you do not take into account the amount of coolant in the radiators and pipes, then one kilowatt of the boiler can heat approximately 25 liters of water in the TA. Therefore, the calculation will be appropriate: you need to multiply the boiler power by 25. As a result, we will get 375 liters. If we compare with the previous calculation, the results are very close. Only this, taking into account that the boiler power will be calculated with a gap of at least 50%.

Remember, the more TA, the better. But in this case, as in any other, one must do without fanaticism. If you put a TA for two thousand liters, then the heater simply cannot cope with such a volume. Be objective.

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Heat accumulator in the heating system

The heating system includes, in the usual view that has developed over the years, three elements - a heat source (boiler), pipelines and direct heating devices (radiators). But if this a private house with a solid fuel boiler (wood, peat briquette, coal) and you want to increase efficiency and save yourself from the need to constantly monitor the furnace, then it may be worth using such a unit as a heat accumulator in the system. [content]

The principle of operation of the heat accumulator

The main task performed by the heat accumulator is to increase the inertia of the heating system. To do this, increase the volume of the coolant and, consequently, the amount of heat accumulated by it. Thus, the battery is an insulated container embedded in the heating circuit.

As mentioned above, the battery significantly increases the inertia of the system, that is, although the coolant heats up longer, it accumulates more heat and gives it longer and reduces temperature fluctuations.

Internal organization heat accumulator

Thus, if the house is connected to central heating or the system uses gas or liquid fuel boilers operating in automatic mode as heat generating equipment, heat accumulators are just an extra cost of material and money. But there are cases when their use is more than justified:

1. If solid fuel boilers are used in the heating system (especially without bunker loading), and there is no way to ensure their constant maintenance (in a private house). In this case, the heat accumulator will provide a constant stable temperature in the room, and even be able to smooth out the inevitable surges during cleaning and ash removal;
2. If electrical water heating and a differentiated system of payment for electricity is applied. Heat accumulators will make it possible to accumulate heat during hours when the tariff is minimal, and in the future, heaters can be used at minimum power;
3. If the heating system has periods of peak analysis of thermal energy (most often this is due to the cost of heating water, for example, with intensive operation of showers), and installing an additional boiler is not practical. The battery will be able to provide heat transfer during these usually short periods of time.

Where the heat accumulator will be "superfluous"

Sometimes for heating systems, on the contrary, it is desirable to quickly set the temperature and decrease it, in this case, the increased amount of coolant accumulated by the storage tanks will only interfere with rapid heating and cooling and precise temperature control. In particular:

1. If heating is needed only for short periods of time and excessive fuel consumption is undesirable. For example, a boiler house is used to heat a dryer, which is used only occasionally. In this case, it does not make sense to heat the empty room from which the material is unloaded with the accumulated heat.
2. If, in addition to heating, the heating plant is also used to provide heat for some technological equipment and a quick and accurate change of temperature regimes is required - increased inertia will only interfere.

How heat accumulators crash correctly

If a forced circulation heating system is used, then the tie-in point does not play a special role, since the heat energy is delivered from the storage by the pump. You can choose any comfortable spot given that the battery has a decent size.

For its correct operation, it is necessary to correctly position the connecting pipes - the inlet (according to the movement of the thermal energy carrier in the system) at the bottom, the outlet at the top.

Heat accumulator connection diagram

If heating with natural circulation is used, then the location of the tie-in plays an important role. Many people make the mistake of combining heat accumulators and expansion tanks. The expansion tank is located at the highest point of heating and hot water from it can begin to move, only cooling down through the pipes and increasing its density. For effective work The thermal energy accumulator must be located at the bottom of the heating supply pipe and as close as possible to the boiler.

Is it possible to assemble and install a thermal energy accumulator on my own?

From a constructive point of view, thermal energy accumulators are quite simple - this is a container with heat-insulated walls, equipped with nozzles for connecting to the heating system. Therefore, it will not be difficult for any person who has the skills of plumbing and welding to assemble or adapt containers for batteries.

The question of calculating the thermal insulation of the walls may only arise. But in this case, the principle “more is better than less” can be applied, since for tanks used as heat accumulators, due to their shape, there is no concept of effective thermal insulation radius.

The video below shows the installation diagram and the principle of operation of the heat accumulator:

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A heat accumulator for a heating system - the main advantages. Press!

The desire of many owners of private houses and cottages to use resources as efficiently as possible to heat their homes quite often faces the same problem - even when using all modern technologies insulation and energy saving, installation of the most economical heating boilers - there is no significant saving of resources.

In many ways, this is a consequence of mistakes made long before the question of prudent use of resources and the use of modern construction technologies was raised. But what about the new houses built according to all modern canons, has the limit of development really come?

For the majority, this will remain a rhetorical question, but for those who decide to really use scientific knowledge, and not excerpts from advertising booklets, it is worth thinking about including a new element in the heating system - a heat accumulator.

How the heating system works

In the modern understanding of the energy efficiency of heating installations, including a separate house or cottage, the emphasis has recently shifted significantly from the indicator of fuel consumption for space heating to an indicator that characterizes the efficiency of energy use for full heat supply to the house.

Such a justified focus on energy efficiency allows us to take a fresh look at the problem of home heat supply, which includes two main tasks:

• House heating;
• hot water supply.

A new way to save energy in the heating system of a building today is the installation of additional equipment in the heating system, the function of which is to accumulate thermal energy and gradually consume it.

The use of a heat accumulator in the scheme of heating system devices, where the solid fuel boiler acts as the main source of energy, makes it possible to reduce fuel consumption by up to 50% during the heating season without additional costs. But this is in the future, but for now it is quite clear to consider the principle of operation of this device.

The principle of operation of the system with a solid fuel boiler

The highest effect from connecting to the system will be in relation to solid fuel boilers.

The heat released during the combustion of fuel through the heat exchanger through the pipeline enters the registers or radiators, which are essentially the same heat exchangers, only they do not receive heat, but, on the contrary, give it to surrounding objects, air, in general, to the heating room.

Cooling down, the coolant - water in the batteries, goes down and again flows into the boiler heat exchanger circuit, where it heats up again. In such a scheme, there are at least two points associated with a large, if not a huge loss of heat:

• direct direction of movement of the coolant from the boiler to the registers and rapid cooling of the coolant;
• a small volume of coolant inside the heating system, which does not allow maintaining a stable temperature;
• the need to constantly maintain a consistently high temperature of the coolant in the boiler circuit.

It is important to understand that such an approach can only be called wasteful. After all, when laying fuel, first at a high combustion temperature in the premises, the air warms up quite quickly. But, as soon as the combustion process stops, the heating of the room will also end, and as a result, the temperature of the coolant will drop again, and the air in the room will cool.

Using a thermal storage

Unlike standard system heating, a system equipped with a heat accumulator works a little differently. In its most primitive form, immediately after the boiler, the tank is installed as a buffer device.

A tank with multilayer thermal insulation is installed between the boiler and pipelines. The capacity of the tank, and it is calculated in such a way that the amount of coolant inside the tank is greater than in the heating system, contains the coolant heated from the boiler.

Several heat exchangers are introduced inside the tank for the heating system and for the hot water supply system. The internal volume of the accumulator heated from the boiler for a long time can maintain high temperature and gradually give it to heating and water supply systems.

Given that the smallest tank has a volume of 350 liters of water, it is easy to calculate that by spending the same amount of fuel when using a heat accumulator, the effect will be much greater than with a direct heating system.

But this is the most primitive type of thermal device. A standard, designed to really work in the conditions of heat supply of a separate house, a heat accumulator can have:

The price of such batteries depends on many factors:

• tank material;
• the volume of the internal tank;
• the material from which the heat exchanger is made;
• manufacturer's firms;
• a set of additional equipment;

Specialist note: calculate correct work of the entire heating system, starting from the TT boiler and ending with the diameter of the steamers, in principle, it is possible independently, but it should be borne in mind that the power of both the boiler and the installation itself must be designed to operate at the lowest possible temperatures in the region.

More detailed information on this issue today can be found on the pages of Internet sites, both in text form and using the services of specialized online calculators, and of course in specialized companies involved in the development and installation of heat supply systems.

Everything is electronically controlled

Perhaps, for many, such a concept as a “smart home” has long been included in the usual rhythm of life.

A house in which electronics takes over many functions for the maintenance and management of systems cannot do without the participation of electronic components and the operation of the heating and water supply system with a heat accumulator.

To keep stable comfortable temperature, it is necessary not so much to constantly burn fuel in the boiler furnace, but to maintain a stable temperature in the heating system. And with such a task, the electronic control of the operation of the heat accumulator is quite coping.

Control board features:

In addition, the electronic component can be perfectly used as a controller of the operation of both solid fuel boilers and electric heaters, and even as a solar collector system for maximum benefit and resource saving.

The economic effect of even including a heat accumulator in the heat supply scheme allows, as already mentioned, to reduce fuel costs in the heating season by up to 50%, and given that the price of energy carriers is constantly growing, such an investment becomes not only profitable, but already mandatory for new buildings.

Watch the video in which the user explains in great detail the scheme of the solid fuel boiler, coupled with a heat accumulator:

heat.guru

Heat accumulator in the heating system: familiarity with the principle of operation, design and installation options

Why are heat accumulators needed in heating systems? How are they arranged? How to include a heat accumulator in a common circuit when installing a heating system with your own hands? Let's try to figure it out.

The hero of our article is in the photo on the right.

First meeting

What is a storage tank for heating?

In the simplest version - a high cylindrical or square tank with several pipes at different heights from the base. Volume - from 200 to 3000 liters (the most popular models are from 0.3 to 2 cubic meters).

The list of options and options is quite large:

• The number of nozzles can vary from four to a couple of dozen. It all depends on the configuration of the heating system and on the number of independent circuits.
• The thermal accumulator of water heating can be thermally insulated. 5-10 centimeters of foamed polyurethane foam will significantly reduce untargeted heat losses if the tank is located outside the heated room.

Tip: even if the tank is inside the house and, it would seem, its heat transfer helps the radiators to perform their functions, thermal insulation will not hurt. The amount of heat emitted by a tank with a volume of 0.3-2 cubic meters is VERY large. Our plans do not include organizing a round-the-clock sauna.

• The wall material can be either black steel or stainless steel. It is clear that in the second case, the service life of the heat accumulator is longer, but its price is also higher. By the way, in a closed system, water quickly becomes chemically inert, and the corrosion process of black steel is greatly slowed down.
• The tank can be divided into communicating sections by several horizontal partitions. In this case, the stratification of water by temperature inside its volume will be more pronounced.
• Flanges for mounting tubular electric heaters can be located on the tank. In fact, with sufficient power, the accumulator for heating systems will turn into a full-fledged electric boiler.
• The heat storage tank can be equipped with a heat exchanger for preparing hot drinking water. Moreover, it can be flowing plate heat exchanger, and storage tank inside the main tank. Compared to the amount of heat stored in the tank, the cost of heating water will in any case be negligible.
• An additional heat exchanger for connecting the solar collector can be located at the bottom of the tank. It is at the bottom - to ensure efficient heat transfer from the collector to the storage tank, even at low efficiency (for example, at dusk).

So the heat accumulator is used in the solar heating system.

Functions

It is easy to guess that heating heat accumulators are needed in order to accumulate thermal energy in reserve. But even without them, the heating seems to work, and not bad. In what cases is their use justified?

solid fuel boiler

For solid fuel boilers (with or without a water circuit), the most efficient mode of operation is in which the fuel burns with a minimum amount of residues (including not only ash, but also acids and tar) and maximum efficiency - full power. Power adjustment is usually carried out by restricting air access to the furnace - with unambiguous consequences.

However, dispose of all thermal power- means in a short time to heat the radiators almost red-hot, and then let them cool down. This mode is extremely inefficient, leads to accelerated wear of pipes, their connections and provides uncomfortable temperature regime in the house.

This is where a heating system with a heat accumulator comes to the rescue:

• The heat generated by the boiler at full power is utilized to heat the water in the tank.
• After the fuel burns out, the water continues to circulate between the storage tank and the radiators, taking away heat from it GRADUALLY.

As a bonus, we get a much rarer kindling of the boiler, which will save us both strength and time.

The buffer tank will allow the solid fuel boiler to operate optimally.

Electric boiler

What is the advantage of thermal storage heating when electricity is used as a heat source? After all, all modern electric boilers can smoothly or stepwise regulate power and do not need frequent maintenance?

The key phrase is the night rate. The cost of a kilowatt-hour in the presence of a two-tariff meter can be VERY different at night, when the power systems are unloaded, and during the day, at the peak of consumption.

By varying tariffs, power engineers distribute electricity consumption more evenly; well, this is in our favor:

1. At night, the programmable boiler is switched on by a timer and heats the accumulator for heating to its maximum operating temperature of 90 degrees.
2. During the day, the accumulated thermal energy is used to heat the home. The flow rate of the heat carrier for heating systems is dosed by adjusting the performance of the circulation pump.

A heat accumulator in combination with a two-tariff meter will help to significantly save on heating.

Multi-circuit heating

Another very useful function of the storage tank is the ability to use it simultaneously with the accumulation of energy as a hydraulic gun. What is it and why is it needed?

Recall that there are usually more than four nozzles on the body of a tall tank. Although, it would seem, quite enough entry and exit. At different levels, water with different temperatures can be taken from the storage tank; as a result, we can get, most typically, a high-temperature circuit with radiators and low-temperature heating - underfloor heating.

Please note: pumps with thermal control circuits will still be needed. At different times of the day at the same level of the tank, the water temperature will vary greatly.

Branch pipes can be used not only as outlets for heating circuits. Several boilers different types can also be connected to a heat accumulator.

Connection and thermal capacity

What does a heating system with a heat accumulator look like?

Heat accumulators for heating are connected in the same way as hydraulic arrows and, in general, differ from them only in thermal insulation and volume. They are placed between the supply and return pipelines leading from the boiler. The supply is connected to the top of the tank, the return to the bottom.

The secondary circuits are powered depending on what temperature of the coolant they require: high-temperature heating draws water from the top of the tank, low-temperature heating from the bottom.

Principal connection diagram.

The instruction for calculating the thermal capacity is based on a simple formula: Q = mc(T2-T1), where:

• Q - accumulated heat;
• m is the mass of water in the tank;
• c - specific heat capacity of the coolant in J / (kg * K), for water equal to 4200;
• T2 and T1 - initial and final temperatures of the coolant.

Let's say a heat accumulator with a volume of two cubic meters at a temperature delta of 20C (90-70) and using water as a coolant can accumulate 2000kg (we will take the density of water as 1kg / l, although at 90C it is slightly less) x4200 J / (kg * K) x20 = 168000000 Joules.

What does this amount of energy mean? The tank can deliver 168 megawatts of thermal power in one second or, more realistically, 5 kilowatts in 33,600 seconds (9.3 hours).

Conclusion

As usual, you can learn more about heat accumulators by watching the video attached to the article (see also the water heating scheme for a private house).

Corrugated pipe for heating

Often, homeowners are not able to buy modern heating equipment, so they are looking for alternative solutions. Take at least a buffer tank (otherwise - a heat accumulator), an indispensable thing for heating systems with a solid fuel boiler. A storage tank with a volume of 500 liters costs about 600-700 USD. That is, the price of a thousand-liter barrel reaches 1000 USD. e. If you make a heat accumulator with your own hands, and then install the tank in the boiler room yourself, you will be able to save half the indicated amount. Our task is to tell about the manufacturing methods.

Where is the heat accumulator used and how is it arranged

The thermal energy storage is nothing more than an insulated iron tank with branch pipes for connecting water heating mains. The buffer tank performs 2 functions: it accumulates excess heat and heats the house during periods when the boiler is inactive. The heat accumulator replaces the heating unit in 2 cases:

1. When heating a dwelling or a boiler that burns solid fuel. The storage tank works for heating at night, after burning firewood or coal. Thanks to this, the homeowner rests calmly, and does not run to the boiler room. It is comfortable.
2. When the source of heat is an electric boiler, and electricity consumption is accounted for by a multi-tariff meter. Energy at the night rate is half the price, so during the day the operation of the heating system is fully provided by the heat accumulator. It's economical.

On the left in the photo - a buffer tank of 400 liters from Drazice, on the right - a Kospel electric boiler complete with a hot water storage tank

An important point. Tank - hot water accumulator increases the efficiency of a solid fuel boiler. After all, the maximum efficiency of the heat generator is achieved with intense combustion, which cannot be constantly maintained without a buffer tank that absorbs excess heat. The more efficiently firewood is burned, the less their consumption. This also applies gas boiler, whose efficiency decreases in low-burning modes.

An accumulator tank filled with coolant operates according to a simple principle. While the heat generator is engaged in space heating, the water in the tank is heated to a maximum temperature of 80-90 ° C (the heat accumulator is charging). After the boiler is turned off, hot coolant is supplied to the radiators from the storage tank, which provides heating for the house for a certain time (the heat battery is discharged). The duration of operation depends on the volume of the tank and the air temperature outside.

How does a factory-made heat accumulator work?

The simplest prefabricated water storage tank shown in the diagram consists of the following elements:

• the main tank is cylindrical, made of carbon or stainless steel;
• heat-insulating layer with a thickness of 50-100 mm, depending on the insulation used;
• outer skin - thin painted metal or polymer case;
• connecting fittings embedded in the main tank;
• immersion sleeves for mounting a thermometer and pressure gauge.

Note. More expensive models of heat accumulators for heating systems are additionally supplied with coils for hot water supply and heating from solar collectors. Another useful option is a block of electric heating elements built into the upper zone of the tank.

Production of heat accumulators in the factory

If you are seriously concerned about installing a heat accumulator and decide to make it on your own, then first you should familiarize yourself with the factory assembly technology.

Cutting blanks for the lid and bottom on a plasma machine

Repeat technological process in a home workshop is unrealistic, but some tricks will come in handy. At the enterprise, the hot water storage tank is made in the form of a cylinder with a hemispherical bottom and a lid in the following order:

1. Sheet metal 3 mm thick is fed to the plasma cutting machine, where it is used to produce blanks for end caps, body, hatch and stand.
2. On lathe main fittings with a diameter of 40 or 50 mm (thread 1.5 and 2”) and immersion sleeves for control devices are manufactured. A large flange for an inspection hatch about 20 cm in size is also machined there. A branch pipe is welded to the latter for inserting into the body.
3. The blank body (the so-called shell) in the form of a sheet with holes for fittings is sent to the rollers, bending it under a certain radius. To get a cylindrical water tank, it remains only to weld the ends of the workpiece end-to-end.
4. From metal flat circles, a hydraulic press stamps hemispherical caps.
5. The next operation is welding. The order is as follows: first, the body is boiled on the tacks, then the covers are tacked to it, then all the seams are completely welded. At the end, fittings and an inspection hatch are attached.
6. The finished storage tank is welded to the stand, after which it undergoes 2 permeability tests - air and hydraulic. The latter is produced with a pressure of 8 bar, the test lasts 24 hours.
7. The tested tank is painted and insulated with basalt fiber at least 50 mm thick. From above, the container is sheathed with thin-sheet steel with a polymeric color coating or closed with a tight cover.

The body of the drive is bent from a sheet of iron on rollers

Reference. To insulate the tank, manufacturers use different materials. For example, heat accumulators "Prometheus" Russian production insulated with polyurethane foam.

Instead of cladding, manufacturers often use a special cover (you can choose a color)

Most factory-made heat accumulators are designed for a maximum pressure of 6 bar at a coolant temperature in the heating system of 90 °C. This value is twice the threshold of the safety valve installed on the safety group of solid fuel and gas boilers (limit - 3 bar). The production process is shown in detail in the video:

We make a thermal battery ourselves

You have decided that you cannot do without a buffer tank and want to make it yourself. Then get ready to go through 5 stages:

1. Calculation of the volume of the heat accumulator.
2. Choosing the right design.
3. Selection and preparation of materials.
4. Assembly and leak test.
5. Installation of the tank and connection to the water heating system.

Advice. Before calculating the volume of the barrel, think about how much space in the boiler room you can allocate for it (in terms of area and height). Clearly determine how long the water heat accumulator should replace the inactive boiler, and only then proceed with the first stage.

How to calculate tank volume

There are 2 ways to calculate the storage tank capacity:

• simplified, offered by manufacturers;
• accurate, performed according to the formula for the heat capacity of water.

The duration of heating a house with a heat accumulator depends on its size.

The essence of the enlarged calculation is simple: for each kW of power of the boiler plant, a volume equal to 25 liters of water is allocated in the tank. Example: if the capacity of the heat generator is 25 kW, then the minimum capacity of the heat storage will be 25 x 25 = 625 l or 0.625 m³. Now remember how much space is allocated in the boiler room and adjust the resulting volume to the actual size of the room.

Reference. Those who want to weld a homemade heat accumulator often wonder how to calculate the volume of a round barrel. Here it is worth recalling the formula for calculating the area of ​​a circle: S = ¼πD². Substitute the diameter of the cylindrical tank (D) into it, and multiply the result by the height of the tank.

You will get more exact dimensions heat accumulator if you use the second method. After all, a simplified calculation will not show how long the calculated amount of coolant will last under the most adverse weather conditions. The proposed methodology just dances from the indicators that you need and is based on the formula:

m = Q / 1.163 x Δt

• Q is the amount of heat that needs to be stored in the battery, kWh;
• m is the calculated mass of the coolant in the tank, tons;
• Δt is the difference in water temperatures at the beginning and at the end of heating;
• 1.163 Wh/kg °C is the reference heat capacity of water.

Let's explain further with an example. Let's take a standard house of 100 m² with an average heat consumption of 10 kW, where the boiler must stand idle for 10 hours a day. Then it is necessary to accumulate 10 x 10 = 100 kWh of energy in the barrel. Initial water temperature in heating network– 20 °С, heating occurs up to 90 °С. We consider the mass of the coolant:

m = 100 / 1.163 x (90 - 20) = 1.22 tons, which is approximately equal to 1.25m³.

Please note that the heat load of 10 kW is taken approximately; in an insulated building with an area of ​​100 m², heat loss will be less. The second moment: so much heat is needed on the coldest days, which are 5 for the whole winter. That is, a heat accumulator for 1000 liters is enough with a large margin, and taking into account the seasonal temperature difference, you can safely keep within 750 liters.

Hence the conclusion: in the formula you need to substitute the average heat consumption for the cold period, equal to half of the maximum:

m = 50 / 1.163 x (90 - 20) = 0.61 tons or 0.65 m³.

Note. If you calculate the volume of the barrel according to the average heat consumption, in severe frosts it will not be enough for the estimated period of time (in our example, 10 hours). But save money and space in the furnace room. More information on conducting calculations is presented in.

About tank design

In order to make a heat accumulator yourself, you will have to defeat one insidious enemy - the pressure exerted by the liquid on the walls of the vessel. Do you wonder why factory tanks are made cylindrical, and the bottom with a lid is hemispherical? Yes, because such a container is able to withstand the pressure of hot water without additional reinforcement.

On the other hand, few people have the technical ability to mold metal on rollers, not to mention the drawing of semicircular parts. We offer the following solutions to the issue:

1. Order a round inner tank at a metalworking company, and carry out the insulation and final installation work yourself. It will still cost less than buying a factory-assembled heat accumulator.
2. Take a ready-made cylindrical tank and make a buffer tank on its base. Where to get such tanks, we will tell you in the next section.
3. Weld a rectangular heat accumulator from sheet iron and reinforce its walls.

Sectional drawing of a rectangular heat accumulator with a volume of 500 l

Advice. In a closed heating system with a solid fuel boiler, where the excess pressure can rise to 3 bar or more, it is strongly recommended to use a cylindrical heat storage.

In an open heating system with zero water pressure, a rectangular tank can be used. But do not forget about the hydrostatic pressure of the coolant on the walls, add to it the height of the water column from the tank to expansion tank set at the highest point. That is why it is necessary to strengthen the flat walls of a homemade heat accumulator, as shown in the drawing of a 500-liter tank.

A rectangular storage tank, properly reinforced, can also be used in a closed heating system. But in case of an emergency pressure surge due to overheating of the TT boiler, the tank will leak with a probability of 90%, although you may not notice a small crack under the insulation layer. How the non-reinforced metal of the vessel sticks out when filled with water, look at the video:

Reference. It makes no sense to weld directly onto the stiffening walls from corners, channels and other rolled metal. Practice shows that the pressure force bends corners of a small section together with the wall, and tears off large ones along the edges.

Making a powerful frame outside is impractical, too much material consumption. A compromise option is the internal spacers shown on the drawing of a home-made heat accumulator.

Drawing of a heat accumulator for 500 l - top view (cross section)

Selection of materials for the tank

You will greatly facilitate your task if you find a ready-made cylindrical tank, originally designed for a pressure of 3–6 bar. What containers can be used:

• propane cylinders of various capacities;
• decommissioned process tanks, for example, receivers from industrial compressors;
• receivers from railway cars;
• old iron boilers;
• internal tanks for storage of liquid nitrogen, made of stainless steel.

It is much easier to make a reliable heat accumulator from ready-made steel vessels

Note. In extreme cases, a steel pipe of a suitable diameter will do. Flat covers can be welded to it, which will have to be reinforced with internal stretch marks.

To weld a square tank, take sheet metal 3 mm thick, no more. Make stiffeners from round pipes Ø15-20 mm or profiles 20 x 20 mm. Choose the size of the fittings according to the diameter of the boiler outlet pipes, and for lining, buy thin steel (0.3-0.5 mm) with powder coating.

A separate question is how to insulate a heat accumulator welded with your own hands. The best option- basalt wool in rolls with a density of up to 60 kg / m³ and a thickness of 60-80 mm. Polymers such as polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam should not be used. The reason is that mice that love warmth and in the fall can easily settle under the lining of your storage tank. Unlike polymeric heaters, they do not gnaw basalt fiber.

Be under no illusions about extruded polystyrene foam, rodents eat it too

Now we will indicate other options for ready-made vessels that are not recommended for use in heat accumulators:

1. An impromptu tank from the eurocube. Similar plastic containers are designed for a maximum content temperature of 70 ° C, and we need 90 ° C.
2. Heat accumulator from an iron barrel. Contraindications - thin metal and flat tank covers. Than to strengthen such a barrel, it is easier to take a good steel pipe.

Assembly of a rectangular heat accumulator

We want to warn you right away: if you are mediocre in welding, then it is better to order the manufacture of the tank on the side according to your drawings. The quality and tightness of the seams is of great importance; at the slightest leak, the storage tank will leak.

First, the tank is assembled on tacks, and then boiled with a continuous seam

For a good welder, there will be no problems here, you just need to learn the order of operations:

1. Cut blanks from metal to size and weld the body without a bottom and a lid on tacks. To fix the sheets, use clamps and a square.
2. Cut holes in the side walls for stiffeners. Insert the prepared pipes inside and scald their ends from the outside.
3. Grab the bottom with a lid to the tank. Cut holes in them and repeat the operation with the installation of internal stretch marks.
4. When all opposite walls of the container are securely connected to each other, begin continuous welding of all seams.
5. Install supports from pipe sections at the bottom of the tank.
6. Insert the fittings, stepping back from the bottom and cover by less than 10 cm, as shown in the photo below.
7. Weld metal brackets to the walls, which will serve as brackets for fastening thermal insulation material and upholstery.

The photo shows a stretch from a wide strip, but it is better to use a pipe

Advice on mounting internal spacers. In order for the walls of the heat accumulator to effectively resist bending and not break off by welding, extend the ends of the braces outward by 50 mm. Then additionally weld stiffeners to them from a steel sheet or strip. ABOUT appearance do not worry, the ends of the pipes will then hide under the lining.

Steel brackets (clips) are welded to the body for fixing insulation and cladding

A few words about how to insulate the heat accumulator. First, check it for leaks by filling it with water or lubricating all the seams with kerosene. Thermal insulation is quite simple:

• clean and degrease all surfaces, apply a primer and paint to them in order to protect against corrosion;
• wrap the tank with insulation without squeezing it, and then secure it with a cord;
• cut the facing metal, make holes in it for the pipes;
• fasten the casing to the brackets with self-tapping screws.

Screw the cladding sheets so that they are interconnected with fasteners. This completes the manufacture of a home-made heat accumulator for an open heating system.

Installation and connection of the tank to heating

If the volume of your heat accumulator exceeds 500 liters, then it is undesirable to put it on a concrete floor, it is better to arrange a separate foundation. To do this, dismantle the screed and dig a hole to a dense layer of soil. Then fill it with broken stone (but), compact and fill with liquid clay. Top fill reinforced concrete slab 150 mm thick in wooden formwork.

Scheme of the foundation device for the battery tank

The correct operation of the heat accumulator is based on the horizontal movement of hot and cooled flow inside the tank when the battery is "charged", and the vertical flow of water during the "discharge". To organize such battery operation, you need to perform the following activities:

• the solid fuel or other boiler circuit is connected to the water storage tank through circulation pump;
• the heating system is supplied with a coolant using a separate pump and a mixing unit with a three-way valve that allows you to take the required amount of water from the battery;
• the pump installed in the boiler circuit should not be inferior in performance to the unit supplying the coolant to the heating appliances.

Tank piping scheme - heat accumulator

The standard connection diagram for a heat storage tank with a TT boiler is shown in the figure above. The balancing valve on the return is used to regulate the flow of the coolant according to the temperature of the water at the inlet and outlet of the tank. Our expert Vladimir Sukhorukov will tell you how to properly strap and set up in his video:

Reference. If you live in the capital of the Russian Federation or the Moscow region, then on the issue of connecting any heat accumulators, you can consult personally with Vladimir using the contact details on his official website.

Budget accumulating tank from cylinders

For those homeowners who have a very limited boiler room area, we suggest making a cylindrical heat accumulator from propane cylinders.

Homemade heat storage paired with a TT boiler

The 100 l design, developed by our other master -, is designed to perform 3 functions:

• unload the solid fuel boiler in case of overheating, absorbing excess heat;
• heat water for household needs;
• provide heating of the house for 1-2 hours in case of attenuation of the TT-boiler.

Note. The battery life of the heat accumulator is short due to its small volume. But it will fit in any furnace room and will be able to remove heat from the boiler after a power outage, since it is connected directly, without a pump.

It looks like an unlined tank made of cylinders

To assemble the storage tank you will need:

• 2 standard propane tanks;
• at least 10 m of copper tube Ø12 mm or stainless corrugation of the same diameter;
• fittings and sleeves for thermometers;
• insulation - basalt wool;
• painted metal for sheathing.

From the cylinders, you need to unscrew the valves and cut off the covers with a grinder, filling them with water to prevent the explosion of gas residues. We carefully bend the copper tube into a coil around another pipe of a suitable diameter. Then we proceed like this:

1. Using the presented drawing, drill holes in the future heat accumulator for pipes and thermometer sleeves.
2. Fasten by welding inside the cylinders several metal brackets for mounting the DHW heat exchanger.
3. Put the cylinders one on top of the other and weld together.
4. Install a coil inside the resulting tank, releasing the ends of the tube through the holes. Use gland packing to seal these places.
5. Attach the bottom and lid.
6. Insert an air outlet into the lid, and a drain valve into the bottom.
7. Weld the brackets for attaching the skin. Make them different lengths so that the finished product has rectangular shape. It will be inconvenient to bend the lining in a semicircle, and it will not be aesthetically pleasing.
8. Insulate the tank and screw the casing with self-tapping screws.

Docking a tank with a TT boiler without a circulation pump

The design feature of this heat accumulator is that it is connected to a solid fuel boiler directly, without a circulation pump. Therefore, for docking, steel pipesØ50 mm, laid with a slope, the coolant circulates by gravity. To supply water to heating radiators, a pump + three-way mixing valve is installed after the buffer tank.

Conclusion

On many Internet resources there is a statement that making a heat accumulator with your own hands is a trifling matter. If you study our material, you will understand that such statements are far from reality, in fact, the issue is quite complex and serious. You can’t just take a barrel and attach it to a solid fuel boiler. Hence the advice: think carefully about all the nuances before starting work. And without the qualification of a welder, it is not worth taking on a buffer tank, it is better to order it in a specialized workshop.

Solid fuel boilers cannot operate for a long time without the intervention of a person who must periodically load firewood into the firebox. If this is not done, the system will begin to cool down, the temperature in the house will drop. In the event of a power outage with a fully ignited furnace, there is a danger of the coolant boiling up in the jacket of the unit and its subsequent destruction. All these problems can be solved by installing a heat accumulator for heating boilers. It can also perform a protective function cast iron installations from cracking during a sharp temperature drop of network water.

Piping of a solid fuel boiler with a heat accumulator

Calculation of the buffer capacity for the boiler

The role of the heat accumulator in general scheme heating is as follows: during the operation of the boiler in the normal mode, accumulate thermal energy, and after the attenuation of the furnace, give it to the radiators for a certain period of time. Structurally, a heat accumulator for a solid fuel boiler is an insulated water tank with an estimated capacity. It can be installed both in the furnace room and in a separate room of the house. It does not make sense to put such a tank on the street, since the water in it will cool much faster than inside the building.

Given the availability of free space in the house, the calculation of a heat accumulator for a solid fuel boiler in practice is carried out as follows: tank capacity is taken from the ratio of 25-50 liters of water per 1 kW of power required to heat the house. For a more accurate calculation of the buffer capacity for the boiler, it is assumed that the water in the tank will heat up to 90 ⁰С during the operation of the boiler plant, and after the latter is turned off, it will give off heat and cool down to 50 ⁰С. For a temperature difference of 40 ⁰С, the values ​​of the heat given off for different tank volumes are presented in the table.

Table of heat output values ​​for different tank sizes

Even if there is space in the building to install a large capacity, it does not always make sense. It should be remembered that a large amount of water will need to be heated, then the power of the boiler itself should initially be 2 times more than what is needed to heat the home. Too small a tank will not perform its functions, as it will not be able to accumulate enough heat.

The choice of a heat accumulator for a solid fuel boiler is influenced by the availability of free space in the room. When buying a large storage tank, it will be necessary to provide for a foundation, since equipment with a significant mass cannot be placed on ordinary floors. If, according to the calculation, a tank with a volume of 1 m 3 is required, and there is not enough space for its installation, then you can purchase 2 products of 0.5 m 3 each, placing them in different places.

Heat accumulator for solid fuel boiler

Another point is the presence of a hot water system in the house. In the event that the boiler does not have its own water heating circuit, it is possible to purchase a heat accumulator with such a circuit. Equally important is the value of the working pressure in the heating system, which in residential buildings traditionally should not exceed 3 bar. In some cases, the pressure reaches 4 bar if a powerful home-made unit is used as a heat source. Then the heat accumulator for the heating system will have to choose a special version - with a toruspherical cover.

Some factory-made hot water accumulators are equipped with an electric heating element installed at the top of the tank. Such a technical solution will not allow the coolant to completely cool down after the boiler is stopped, the upper zone of the tank will be heated. DHW will be supplied for household needs.

Simple switching circuit with mixing

The storage device can be included in the system according to different schemes. The simplest strapping solid fuel boiler with a heat accumulator is suitable for operation with gravitational coolant supply systems and will operate in the event of a power outage. To do this, the tank must be installed above the heating radiators. The circuit includes a circulation pump, a thermostatic three-way valve and a check valve. At the beginning of the heating cycle, water, driven by the pump, passes through the supply pipeline from the heat source through the three-way valve to the heaters. This continues until the flow temperature reaches a certain value, eg 60°C.

At this temperature, the valve begins to mix cold water into the system from the lower pipe of the tank, observing the set temperature of 60 ⁰С at the outlet. Through the upper pipe, directly connected to the boiler, heated water will begin to flow into the tank, the battery will begin to charge. When the firewood is completely burned in the firebox, the temperature in the supply pipe will begin to drop. When it becomes less than 60 ⁰С, the thermostat will gradually shut off the supply from the heat source and open the flow of water from the tank. That, in turn, will be gradually filled with cold water from the boiler and at the end of the cycle the three-way valve will return to its original position.

The non-return valve, connected in parallel with the three-way thermostat, is activated when the circulation pump stops. Then the boiler with a heat accumulator will work directly, the coolant will go to the heating devices directly from the tank, which will be replenished with water from the heat source. The thermostat in this case does not take part in the operation of the circuit.

Schematic with hydraulic separation

Another, more complex scheme connection means an uninterrupted supply of electricity. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to provide for connection to the network through an uninterruptible power supply. Another option is to use diesel or gasoline power plants. In the previous case, the connection of the heat accumulator to the solid fuel boiler was independent, that is, the system could work separately from the tank. In this scheme, the battery acts as a buffer tank (hydraulic separator). A special mixing unit (LADDOMAT) is built into the primary circuit, through which water circulates when the boiler is ignited.

Connecting a heat accumulator to a solid fuel boiler

Block elements:

• circulation pump;
• three-way thermostatic valve;
• check valve;
• sump;
• Ball Valves;
• temperature control devices.

Differences from the previous scheme - all devices are assembled in one unit, and the coolant goes to the tank, and not to the heating system. The principle of operation of the stirring unit remains unchanged. Such a piping of a solid fuel boiler with a heat accumulator allows you to connect as many heating branches as you like at the outlet of the tank. For example, to supply radiators and underfloor or air heating systems. In addition, each branch has its own circulation pump. All circuits are separated hydraulically, excess heat from the source is accumulated in the tank and used if necessary.

Advantages and disadvantages

A heating system with a heat accumulator, in which the heat source is solid fuel plant, has many advantages:

• Increased comfort in the house, because after the combustion of fuel, the heating system continues to heat the house with hot water from the tank. No need to get up in the middle of the night and load a portion of firewood into the firebox.
• The presence of a container protects the water jacket of the boiler from boiling and destruction. If the electricity is suddenly cut off or the thermostatic heads installed on the radiators cut off the coolant due to reaching the desired temperature, then the heat source will heat the water in the tank. During this time, the power supply may be restored or the diesel generator will be started.
• Submission ruled out cold water from the return pipe to a hot cast-iron heat exchanger after the circulation pump is suddenly switched on.
• Heat accumulators can be used as hydraulic separators in the heating system (hydraulic arrows). This makes the operation of all circuit branches independent, which provides additional savings in thermal energy.

More high price installation of the entire system and the requirements for the placement of equipment are the only disadvantages of using storage tanks. However, these investments and inconveniences will be followed by minimal operating costs in the long run.