Device and Method for an Efficient Surface Evaporation and for an Efficient Condensation

Abstract

An evaporator or a condenser includes a surface on which the operating liquid is arranged. Further, turbulence generators are provided to generate turbulences in the operating liquid located on the operating surface. In the condenser, alternatively or additionally, a laminarizer is present to make the vapor stream laminar provided by the compressor. On the evaporator side, the evaporation efficiency is increased and, on the condenser side, the condenser efficiency is increased, which may be used for a substantial reduction in size without loss of power of these components, in particular for a heat pump for heating a building.

1 . An evaporator for evaporating an operating liquid, comprising:
 an evaporator surface on which the operating liquid to be evaporated is to be arranged; and   a plurality of turbulence generators which are implemented to generate turbulences in the operating liquid to be evaporated on the evaporator surface.   
     
     
         2 . The evaporator according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an evaporator housing in which the evaporator surface is arranged and is implemented to maintain a pressure in the evaporator housing at the evaporator surface which is such that the operating liquid, when the operating liquid reaches the evaporator surface, comprises a boiling temperature or a temperature which is in a range which extends from a temperature equal to the boiling temperature −10 Kelvin up to a temperature equal to the boiling temperature +10 Kelvin.   
     
     
         3 . The evaporator according to  claim 2 , wherein the evaporator housing comprises an intake for the operating liquid and a discharge opening for a vapor of the operating liquid, wherein the discharge opening is implemented such that it may be coupled with an input of a compressor for compressing the vapor. 
     
     
         4 . The evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein the evaporator surface is inclined in an operating position, wherein the operating liquid is supplied to the evaporator surface such that the operating liquid flows from an intake to a drain from the evaporator surface due to gravity. 
     
     
         5 . The evaporator according to  claim 4 , wherein the evaporator surface is pyramid-shaped, conical, funnel-shaped or in the shape of an inclined plane, wherein the inclined plane may be level or non-level. 
     
     
         6 . The evaporator according to  claim 4 , wherein an intake for the operating liquid is surrounded by the evaporator surface such that the operating liquid flows at several sides of the intake across the evaporator surface. 
     
     
         7 . The evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein the turbulence generators are implemented by a member separated from the evaporator surface or by elevations or indentations at the evaporator surface. 
     
     
         8 . The evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein the turbulence generators are implemented by wire sections on the evaporator surface, which are attached and arranged with respect to the evaporator surface such that a flow direction of the operating liquid intersects a direction in which the wire sections are arranged. 
     
     
         9 . The evaporator according to  claim 8 , wherein the turbulence generators are formed as spiral-shaped wire sections connected to each other, wherein a distance between two neighboring wire sections in the flow direction of the operating liquid is greater than the diameter of a wire section and smaller than three times the diameter of the wire section. 
     
     
         10 . The evaporator according to  claim 7 , wherein the elevations or the indentations are dimensioned such that an impinging operating liquid may be set into turbulence. 
     
     
         11 . The evaporator according to  claim 10 , wherein the elevations comprise a height in which they extend across the surface which is higher than a level of the operating liquid on the evaporator surface in the operation of the evaporator. 
     
     
         12 . The evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein the turbulence generators are implemented such that a water current on the evaporator surface comprises turbulences which comprise at least 20% of the complete liquid current on the evaporator. 
     
     
         13 . A condenser for condensing an evaporated operating liquid, comprising:
 a condenser surface on which an operating liquid is to be arranged;   a plurality of turbulence generators which are implemented to generate current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface; or   a laminarizer which is implemented to make a vapor current directed to the condenser surface laminar so that a vapor made laminar by the laminarizer impinges on the operating liquid.   
     
     
         14 . The condenser according to  claim 13 , comprising:
 a condenser housing in which the condenser surface is arranged and implemented to maintain a pressure in the condenser housing at the condenser surface which is such that a condensed operating liquid comprises a predetermined minimum temperature.   
     
     
         15 . The condenser according to  claim 14 , wherein the minimum temperature is higher than or equal to 22° C. 
     
     
         16 . The condenser according to  claim 13 , wherein the condenser surface is inclined in an operating position, wherein the liquid is supplied to the condenser surface such that the liquid flows from an intake to a drain of the condenser surface due to gravity. 
     
     
         17 . The condenser according to  claim 16 , wherein the evaporator surface is pyramid-shaped, conical, funnel-shaped or in the form of an inclined plane which may be level or non-level. 
     
     
         18 . The condenser according to  claim 16 , wherein an intake for the liquid to the condenser surface is surrounded by the condenser surface such that the liquid flows across the condenser surface at several sides of the intake. 
     
     
         19 . The condenser according to  claim 13 , comprising both the turbulence generators and also the laminarizer, the laminarizer being arranged such that the laminarized vapor hits turbulences of the liquid generated by the turbulence generators on the condenser surface. 
     
     
         20 . The condenser according to  claim 13 , comprising both the turbulence generators and also the laminarizers, wherein both the turbulence generators and also the laminarizers are formed by the same element. 
     
     
         21 . The condenser according to  claim 20 , wherein the element comprises a fiber tissue protruding beyond a liquid level on the condenser surface. 
     
     
         22 . The condenser according to  claim 21 , wherein the fiber tissue is a plastic wool with non-absorbing fibers or a metallic wool. 
     
     
         23 . The condenser according to  claim 13 , wherein a distance of the laminarizer from the operating liquid on the condenser surface, which the laminarized vapor has passed, is smaller than 25 mm. 
     
     
         24 . The condenser according to  claim 23 , which is formed of honeycomb material or a tube material with laminarizer cells, wherein a length of a laminarizer cell is implemented such that, in proportion to a diameter of the laminarizer cell, on the output side a gas current is generated which is at least half as turbulent as a gas current which is fed into the laminarizer. 
     
     
         25 . The condenser according to  claim 24 , wherein a laminarizer cell is longer than 10 mm if it comprises a diameter greater than 5 mm and is longer than 1 mm if it comprises a diameter smaller than 1 mm. 
     
     
         26 . The condenser according to  claim 13 , wherein a liquid reservoir exists into which a liquid flowing off the condenser surface is introduced and from which cooler liquid, compared to the run-off liquid, is supplied to the condenser surface as a liquid current. 
     
     
         27 . The evaporator or condenser according to  claim 1 , which is implemented for being used in a heat pump. 
     
     
         28 . The evaporator or condenser according to  claim 27 , which is implemented for the use of a heat pump for heating a building for buildings with less than 10 apartment units. 
     
     
         29 . A evaporator or condenser, wherein the operating liquid is water. 
     
     
         30 . A heat pump, comprising:
 an evaporator for evaporating an operating liquid, comprising:
 an evaporator surface on which the operating liquid to be evaporated is to be arranged; and 
 a plurality of turbulence generators which are implemented to generate turbulences in the operating liquid to be evaporated on the evaporator surface; 
   a condenser for condensing an evaporated operating liquid, comprising:
 a condenser surface on which an operating liquid is to be arranged; 
 a plurality of turbulence generators which are implemented to generate current turbulences in the operating liquid located on the condenser surface; or 
 a laminarizer which is implemented to make a vapor current directed to the condenser surface laminar so that a vapor made laminar by the laminarizer impinges on the operating liquid; and 
   a compressor for compressing operating liquid evaporated by the evaporator, wherein the compressor is coupled to the condenser in order to feed compressed vapor into the condenser, and   wherein the condenser further comprises a heating forward flow for supplying warm heating liquid and a heating return flow for supplying cold heating liquid to the condenser.   
     
     
         31 . A method for evaporating an operating liquid, comprising:
 arranging an operating liquid to be evaporated on an evaporator surface; and   generating turbulences in the operating liquid to be evaporated on the evaporator surface.   
     
     
         32 . A method for condensing an evaporated operating liquid, comprising:
 arranging operating liquid on a condenser surface;   generating turbulences in the operating liquid arranged on the condenser surface; or   making a vapor current directed to the condenser surface laminar so that vapor made laminar hits the operating liquid.