During the heating of the house, it often happens that during the daytime there is an opportunity to generate heat with surplus, but at night it is not enough. The opposite situation also happens, in which it is more profitable to use heating at night. Such moments will help smooth out the heat accumulator for heating. But you need to know how to select it correctly, install it and connect it to the system. You can find detailed information on this topic from this article.

When you need a heat accumulator

This simple element of the heating system in the form of an insulated water tank is recommended to be installed in such cases:

• for the most efficient operation of a solid fuel boiler;
• together with an electric heat generator operating at a reduced night rate.

For reference. There are also water accumulators for greenhouses, used to store solar energy received during the day.

The operation of solid fuel boilers has its own characteristics. The heat generator operates with high efficiency only when operating at maximum modes, if the air is cut off to lower the temperature in the furnace, then the efficiency of work also decreases. The frequency of the firebox also brings a lot of worries to the homeowner, the firewood has burned out - it is necessary to load new ones, it is extremely inconvenient to do this in the middle of the night. The solution is simple: you need a storage tank that stores the previously generated heat for use after the firewood burns out in the firebox.

The opposite situation occurs with an electric boiler connected to the network through a multi-tariff meter. To save money, you need to get maximum heat at night, when the tariff is low, and do not use electricity during the day. And here the heat accumulator in the heating system will allow organizing the optimal work schedule of the heat source, supplying hot water to the system while the heat generator is inactive.

Important. To work together with a heat accumulator, the boiler must have at least one and a half reserve in terms of thermal power. Otherwise, it will not be able to simultaneously warm up the water in the heating system and the storage tank.

A similar situation with excess heat occurs in greenhouses, in the daytime they are even ventilated. In order to accumulate solar energy for use at night, you can use the simplest heat accumulator of the Lazybok to heat the soil. This is a black polymer sleeve filled with water and laid right in the garden to keep the soil from cooling down at night. To absorb more heat, black-colored barrels of water are placed inside the greenhouse.

Heat accumulator calculation

A container for storing thermal energy can be purchased ready-made or made independently. But a natural question arises: what capacity should the reservoir be? After all, a small tank will not give the desired effect, and too large will cost a pretty penny. The answer to this question will help to find the calculation of the heat accumulator, but first you need to determine the initial parameters for the calculations:

• heat loss of the house or its square;
• duration of inactivity of the main heat source.

Let us determine the capacity of the storage tank using the example of a standard house with an area of ​​100 m2, which requires 10 kW of heat to heat it. Let us assume that the net boiler downtime is 6 hours, the average temperature of the coolant in the system is 60 ° C. Logically, during the period of time while the heating unit is idle, the battery must supply 10 kW to the system every hour, in total 10 x 6 = 60 kW comes out. This is the amount of energy that needs to be accumulated.

Since the temperature in the tank should be as high as possible, we will accept the value of 90 ° C for calculations; household boilers are still incapable of more. The required capacity of the heat accumulator, expressed in the mass of water, is calculated as follows:

• m = Q / 0.0012 Δt

In this formula:

• Q is the amount of accumulated thermal energy, we have 60 kW;
• 0.0012 kW / kg ºС is the specific heat capacity of water, in more usual units of measurement - 4.187 kJ / kg ºС;
• Δt is the difference between the maximum temperature of the coolant in the tank and the heating system, ºС.

So, the water accumulator should hold 60 / 0.0012 (90 - 60) = 1667 kg of water, which is about 1.7 m3 in volume. But there is one point: the calculation is made at the lowest temperature outside, which happens infrequently, except for the northern regions. In addition, after 6 hours the water in the tank will only cool down to 60 ºС, which means that in the absence of cold weather, the battery can be “discharged” further until the temperature drops to 40 ºС. Hence the conclusion: for a house with an area of ​​100 m2, a storage tank with a volume of 1.5 m3 is enough if the boiler is idle for 6 hours.

From the previous section, it follows that it will not be possible to get off with an ordinary 200 liter barrel, unless its capacity is at least half a cube. This is enough for a house with an area of ​​30 m2, and then not for long. In order not to waste time and effort, it is necessary to

From the point of view of placement in the boiler room, it is better to make a rectangular container. The sizes are arbitrary, the main thing is that their product is equal to the calculated volume. A stainless steel tank is ideal, but regular metal will do.

Above and below, a self-made heat accumulator must be equipped with nozzles for connection to the system. To prevent the steel walls from protruding outward by water pressure, the structure must be strengthened with ribs or jumpers.

The accumulator tank must be thoroughly insulated, including from the bottom. For this purpose, foam plastic with a density of 15-25 kg / m3 or mineral wool in slabs of at least 105 kg / m3 density is suitable. The optimum thickness of the insulating layer is 100 mm. The resulting apparatus, filled with a coolant, will have a decent weight, so a foundation will be required for its installation.

Advice. If a container is required for a gravity heating system, then it should be installed with your own hands on a metal support, not forgetting to insulate the lower part. The goal is to raise the reservoir above the level of the batteries.

Connection diagram

After installing the tank in place, it must be correctly connected to the pipeline network. The most popular standard scheme for connecting a heat accumulator, shown in the figure:

To implement it, you will need 2 circulation pumps and the same number of three-way valves. The pumps provide circulation in separate circuits, and the valves provide the required temperature. In the boiler circuit, it should not fall below 55 ºС in order to avoid the appearance of condensate in the solid fuel boiler, this is what the valve on the left side of the diagram does.

The heat carrier in the heating pipelines heats up depending on the demand for heat, and therefore the connection of the heat accumulator on the other side is also carried out through the mixing unit. The valve can control the water temperature in automatic mode, focusing on the sensor or using a thermostat. One of the schemes of a heating system with a heat accumulator (buffer tank) is shown in the video.

Conclusion

A capacity that accumulates heat can significantly make life easier for owners of solid fuel boilers. They don't have to worry about loading fuel at night, which is a big plus. And the heat generator itself will work in an economical mode, developing the highest efficiency. As for electric boilers, then the benefits of installing a storage device are obvious.

In our houses, this is exactly the kind of heating - we would not put a bad one on ourselves.

My team and I installed the same heating system in more than 60 houses.

Send a request

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Teploakkumulator and night tariff of electricity is the most profitable and cheapest system after the main gas.

All other heating options - wood pallets, wood boilers, diesel fuel - are more expensive in any case. And you need to bother with them, constantly monitor that there is firewood or gas.

Here is a diagram of my heating system.

rice. storage tank in the heating system

What we have?

From the heat accumulator, through the heat head (the temperature can be adjusted), the heat carrier is supplied to the floors. Here I still have a coil wound, which removes heat from the heat accumulator, and already from it, from the coil, the coolant goes to the floors.

Accordingly, the heating of the heat accumulator for me occurs due to the heating elements, i.e. electricity. And plus, if there is not enough heat, I still connect the wood-burning boiler (but for 4 winters I fired it a maximum of 10 times and then purely for the sake of maintaining its functionality, I ran the pumps, I cleaned the chimney with fire, etc.)

As for main gas, why am I not using it?

I have two pipes running along the site. But the owners set very high prices for connections. One asks for 800 thousand rubles, the other 1.1 million rubles. This is not serious at all.

I calculated and it turned out that such a connection will pay off in 66 years. That is, the pipes are not state-owned, but private.

That is, if the connection to gas costs 300,000 rubles (I include here the gas project, bringing gas into the house, connecting it to your heating system), then there is probably some kind of logic. So that it will pay off from you (and then it will pay off for 20 years).

Now let's return to the heating system of the frame house using a heat accumulator and a night electricity tariff.

When is it relevant?

➤ First - and most importantly - good insulation of your home. Correctly made project and insulation in the walls 150-200 mm, and in the ceiling 200-250 mm of basalt wool.

➤ Second, the availability of dedicated electricity capacity. You should have at least 15 kW. That is, if you have a category of land for permanent residence, then power engineers by default provide you with 15 kW power in three phases. It's enough.

➤ The third parameter is the presence of a night tariff. If you, for example, connect to the Moesk system, they will offer you a night tariff (from 11 pm to 7 am) by default.

We will use this tariff to the maximum, when electricity is three times cheaper than during the day.

When is the best time to lay and build a home heating system?

This is best thought through during the design phase of your home. Because the most efficient heating system with a heat accumulator works in conjunction with warm floors.

I have seen when a heat accumulator is used in conjunction with radiators. But the disadvantage is that the heat accumulator is a large capacity. It is quite difficult to heat it up, you need a lot of power. And in principle it can be heated up to 80-85 ºС, and the radiator will remove all this from you in 3-4 hours. And by evening the house will be cold.

A heat accumulator (TA, buffer tank) is a device that accumulates and preserves heat for a long time for its further use. The simplest example of a heat storage device is an ordinary household thermos. Another example is an ordinary brick stove, which heats up when fuel is burned in it, and after the end of the firebox, the stove continues to give off heat for several hours, heating the room.

Use of a buffer tank in heating and hot water supply systems ensures uninterrupted supply of heated coolant to heating devices regardless of whether the boiler is currently running or not.

The thermal accumulator also makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the entire system, increase the resource of equipment and significantly reduce the consumption of energy resources for space heating and hot water supply.

The greatest effect from the use of TA is noticeable in a system operating on the basis of a solid fuel heating boiler. This allows achieving significant fuel savings (up to 25-30%) and increasing the boiler efficiency up to 85%.

You can buy a ready-made storage tank in a store or make it yourself. In this case, it is important to correctly calculate its capacity and other technical parameters, as well as to correctly connect the buffer storage to the heating system.

In this article:

Design features of the heat accumulator

Drawing of the accumulator tank

The main element of any TA is a thermal storage material with a high heat capacity.

Depending on the type of material used, heat accumulators for the boiler can be:

• solid-state;
• liquid;
• steam;
• thermochemical;
• with an additional heating element, etc.

For heating and hot water supply of private houses, hot water storage tanks are used, where it is water with a high specific heat capacity that acts as a thermal storage element.

Instead of water, it is sometimes used, intended for home heating systems.

An example of a water heater with an additional electric heating element for a hot water supply system is a modern storage water heater.

A conventional thermal energy accumulator is a sealed metal tank of various volumes (from 200 to 5000 liters or more), as a rule, of a cylindrical shape, enclosed in an outer shell (body).

Between the tank and the outer shell there is a heat-insulating layer of heat-insulating material.

In the upper and lower parts of the tank there are two branch pipes for connection to the heating boiler and to the heating system itself.

At the bottom there is usually a drain valve for draining the liquid, and at the top there is a safety valve for automatically bleeding air when the pressure inside the buffer tank rises. There may also be flanges for connecting pressure and temperature sensors (thermometer).

Tubular electric heaters

Sometimes inside the buffer tank one or more additional heaters can be installed of various types:

• electric heater (TEN);
• and / or a heat exchanger (coil) connected to additional heat sources (solar collectors, heat pumps, etc.).

The main task of these heaters is to maintain the required temperature for heating the working fluid inside the TA.

Also, a DHW heat exchanger can be located inside the tank, which provides hot water by heating it with the working fluid of the heating system.

The principle of operation of the tank-accumulator

Heating circuit with heat accumulator

The principle of operation of TA for a solid fuel boiler is based on a high specific capacity of the working fluid (water or antifreeze). Due to the connection of the tank, the volume of liquid increases several times, as a result of which the inertia of the system increases.

At the same time, the coolant heated to the maximum by the boiler retains its temperature in the heating unit for a long time, supplying the heating devices as needed.

This ensures the continuous operation of the heating system even when the combustion of fuel in the boiler is stopped.

Consider the order of the system with a solid fuel boiler and forced supply of heat carrier.

To start the system, a circulation pump is switched on, installed in the pipeline between the boiler and the heat accumulator.

Cold working fluid from the lower part of the TA is supplied to the boiler, heats up in it and enters its upper part.

Due to the fact that the specific gravity of hot water is less, it practically does not mix with cold water and remains in the upper part of the buffer tank, gradually filling its internal space due to the pumping of cold water into the boiler.

When the circulation pump installed in the return line of the system between the heating devices and the storage tank is turned on, the cold coolant begins to flow into the lower part of the TA, displacing hot water from its upper part into the supply line.

In this case, hot working fluid flows to all heating devices.

The required amount of heat for heating the premises can be automatically regulated by the room temperature sensor, which controls the operation of a three-way valve installed at the outlet of the TA in the supply line. When the set temperature in the room is reached, the sensor gives a control signal to the valve, which is triggered and limits the supply of hot coolant to the system, redirecting it back to the TA.

After fuel combustion in the boiler, the hot coolant from the storage tank continues to flow into the system as needed, until the cooled working fluid from the return line completely fills its internal volume.

DHW circuit with storage tank

Working hours of TA when the boiler is not working, it can be for a rather long time. It depends on the outside temperature, the volume of the buffer tank and the number of heaters in the heating system.

To keep the heat inside the heat accumulator, the tank is insulated.

Also, for this, additional heat sources can be used in the form of built-in electric heaters (heating elements) and / or heat carriers (coils) connected to other heat sources (electric and gas boilers, solar collectors, etc.).

The heating agent for hot water supply built into the tank provides heating of cold water supplied through it from the water supply system. Thus, it plays the role of an instantaneous water heater, providing the needs of the owners of the house for hot water.

Connecting (piping) the heat accumulator to the heating system

As a general rule, the buffer tank is connected to the heating system in parallel with the heating boiler, therefore this circuit is also called the boiler.

Here is the usual diagram for connecting a TA to a heating system with a solid fuel heating boiler (to simplify the diagram, it does not indicate shut-off valves, automation, control devices and other equipment).

Simplified heat accumulator piping diagram

This diagram shows the following elements:

1. Heating boiler.
2. Heat accumulator.
3. Heating devices (radiators).
4. Circulation pump in the return line between the boiler and the TA.
5. Circulation pump in the system return line between the heating devices and the TA.
6. Heat exchanger (coil) for hot water supply.
7. Heat exchanger connected to an additional heat source.

One of the upper branch pipes of the tank (pos. 2) is connected to the boiler outlet (pos. 1), and the second one is connected directly to the heating system supply line.

One of the lower branch pipes of the TA is connected to the boiler inlet, while a pump (item 4) is installed in the pipeline between them, which ensures the circulation of the working fluid in a circle from the boiler to the TA and vice versa.

The second lower branch pipe TA is connected to the return line of the heating system, in which a pump (pos. 5) is also installed, which provides the supply of the heated coolant to the heating devices.

To ensure the functioning of the heating system in the event of a sudden power outage or failure of circulation pumps, they are usually connected in parallel with the main line.

In systems with natural circulation of the coolant, there are no circulation pumps (pos. 4 and 5). This significantly increases the inertia of the system, and at the same time makes it completely non-volatile.

DHW heat exchanger(pos. 6) is located in the upper part of the TA.

The location of the additional heating coil (pos. 7) depends on the type of incoming heat source:

• for high-temperature sources (heating elements, gas or electric boiler), it is located in the upper part of the buffer tank;
• for low-temperature (solar collector, heat pump) - in the lower part.

The heat exchangers indicated in the diagram are optional (pos. 6 and 7).

What to consider when buying

Selecting a heat storage device for heating

When choosing a heat accumulator for individual heating of a house, it is necessary to take into account the volume of the tank and its technical parameters, which must correspond to the parameters of the boiler and the entire heating system.

These include, in particular:

1. Overall dimensions and weight devices that should provide the ability to install it. In the case when it is impossible to find a suitable place in the house for a tank with the required capacity, it is allowed to replace one tank with several smaller buffer tanks.

2. Maximum pressure working fluid in the heating system. The shape of the buffer tank and the thickness of its walls depend on this value. With a system pressure of up to 3 bar, the shape of the tank does not really matter, but with a possible increase in this value to 4-6 bar, it is necessary to use toroidal containers (with spherical lids).

3. Maximum allowable temperature working fluid for which the TA is designed.

4. Material storage tank for the heating system. They are usually made from carbon mild steel with a moisture resistant coating or stainless steel. Stainless steel containers are distinguished by the highest anti-corrosion properties and durability in operation, although they are more expensive.

5. Availability or possibility of installation:

• electric heaters (heating elements);
• built-in heat exchanger for connection to hot water supply, which provides hot water supply to the house without additional water heaters;
• additional built-in heat exchangers for connection to other heat sources.

Comparison of popular models

Many domestic and foreign manufacturers are engaged in the production of heat storage tanks. Here is a comparative table of some models of Russian and foreign models with a capacity of 500 liters.

Model	NIBE BU-500.8	Reflex PFH-500	ACV AK 500	Meibes PSX-500	Sibenergo-term	PROFBAK TA-BB-500
Manufacturer country	Sweden	Germany	Belgium	Germany	Russia	Russia
Tank volume, l.	500	500	500	500	500	500
Height, mm	1757	1946	1790	1590	2000	1500
Diameter, mm	750	597	650	760	700	650
Weight, kg	145	115	150	120	165	70
Max working pressure, bar	6	3	5	3	6	3
Max working temperature, ° C	95	95	90	95	90	90
DHW connection	option	No	No	No	No	option
Additional heating	option	No	option	No	No	Heating element 1.5 kW
Approximate cost, rub.	43 200	35 100	53 200	62 700	28 500	55 800

This table clearly shows that the price of a storage tank for heating with approximately the same parameters can be within a fairly wide range.

The cost mainly depends on the material (carbon steel or stainless steel), its shape (regular or toroidal), as well as the availability of additional options or the possibility of their installation.

Calculation of the volume of the container

The main parameter when buying a buffer tank for a solid fuel boiler, as well as for, is the capacity of the heat accumulator, which directly depends on the power of the heating boiler.

There are various calculation methods based on determining the ability of a solid fuel boiler to heat the required volume of working fluid to a temperature of at least 40 ° C during the combustion of one full load of fuel (approximately 2-3.5 hours).

Compliance with this condition allows you to obtain the maximum boiler efficiency with maximum fuel economy.

The easiest way to calculate provides that one kilowatt of boiler power must correspond to at least 25 liters of the volume of the buffer tank connected to it.

Thus, with a boiler power of 15 kW, the capacity of the storage tank must be at least: 15 * 25 = 375 liters. At the same time, it is better to choose a container with a margin, in this case - 400-500 liters.

There is also such a version: the larger the tank capacity, the more efficiently the heating system will work and the more fuel will be saved. However, this version imposes restrictions: the search for free space in the house for the installation of a large heat accumulator, as well as the technical capabilities of the heating boiler itself.

The volume of the coolant tank has an upper limit: no more than 50 liters per 1 kW. Thus, the maximum volume of the storage tank with a boiler power of 15 kW should not exceed: 15 * 50 = 750 liters.

Obviously, the use of a TA with a volume of 1000 liters or more for a 10 kW boiler will cause additional fuel consumption for heating such a volume of working fluid to the required temperature.

This will lead to a significant increase in the inertia of the entire heating system.

To provide your home boiler room with environmentally friendly fuel, we recommend learning how to make.

Solid fuel boilers are more difficult to switch to automatic operation. Smart electrical devices such as the GSM module help make the heating system more or less self-regulating. Go to.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Buffer Capacity

Boiler buffer tank

The main advantages of a heat accumulator heating system are:

• the maximum possible increase in the efficiency of a solid fuel boiler and the entire system while saving energy resources;
• ensuring the protection of the boiler and other equipment from overheating;
• ease of use of the boiler, allowing it to be loaded at any time;
• boiler operation automation through the use of temperature sensors;
• the ability to connect to the TA of several different heat sources (for example, two boilers of different types), ensuring their integration into one circuit of the heating system;
• ensuring a stable temperature in all rooms of the house;
• the ability to provide a home with hot water supply without the use of additional water heating devices.

The disadvantages of heat accumulators for the heating system include:

• increased inertia of the system (much more time passes from the moment the boiler is fired up until the system enters the operating mode);
• the need to install a TA near a heating boiler, for which a separate room of the required area is required in the house;
• large dimensions and weight, which make it difficult to transport and install;
• rather high cost of industrially produced TA (in some cases, its price, depending on the parameters, may exceed the cost of the boiler itself).

An interesting solution: a heat accumulator in the interior of the house.

In the interior
Installation
1st floor
Attic
Basement
Cross section

The use of a heat accumulator is economically beneficial not only for solid fuel boilers, but also for electric or gas heating systems.

In the case of an electric boiler, TA is turned on at full capacity at night when electricity tariffs are much lower. During the day, when the boiler is turned off, the rooms are heated using the heat accumulated during the night.

For gas boilers savings are achieved through the alternate use of the boiler itself and the TA. At the same time, the gas burner turns on much less often, which ensures less.

It is undesirable to install a heat accumulator in heating systems where fast and or short-term heating of the room is required, since this will be hindered by the increased inertia of the system.

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 tell you about a heat accumulator for solid fuel heating boilers (TA). 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. Immediately, we note that a heat accumulator for electric heating boilers is used only if there is an electric meter in the house with a separate calculation of night and day energy. Otherwise, the installation of a heat accumulator for gas heating boilers makes no sense.

How does a heating system with a heat accumulator work?

Heat storage 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 without air access. It is insulated and has a fairly large volume. There is always water in the heat accumulator for heating, it also circulates along the entire circuit. Of course, an anti-freezing 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, it makes no sense to fill the heating system with a heat accumulator with antifreeze, since such tanks are installed in residential premises. And the essence of their application lies in the fact 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 of temporary residence is impractical, and there is little sense from a small reservoir. 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 flow 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 direction of flows at the top and bottom is different.

In order for the TA to perform its main 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 such conditions 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 equalized in the entire tank, then it is considered fully charged.

After the boiler has burnt out everything that has been loaded into it, it stops working and TA enters into action. The circulation continues and it gradually releases its heat through the radiators into the room. All this happens until the next portion of fuel is supplied to the boiler again.

If the heat storage for heating is small, then its reserve will be enough 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 time for warming up the room 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 flushing the water every time you come to your summer cottage is, to say the least, troublesome. Considering that the tank alone will be 300 liters. For the sake of several days a week, it makes no sense to go to 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. He will provide the whole 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 in a production environment, 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.

Such heating refers to additional options and is not mandatory, keep this in mind 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 do it yourself strapping. You can think of a lot of connection schemes, the main thing is that everything works. If you correctly understand the processes occurring in the circuit, then you may well experiment. How you connect the TA to the boiler will affect the operation of the entire system. Let's first analyze the simplest heating scheme with a heat accumulator.

Simple TA piping scheme

In the figure, you can see the direction of movement of the coolant. Please note that upward movement of the return line 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 before the tank. Only in this case will a sufficient pulling force be formed, which will take some of the heat from the supply. The disadvantage of such a connection scheme is the long heating time of the circuit. To reduce it, you need to create a heating ring for the boiler. You can see it in the following diagram.

Wiring diagram for TA with a boiler heating circuit

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

This method of installing a heat accumulator in a heating system allows the circuit to be used in an autonomous mode 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:

• the non-return valve is put into operation if the pump is stopped and the ball valve on the lower bypass is closed;
• in the event of a pump stop and a breakdown of the check valve, circulation is carried out through the lower bypass.

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

TA piping scheme without a check valve for the gravitational system

In this case, when the light goes out, you will need to manually open the ball valve. It should be said that with such a wiring, the TA must 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 diagram below.

TA piping scheme for a loop with forced circulation

In TA, the correct movement of water is created, which allows ball by 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 the article on alternative power sources for the heating system. It will be more economical and convenient. After all, gravity loops are made of pipes of large cross-section, 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 all this 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

Heat accumulator volume for heating

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

• 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 defining. Different sources offer their own method of calculation, but in fact, these two methods are closely related. Suppose we decided to calculate the volume of the heat accumulator for heating, starting from the area of ​​the room. To do this, multiply the square 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 boiler load up to twice a day.

Undoubtedly, and so there are pyrolysis boilers, which are filled with fuel twice a day, only in this case the principle of operation is slightly different:

• the fuel flares up;
• air supply decreases;
• the process of decay begins.

In this case, when the fuel ignites, the temperature in the circuit begins to increase rapidly, and then the smoldering keeps the water warm. During this very smoldering, a lot of energy evaporates 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 literal 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. The TA takes up some of the heat and the tank can boil only after the tank is fully charged. That is, the possibility of boiling, with the correct amount of TA, tends to zero.

Now let's try to calculate the TA volume based on the number of kilowatts in the heater. By the way, this indicator is calculated based on the square of the room. For 10 m, 1 kW is taken. 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, it can be assumed 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 a TA. Therefore, the calculation will be appropriate: you need to multiply the boiler power by 25. As a result, we 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, you need to do without fanaticism. If you put a TA for two thousand liters, then the heater simply cannot cope with such a volume. Be objective.

utepleniedoma.com

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 directly heating devices (radiators). But if this is a private house with a solid fuel boiler (firewood, peat briquettes, coal) and you want to increase efficiency and save yourself from the need to constantly monitor the firebox, 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. For this, the volume of the coolant is increased and, consequently, the amount of heat accumulated by it. Thus, the accumulator represents an isolated capacity embedded in the heating circuit.

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

The internal structure of the heat accumulator

Thus, if the house is connected to central heating or the system uses boilers for gas or liquid fuel operating in automatic mode as heat generating equipment, heat accumulators are simply unnecessary costs of material and funds. 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 it will even be able to smooth out the inevitable surges during cleaning and ash removal;
2. If electric hot water heating is used and a differentiated electricity payment system is applied. Heat accumulators will allow the accumulation of heat during the hours when the tariff is minimal, and in the future, you can use the heaters at minimum power;
3. If the heating system has periods of peak analysis of thermal energy (most often this is due to the costs of heating water, for example, with intensive work of showers), and the installation of an additional boiler is impractical. 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, a quick set of temperature and its decrease is desirable, in this case the increased amount of coolant accumulated by the accumulation tanks will only interfere with rapid heating and cooling and accurate 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 room works to heat a dryer that is used only intermittently. In this case, it makes no sense to heat the empty room from which the material was unloaded with the accumulated heat.
2. If, in addition to heating, a heating plant is also used to provide heat to some technological equipment and a quick and accurate change of temperature conditions is required, the increased inertia will only interfere.

How heat accumulators fit correctly

If a heating system with forced circulation is used, then the tapping point does not play a special role, since the pump delivers heat energy from the storage tank. You can choose any convenient place, given that the battery has a decent size.

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

Heat accumulator connection diagram

If natural circulation heating is used, then the place 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 the heating and hot water from it can start moving, only cooling down through the pipes and increasing its density. For efficient operation, 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 the thermal energy accumulator by yourself?

From a constructive point of view, thermal energy accumulators are quite simple - they are a container with heat-insulated walls, equipped with nozzles for connection to the heating system. Therefore, collecting or adapting containers for batteries will not be difficult for any person who has the skills of locksmithing and welding.

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 the effective radius of thermal insulation.

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

all-for-teplo.ru

Heat storage for the heating system - the main advantages. Click!

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

This is largely a consequence of mistakes made long before the question of the prudent use of resources and the use of modern construction technologies was raised. But what about the new houses, erected 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 decided to use really scientific knowledge, and not extracts 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 single house or cottage, recently the emphasis has significantly shifted from the indicator of fuel consumption for heating a room to an indicator characterizing the efficiency of energy use for complete heating of a house.

This well-founded focus on energy efficiency allows us to take a fresh look at the problem of heating the home, which includes two main tasks:

• House heating;
• hot water supply.

A new way of saving energy resources 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 circuit of devices of a heating system, where the main source of energy is a solid fuel boiler, allows reducing fuel consumption by up to 50% during the heating season without additional costs. But this is in the future, but for now it is necessary to clearly consider the principle of operation of this device.

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

The highest effect of connecting to the system will be applied specifically to solid fuel boilers.

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

Cooling down, the coolant - water in the batteries, goes down and flows again 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 huge, heat loss:

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

It is important to understand that this approach can only be called wasteful. Indeed, when fuel is first loaded at a high combustion temperature in the premises, the air will warm up rather 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 down.

Using the heat storage

Unlike a standard heating system, a system equipped with a heat accumulator works in a slightly different way. 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 the coolant inside the tank is greater than in the heating system, contains the coolant heated from the boiler.

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

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

But this is the most primitive type of heating device. A standard one, designed to really work under conditions of heating 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 firm;
• a set of additional equipment;

Specialist's note: in principle, it is possible to calculate the correct operation of the entire heating system, starting from the TT of the boiler and ending with the diameter of the pipes, 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 firms engaged in the development and installation of heat supply systems.

Everything is electronically controlled

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

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

To maintain a consistently comfortable temperature, it is not so much the constant burning of fuel in the boiler's furnace that is needed, but the stable maintenance of the temperature in the heating system. And with such a task, the electronic control of the operation of the heat accumulator quite copes.

Control board capabilities:

In addition, the electronic component can be perfectly used as a controller for the operation of both a solid fuel boiler and electric heating devices, and even as a use of a solar collector system to obtain maximum benefits and save resources.

The economic effect even from the inclusion of a heat accumulator in the heat supply circuit allows, as already mentioned, to reduce fuel costs in the heating season by up to 50%, and if we take into account the fact that the price of energy carriers is constantly growing, then such an investment becomes not just profitable, but already compulsory for new buildings.

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

teplo.guru

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

What are heat accumulators in heating systems for? How do they work? How, when installing a heating system with your own hands, include the heat accumulator in the general circuit? 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 cross-section container with several nozzles 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 heat accumulator of water heating can be thermally insulated. 5-10 centimeters of foamed polyurethane foam will significantly reduce inappropriate heat loss if the tank is located outside the heated room.

Advice: even if the tank is inside the house and, it would seem, its heat dissipation helps the radiators perform their functions, thermal insulation will not interfere. The amount of heat radiated 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 material of the walls 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.
• The tank can be equipped with flanges for mounting tubular electric heaters. In fact, with their sufficient capacity, the hydraulic 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 potable water. Moreover, it can be both a flow-through plate heat exchanger and a storage tank inside the main tank. Compared to the amount of heat accumulated in the tank, the cost of heating the water will be insignificant in any case.
• An additional heat exchanger can be located at the bottom of the tank for connecting a solar collector. It is at the bottom - to ensure effective heat transfer from the collector to the storage tank, even at its low efficiency (for example, at dusk).

This is how the heat accumulator is used in a solar heating system.

Functions

It is easy to guess that heating heat accumulators are needed in order to accumulate thermal energy in reserve. But after all, 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 effective operating mode 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 regulation is usually carried out by restricting the access of air to the furnace - with unambiguous consequences.

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

Here the heating system with a heat accumulator comes to the rescue:

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

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

The buffer tank will allow the solid fuel boiler to work in optimal mode.

Electric boiler

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

Key phrase - 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 peak consumption.

By varying tariffs, power engineers distribute electricity consumption more evenly; well, and we benefit from it:

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

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

Multi-circuit heating

Another very useful function of the storage tank is the ability to simultaneously use it as a hydraulic arrow while accumulating energy. 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, it is enough to enter and exit. At different levels, water with different temperatures can be taken from the storage tank; As a result, we can get, what is most typical, a high-temperature circuit with radiators and low-temperature heating - warm floors.

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

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

Connection and thermal capacity

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

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 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 need: high-temperature heating takes water from the upper part of the tank, low-temperature heating - from the bottom.

Schematic connection diagram.

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

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

For example, a heat accumulator with a volume of two cubic meters at a temperature delta of 20C (90-70) and using water as a heat carrier can accumulate 2000kg (let's take the density of water as 1kg / l, although at 90C it is slightly less) x4200 J / (kg * K) x20 = 168,000,000 Joules.

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

Conclusion

As usual, you can find out more about heat accumulators by watching the video attached to the article (see also the diagram of water heating of a private house).

Corrugated pipe for heating

When using a gas boiler, we do not need to independently maintain a certain temperature in the heating circuit - this is done by automation. But everything changes when a solid fuel boiler is installed in the house. The fuel burns unevenly in it, which leads to cooling or overheating of the heating system. A heat accumulator for heating will help to compensate for these fluctuations and stabilize the temperature in the circuit. A capacious storage tank will be able to retain excess heat energy, gradually giving it to the heating system.

In this review, we'll look at:

• How heat accumulators work for heating systems;
• How to calculate the required volume of the battery tank;
• How storage tanks are connected;
• The most popular heat storage models.

Let's go over these points in more detail.

The principle of operation of heat accumulators

If you install a solid fuel boiler in the house, there will be a severe need to regularly add new portions of firewood. It's all about the limited volume of the combustion chamber - it cannot accommodate an unlimited number of logs. Yes, and systems for their automatic feeding have not yet been invented, if you do not take into account pellet boilers with automation. In other words, you will have to monitor the operation of the heating system yourself.

These boilers develop their maximum power at the moment when firewood is cheerfully blazing in them. At this moment, they give a lot of extra energy, so users dose the firewood carefully, placing them one at a time. Otherwise, it will be too hot in the house. There is nothing good in this, since because of this, the number of approaches is increasing, which is already high. The problem is solved with the help of a heat accumulator.

A heat accumulator for heating is a storage tank in which hot heat carrier is accumulated. Moreover, energy is given to the heating circuit in a strictly metered manner, which ensures temperature stability. Due to this, households get rid of temperature fluctuations and frequent approaches to laying firewood. Storage tanks are capable of accumulating excess heat energy and smoothly transfer them to heating circuits.

Let's try to explain the principle of working with fingers:

The simplicity of the design of the thermal accumulator not only increases the reliability of the unit, but also simplifies repair and scheduled maintenance.

• A heating boiler installed in a heating system with a heat accumulator is loaded with wood and produces a large amount of thermal energy;
• The received energy is directed to the heat battery and accumulates there;
• At the same time, with the help of a heat exchanger, heat is taken for the heating system.

The buffer tank for heating (aka heat accumulator) operates in two modes - accumulation and return. In this case, the power of the boiler can exceed the required thermal power for heating the dwelling. While the wood is burning in the firebox, heat will accumulate in the thermal accumulator. After the logs go out, the energy will be taken from the battery for a long time.

The heat accumulators of Lezhebok for greenhouses and greenhouses are arranged in approximately the same way - during the day they accumulate heat from the sun, and at night they give it away, warming the plants and preventing them from freezing. Only they look somewhat different.

Heat accumulators for heating systems are also necessary if solar panels or heat pumps are used as a heat source. The same batteries cannot provide heat around the clock, since their efficiency drops to zero at night. In the daytime, they will not only heat the house, but also accumulate thermal energy in the storage tank.

Heat accumulators can be useful when using electric boilers ... This scheme justifies itself on a two-rate payment system. In this case, the system is configured so that heat accumulates at night, and its release begins in the daytime. This gives consumers the opportunity to save money on electricity consumption.

Varieties of heat accumulators

The heat accumulator for the heating system is a spacious tank equipped with solid thermal insulation - it is she who is responsible for minimizing heat loss. With the help of one pair of nozzles, the battery is connected to the boiler, and with the help of the other pair, to the heating system. Also here additional branch pipes can be provided for connecting the DHW circuit or additional sources of thermal energy. Let's take a look at the main types of heat accumulators for heating systems:

In the presence of a circulation pump, it becomes possible to use several buffer tanks at once, which makes it possible to uniformly heat several rooms at once.

• Buffer tank - is the simplest tank, devoid of internal heat exchangers. The design provides for the use of the same coolant in the boiler and batteries, at the same permissible pressure. If it is planned to pass one coolant through the boiler, and another through the batteries, an external heat exchanger should be connected to the heat accumulator;
• Heat accumulators for individual heating with bottom, top, or with several heat exchangers at once - such heat accumulators allow you to organize two independent circuits. The first circuit is a tank connected to the boiler, and the second is a heating circuit with batteries or convectors. Heat carriers do not mix here; there may be different pressures in both circuits. Heating is carried out using a heat exchanger;
• With a flow-through heat exchanger of the DHW circuit or with a tank - for organizing hot water supply. In the first case, water can be consumed all day and evenly. The second scheme provides for the accumulation of water in order to quickly return it at a certain time (for example, in the evening, when everyone takes a shower before bedtime) - indirectly, boilers that accumulate water are arranged in a similar way.

The design of heat accumulators for heating can be very different, the choice of the appropriate option depends on the complexity of the heating system, its characteristics and the number of sources of hot coolant.

Some heat accumulators are equipped with heating elements with thermostats, which allows you to provide consumers with heat at night, when the coolant has already cooled down, and there is no one to put firewood into the firebox. They also come in handy when using heat pumps and solar panels.

Calculation of the volume of the heat accumulator

We have come close to the most difficult issue - the calculation of the required volume of heat accumulator. To do this, we will use the following formula - m = W / (K * C * Δt). The letter W denotes the amount of excess heat, K is the boiler efficiency (indicated in decimal fraction), C is the heat capacity of the water (coolant), and Δt is the temperature difference, determined by subtracting the coolant temperature on the return pipe from the temperature on the supply pipe. For example, it can be 80 degrees at the outlet and 45 at the return - in total, we get Δt = 35.

First, let's calculate the amount of excess heat. Let's assume that for a house with an area of ​​100 sq. m. we need 10 kW of heat per hour. The burning time on one tab of firewood is 3 hours, and the boiler power is 25 kW. Therefore, in 3 hours the boiler will generate 75 kW of heat, of which only 30 kW must be sent for heating. In total, we have 45 kW of excess heat left - this is enough for another 4.5 hours of heating. In order not to lose this heat and not to reduce the amount of loaded firewood (otherwise we will simply overheat the system), you should use a heat accumulator.

As for the heat capacity of water, it is 1.164 W * h / kg * ° С - if you don’t understand physics, just don’t go into details. And remember that if you use a different coolant, then its heat capacity will be different.

Having carried out the necessary calculations using our advice, you can easily choose the model that most accurately meets all your needs.

In total, we have all four values ​​- this is 45,000 W of heat, boiler efficiency (suppose 85%, which in fractional terms will be 0.85), heat capacity of water 1.164 and a temperature difference of 35 degrees. We carry out calculations - m = 45000 / (0.85 * 1.164 * 35). With these figures, the volume is equal to 1299.4 liters. Round off and get the capacity of the heat accumulator for our heating system equal to 1300 liters.

If you can't do the calculations yourself, use special calculators, auxiliary tables, or the help of specialists.

Connection diagrams

The simplest scheme for connecting a heat accumulator to a solid fuel boiler provides for the use of the same coolant at the same pressure in the boiler and the heating system. For these purposes, the simplest storage tank without heat exchangers is suitable. Two pumps are installed on the return pipes - by adjusting their performance, we will provide temperature control in the heating system. There is also a similar scheme using a three-way valve - it allows you to regulate the temperature by mixing the hot coolant and the cooled coolant from the return pipe.

Heat accumulators with a built-in heat exchanger are designed to operate in heating systems with high pressure of the heat carrier. For this, heat exchangers are located inside them, connected through a circulation pump to the boilers - this is how a supply circuit is formed. The internal storage tank with the second circulation pump and batteries forms a heating circuit. Different heating media can circulate in both circuits, for example, water and glycol.

The scheme of a solid fuel boiler with a heat accumulator and a DHW circuit allows hot water to be supplied without the use of double-circuit equipment. For this, internal flow heat exchangers or built-in tanks are used. If hot water is needed throughout the day, we recommend buying and installing a heat accumulator with a flow-through exchanger. For peak one-time consumption, accumulators with hot water tanks are optimal.

Also, bivalent and multivalent connection schemes have been developed - they provide for the use of several heat sources at once for heating operation. For this, heat accumulators with several heat exchangers can be used.

Popular models

Now is the time to deal with the most popular models of heat accumulators for heating systems. We will consider the products of domestic and foreign manufacturers.

The producer of Prometey heat accumulators is the Novosibirsk company SibEnergoTerm. It produces 230, 300, 500, 750 and 1000 liter models. The hardware warranty is 5 years. Heat accumulators are endowed with four outlets for connection to heating and heat sources. A layer of mineral wool thermal insulation is responsible for storing the accumulated energy. Working pressure is 2 atm., Maximum - 6 atm. When buying equipment, take into account its dimensions - for example, the diameter of a 1000-liter model is 900 mm, which is why its body may not fit into standard doorways 80 cm wide.

The price of the presented heat accumulator for heating systems varies from 65 to 70 thousand rubles.

Another spacious heat accumulator for 1000 liters of water. It is equipped with one or two smooth-tube heat exchangers, but lacks thermal insulation, which must be taken into account when installing it - it will have to be purchased separately. The case diameter is 790 mm, but if thermal insulation is added to it, the diameter grows to 990 mm. The maximum temperature in the heating system is +110 degrees, in the DHW circuit - up to +95 degrees.

These heat accumulators are presented in modifications with six or ten connections. There are also terminals for temperature sensors on board. The capacity of the tanks is 960 liters, the working pressure is up to 3 bar. The thickness of the insulating layer is 80 mm. The use of fluids other than water as a heating medium is not allowed - this applies to both circuits, not just the heating circuit. If necessary, it is possible to serially connect several heat accumulators into a single cascade.

Homemade heat accumulators

Nothing prevents you from assembling a heat accumulator for a heating system with your own hands - for this you need to carry out calculations and draw a drawing, focusing on the required capacity. The tanks are constructed of sheet metal with a thickness of 1-2 mm, cut with a plasma cutter, a cutting machine or a welding machine. Heat exchangers are organized from metal straight or corrugated pipes. And in order to avoid rapid metal corrosion, it is necessary to purchase a magnesium anode. Basalt wool can be used as thermal insulation.

As a bonus, we present a detailed drawing of a heat accumulator with a capacity of 500 liters - this is enough to maintain the heating system in a small house.

Video