What is a heat exchanger? This is an ordinary battery that is used in almost every heating system in industry and at home. The word "heat exchanger" itself means that in this device there is a transfer of heat (that is, exchange) from the hot carrier to the cold.
a brief description of
It is worth noting that the battery can be filled not only with water, but also with high-temperature gas and even an air-water mixture. Thus, a heat exchanger is a device that does not have its own heating source. However, the battery is capable of extracting heat from external heaters. That is, if it is a fireplace with a heat exchanger, then this part takes heat from the first mechanism. This happens in each heating system, and it does not matter which heating source is used in it - a gas, wood-fired boiler or the same fireplace.
Varieties
All heat exchangers are conditionally divided into 2 groups:
The main difference between these devices is the method of heat transfer. For example, on surface heat exchangers, water is heated directly through the plates. In this case, the coolants do not contact each other.
It is also worth noting the spiral type of devices. How to make spiral-type heat exchangers with your own hands, we will consider a little lower, but for now a few words about the scope of their application. Such an element is used almost everywhere: in the food, chemical, oil and even pharmaceutical industries. So a spiral device is widely used because it is it that is capable of efficient heat transfer in the shortest possible time.
How to make a heat exchanger with your own hands? We prepare materials and tools
During the work you will need the following elements:
- a capacity of approximately 90-100 liters;
- a copper tube with a length of at least 400 centimeters (it will serve as a thermoelectric heater);
- anode;
- a device by which the heat supply will be regulated - a power regulator.
What to do with all these details?
To begin, let's deal with capacity. As it is possible to use an ordinary plastic tank, however, it will heat the room longer. Therefore, it is best to select a metal container. This tank should be installed next to
start of the
heating battery. In this capacity you need to do two outputs. One of them is the top one, which will be used to remove hot water. The second is the bottom. It will serve for the intake of cold liquid from the
pipes of the heating system. Never change the location of these parts. By the way, the second exit must be done in the lowest part of the tank, since it is there that water with the lowest temperature will flow. Thus, the heat transfer rate depends on the correct placement of the outputs on the tank. If everything is done correctly, the room will warm up to normal temperature in a few minutes.
How to do DIY heat exchangers further? After making holes, you need to seal each of them tightly. This is done so that the air that will enter there does not take part of the temperature from the battery, which is required for effective heating of the premises.
What about the tube?
It is best to use copper devices. It is such a tube that can easily bend and at the same time give out good heat to the outside. Cut this part and do not solder. Simply bend it into a spiral shape. So you get a primitive coil. Next, this copper spiral must be placed in the tank. After, bring the ends of the tube out and secure it. Attach a threaded fitting to the ends of the part. Everything, the coil in the heat exchanger is successfully made.
How to make heat exchangers with your own hands if you don’t have a piece of copper pipe at hand?
As an alternative, instead of a copper pipe, you can use absolutely any pipe that bends easily. It can be aluminum or metal. By their properties and heat transfer, they are practically not inferior to copper counterparts - they bend well, and they do not take heat away.
What materials should not be used?
In the manufacture of such an element as a coil, steel products should not be used. By its heat transfer, steel is not the best material when designing heat exchangers. Unlike it, copper heats the air 7 times faster and bends very easily. In the case of steel parts, a special pipe bender will have to be used.
What to do with a power regulator?
It should be attached to a copper pipe. Such devices are sold in almost any store and cost real pennies, so we will not do them with our own hands. It is also worth noting that, along with the usual regulators, you can be offered tools immediately with a heating element. Since the latter can be completely done with your own hands, it is not necessary to purchase such devices. Although the trouble with them will be much less. By the way, there are regulators with a built-in heating element no more than those for which this part is absent in the design. However, the final choice is yours.
Is it necessary to install a power regulator?
Although without it the system will be in good condition, still this element is worth buying. After all, thanks to the power regulator, you can connect the heating device to the network much faster. In addition, this element can significantly save energy costs. And most importantly - with the help of a power regulator, you can set the heat exchanger heating to your liking, and not how it turns out. And it is installed quite simply: first, a thermostat is connected to the instrument terminals, and then the power wires.
Anode
We need it in order to protect the steel tank from premature wear, which is caused by constant changes in temperature and pressure. Everything, the DIY water heat exchanger is almost ready for use. It remains only to tightly close all the elements and fill the tank with water. As you can see, making heat exchangers with your own hands is quite simple.
What characteristics should tools have?
If your goal is to make a heat exchanger for a boiler room or a heating unit, it is best to focus on the choice of plate-type collapsible devices or do them yourself according to the drawing. The heat exchanger circuit is shown in the photo below:
Why exactly plate collapsible devices? The fact is that the liquid (in this case, water) in heat and water supply networks does not have particularly good qualities, which can lead to the formation of scale and other serious deposits in the system. By the way, repair of heat exchangers consists precisely in cleaning the channels from such substances. Also in the repair, “pitfalls” change and cracks in the holes are closed (if necessary).
Of course, the design of such heat exchangers does not allow to reduce the level of scale formation to zero. But then what are their advantages? Their main advantage is simple disassembly. The design of the plate-type collapsible heat exchangers is so simple that you can clean the scale almost every day. Thus, repair of collapsible heat exchangers is carried out as soon as possible. Here, one more advantage should be noted - the maintainability of the device, because you can replace the plates in it without the use of special equipment and tools.