Collector for Connection to a Heat Pump

Abstract

The invention relates to a collector ( 1 ), designed to be connected to a heat pump, which includes a number of tubes ( 2 ), which are at least mainly parallel to each other, which in a meander-like way in pairs are connected to each other by 180° bends ( 3 ), alternately located at the one or the other collector end, and also mechanism designed to fix the mutual positions of the tubes. According to the invention, the bends ( 3 ) are, when they will be applied to the tubes, designed as 90° bend pairs, one of the 90° bends forming half a 180° bend of one bend and the other of the 90° bends forming half a 180° bend of an adjacent bend, and the fixation mechanism are designed as the 90° bends ( 3 ), connected by the connection elements ( 6 ), which at least partially include the bends and aeration channels ( 13 ), which connect them.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
   
   
       11 . A collector ( 1 ) for connection to a heat pump, the collector comprising a plurality of tubes ( 2 ) which are arranged mainly parallel to one another and which, in a meandering way, are connected to one another in pairs by a plurality of 180° bends ( 3 ), alternately mounted at opposite ends of the collector, and connection means ( 6 ) being provided for connecting the tubes to one another,
 wherein said connection means ( 6 ) connect adjacent bends ( 3 ) to one another and the connection means include aeration channels ( 13 ), at a top of the collector, which connect interior ( 12 ) of the bends to one another.   
   
   
       12 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein the bends ( 3 ), when they are applied to the tubes, are designed as 90° bend pairs with a first bend of the 90° bend pairs forming half of a 180° bend and with a second bend of the 90° bend pairs forming half of an adjacent 180° bend, and said connection means ( 6 ) connect said 90° bends ( 3 ) to one another. 
   
   
       13 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein said 90° bends ( 3 ) are manufactured jointly as one piece with the mating connection means ( 6 ). 
   
   
       14 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein the collector ( 1 ) is manufactured of a plastic material and includes a large number of tubes ( 2 ) arranged in parallel to one another and having a relatively large outer diameter of about 40 mm, a length of each tube is about 1-3 m, and a spacing between central axes of adjacent tubes is about 5-20 cm, and from about 10-25 tubes form the collector and lie in a common plane. 
   
   
       15 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein adjacent tube ends generally are connected to one another by two 90° bends ( 3 ) which abut each other and said tube ends respectively, in that such a connection between tubes and 90° bends preferably is fixed through welding, on an inlet and an outlet side there are connection tubes ( 4  and  5  respectively), which suitably are arranged in the same bend line, a 90° bend ( 3 ) connecting the outer collector tube with said connection, the connection tubes suitably have such a length, that two collectors, connected in series and abutting each other with their respective connection tubes, can be connected through conventional tube couplings and, when a connection in parallel is done, the used connection tubes are connected to a manifold coupling, which respectively leads to a heat pump. 
   
   
       16 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein when 90° bends are used, they are manufactured as a mirror-inverted pairs as one piece together with a connection element ( 6 ) which connects the two bends, preferably at the same level as the outer area of the bend legs ( 7 ), which are to be connected to the corresponding adjacent bend legs ( 7 ). 
   
   
       17 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein the connection means ( 6 ) for the bends, which are to be arranged at the bottom of a collector, are rod-like with a tube profile, in which at least one section ( 8 ) is provided with a bending notch, such as a compression or a thickness reduction ( 9 ), which suitably is mirror-symmetrical jointly with the bend pair for the rest in order to allow a folding around the section ( 8 ), tube connection legs ( 10 ) of the bends ( 8 ) approaching each other along circular movement paths with a symmetry axis ( 11 ) running through the section ( 8 ) as an oscillating axis, and, when the connection means ( 6 ) is a tube, the section ( 8 ) suitably is designed as a compression, which eliminates or at least reduces the inner tube cross section, particularly if the tube communicates with the interior ( 12 ) of the bends. 
   
   
       18 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein the collector is mass produced in a plant, preferably in a flat shape, the connection elements ensure a principal shape of the connector, shape adjustments, e.g. when the collector is positioned in the ground, being possible, e.g. bendings around obstacles in the ground, the positioning of the collector in the ground is designed to be done by means of a digging machine having a minimal bucket width, a large number of, e.g. 6-10 collectors are designed to be connected preferably in series after each other having upper connection elements designed to allow a satisfactory accessibility during a mounting and possibly a later control. 
   
   
       19 . The collector according to  claim 11 , wherein the connection elements with aeration channels have a certain limited bendability, and the connection elements without aeration channels suitably have an increased bendability. 
   
   
       20 . The collector according to any of  claims 11 , wherein 180° bends are the starting components, when the collector is manufactured, each one of which is provided with a connection element, the one and the other extending in each direction, the length of which is, e.g., half the length of the finished connection element, two connection element halves, which abut against one another, can be connected to one another, e.g., through welding or by giving the collection element halves a somewhat larger length and different diameters, the ends, which meet each other, being able to be introduced into each other and possibly be glued together, and/or in that, when 90° bends are used as starting components, they also are connected to each other by means of a wall, a film the like, the upper end of which is formed by the connection element and/or in that there are bending notches, designed in various ways, in the connection elements, which allow sections to be turned, e.g., up to 90°, of, e.g., 2-4 tubes at a time in relation to each other, i.e. with 2-4 tubes forming a flat portion at a time, which is designed to be swung up to 90° in relation to the adjacent parts and/or in that particularly the lower bends are provided with connection elements in the form of hinges, joints or the like, particularly in the form of ear-like male parts with pins and female parts with holes, projecting from the tube connection legs ( 10 ) , which are designed to be snapped together to obtain a durable, longitudinal bendable bond, the symmetry axis ( 11 ) of which running through said holes and pins.