Method and apparatus for the alternate heating and cooling of a heat exchanger of a heating and cooling apparatus

Claim 2

In a method of alternately heating and cooling heat exchanger means, such as a press or a reaction vessel, of a heating and cooling apparatus with thermal recovery, having a hot liquid source and a cold liquid source, in which, during the warm-up phase, the cool liquid returning from the heat exchanger, and, during the cool-down phase, the hot liquid returning from the heat exchanger, are delivered to one of at least two reservoirs, from which one reservoir, during the warm-up phase, hot liquid is taken for the hot liquid source, and, during the cool-down phase, cold liquid is taken for the cold liquid source, into which two reservoirs both during the warm-up phase and during the cool-down phase amounts of liquid of different temperature are taken from the heat exchanger, the improvement comprising: providing at least a first and second heat exchanger means, making the warm-up and cool-down phases of said second heat exchanger means out of step with the warm-up and cool-down phases of said first heat exchanger means by a fraction of the length of these phases, and using the liquid from the first heat exchanger means during the warm-up phase for the preheating of the second heat exchanger means, and during the cool-down phase for the preliminary cooling thereof.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second heat exchanger means is a single heat exchanger with separate first and second heat exchanger sections.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is provided with a plurality of circuits with a first and a second heat exchanger and a first, second and third reservoir, comprising: circulating the liquid, upon the changeover from cooling to heating as follows: I. while the circuit cold liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- cold liquid source is maintained, on the one hand, in the circuit first reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- first reservoir, on the other; then Ii. in the circuit second reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- second heat exchanger -- second reservoir; then Iii. in the circuit hot liquid source -- first heat exchanger --second heat exchanger -- hot liquid source, and lastly Iv. in the circuit hot liquid source -- first heat exchanger --hot liquid source, on the one hand, and in the circuit hot liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- reservoir -- hot liquid source, on the other, and circulating the liquid, upon the changeover from heating to cooling: V. while the circuit hot liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- hot liquid source is at first maintained, on the one hand, in the circuit third reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- third reservoir, on the other, then Vi. in the circuit second reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- second heat exchanger -- second reservoir, then Vii. in the circuit cold liquid source -- first heat exchanger -- second heat exchanger -- first reservoir -- cold liquid source, and lastly Viii. in the circuit cold liquid source -- first heat exchanger -- cold liquid source, on the one hand, and in the circuit cold liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- cold liquid source, on the other.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is provided with a plurality of circuits with a first and a second heat exchanger and a first, second, third and fourth reservoir, circulating the liquid, upon the changeover from cooling to heating as follows: I. while the circuit cold liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- cold liquid source is at first maintained, in the circuit first reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- first reservoir, then Ii. in the circuit second reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- second heat exchanger -- second reservoir, then Iii. in the circuit hot liquid source -- first heat exchanger -- third reservoir -- hot liquid source, on the one hand, and fourth reservoir -- second heat exchanger -- fourth reservoir, on the other, then Iv. in the circuit hot liquid source -- first heat exchanger -- hot liquid source, on the one hand, and in the circuit hot liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- hot liquid source, on the other, and that, upon the changeover from heating to cooling, circulating the liquid: V. while the circuit hot liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- hot liquid source is at first maintained, on the one hand, in the circuit third reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- third heat exchanger, on the other, then Vi. in the circuit fourth reservoir -- first heat exchanger -- second heat exchanger -- fourth reservoir, then Vii. in the circuit cold liquid source -- first heat exchanger -- second heat exchanger -- second reservoir -- cold liquid source, then Viii. in the circuit cold liquid source -- first heat exchanger -- cold liquid source, on the one hand, and in the circuit cold liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- first reservoir -- cold liquid source, on the other, and lastly Ix. in the circuit cold liquid source -- first heat exchanger -- cold liquid source, on the one hand, and in the circuit cold liquid source -- second heat exchanger -- cold liquid source, on the other.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1, wherein the heat exchangers are in the form of presses.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1, wherein the heat exchangers are in the form of parts of a single press.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1, wherein, upon the changeover from cooling to heating, the amount of liquid in the reservoir having the lowest temperature, followed successively by the stored amounts of liquid of progressively higher temperature, is delivered to the first heat exchanger to preheat same, and, upon the changeover from heating to cooling, the amount of liquid in the reservoir having the highest temperature, followed successively by the stored amounts of liquid of progressively lower temperature, is delivered to the first heat exchanger for the preliminary cooling thereof.