# US 10,767,875 B2 · Humidity control unit and method having bypass for process air > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,767,875 B2 - Document ID: US10767875B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/823,700 - Filed: 2017-11-28 - Published: 2019-05-30 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-28 - Assignees: Munters Corporation - Applicants: Munters Corporation - Inventors: Michael Boucher; Paul Dinnage; Rafael Neuwald - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10767875B2 ## CPC - F24F 3/1423: {with a moving bed of solid desiccants, e.g. a rotary wheel supporting solid desiccants} - F24F 3/1405: {in which the humidity of the air is exclusively affected by contact with the evaporator of a closed-circuit cooling system or heat pump circuit} - F24F 3/1429: {alternatively operating a heat exchanger in an absorbing/adsorbing mode and a heat exchanger in a regeneration mode} - F24F 3/147: with both heat and humidity transfer between supplied and exhausted air - F24F 2003/144: {by dehumidification only} - F24F 2003/1446: {by condensing} - F24F 2003/1464: {using rotating regenerators} - F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02) ## Abstract In conditioning air for an enclosure, a first ambient airstream is cooled by the cooling coil of a refrigerant cooling system to reduce its temperature and humidity content. The thus cooled and dehumidified air is then passed through a segment of a rotating desiccant wheel to reduce moisture content and increase temperature and is then supplied to the enclosure. The desiccant wheel is regenerated by the use of a second ambient airstream which is first heated with the condenser coil of the refrigerant system and then passed through the regeneration segment of the desiccant wheel. A bypass plenum is provided in the apparatus that selectively allows a third ambient airstream to be cooled in the plenum independent of the evaporator coil and desiccant wheel in the first plenum. That airstream is then supplied with the air treated in the first plenum to the enclosure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air conditioning and dehumidification system comprising: an enclosed housing having a dividing wall dividing the housing into first and second air plenums; a refrigeration circuit including an evaporator coil in the first plenum, a condenser coil in the second plenum, and a condenser fan for drawing ambient air into the second plenum and through the condenser and discharging the air downstream from the condenser and to the outside of the housing; a dehumidification system in the housing including a desiccant wheel rotatably mounted in the housing to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the dividing wall whereby one segment of the wheel functioning as the process segment is located in the first plenum and a second segment of the wheel functioning as the regeneration segment is located in the second plenum; an ambient air supply air fan for drawing ambient air into the first plenum through the evaporator and then through the process segment of the desiccant wheel whereby the ambient air in the first plenum is cooled and dehumidified and supplied from the first plenum to an enclosure; an ambient air bypass defining a third plenum and means for supplying ambient air through the third plenum and selectively to the enclosure as a bypass airstream; and means for selectively cooling the bypass airstream in the third plenum, wherein the means for selectively cooling the bypass airstream is a chilled water coil. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for selectively supplying ambient air through the third plenum includes a bypass fan drawing air from the atmosphere through the means for selectively cooling the bypass airstream and then to the enclosure. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the third plenum includes means for selectively supplying ambient air from the first plenum, before it is cooled in the evaporator of the first plenum, to the third plenum. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the means for selectively supplying ambient air to the third plenum includes a selectively operable means for directing ambient air from the first plenum upstream of the evaporator in the first plenum. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system as defined in claim 4, further comprising means downstream of the cooling means in the third plenum for blending cooled air having passed through the cooling means in the third plenum with air leaving the desiccant wheel in the first chamber before being supplied to the enclosure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for dividing a portion of the air leaving the condenser in the second plenum into the third plenum. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising heat exchanger means upstream of the evaporator in the first plenum for precooling ambient air before being further cooled in the evaporator in the first plenum or supplied to the third plenum. ### Claim 8 A method for conditioning ambient air for supply to an enclosure, comprising the steps of: cooling a first ambient supply airstream with a cooling coil of a refrigerant system, then passing the cooled ambient supply airstream through a segment of a rotating desiccant wheel to reduce the moisture content of the ambient airstream, and passing the thus treated air to the enclosure; regenerating the desiccant wheel by heating a second ambient airstream with a condensing coil of the refrigerant system and passing the heated second ambient airstream through a regeneration segment of the desiccant wheel; and selectively cooling a supply of ambient air in a bypass plenum with a chilled water coil, without treatment in the first plenum, and supplying the cooled air from the bypass plenum to the enclosure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the ambient air in the bypass plenum is a third ambient airstream independent of the airstreams in the first and second plenums. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the ambient air in the bypass plenum is supplied from the ambient air in the first plenum upstream of the evaporator coil in the first plenum. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the ambient air in the third plenum is supplied to the first plenum downstream of the desiccant wheel and mixed with the air leaving the process segment of the wheel before being supplied to the enclosure. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method as defined in claim 8, further comprising the step of pretreating ambient air supplied to the first plenum.