Bifurcated air tower
AssigneeMorgan Stanley Services Group Inc.
InventorsPhilip Meyers, James Cullen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A UFAD system with bifurcated air towers. The air towers are bifurcated in the sense that the air columns are fan-less and coil-less, and fans for delivering pressurized air to the air columns, and hence to the underfloor plenum of the UFAD system, are in overhead ceiling air ducts and spaced away from the air columns. Cooling coils could be located in a remote air handling unit that feeds conditioned air to the overhead ceiling air ducts to be pressurized by the fans.
Claims19
An underfloor air distribution system for a building, the underfloor air distribution system comprising:
- a raised floor surface;
- a ceiling, wherein a space between the raised floor surface and the ceiling defines a human occupancy space;
- a plenum under the raised floor surface;
- a first overhead ceiling air duct above the ceiling;
- a first fan-less, coil-less air column that provides a conduit for pressurized air from the first overhead ceiling air duct to the plenum;
- a first fan in the first overhead ceiling air duct, wherein the first fan is configured to pressurize air in the first overhead ceiling air duct, and wherein the first fan is spaced in the first overhead ceiling air duct from the first air column;
- a second fan-less, coil-less air column that provides for pressurized air to the plenum;
- a second fan for pressurizing air received by the second air column, wherein the second fan is spaced separate from the second air column;
- and
- at least one diffuser for diffusing pressurized air in the plenum to the human occupancy space.
A method of retrofitting a floor of a building with an underfloor air distribution system, the method comprising:
- installing a raised floor surface above a lower floor support structure of the building, thereby defining a plenum under the raised floor surface;
- installing a first overhead ceiling air duct above a ceiling, such that a space between the raised floor surface and the ceiling defines a human occupancy space;
- installing a first fan-less, coil-less air column that provides a conduit for pressurized air from the first overhead ceiling air duct to the plenum;
- installing a first fan in the first overhead ceiling air duct, wherein the first fan is configured to pressurize air in the first overhead ceiling air duct, and wherein the first fan is spaced in the first overhead ceiling air duct from the first air column;
- installing a second fan-less, coil-less air column that provides for pressurized air to the plenum;
- installing a second fan for pressurizing air received by the second fan-less, coil-less air column, wherein the second fan is spaced separate from the second air column;
- and
- installing at least one diffuser for diffusing pressurized air in the plenum to the human occupancy space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.