Evaporative cooler assisted automotive air conditioning system

A heating and ventilating and air conditioning system comprising:

• a housing presenting an outside air inlet for drawing in outside air and a re-circulated air inlet for drawing in recirculated air from the compartment of an automotive vehicle,
• a blower supported in said housing for moving air through said housing,
• an air inlet valve supported in said housing downstream of said air inlets for proportioning outside air and recirculated air into a mixture of primary air,
• an evaporative cooler supported in said housing and defining a plurality of horizontal dry channels for receiving the primary air and a plurality of vertical wet channels extending transversely to said dry channels for receiving secondary air,
• said wet channels defined by a plurality of vertically extending boxes spaced laterally from one another by said dry channels and each having a rectangular cross section open at top and bottom ends and a plurality of spaced dividers to define said plurality of wet channels,
• a wicking tank disposed under said bottom ends of said wet channels for containing liquid,
• a wicking material disposed in said wet channels for drawing liquid from said wicking tank into said wet channels,
• a plurality of panels disposed in a zig zag arrangement between adjacent boxes and extending transversely to said wet channels for defining said dry channels,
• said panels including louver-fins for enhancing heat transfer,
• said boxes defining passages for conducting bleed air from said dry channels to said wet channels,
• an evaporator core supported in said housing downstream of said evaporative cooler for receiving the primary air from said dry channels,
• a heater core supported in said housing downstream of said evaporator for receiving and heating primary air from said evaporator core,
• said housing having conditioned air outlets for proportioning primary air into the compartment of an automotive vehicle,
• said housing defining a by-pass for conducting primary air flow from said evaporator core around said heater core to said conditioned air outlets,
• a temperature valve supported by said housing for proportioning the primary air from said evaporator core between said heater core and said by-pass,
• a reservoir supported by said housing for collecting liquid condensate from said evaporator core, and
• a reservoir wick extending from said reservoir to said wicking tank for conducting liquid condensate from said reservoir to said wicking tank, and
• a sheath made of metal and surrounding said reservoir wick between said reservoir and said wicking tank.