Desiccant-based cooling system
AssigneeDucool Ltd.
InventorDan Forkosh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A desiccant-based system and method for conditioning air includes a first unit remotely located from an area whose environment is to be controlled. Additional units are respectively located within areas where air conditioning is desired. Each of the additional units is connected to the first unit such that desiccant can be transferred between each of the additional units and the first unit. Cool, undiluted desiccant can be transferred from the first unit to at least one of the additional units so that ambient air at the location of the additional unit can be dehumidified and cooled. Each of the additional units are separately controllable, such that the respective environments surrounding the additional units can be maintained at different levels of humidity and temperature.
Claims20
A system for conditioning air, comprising:
- a first unit housing a regenerator operable to receive a first airflow and bring the first airflow into contact with a liquid desiccant to transfer water from the liquid desiccant to the first airflow, the regenerator including a regenerator sump for collecting the liquid desiccant after water is transferred to the liquid desiccant from the first airflow, the first unit further housing a first portion of a process sump fluidly connected to the regenerator sump;
- and
- a second unit remotely located from the first unit and configured to receive a second airflow and bring the second airflow into contact with the liquid desiccant, the second unit housing a second portion of the process sump for collecting the liquid desiccant after it contacts the second airflow, the first unit being in selective fluid communication with the second unit such that the liquid desiccant can be selectively transferred between the first and second portions of the process sump, and the liquid desiccant transferred from the second portion of the process sump to the first portion of the process sump can be admixed with the liquid desiccant in the regenerator sump prior to the liquid desiccant being returned to the second unit.
A system for conditioning air, comprising:
- a first unit remotely located from an indoor space;
- and
- a second unit located within the indoor space and in selective fluid communication with the first unit,
- the first unit including a regeneration chamber into which a first airflow is introduced and contacted with a liquid desiccant to transfer water from the liquid desiccant to the first airflow, the regeneration chamber including a regenerator sump for collecting the liquid desiccant after water is transferred to the liquid desiccant from the first airflow,
- the first unit further including a first process chamber separated from the regenerator chamber such that the first airflow is inhibited from entering the first process chamber, the first process chamber including a first portion of a process sump fluidly connected to the regenerator sump,
- the second unit including a second process chamber into which a second airflow is introduced and contacted with the liquid desiccant to transfer water between the second airflow and the liquid desiccant prior to the second airflow being discharged into the indoor space, the second process chamber including a second portion of the process sump for collecting the liquid desiccant after it contacts the second airflow, the selective fluid communication between the first and second units providing selective transfer of the liquid desiccant between the first and second portions of the process sump.
A method for conditioning air, comprising:
- bringing a first airflow into contact with a liquid desiccant in a regeneration chamber to transfer water from the liquid desiccant to the first airflow during a first mode of operation;
- collecting the liquid desiccant in a regenerator sump after water is transferred from the liquid desiccant to the first airflow;
- admixing the liquid desiccant in the regenerator sump with liquid desiccant in a first portion of a process sump disposed in a first process chamber adjacent the regeneration chamber;
- transferring some of the liquid desiccant from the first portion of the process sump to a second portion of the process sump disposed in a second process chamber located remotely from the first process chamber;
- bringing a second airflow into contact with the liquid desiccant in the second process chamber to transfer water from the second airflow to the liquid desiccant during the first mode of operation;
- and
- exhausting the second airflow from the second process chamber into an ambient environment having air to be conditioned, after the second airflow has contacted the liquid in the second process chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.