Method of re-conditioning air from central air conditioning system and air conditioning unit to carry out the method
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsJyoji Kamata, Makoto Obata, Toshio Yamamoto, Shigeo Murase
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of and an air conditioning unit for re-conditioning air supplied by a central air conditioning system and circulated through a space to be air conditioned, characterized in that water condensate produced by the evaporation of a refrigerant is vaporized by the heat of condensation of the refrigerant and is discharged from the ceiling chamber above the space air conditioned.
Claims18
A method of re-conditioning air supplied by a central air conditioning system and circulated through a space to be air conditioned in a building having a ceiling chamber over said space, comprising (1) producing a continuous stream of a refrigerant through a closed loop having cycles to evaporate and condense said refrigerant, (2) withdrawing out of said space into said ceiling chamber the air which has been circulated through said space, (3) inducing a first forced circulation of air within said ceiling chamber, (4) exchanging heat between said circulation of air and said stream of the refrigerant, (5) inducing a second forced circulation of air out of said space and back into the space separately of said first forced circulation of air, (6) exchanging heat between said second forced circulation of air and the stream of the refrigerant which has exchanged heat with said first forced circulation of air, (7) collecting water condensate produced by the evaporation of said refrigerant, (8) bringing the collected water condensate into heat-conductive contact with the heat resulting from the condensation of said refrigerant for vaporizing the water condensate in said ceiling chamber and (9) withdrawing the resultant water vapor out of said ceiling chamber by means of said first forced circulation of air.
An air conditioning unit for use with a central air conditioning system for installation in a building having at least one space to be air conditioned and a ceiling structure formed with a ceiling chamber between upper and lower horizontal members and provided with means for withdrawing out of said space into said ceiling chamber the air which has been circulated through said space, comprising an air-to-air heat pump including a closed loop filled with a refrigerant and having cycles to evaporate and condense the refrigerant, first circulation inducing means for inducing a first forced circulation of air within said ceiling chamber, second circulation inducing means for inducing a second forced circulation of air out of said space and back into the space, first heat exchange means for exchanging heat between said first forced circulation of air and the stream of the refrigerant continuously circulated through said closed loop, second heat exchange means for exchanging heat between said second forced circulation of air and the refrigerant which has exchanged heat with said first forced circulation of air, collecting means for collecting water condensate produced by the evaporation of said refrigerant, and vaporizing means for bringing the collected water condensate into heat-conductive contact with the heat resulting from the condensation of the refrigerant for vaporizing the water condensate, said first circulation inducing means and said vaporizing means being positioned within said ceiling chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.