US 4,180,126 AGranted

Air conditioning apparatus and method

AssigneeGas Developments Corporation

InventorsWilliam F. Rush, Jaroslav Wurm, Raymond J. Dufour

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Efficiency of an open-cycle air conditioning apparatus and method for heating and cooling is improved and the economy of external power is increased both with respect to cost and energy consumption by providing a combination of a primary heater and a secondary heater for heating the regeneration stream for regenerating the desiccant means in the air conditioning apparatus. The thermal source for the primary heater may utilize waste heat or solar energy which is transferred to a solid phase thermal storage means by a gaseous phase heat exchange medium. The thermal energy may be transferred from the thermal storage means to the regeneration stream of the open-cycle air conditioning apparatus either directly by passing the air stream over the solid phase thermal storage means or indirectly by passing liquid in an enclosed system through the solid phase thermal storage means and the regeneration stream.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An open-cycle air conditioning apparatus for heating and cooling comprising:

an enclosure defining a treatment air passageway and a separate regenerative air passageway;
means for passing an air stream through each of said passageways;
a sensible heat exchanger means for transfer of thermal energy from one of said passageways to the other;
a desiccant means for transfer of moisture from the air treatment passageway to the regenerative air passageway and spaced toward the exhaust of the regenerative air stream from said heat exchanger means;
a first evaporative cooling means near the exit of the conditioned air passageway and a second evaporative cooling means near the entrance of the regenerative air passageway;
a first heater means in the regenerative air passageway between said sensible heat exchanger means and said desiccant means supplying heat to the entire regenerative air stream;
a second heater means in the regenerative air passageway between said first heater means and said desiccant means supplying regeneration heat to a portion of the regenerative air stream previously heated by said first heater means;
and
a heat collector means and conduit means providing heat to said first heater means.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/888,740Filed 21 Mar 1978 · continuation in part
Priority: 13 Nov 1973
Granted: 25 Dec 1979
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification21 codes

F24F 3/1423
By absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant: with a moving bed of solid desiccants, e.g. a rotary wheel supporting solid…
F24F 5/0046
Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00 , e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an…
F24S 10/504
The working fluids being conveyed between plates: having conduits formed by paired non-plane plates
F24S 20/67
Solar heat collectors integrated in fixed constructions, e.g. in buildings: in the form of roof constructions

Family

Serial415,323Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 13 Nov 1973
Serial583,522Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 4 Jun 1975
US 4,081,024 AParent of this continuation-in-part
3889742Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,180,126 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.