US 4,240,499 AGranted

Balanced waste heat recovery and dissipation system

AssigneeNiagara Blower Company

InventorWalter Kals

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Abstract

A system for recovering and utilizing, to a controlled and variable extent, waste heat from a coolant fluid. The amount of heat recovery varies in proportion to the marginal costs associated therewith. Heat laden coolant passes through an interior heat exchanger where heat may be extracted in varying amounts from the coolant by a thermostatically-controlled air mover, the air mover admitting outside air past the interior heat exchanger. The coolant proceeds to an exterior wet surface heat exchanger where residual heat is concurrently extracted from the coolant by a thermostatically-controlled combination of ambient air, recirculated ambient air, and water spray. The coolant then returns to the beginning of its cycle. The temperature of outside air is the principal variable determining the proportion of heat recovered by the interior heat exchanger and the proportion extracted by the exterior heat exchanger. The total heat extracted reduces the coolant temperature to a predetermined operating level.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A system for selectively recovering heat from a coolant fluid wherein the latter absorbs heat from heat generating equipment to cool the same and heat recovered from the fluid warms an enclosed air space, said system including:

a first heat exchanger for recovering heat from said coolant fluid by warming air moving therethrough into said enclosed air space,
a second heat exchanger for cooling said coolant fluid to a predetermined temperature by dissipating excess heat not recovered by said first heat exchanger,
circulating means for circulating said coolant fluid through said heat generating equipment and said first and second heat exchangers,
air moving means for effecting an air flow through said first heat exchanger,
air flow thermosensitive means operatively connected to said air moving means and disposed to sense the temperature of said air flow downstream of said first heat exchanger, said air flow thermosensitive means being responsive to the temperature of said air flow to permit said air moving means to be operative when the temperature of said air flow is above a predetermined level and to render said air moving means inoperative when the temperature of said air flow is below said predetermined level, and
means for restarting said air moving means at predetermined intervals when the latter is inoperative so that said air flow thermosensitive means will sense a temperature rise of said air flow above said predetermined level upon corresponding changes in operating conditions whereupon said air moving means would continue to be operative.

3 more elements

A method for selectively recovering heat from a coolant fluid wherein the latter absorbs heat from heat generating equipment and warming an enclosed air space with recovered heat while concurrently dissipating unrecovered heat, said method including the following steps:

passing said coolant fluid through said heat generating equipment to absorb heat therefrom,
passing said coolant through a first heat exchanger within an enclosed air space,
selectively passing air through said first heat exchanger and into said enclosed air space after being warmed by said first heat exchanger,
monitoring the temperature of the air passing through said first heat exchanger on the downstream side thereof and stopping the passage of air through said first heat exchanger when the temperature thereof downstream of said first heat exchanger is less than a predetermined level,
passing said coolant through a second heat exchanger to cool said coolant fluid to a predetermined temperature by dissipating excess heat not recovered by said first heat exchanger, and
passing air through said first heat exchanger at predetermined intervals after the passage of air therethrough has stopped, sensing any temperature rise of said passage of air downstream of said first heat exchanger to or above said predetermined level as resulting from corresponding changes in operating conditions, and continuing to pass air through said first heat exchanger as long as said temperature downstream of said first heat exchanger is at or above said predetermined level.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.