US 4,540,420 AGranted

Dehumidifier for flexible envelopes

OwnerE. B. Wharton, T. R. Iglehartinventors

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Abstract

A dehumidifier for flexible envelopes having a process side for dehumidifying air from the flexible envelope and a regeneration side for regenerating the dessicant used for dehumidification. A regeneration wheel containing a dessicant is rotatably mounted in a slot between the process and the regeneration compartments so that a first section of the wheel extends into the process compartment and a second section of the wheel extends into the regeneration compartment. The process and regeneration compartments are further divided by a plurality of partitions transverse to the wall forming the regeneration and process compartments. A stream of air is generated in the process compartment by means of a blower wheel which is driven by a motor in the lower regeneration compartment. The static pressure in the lower process compartment is slightly lower than the pressure in the lower regeneration compartment, thereby preventing migration of flammable gases to electrical parts in the lower regeneration compartment. The pressure differential is reversed, however, in the upper regeneration and process compartments so that the static pressure in the process compartment is slightly higher than in the regeneration compartment, thereby preventing migration of moist air into the process side of the compartment after the process air has been dehumidified.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A dehumidifier for flexible envelopes containing flammable gases and air, said dehumidifier comprising:

a container having an upper and lower process compartment and an adjacent upper and lower regeneration compartment, the lower regeneration compartment containing a heating element and electrical motor;
a regeneration wheel containing a dessicant, said wheel being rotatably mounted in said container so that a first section of said wheel extends into said upper process compartment and a second section of said wheel extends into said upper regeneration compartment through a slot between said process and regeneration compartments;
means for conveying air to be dehumidified from outside said container into said process compartment, directing the air through said dessicant in the first section of said wheel, then returning said air to outside said container;
means for generating a flow of heated air through said regeneration compartment and directing said flow of heated air through the second section of said wheel and thence to the exterior of said container;
and
means for maintaining a higher pressure in the lower regeneration compartment which contains the heating element than in the lower process compartment, the means for maintaining the higher pressure comprising an enclosure within the lower process compartment, a first end of the enclosure being in fluid communication with the upper process compartment and a second end of the enclosure being in fluid communication with the lower process compartment, and a blower within the enclosure which is driven by the motor in the lower regeneration compartment, the blower in the enclosure creating a locally higher pressure within the enclosure which reduces the pressure in the lower process compartment and results in the lower regeneration compartment having a relatively higher pressure.

3 more elements

A dehumidifier for flexible envelopes containing flammable gases and air, said dehumidifier comprising:

a container having a process compartment and an adjacent regeneration compartment;
a regeneration wheel containing a dessicant, said wheel being rotatably mounted in said container so that a first section of said wheel extends into said process compartment and a second section of said wheel extends into said regeneration compartment through a slot between said process and regeneration compartments;
means for conveying air to be dehumidified from outside said container into said process compartment, directing the air through said dessicant in the first section of said wheel, then returning said air to outside said container;
means for generating a flow of heated air through said regeneration compartment and directing said flow of heated air through the second section of said wheel and thence to the exterior of said container;
a first partition within said process compartment between said wheel and said means for directing the air through said first section of the wheel, said first partition thereby forming an upper process compartment adjacent said wheel and a lower process compartment, said first partition being provided with an orifice through which air passes from said lower process compartment to said upper process compartment;
a second partition within said regeneration compartment between said wheel and said means for generating a flow of heated air through said second section of said wheel, said second partition thereby forming an upper regeneration compartment adjacent said wheel and a lower regeneration compartment, said second partition being provided with an opening through which said flow of heated air passes from the lower to the upper regeneration compartment;
means for preventing the migration of flammable gases from the lower process compartment to the lower regeneration compartment by establishing a pressure differential between said lower compartments;
and
means for reversing said pressure differential in said upper compartments so that the pressure in said upper process compartment is greater than the pressure in said upper regeneration compartment thereby preventing migration of undehumidified air from said regeneration to said process compartment in the vicinity of said wheel.

6 more elements

A dehumidifier for flexible envelopes containing flammable gases and air, said dehumidifier comprising:

a container divided by an interior wall into a process side and a regeneration side;
first and second partitions within said container transverse to said wall, said partitions and wall forming a lower, intermediate and upper process compartment on said process side and a lower, intermediate and upper regeneration compartment on said regeneration side, said first partition being provided with a perforation for permitting air to flow from said lower to said intermediate regeneration compartments, and an orifice in said first partition for permitting air to flow from said lower to said intermediate process compartments;
a regeneration wheel containing a dessicant, said wheel being rotatably mounted on said second partition that so a process section of said wheel extends into said process compartment and a regeneration section of said wheel extends into said regeneration compartment, said wall being provided with a slot through which said wheel is disposed, said slot being provided with a flexible flap seal for reducing migration of air from said upper regeneration compartment to said upper process compartment, said second partition being provided with openings in the region of said second partition on which said wheel is mounted and through which air may flow from said intermediate compartment through said wheel;
a process inlet into said lower process compartment through which air is conveyed from said flexible envelope, and a process outlet from said upper process compartment through which air is conveyed back to said flexible envelope;
a regeneration inlet into said lower regeneration compartment through which air is conveyed from outside said container, and a regeneration outlet through which air is conveyed from said upper regeneration compartment to the outside of said container, said regeneration outlet being provided with a first damper for regulating the flow of air out of said upper regeneration compartment;
an enclosure within said lower process compartment, said enclosure having a first open end in fluid communicating relationship with the interior of said lower process compartment and a second open end in fluid delivering relationship to the orifice in said first partition;
a second damper in said orifice for regulating the flow of air through said orifice;
a process blower wheel rotatably disposed in said enclosure for generating a flow of air in said enclosure and directing it towards said orifice;
a motor in said regeneration compartment, and a driving shaft extending from said motor to said process blower wheel for rotating said process blower wheel;
an enclosure in said lower regeneration compartment, said enclosure being provided with an opening and a regeneration blower wheel rotatably mounted in said enclosure, said regeneration blower wheel being rotated by a motor in said regeneration compartment;
a heating element mounted within said regeneration compartment, said element comprising an elongated metal box having a first open end in fluid communicating relationship with the interior of said regeneration compartment, a second open end in fluid delivering relationship to the perforation in said second partition, and a tubular heating coil disposed in heat transferring relationship to said box;
an oil tank within said regeneration compartment, the oil in said tank being pumped through said tubular coil to heat said heating element, the oil in said tank being covered by nitrogen gas to prevent degradation of said oil.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.