Desiccant air conditioning system

An improved desiccant air coonditioning systems comprising:

• a desiccant bed comprising at least one stack of substantially parallel thermally conducting fins or plates, said plates comprising first and second surfaces respectively facing the surfaces of adjacent plates in the stack, said plates being spaced apart to provide air passageways through the desiccant bed between the plates, said plates comprising tube or circulating channel means for circulating heat transfer liquid in heat exchange relationship with said plates for removing or adding heat;
• a layer of bonding adhesive formed on the surfaces of the respective plates;
• a layer of granular desiccant material intimately bonded to the surfaces of the respective plates by said layer of bonding adhesive, said granular desiccant material comprising substantially spherical silica gel granules in the granular size range of approximately 1/32 to 1/4 inch (0.08 to 0.65 cm) in diameter, a major portion of the desiccant material granules being exposed for contacting air passing between said plates;
• and
• moisturizing means operatively positioned upstream from the desiccant bed in the adsorb cycle air flow for moisturizing and cooling said air to be conditioned to substantially 100% relative humidity for enhanced and more efficient utilization of the desiccant bed in conditioning and cooling the air.

In a desiccant air conditioning system having a desiccant structure, adsorb cycle means for passing adsorb air to be conditioned through the desiccant structure for drying said air for evaporative cooling, desorb cycle means for reactivating the desiccant structure using desorb air heat energy such as solar energy, the improvement comprising:

• a desiccant bed comprising a stack of substantially parallel thermally conducting fins or plates, said plates comprising first and second surfaces respectively facing the surfaces of adjacent plates in the stack, said plates being spaced apart to provide air passageways through the desiccant bed between the plates, said plates comprising tube or circulating channel means for circulating heat transfer liquid in heat exchange relationship with said plates for removing or adding heat;
• a layer of bonding adhesive formed on the surfaces of said plates;
• a layer of granular desiccant material intimately bonded to the surfaces of the respective plates by said layer of bonding adhesive, a major portion of the desiccant material granules being exposed for contacting air passing between said plates;
• desiccant bed circulating means for circulating heat transfer liquid in said channel means for removing heat from the desiccant bed during an adsorb cycle and for adding heat to the desiccant bed during a desorb cycle;
• said desiccant bed comprising respective first and second ends for receiving or discharging air, and further comprising adsorb air passageway means communicaitng with the first and second ends of the desiccant bed and a first set of first and second louvers operatively positioned in the adsorb air passageway respectively adjacent to the ends of the desiccant bed, desorb air passageway means operatively communicating with the respective ends of the desiccant bed and a second set of first and second louvers operatively positioned in the desorb air passageway adjacent to the ends of the desiccant bed, and fan means operatively positioned at the adsorb cycle downstream end of the desiccant bed for drawing air through the adsorb air passageway and the desiccant bed during the adsorb cycle, said first set of louvers being operatively positioned in the desorb air passageway for closing the blocking air flow in the desorb air passageway during the adsorb cycle, said fan means being reversible for blowing air through the desiccant bed and desorb air passageway during the desorb cycle;
• said first set of louvers being operatively positioned in the absorb air passageway for closing during the desorb cycle said second set of louvers being operatively positioned in the desorb air passageway for opening during the desorb cycle.

In a desiccant air conditioning system having a desiccant structure, adsorb cycle means for passing adsorb air to be conditioned through the desiccant structure for drying said air for evaporative cooling during an adsorb cycle, desorb cycle means for reactivating the desiccant structure using desorb air during a desorb cycle, the improvement comprising:

• a desiccant bed comprising a stack of substantially parallel heat conducting fins or plates, said plates comprising first and second heat conducting surfaces respectively facing the surfaces of adjacent plates in the stack, said plates being spaced apart to provide air passageways through the desiccant bed between the plates, said plates comprising tube or circulating channel means for circulating heat transfer liquid in heat exchange relationship with said plates for removing or adding heat;
• a layer of bonding adhesive formed on the heat conducting surfaces of said plates;
• a layer of granular desiccant material intimately bonded to the heat conducting surfaces of the respective plates by said layer of bonding adhesive, said granular desiccant material comprising porous desiccant material granules in the granular size range of 1/32 to 1/4 inch (0.08 to 0.65 cm) in diameter, a major portion of the desiccant material granules being exposed for contacting air passing between said plates;
• fan means positioned at the adsorb cycle downstream end of the desiccant bed for drawing rather than blowing an adsorb air flow through the desiccant bed during the adsorb cycle, said fan means being reversible for blowing a desorb air flow through the desiccant bed during the desorb cycle;
• said adsorb cycle means comprising moisturizing means operatively positioned upstream from the desiccant bed in the adsorb air flow for moisturizing and cooling said air to be conditioned to substantially 100% relative humidity before entering the air passageways through the desiccant bed for enhanced and more efficient utilization of the desiccant bed in conditioning and cooling the air.

An improved desiccant air conditioning systems comprising:

• a desiccant bed comprising at least one stack of substantially parallel thermally conducting fins or plates, said plates comprising first and second surfaces respectively facing the surfaces of adjacent plates in the stack, said plates being spaced apart to provide air passageways through the desiccant bed between the plates, said plates comprising tube or ciruclating channel means for circulating heat transfer liquid in heat exchange relationship with said plates for removing or adding heat;
• a layer of bonding adhesive formed on the surfaces of the respective plates;
• and a layer of granular desiccant material intimately bonded to the surfaces of the respective plates by said layer of bonding adhesive, said granular desiccant material comprising substantially spherical silica gel granules in the granular size range of approximately 1/32 to 1/4 inch (0.08 to 0.65 cm) in diameter, a major portion of the desiccant material granules being exposed for contacting air passing between said plates;
• and

In a desiccant air conditioning system having a desiccant structure, adsorb cycle means for passing adsorb air to be conditioned through the desiccant structure for drying said air for evaporative cooling during an adsorb cycle, desorb cycle means for reactivating the desiccant structure using desorb air during a desorb cycle, the improvement comprising:

• a desiccant bed comprising a stack of substantially parallel heat conducting fins or plates, said plates comprising first and second heat conducting surfaces respectively facing the surfaces of adjacent plates in the stack, said plates being spaced apart to provide air passageways through the desiccant bed between the plates, said plates comprising tube or circulating channel means for circulating heat transfer liquid in heat exchange relationship with said plates for removing or adding heat;
• a layer of bonding adhesive formed on the heat conducting surfaces of said plates;
• a layer of granular desiccant material intimately bonded to the heat conducting surfaces of the respective plates by said layer of bonding adhesive, said granular desiccant material comprising porous desiccant material granules in the granular size range of 1/32 to 1/4 inch (0.08 to 0.65 cm) in diameter, a major portion of the desiccant material granules being exposed for contacting air passing between said plates;
• and
• fan means positioned at the adsorb cycle downstream end of the desiccant bed for drawing rather than blowing an adsorb air flow through the desiccant bed during the adsorb cycle, said fan means being reversible for blowing a desorb air flow through the desiccant bed during the desorb cycle.

A method for conditioning air using a desiccant air conditioning system comprising:

• providing a desiccant bed comprising desiccant material surfaces defining air passsageways, and heat transfer liquid circulating channels in heat exchange relationship with the desiccant bed, said desiccant material surfaces comprising parallel plates having heat conducting surfaces and porous desiccant material granules in the granular size range of approximately 1/32 to 1/4 inch (0.08 to 0.65 cm) in diameter, intimately bonded to the heat conducting surfaces by an adhesive bonding layer, with the major portion of said granules being exposed for contacting air in the air passageways;
• passing air containing moisture to be absorbed through the air passageways of the desiccant bed during an adsorption cycle;
• passing coolant liquid through the circulating channels for removing heat energy from the desiccant bed during the adsorption cycle;
• passing heated air through the air passages of the desiccant bed for removing moisture adsorbed on the desiccant material surface thereby recharging the desiccant material during a desorption cycle;
• and passing heating liquid through the circulating channels for transferring heat energy to the desiccant bed during the desorption cycle.