Air conditioning apparatus

Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of air outlets each of which is operable to deliver air to a space to be conditioned, means for dehumidifying outside air or a mixture of outside air and return air, said dehumidifying means including a dehumidifying coil, means for causing air to be dehumidified to flow in heat transfer relationship with said coil, refrigeration apparatus, and means for transferring heat from said coil to said refrigeration apparatus, means for circulating dehumidified air to said air outlets at a rate per unit of area in the spaces served by said air outlets which varies between a predetermined minimum rate greater than zero and a maximum rate, the maximum rate being substantially less than that which would be required to maintain the design temperature in each of the spaces at the maximum design cooling load with air supplied to the spaces at a dry bulb temperature of 55.degree. F., means operable to control its moisture content and temperature so that the dehumidified air is incapable, at the rate at which it is required for humidity control, of maintaining the desired space temperature at the maximum design cooling load, means operable to control the rate at which dehumidified air is delivered by said air outlets to the spaces they serve to ones not less than the predetermined minimum rate and higher than that minimum when required to maintain a monitored condition of the space within control limits.

Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of air outlets each of which is operable to deliver air to a space to be conditioned, means including refrigeration apparatus operable to pump heat to a heat sink, means for dehumidifying outside air or a mixture of outside air and return air, said dehumidifying means including a coil, means for causing air to be dehumidified to flow in heat transfer relationship with said coil to produce dehumidified cold air by cooling the air to condense water vapor therefrom, and means for circulating a low temperature heat transfer fluid through said coil, said refrigeration apparatus being operatively connected with said circulating means to pump heat from the heat transfer fluid to the heat sink, means for circulating dehumidified air to said air outlets at a rate per unit of area in the spaces served by said air outlets which varies between a predetermined minimum rate greater than zero and a maximum rate, the maximum rate being substantially less than that which would be required to maintain the design temperature in each of the spaces at the maximum design cooling load with air supplied to the space at a dry bulb temperature of 55.degree. F., means operable to control the rates at which dehumidified air is delivered by said air outlets to the spaces they serve to ones not less than the predetermined minimum rate and means for controlling the temperature of the air delivered by said air outlets to maintain the temperature of the spaces within control limits.

Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of air outlets each of which is operable to deliver air to a space to be conditioned, means including refrigeration apparatus operable to make ice by pumping heat from water to a heat sink and to store such ice, means for dehumidifying air, said dehumidifying means including cooling means, a dehumidifying and cooling coil, heating means, means for circulating a low temperature heat transfer fluid through said hehumidifying and cooling coil, said circulating means including means for transferring heat from the heat transfer fluid to ice made and stored by said means operable to make and store ice, and means for causing outside air to flow in heat transfer relationship with said cooling means, with said dehumidifying and cooling coil, and with said heating means to produce cooled air by heat transfer to said cooling means, dehumidified cold air by heat transfer to said dehumidifying and cooling coil, whereby the air is cooled and water vapor is condensed therefrom, and heated dehumidified air by heat transfer from said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means operatively connecting said cooling means and said heating means so that heat transferred from the outside air by said cooling means is transferred by said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means for circulating heated dehumidified air to each of said air outlets at a rate sufficient to provide ventilation and to maintain the humidity of the space served by each within control limits, means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air after it flows in heat transfer relationship with said heating means and before it is delivered to the space, means for sensing space temperature, and means responsive to said last-named means, and operable to control said means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air to maintain the sensed space temperature within control limits.

Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of air outlets each of which is operable to deliver air to a space to be conditioned, means operatively associated with each of said air outlets, and operable to control the rate at which air circulated thereto is delivered to the space served, means including refrigeration apparatus operable to make ice by pumping heat from water to a heat sink and to store such ice, means for dehumidifying air, said dehumidifying means including cooling means, a dehumidifying and cooling coil, heating means, means for circulating a low temperature heat transfer fluid through said dehumidifying and cooling coil, said circulating means including means for transferring heat from the heat transfer fluid to ice made and stored by said means operable to make and store ice, and means for causing outside air to flow in heat transfer relationship with said cooling means, with said dehumidifying and cooling coil, and with said heating means to produce cooled air by heat transfer to said cooling means, dehumidified cold air by heat transfer to said dehumidifying and cooling coil, whereby the air is cooled and water vapor is condensed therefrom, and heated dehumidified air by heat transfer from said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means operatively connecting said cooling means and said heating means so that heat transferred from the outside air by said cooling means is transferred by said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means for circulating heated dehumidified air to each of said air outlets at a rate sufficient to provide ventilation and to maintain the humidity of the space served by each within control limits, means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air after it flows in heat transfer relationship with said heating means and before it is delivered to the space, means for determining a temperature at which the heated dehumidified air is capable of maintaining a control temperature in each of the spaces served by a plurality of said air outlets, means responsive to said last-named means, and operable to control said means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air to maintain the temperature to which the heated dehumidified air is heated thereby to one at to which the heated dehumidified air is capable of maintaining a control temperature in each of the spaces served by said plurality of air outlets, and means operable to sense the temperature of each of the spaces served and to control the rate at which heated dehumidified air is delivered to each to maintain space temperature within control limits.

Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of air outlets each of which is operable to deliver air to a space to be conditioned, means operatively associated with each of said air outlets, and operable to control the rate at which air circulated thereto is delivered to the space served, means including refrigeration apparatus operable to make ice by pumping heat from water to a heat sink and to store such ice, means for dehumidifying air, said dehumidifying means including cooling means, a dehumidifying and cooling coil, heating means, means for circulating a low temperature heat transfer fluid through said dehumidifying and cooling coil, said circulating means including means for transferring heat from the heat transfer fluid to ice made and stored by said means operable to make and store ice, and means for causing return air to flow in heat transfer relationship with said cooling means, with said dehumidifying and cooling coil, and with said heating means to produce cooled air by heat transfer to said cooling means, dehumidified cold air by heat transfer to said dehumidifying and cooling coil, whereby the air is cooled and water vapor is condensed therefrom, and heated dehumidified air by heat transfer from said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means operatively connecting said cooling means and said heating means so that heat transferred from the return air by said cooling means is transferred by said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means for circulating heated dehumidified air to each of said air outlets at a rate sufficient to provide ventilation and to maintain the humidity of the space served by each within control limits, means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air after it flows in heat transfer relationship with said heating means and before it is delivered to the space, means for determining a temperature at which the heated dehumidified air is capable of maintaining a control temperature in each of the spaces served by a plurality of said air outlets, means responsive to said last-named means, and operable to control said means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air to maintain the temperature to which the heated dehumidified air is heated thereby to one at which the heated dehumidified air is capable of maintaining a control temperature in each of the spaces served by said plurality of air outlets, and means operable to sense the temperature of each of the spaces served and to control the rate at which heated dehumidified air is delivered to each to maintain space temperature within control limits.

Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of air outlets each of which is operable to deliver air to a space to be conditioned, means including refrigeration apparatus operable to make ice by pumping heat from water to a heat sink and to store such ice, means for dehumidifying air, said dehumidifying means including cooling means, a dehumidifying and cooling coil, heating means, means for circulating a low temperature heat transfer fluid through said dehumidifying and cooling coil, said circulating means including means for transferring heat from the heat transfer fluid to ice made and stored by said means operable to make and store ice, and means for causing return air to flow in heat transfer relationship with said cooling means, with said dehumidifying and cooling coil, and with said heating means to produce cooled air by heat transfer to said cooling means, dehumidified cold air by heat transfer to said dehumidifying and cooling coil, whereby the air is cooled and water vapor is condensed therefrom, and heated dehumidified air by heat transfer from said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means operatively connecting said cooling means and said heating means so that heat transferred from the return air by said cooling means is transferred by said heating means to the dehumidified cold air, means for circulating heated dehumidified air to each of said air outlets at a rate sufficient to provide ventilation and to maintain the humidity of the space served by each within control limits, means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air after it flows in heat transfer relationship with said heating means and before it is delivered to the space, means for sensing space temperature, and means responsive to said last-named means, and operable to control said means for adding heat to the heated dehumidified air to maintain the sensed space temperature within control limits.

A method for operating apparatus for conditioning air by transferring therefrom the amount of heat required from time to time to cool the air to a given low temperature, said apparatus comprising a cooling coil, means for causing air to be conditioned to flow in heat transfer relation with the cooling coil and then to a space to be conditioned, an ice storage tank, means for causing a heat transfer fluid to flow from the storage tank to the cooling coil, means operable to transfer a first part of the heat removed from the air being conditioned to at least one heat sink other than ice in the storage tank, and means for returning the heat transfer fluid from the cooling coil to the ice storage tank, said method comprising maintaining the heat transfer fluid flowing from the ice storage tank to the cooling coil at a temperature below the given temperature to which the air being conditioned is cooled, maintaining the temperature at which the first part of the heat removed from the air being conditioned is transferred to the heat sink(s) other than ice higher than the given temperature, and controlling the operation of the ice storage tank so that a second part of the heat transferred from the air being conditioned is transferred from the heat transfer fluid to ice in the storage tank, the first and second parts of the heat transferred equaling the amount of heat transferred from the air being conditioned, whereby a part of the heat removed from the air being conditioned is transferred to at least one heat sink other than ice in the storage tank at a temperature above the given temperature to which conditioned air is cooled, and the rest of such heat is transferred to ice in the storage tank.