Refrigerant coil apparatus and associated condensate drain pan structure

An indoor unit portion of an air conditioning system, said indoor unit portion being operative to receive air from a conditioned indoor space, alter the temperature of the received air, and then discharge the air for return thereof to the conditioned indoor space, said indoor unit portion comprising:

• housing means having an air inlet opening for receiving air returned from the conditioned indoor space, an air outlet opening for discharging air for return to the conditioned indoor space, and an interior flow passage extending between said inlet opening and said outlet opening;
• a modular refrigerant coil assembly operatively disposed within said flow passage between said inlet opening and said outlet opening, said modular refrigerant coil assembly comprising at least three substantially identically sized flat coil modules positioned in an accordion-pleated array having an inlet side collectively defined by side surfaces of said at least three refrigerant coil modules facing in said first direction, each of said at least three coil modules being defined by:
• a single row of parallel, laterally spaced apart refrigerant heat exchange tubes serially interconnected to form a single refrigerant circuit in the coil module, said single refrigerant circuit having an inlet end for receiving refrigerant from a source thereof and an outlet end for discharging the received refrigerant, and
• a longitudinally spaced series of heat exchange fins transversely connected to said heat exchange tubes;
• blower means, positioned in said flow passage, for flowing air externally across said modular refrigerant coil assembly in said first direction,
• said blower means and said refrigerant coil being relatively sized in a manner such that, during operation of said blower means, the coil face velocity of air flowing externally across said refrigerant coil assembly in said first direction is within the approximate range of from about 100 feet/minute to about 200 feet/minute, and the total air pressure drop across said modular refrigerant coil assembly is approximately 0.1" or less;
• a drain pan structure positioned beneath said modular refrigerant coil to receive condensate dripping therefrom during cooling operation thereof;
• first cooperating means formed on said modular refrigerant coil assembly and said drain pan structure for releasably securing said drain pan structure to the underside of said modular refrigerant coil assembly;
• and
• second cooperating means formed on said drain pan structure and said housing means for releasably securing said drain pan structure to said housing means.

An air conditioning unit comprising:

• a housing having an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, a coil portion positioned between said air inlet opening and said air outlet opening, an access opening leading into said coil portion of said housing, and a pair of opposed parallel rail members positioned within said coil portion of said housing adjacent opposite sides of said access opening;
• a refrigerant coil positioned within said coil portion of said housing and including at least two refrigerant coil slabs oriented in an accordion-pleated array;
• a one piece molded plastic condensate drain pan structure positioned beneath said refrigerant coil;
• cooperating interengageable means on said drain pan structure and said refrigerant coil for releasably connecting said drain pan structure to the underside of said refrigerant coil;
• and
• support means carried by said drain pan structure for supporting the connected drain pan structure and refrigerant coil on said rail members,
• said support means being operable to slidably receive and move inwardly along said rail members as the connected drain pan structure and refrigerant coil are moved into said coil portion of said housing through said access opening, and to slide outwardly along and then be released from said rail members as the connected drain pan structure and refrigerant coil are subsequently moved outwardly through said access opening to remove the connected drain pan structure and refrigerant coil from said coil portion of said housing.