Heat/cooling system and apparatus

A heating/cooling apparatus to supply heated and cooled forced air to a building space having a duct to direct forced air into the space, the apparatus comprising in combination:

• a blower unit comprised of an electric motor having an output shaft coupled to an impeller, said shaft and impeller being rotatable about a common axis to generate forced airflow, said impeller having an axial air intake bore therein and a first duct structure which surrounds the unit to define an upstream input end at the impeller and a downstream output end at the motor, the axis of the shaft and impeller being aligned longitudinally of the first duct structure and the relative size of the impeller and the first duct structure being such as to define a clearance space between the periphery of the impeller and wall portions of the duct structure surrounding the impeller;
• baffle means within the first duct structure in close proximity to the upstream end of the impeller extending transversely of the duct and closing off the clearance space around the periphery of the impeller from the portion of the first duct means which lies upstream from the impeller, said baffle means having a bore therethrough and adjustment means for shifting the bore of the baffle means to a position in substantially axial alignment with the air intake bore of the impeller means;
• said impeller being adapted to receive air axially through its intake bore and expel the air radially outwardly around the entire periphery thereof into the clearance space surrounding the impeller where it is forced by the baffle means to flow in a longitudinal direction in the duct away from the baffle means;
• a heat exchanger unit comprised of a heat transfer assembly adapted to pass a heat transfer fluid through it, and a second duct structure which surrounds the unit to define an upstream input end and a downstream output end, the upstream input end of the second duct structure connected to the downstream output end of the first duct structure of the blower unit such as to define a single continuous duct from the upstream input end of the blower unit to the downstream output end of the heat exchanger unit;
• said apparatus being of such size and configuration as to facilitate positioning and mounting it in close proximity to the building space and connectable to the building duct which directs forced airflow into the building space.

A heating/cooling system for a building to supply forced air to an interior space of the building having at least one air supply duct in communication with the building space, the system comprising:

• an elongated air treatment duct located between parallel frame members of the building having a downstream output end in communication with the air supply duct;
• a heat exchanger unit mounted within the air treatment duct;
• liquid supply means providing a flow of liquid a controlled temperature through the heat exchanger unit;
• impeller means rotatable about an axis in longitudinal alignment with the air treatment duct to cause air to flow through the air treatment duct past the heat exchanger unit and into the air supply duct, said impeller means having one end facing upstream in the air treatment duct and the other end facing downstream, and having an axial air intake bore at its upstream facing end, the entire periphery of the impeller means defining a clearance space between the impeller and adjacent wall surfaces of the air treatment duct surrounding the impeller;
• drive means rotating the impeller means to cause air to be drawn into its air intake bore and expelled radially outwardly into the clearance space around the entire entire impeller means;
• baffle means extending transverselly across the interior of the air treatment duct in close proximity to the upstream end of the impeller means, said baffle means having a bore therethrough and adjustment means for shifting the bore of the baffle means to a position in substantially axial alignment with the air intake bore of the impeller means, said baffle means closing off the clearance space in the air treatment duct radially outwardly from the periphery of the impeller means to permit air flow from the impeller to travel only in a downstream direction in the air treatment duct;
• and
• access means in the air treatment duct for servicing the heat exchanger unit and the impeller means.