US 7,082,781 B2Granted

Air conditioning device

AssigneeDaikin Industries, Ltd.

InventorsYoshimasa Kikuchi, Tomohiro Yabu, Akira Kamino

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Abstract

Disclosed is an air conditioning apparatus which is provided with two adsorption elements (81, 82). The air conditioning apparatus repeats in alternation an operation in which the second adsorption element (82) is regenerated and, at the same time, air is dehumidified by the first adsorption element (81), and an operation in which the first adsorption element (81) is regenerated and, at same time, air is dehumidified by the second adsorption element (82). Additionally, the air conditioning apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant circuit performs a refrigeration cycle in which a regenerative heat exchanger (92) operates as a condenser and a first cooling heat exchanger (93) or a second cooling heat exchanger (94) operates as an evaporator. For example, air, which has robbed heat of adsorption in the first adsorption element (81), is further heated by the regenerative heat exchanger (92) and is introduced into the second adsorption element (82). Consequently, the second adsorption element (82) is regenerated.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An air conditioning apparatus which performs either an operating mode in which air taken in is cooled and dehumidified and then supplied indoors or an operating mode in which air taken in is heated and humidified and then supplied indoors, said air conditioning apparatus comprising:

a refrigerant circuit, including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator, for performing a refrigeration cycle,
divisionally formed passageways including one or more humidity adjusting side passageways where flowing air comes into contact with an adsorbent, and one or more cooling side passageways through which air flows for taking heat of adsorption from said one or more humidity adjusting side passageways, and
first and second adsorption elements, collectively in which said one or more humidity adjusting passageways and said one or more cooling side passageways are formed,
wherein said air conditioning apparatus performs:
a dehumidifying operation in which first air is dehumidified by a humidity adjusting side passageway and thereafter is subjected to heat exchange with refrigerant in said evaporator;
and
an adsorbent regenerating operation in which said second air, after passing through a cooling side passageway, is subjected to heat exchange with refrigerant in said condenser and thereafter is introduced into a humidity adjusting side passageway, and
wherein said air conditioning apparatus performs in alternation:
a first operation in which a dehumidifying operation is carried out by causing first air to flow through a humidity adjusting side passageway of said first adsorption element and, concurrently with said dehumidifying operation, a regenerating operation is carried out by causing second air to flow through a humidity adjusting side passageway of said second adsorption element, and
a second operation in which a dehumidifying operation is carried out by causing first air to flow through said humidity adjusting side passageway of said second adsorption element and, concurrently with said dehumidifying operation, a regenerating operation is carried out by causing second air to flow through said humidity adjusting side passageway of said first adsorption element.

7 more elements

An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

first and second adsorption elements, each including:
a humidity adjusting side passageway in which a first air flow comes into contact with an adsorbent, and
a cooling side passageway in which a second air flow absorbs heat of adsorption from the humidity adjusting side passageway,
wherein the first and second adsorption elements are configured to collectively perform the following in alternation:
a first operation in which dehumidification is carried out in the humidity adjusting side passageway of the first adsorption element while adsorbent is concurrently regenerated in the humidity adjusting side passageway of the second adsorption element, and
a second operation in which dehumidification is carried out in the humidity adjusting side passageway of the second adsorption element while adsorbent is concurrently regenerated in the humidity adjusting side passageway of the first adsorption element,
wherein:
during the first operation, the first air flow is directed through the humidity adjusting side passageway of the first adsorption element and, concurrently, the second air flow is directed through the humidity adjusting side passageway of the second adsorption element, and
during the second operation, the first air flow is directed through the humidity adjusting side passageway of the second adsorption element and, concurrently, the second air flow is directed through the humidity adjusting side passageway of the first adsorption element,
wherein:
during the first operation, the second air flow is directed through the cooling side passageway of the first adsorption element and subjected to heating by the heating element before being directed through the humidity adjusting side passageway of the second adsorption element, and
during the second operation, the second air flow is directed through the cooling side passageway of the second adsorption element and subjected to heating by the heating element before being directed through the humidity adjusting side passageway of the first adsorption element,
wherein the heating element is a condenser, which is part of a refrigerant circuit for performing a refrigerant cycle.

10 more elements

An air conditioning apparatus comprising:

humidity adjusting side passageways in which flowing air comes into contact with an adsorbent;
cooling side passageways through which flowing air absorbs heat of adsorption from humidity adjusting side passageways;
a first adsorption element, which includes the first subset of humidity adjusting side passageways and the cooling side passageways;
and
a second adsorption element, which includes the second subset of humidity adjusting side passageways,
wherein said air conditioning apparatus is configured, without rotating the adsorbent, to concurrently perform the following:
dehumidify air in a first subset of humidity adjusting side passageways by passing a first air flow through the first subset of humidity adjusting side passageways, and
regenerate adsorbent in a second subset of humidity adjusting side passageways by passing a second air flow through the second subset of humidity adjusting side passageways, wherein the second air flow is passed through the cooling side passageways and subjected to heat exchange by a condenser before passing through the second subset of humidity adjusting side passageways.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/475,429Filed 18 Jul 2002
Priority: JP 2001-21829118 Jul 2001
Published: US 2004/0129011 A18 Jul 2004
Granted: 1 Aug 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

F24F 3/1423
By absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant: with a moving bed of solid desiccants, e.g. a rotary wheel supporting solid…
F24F 3/1411
By humidification; by dehumidification: by absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant
F24F 3/1429
By absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant: alternatively operating a heat exchanger in an absorbing/adsorbing mode and…
F24F 12/006
With heat-exchange between supplied and exhausted air: using an air-to-air heat exchanger