AU622217B2

AU622217B2 - Evaporator housing for air-conditioning and heating installation

Info

Publication number: AU622217B2
Application number: AU41520/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Theodorus H.A. Griepink; Luciano M. Pagliaro
Original assignee: LUCIANO M PAGLIARO
Current assignee: LUCIANO M PAGLIARO
Priority date: 1988-09-27
Filing date: 1989-09-18
Publication date: 1992-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 2009-09-18
Also published as: AU4152089A

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE F221o Form Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: r Priority: S Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicants: LUCIANO M. PAGLIARO and THEODORUS H.A. GRIEPINK i rg

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Address of Applicants: both of 3 Cleveland Road Ashwood, Victoria, Australia Actual Inventors: LUCIANO M. PAGLIARO and THEODORUS H.A. GRIEPINK Address for Service: GRIFFITH HACK CO., 601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: EVAPORATOR HOUSING FOR AIR-CONDITIONING AND HEATING INSTALLATION The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- I i_ 2

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EVAPORATOR HOUSING FOR AIR-CONDITIONING AND eC for an air-conditioning and heating installation.

Evaporator housings are used in heating and air-conditioning installations for supplying cool air or heated air to an air-conditioning duct for distribution in a building such as a home and also for receiving air from the building via a return air duct. Evaporator housings often support gas-fired heaters for heating the air when the installation is to be used as a heater. In conventional installations, there is significant difficulties in providing chilling coils for cooling air

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0 6 EVAPORATOR HOUSING FOR AIR-CONDITIONING AND C C 5 HEATING ISTALLATION This invention relates to an evaporator housing for an air-conditioning and heating installation.

Evaporator housings are used in heating and air-conditioning installations for supplying cool air or heated air to an air-conditioning duct for distribution in a building such as a home and also for receiving air from the building via a return air duct. Evaporator housings often support gas-fired heaters for heating the air when the installation is to be used as a heater. In conventional installations, there is significant difficulties in providing chilling coils for cooling air 3 when the installation is to be used to provide cool air.

Often it is necessary to provide a separate housing for the coil or to dig underground to provide space for a coil.

The invention provides an evaporator housing for use with a heater, said heater comprising a housing for containing a heating unit, said housing having a return air inlet and an air outlet so that air can be heated as it passes from the inlet to the outlet when the heating unit is switched on, said evaporator housing comprising; a first chamber having an air supply outlet for connection with a building to supply air to the building, and an evaporator housing inlet for communication with said air outlet of said heater; a second chamber having a building air return inlet for connection with the building for receiving air from the building and a building air return outlet for connection with the return air inlet of the heater; and a cooler, for cooling air, arranged in the first S chamber between the evaporator housing inlet and the air supply outlet; wherein, in use, air is moved through said air S outlet to said evaporator housing inlet, passed said cooler and through said air supply outlet to said building, and wherein the air is heated in said heater if the heater is switched on and cooled by said cooler if the cooler is S switched on, and wherein air from the building enters the building air return inlet into the second chamber and out through the building air return outlet into said heater through the return air inlet in the heater to be either exhausted to atmosphere or recirculated through said air o. utlet in the heater.

Since the invention includes a cooler such as a coil arranged in the first chamber, the installation of the coil and therefore the installation of the entire assembly is made easier and avoids the need to provide separate housings for the coil or to dig beneath the building to provide space for the coil.

I I I _1 A preferred embodiment of the invention will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a heating and cooling installation incorporating an evaporator housing according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a view along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an exploded view of the evaporator housing of Figure 2; Figure 4 shows one embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention; 9

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K* s y- 4 Figure 6 is a view of a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 is a front view of the embodiment of Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the invention.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, the installation comprises a gas-fired heater 10 which is of known structure and therefore will not be further described herein and an evaporator housing 12 which embodies the invention. The evaporator housing 12 includes a first chamber 14 and the second chamber 16.

The first chamber 14 is an air supply chamber and the Ott,: second chamber 16 is an air return chamber. The gas fired heater 10 is adapted to be located on the evaporator housing 12 which has a generally open top as is best seen in Figure 3.

The chamber 14 has an air supply outlet 18 and the chamber 16 has an air return inlet 20. The supply S 20 outlet 18 is adapted to be connected to air-conditioning e conduit to distribute cooled or heated air throughout a building and the return air inlet is adapted to be

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connected by a conduit to a return air chamber and/or a return air inlet arranged in a building.

25 A cooling coil 30 is arranged in the chamber 14 and preferably extends diagonally within the chamber 14 from a top corner of the chamber adjacent the supply outlet 18 to the diagonally opposite bottom corner of the chamber 14. The coil 14 has refrigerant inlet and outlet connections 32 which are coupled to a compressor (not shown) located at a convenient location. The chamber 14 also includes a splash tray 34 and a drain pan 36 for collecting condensation which drips from the coil 14 and for enabling the condensation to be drained from the evaporator housing 12.

5 As best seen in Figure 3, the evaporator housing 12 includes a removable service panel 40 and a starting collar plate 42 which has openings which match the supply outlet 18 and return air inlet In use, air which enters the gas-fired heater through its inlet passes through the open bottom of the gas-fired heater 10 into the chamber 14 through the open top of the chamber 14. The air entering the chamber 14 must therefore pass through the coil 14 in order to leave the supply outlet 18. If the air is required to be cooled, the compressor (not shown) is operated to circulate refrigerant through the coil so that the air passing through the coil is cooled. If the air is t~ ,Iradapted to be heated then the compressor is not actuated r and the heater within the gas-fired heater 10 is actuated to heat the air as it passes through the heater before it arrives in the chamber 14. Air from a building which is returned to the installation through an air return grill (not shown) and/or a return air chamber (not shown) is received by the chamber 16 through the return air inlet and exits the chamber 16 through its open top into the *it gas fired heater 10 for circulation by a fan in the gas fired heater 10, back to the chamber 14 or out to atmosphere.

25 Figures 4 and 5 show two different embodiments tc of the invention which are identical except that they have right-hand discharge outlets and left-hand discharge outlets respectively.

Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of the invention which comprises a back wall 70, a front panel 72 having two square cut-outs 74 and 76 and an intermediate panel 78 which divides the evaporator housing 12 into the supply chamber 14 and return chamber 16. A starting collar plate 80 has outlets 82 and 84 which register with the openings 74 and 76 when the starting plate 80 is coupled to the front panel 72 to C-

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rtr~ i I(~L I £t t f C( 6 form the supply outlet 18 and return air inlet described with reference to the earlier embodiments. The coil 30 is arranged in the chamber 14 generally in the same manner as described above. The coil extends diagonally from the upper corner above the supply outlet down towards the diagonally opposite corner of the chamber 14. As shown in Figure 6 a splash pan 92 extends downwardly from the lower end of the coil to a drain tray 94 arranged in the bottom corner adjacent the supply outlet 18 formed by the openings 74 and 82. The line connections 32 for the coil 30 may be arranged as shown in Figures 5 and 6. However, more preferably the line connections could be arranged centrally of the coil 30 as shown by reference 32' for the reason to be described hereinafter. The evaporator housing 12 includes a removable surface panel 40 and movable rear panel 88.

The rear panel 88 may have a slide 90 for receiving a filter for location in the chamber 16.

The evaporator housing 12 is symmetrical around the intermediate wall 78 and the panels 40 and 88 are removable so that they can be located at either end of the evaporator housing 12 so that, in turn, the coil can be arranged in either of the two chambers to selectively enable either chamber to be the air supply chamber and either chamber to be the air return chamber.

This facilitates use of the evaporator housing for rightor left-hand discharge.

Figure 7 shows a front view of the device of Figure 5 which forms a right-hand discharge model. As shown by the arrows in Figure 7, the air flow through the device is generally in the same direction as the slope of the splash tray 92 and therefore condensation which drips onto the tray 92 will flow down the tray 92 into the drain tray 94. The fact that the water flows generally in the same direction as the air flow means that the r A ii rX Irt i: I 7 condensation flows more easily to the drain tray 94 and does not have to flow against the air flow through the chamber 16.

Figure 8 is identical to the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7 except that it shows a left-hand discharge outlet. Location of the line connection 32' centrally of the coil means that the line connection will be in the same position regardless of whether the coil is arranged for left- or right-handed discharge and therefore the same front panel 40 can be used for either right- or left-handed discharge.

Since modification within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described by way of example hereinabove.

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Claims

4. wherein, in use, air is moved through said air outlet to said evaporator housing inlet, passed said cooler 0 and through said air supply outlet to said building, and wherein the air is heated in said heater if the heater is switched on and cooled by said cooler if the cooler is switched on, and wherein air from the building enters the S building air return inlet into the second chamber and out "Z 5 through the building air return outlet into said heater S through the return air inlet in the heater to be either S. exhausted to atmosphere or recirculated through said air outlet in the heater. SI 2. The evaporator housing of claim 1, wherein the air outlet of the heater and return air inlet of the heater 3 comprises an open bottom of the heater. 3. The evaporator housing of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the evaporator housing outlet and the building air return outlet comprises open tops of the first and second chambers 4 respectively. The housing of claim 1 wherein said cooler is a coil C 9 -9- and a splash tray is arranged below said coil and at an angle 3 to the horizontal for draining water out of said housing. The housing of claim 4 wherein said coil is arranged 2 diagonally in said first chamber.
6. A heater including said evaporator housing according 2 to any one of the preceding claims.
7. An evaporator housing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown 3 in the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS 28TH DAY OF JANUARY 1992 LUCIANO M. PAGLIARO THEODORUS H.A. GRIEPINK By Its Patent Attorneys: GRIFFITH HACK CO. Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia. .o S S 4 0 4 S' ,€S -d 'c J 7