CA1265434A - Oil, or air to oil to air to/air heat exchanger - Google Patents
Oil, or air to oil to air to/air heat exchangerInfo
- Publication number
- CA1265434A CA1265434A CA000488415A CA488415A CA1265434A CA 1265434 A CA1265434 A CA 1265434A CA 000488415 A CA000488415 A CA 000488415A CA 488415 A CA488415 A CA 488415A CA 1265434 A CA1265434 A CA 1265434A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- oil
- air
- stale
- bed
- warm
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F12/00—Use of energy recovery systems in air conditioning, ventilation or screening
- F24F12/001—Use of energy recovery systems in air conditioning, ventilation or screening with heat-exchange between supplied and exhausted air
- F24F12/002—Use of energy recovery systems in air conditioning, ventilation or screening with heat-exchange between supplied and exhausted air using an intermediate heat-transfer fluid
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B30/00—Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]
- Y02B30/56—Heat recovery units
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Heat-Exchange Devices With Radiators And Conduit Assemblies (AREA)
Abstract
AIR TO OIL, OR AIR TO OIL TO AIR HEAD EXCHANGER
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The device consists of a stale air cell and a fresh air cell each containing a non-absorbent packing material bed with moist warm stale air passing upwardly through the bed of the stale air cell to be discharged externally and cold dry fresh air passing upwardly through the bed of the fresh air cell to be discharged into the building in which the device is being used. Oil which is relatively warm flows downwardly through the bed of the fresh air cell giving up heat to the cold dry fresh air passing upwardly therethrough. This now rela-tively cold oil is then transferred to the upper side of the bed of the stale air cell and passes downwardly therethrough picking up heat and moisture from the moist warm stale air passing upwardly through the bed. The warm oil is collected in a reservoir at the base of the device and then pumped upwardly to the upper side of the upper cell. Water which may condense out of the moist warm stale air is collected also in the reservoir and may be discharged externally when required.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The device consists of a stale air cell and a fresh air cell each containing a non-absorbent packing material bed with moist warm stale air passing upwardly through the bed of the stale air cell to be discharged externally and cold dry fresh air passing upwardly through the bed of the fresh air cell to be discharged into the building in which the device is being used. Oil which is relatively warm flows downwardly through the bed of the fresh air cell giving up heat to the cold dry fresh air passing upwardly therethrough. This now rela-tively cold oil is then transferred to the upper side of the bed of the stale air cell and passes downwardly therethrough picking up heat and moisture from the moist warm stale air passing upwardly through the bed. The warm oil is collected in a reservoir at the base of the device and then pumped upwardly to the upper side of the upper cell. Water which may condense out of the moist warm stale air is collected also in the reservoir and may be discharged externally when required.
Description
AIR TO OIL, OR AIR TO OIL TO AIR HEAT EXCHAN~ER
BACKGROUND OF THE INV~NTION
This invention xelates to new and useful i.m-provements in air to oil, or air to oil to air heat ex-changers without the necessity of the construction con-ventionally used in air to air heat exchangers. This construction normally includes a plurality of conduits through which one air stream passes, said conduits being situated in an enclosure which allows a further air stream to pass into the enclosure, over and around the conduits and then to be discharged. Conventionally, warm stale moist air passes through the conduits and is dis-charged externally and cold dry fresh air passes through the enclosure and over the conduits to be discharged within the building, said cold fresh dry air picking up heat from the conduits as i' passes thereover. This structure often uses conduits which consist o~ inter-cellular layers and considerable restriction is en-countered in order to obtain the necessary contact ~0 between the ~wo air streams and the heat exchanging surfaces.
Such constructions are also relatively expen~
sive and suffer from corrosion, freezing and other dis-~S43~
advantages.
SUM~ARY OF THE INVENTIO~
The present invention overcomes all of th~sedisadvantages by providing a two-cell structure including a fresh air cell and a stale air cell, in which, in the stale air cell, cold oil passes downwardly through a pacXing material element picking up heat from warm moist stale air passing upwardly through the packing material element. This warm oil is then pumped to a fresh air cell and pas~es downwardly through a second packing material element and cold dry fresh air passes upwardly through this second element picking up heat from the warm oil to be discharged into the building as required. In other words, when the oil is warmer than the air, it gives up heat energy to the ai.r and when the oil is colder than the air, it takes heat energy from the air.
In accordance with the invention there is pro-vided an air to air heat exchanger and cleaner co:nprising in combination a fresh air cell and a stale air cell, ~ said stale air cell including a warm, stale moist air inlet adjacent the base thereof, a non-absorbent packing material bed in said stale cell spaced above said air inlet defining an oil reservoir between the base of said bed and the base of said cell, a ~ource of cold oil pas-3~
sin~ aownwardly through said bed, said air passing upwardly through said bed and said oil and transferring heat and moisture to said oil, a cool air outlet above said bed, a divider between said upper cell and said lowex cell above said cool air outlet, a further packing material bed in said upper cell spaced above said divi-der, a cool fresh air inlet above said divider and below the lower side of said further bed, a warm fresh air outlet above the upper side of said further bed and means 1~ to pump relatively warm oil from said oil reservoir to ahove the upper side of said further bed, said warm oil passing downwardly through said further hed, said fresh air passing upwardly through said further bed and said oil and transEerring heat from said oil to said fresh air, said source of cold air including means communica-ting between said upper and lower cells to transfer rela-tively cold oil from said upper cell to adjacent the upper side of said bed in said lower cell.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide ~0 an air-to-air heat exchanger and cleaner comprising in combination at least one cell, an oil reservoir in the base thereof, a non-absorbent packing material bed spaced above said oil reservoir, air inlet means adjacent the base between the oil reservoir and the base of the bed, ~ 4 --an air outlet means adjacent the upper side of said bed, means to pump oil from said oil reservoir to the upper end of the bed and an oil distribution manifold at the upper side of said bed operatively connected to said oil reservoir, said oil passing downwardly through said bed, said air passing upwardly through said bed and said oil.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a method of extracting heat and moisture from warm stale moist air and using the heat so extracted to 1~ warm incoming cold fresh dry air consisting of the steps of passing the warm stale moist air upwardly through a first packing material bed, passing relatively cold oil downwardly through said first bed to transfer heat from said warm stale moist air, passing cold fresh dry air upwardly through a second packing material bed situated above said first bed, passing said warmed oil downwardly through said second bed to transfer heat from said oil to said cold fresh dry air and discharging the two air streams independently of one another.
~ A further advantage of the invention is in the event a packing is used which conducts heat, such as brass wool, there is heat transfer between the air and ,. _ the packing material as~well as between the air and the oil. This allows maximum hea~ transfer even if th~! oil , 1.2T65~:314 is not in full contact with the packing material.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a device which is simple in construction, econo-mical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for ~hich it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advan-tages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the inven~ion is herein described by reference 1~ to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the best mode known to the applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE ~RAWINGS
Figure 1 i5 a cross sectional front elevation, partly schematic view of one embodiment of the inven-tion.
Figure 2 is a cross sectional side view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a top plan view of Pigure 1.
Figure 4 is a~cross sectional partially schema-tic side elevation of an alternative embodiment.
Figure 5 is a partially schematic view of a further embodiment.
:
~5~3~
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
-Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail~ reference should first be made to Figures 1, 2 and 3 whi~h shows a substantially vertically situated enclosure 10 having side panels 11, end panels 12, an upper panel 13 and a base panel 14.
A divider 15 spans the enclosure approximately intermediate the upper and lower sides thereof thus de-fining an upper fresh aix cell 16 and a lower stale air cell 17. The lower cell includes a screen 18 spanning the enclosure spaced upwardly from the base thereof thereby defining an oll reservoir 19 and a non-absorbent ~acking material bed 20 is situated upon and above the screen and extends upwardly to a position 21 spaced below the aforementioned divider 15.
A warm stale moist air inlet 22 extends through the casing into the oil reservoir 19 and below the screen 18 and a fan assembly 23, is shown schematically and is operatively connected to the inlet 22 to force the warm stale moist air from the building downwardly into the enclosure and then upwardly through the screen and bed 20 in the stale air cell.
.. ... .. .
The bed 20 may consist of various forms of filterinq material or packing, and as such material is well known, it is not believed necessary to define same further except to state that it should not be soluble in oil or water or absorb same inasmuch as relatively cool oil is passed downwardly through the bed in the stale air cell 17 as the warm moist stale air is passin~ upwardly whereby the oil picks up both moisture and heat both of which are deposited within the reservoir 19 with the 1~ packing assisting in the heat transfer process by distri-buting the oil and retarding the flow. The relatively large surface area of oil caused by flowing over the packing, increases the efficiency considerably. Examples o~ the packing are fine brass`wool, plastic saddles or rings, and the like. The stale dry air which is now relatively cool, passes outwardly through a discharge 24 preferably externally of the building.
The cool oil passes downwardly through a con-duit 25 in the divider 15 and into a multi~branched cold ~0 oil manifold 26 situated just above the element or bed and a plurality of apertures 27 in the manifold distri-butes the cool oil over the upper surface of the bed.
The contra-movement of the cool oil and warm moist air not only tranfers heat from the air to the oil but also, when the moisture reac~es it's dew point, moisture will deposit in the oil giving up latent energy. This mois-ture is then carried to the oil reservoir 19 where the oil ancl water will separate. Any moisture which collects in the base of the reservoir 19 may be discharged through water discharge pipe 38 in a conventional manner. Many dust, smoke, grease and other particles which may be present in the warm, moist, stale air will be trapped by the oil and carried to the reservoir 19 and will sink into the water layer to be discharged therewith. Also, any ice crystals ~hat form in this stale air cell would also be carriea downwardly by the oil where they would melt in the warm air entering at 22. The latent heat of vaporization would not be lost as the moisture in the air would pass from a vapor, to a li~uid, to a solid and back to a liquid.
A further screen 27 spans the casing above the divider 15 in the fresh air cell 16 thus defining a cold fresh dry air manifold 28 connected to a cold fresh dry ~0 air inlet 29 from externally of the building in which the device is situated. This cold fresh dry alr passes up-wardly through a similar non-absorbing packing material bed 30 and outwardly through a warm fresh dry air outlet 31 with a fan assembly 32 being shown schematically for ~2~i5~34 drawing the air through the inlet 29, and upwardly through the bed to be discharged through the outlet 31.
A conventional oil pump 33 is provided with an lnlet 34 extending into the oil reservoir 19 and picks up relatively warm oil from this reservoir in the stale air cell, and pumps it upwardly through conduit 35 and dis-charges same into a multi-branched warm oil header or manifold 36 situated at the upper end of the element 30 in the fresh air cell w~ich is spaced downwardly from the upper side 13 of the enclosure thus defining the warm fresh dry air header 37. This warm oil filters downward-ly through the upper element 30 giving up heat to the cold fresh dry air passing upwardly through the filter element thus warming same to be discharged into the building by means of the fan assembly 32. This oil which is now cooler, collects at the base of ~he upper cell 16 and passes downwardly through the conduit 25 into the header or manifold 26 above the lower cell 17 as herein-before described.
. Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment in which a single cell is utilized primarily for cleaning air in commercial :establishments such as kitchens, res-taurants or the like. The warm stale molst ~air enters intake 39 adjacent the base of the:enclosure 40 and : ~ :
.. . . . .
:
passes upwardly through a screen 41 spanning the enclo-sure above the base 42 and upwardly through the non-absorbent packing material bed 43 to the upper manifold 4~ to be discharged back to the building in a relatively cleaned and warmed condition through outlet 45. Oil is pumped via pump 46, with a grease trap or filter, from the reservoir 43 below the screen 41, to a header or manifold 47 which distributes the oil on the upper side of the filter bed 43' in a manner ~imilar to that herein-l~ before described.
The surface of the oil in the reservoir 43'assists in air cleaning as does the air passing upwardly through the filter element and oil passing downwardly therethrough.
The embodiment shown in Figure 5 operates in a manner similar to that described relative to Figures l, 2 and 3 except that the two cells are separated from one another and are either relatively close together or, may be xemote from one another, depending upon design and ~0 circumstances. This embodiment also consists of a stale air cell 48 and a fresh air cell 4g each enclosed in a casing 50 and 51 respectivelyO
The stale air cell is provided with a non-absorbent packing material bed 50 held spaced above the "''' ~2~5~3~
base 53 to form a reservoir 54 with a water outlet 55.
Above the reservoir and below the bed 52, is a warm, moist, stale air inlet 56 leading from the building in which the device is situated. Above the bed 52 is a cold stale air discharge 57 and a cool oil distribution header or manifold 58 all of which operate as hereinbefore des-cribed.
A fresh air cell 49 is similar in construction and includes a similar non-absorbent packing material bed 59 spaced above the base 60 to form an oil reservoir 61, it being understood thatj when the two cells are separ-ate, the fresh air cell also requires àn oil reservoir.
Above the reservoir 61 and below the bed 59 is a cold, dry, fresh air inlet 62 extending externally of the buil-ding to draw fresh air therein. Above the bed 59 is a warm dry air outlet 63 connected to the interior of the building. Fans (not illustrated) similar to fans 23 and 3~ may be provided to the cells 48 and 49 respectively.
An oil pump 64 transfers cool oil via a conduit ~0 65, from the reservoir 61 in the fresh air cell 49, to the oil manifold 58 in the stale air cell 48.
A similar pump 66 transfers warm oil via a conduit 67, from the reservoir 54 in the stale air cell 48, to a distribution manifold 68 situated above the bed ~S~3L~, 59 in the fresh air cell 49, it being understood that this distribution manifold 68 is similar to the manifold 58.
Although it is desirable that the two cells 48 and 49 be relatively close together, they may be remotely situated providing the cold oil line 65 is insulated.
As previously mentioned, the operation of this embodiment is similar to that hereinbefore described with the exception that oil from the reservoir 61 in the fresh air cell is pumped to the upper end of the stale air cell 48.
All of the embodiments have a cleaning affect on the air by trapping particles as they meet the oil, said particles being carried downwardly by the oil so that no clogging or loss of efficiency occurs.
Although the use of the packing beds is desir-able, under certain circumstances these may be dispensed with and the oil ejected at the upper ends of the cells in the form of a spray, with the air moving upwardly ~0 therethrough.
Possible other applications than heat exchan-gers include the possibility of heat recovery from stoves, the use as air cleaners in kitchens, restaurants, homes and the l,ke and cooling devlces for buildings when - - - - - . .. . ... .... ..
~5~34 coupled with a source of oil cooliny such as well water or the like.
Advantages of the unit include a much greater potential for efficiency particularly due to the fact that the packing beds are continuously cleaned by the oil passing therethrough.
Frosting up of the unit is no longer a limiting factor as the crystals are moved downwardly by the oil and melted so that the unit does not need to be fitted with frost controlled devices or methods.
The units make better use of the latent heat of vaporization of the exhaust air and can be operated with kitchen exhausts or farm building exhausts, as the grease particles in the air will not cling to the heat exchange surface thereby reducing efficiency.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from ~0 such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
BACKGROUND OF THE INV~NTION
This invention xelates to new and useful i.m-provements in air to oil, or air to oil to air heat ex-changers without the necessity of the construction con-ventionally used in air to air heat exchangers. This construction normally includes a plurality of conduits through which one air stream passes, said conduits being situated in an enclosure which allows a further air stream to pass into the enclosure, over and around the conduits and then to be discharged. Conventionally, warm stale moist air passes through the conduits and is dis-charged externally and cold dry fresh air passes through the enclosure and over the conduits to be discharged within the building, said cold fresh dry air picking up heat from the conduits as i' passes thereover. This structure often uses conduits which consist o~ inter-cellular layers and considerable restriction is en-countered in order to obtain the necessary contact ~0 between the ~wo air streams and the heat exchanging surfaces.
Such constructions are also relatively expen~
sive and suffer from corrosion, freezing and other dis-~S43~
advantages.
SUM~ARY OF THE INVENTIO~
The present invention overcomes all of th~sedisadvantages by providing a two-cell structure including a fresh air cell and a stale air cell, in which, in the stale air cell, cold oil passes downwardly through a pacXing material element picking up heat from warm moist stale air passing upwardly through the packing material element. This warm oil is then pumped to a fresh air cell and pas~es downwardly through a second packing material element and cold dry fresh air passes upwardly through this second element picking up heat from the warm oil to be discharged into the building as required. In other words, when the oil is warmer than the air, it gives up heat energy to the ai.r and when the oil is colder than the air, it takes heat energy from the air.
In accordance with the invention there is pro-vided an air to air heat exchanger and cleaner co:nprising in combination a fresh air cell and a stale air cell, ~ said stale air cell including a warm, stale moist air inlet adjacent the base thereof, a non-absorbent packing material bed in said stale cell spaced above said air inlet defining an oil reservoir between the base of said bed and the base of said cell, a ~ource of cold oil pas-3~
sin~ aownwardly through said bed, said air passing upwardly through said bed and said oil and transferring heat and moisture to said oil, a cool air outlet above said bed, a divider between said upper cell and said lowex cell above said cool air outlet, a further packing material bed in said upper cell spaced above said divi-der, a cool fresh air inlet above said divider and below the lower side of said further bed, a warm fresh air outlet above the upper side of said further bed and means 1~ to pump relatively warm oil from said oil reservoir to ahove the upper side of said further bed, said warm oil passing downwardly through said further hed, said fresh air passing upwardly through said further bed and said oil and transEerring heat from said oil to said fresh air, said source of cold air including means communica-ting between said upper and lower cells to transfer rela-tively cold oil from said upper cell to adjacent the upper side of said bed in said lower cell.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide ~0 an air-to-air heat exchanger and cleaner comprising in combination at least one cell, an oil reservoir in the base thereof, a non-absorbent packing material bed spaced above said oil reservoir, air inlet means adjacent the base between the oil reservoir and the base of the bed, ~ 4 --an air outlet means adjacent the upper side of said bed, means to pump oil from said oil reservoir to the upper end of the bed and an oil distribution manifold at the upper side of said bed operatively connected to said oil reservoir, said oil passing downwardly through said bed, said air passing upwardly through said bed and said oil.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a method of extracting heat and moisture from warm stale moist air and using the heat so extracted to 1~ warm incoming cold fresh dry air consisting of the steps of passing the warm stale moist air upwardly through a first packing material bed, passing relatively cold oil downwardly through said first bed to transfer heat from said warm stale moist air, passing cold fresh dry air upwardly through a second packing material bed situated above said first bed, passing said warmed oil downwardly through said second bed to transfer heat from said oil to said cold fresh dry air and discharging the two air streams independently of one another.
~ A further advantage of the invention is in the event a packing is used which conducts heat, such as brass wool, there is heat transfer between the air and ,. _ the packing material as~well as between the air and the oil. This allows maximum hea~ transfer even if th~! oil , 1.2T65~:314 is not in full contact with the packing material.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a device which is simple in construction, econo-mical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for ~hich it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advan-tages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the inven~ion is herein described by reference 1~ to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the best mode known to the applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE ~RAWINGS
Figure 1 i5 a cross sectional front elevation, partly schematic view of one embodiment of the inven-tion.
Figure 2 is a cross sectional side view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a top plan view of Pigure 1.
Figure 4 is a~cross sectional partially schema-tic side elevation of an alternative embodiment.
Figure 5 is a partially schematic view of a further embodiment.
:
~5~3~
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
-Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail~ reference should first be made to Figures 1, 2 and 3 whi~h shows a substantially vertically situated enclosure 10 having side panels 11, end panels 12, an upper panel 13 and a base panel 14.
A divider 15 spans the enclosure approximately intermediate the upper and lower sides thereof thus de-fining an upper fresh aix cell 16 and a lower stale air cell 17. The lower cell includes a screen 18 spanning the enclosure spaced upwardly from the base thereof thereby defining an oll reservoir 19 and a non-absorbent ~acking material bed 20 is situated upon and above the screen and extends upwardly to a position 21 spaced below the aforementioned divider 15.
A warm stale moist air inlet 22 extends through the casing into the oil reservoir 19 and below the screen 18 and a fan assembly 23, is shown schematically and is operatively connected to the inlet 22 to force the warm stale moist air from the building downwardly into the enclosure and then upwardly through the screen and bed 20 in the stale air cell.
.. ... .. .
The bed 20 may consist of various forms of filterinq material or packing, and as such material is well known, it is not believed necessary to define same further except to state that it should not be soluble in oil or water or absorb same inasmuch as relatively cool oil is passed downwardly through the bed in the stale air cell 17 as the warm moist stale air is passin~ upwardly whereby the oil picks up both moisture and heat both of which are deposited within the reservoir 19 with the 1~ packing assisting in the heat transfer process by distri-buting the oil and retarding the flow. The relatively large surface area of oil caused by flowing over the packing, increases the efficiency considerably. Examples o~ the packing are fine brass`wool, plastic saddles or rings, and the like. The stale dry air which is now relatively cool, passes outwardly through a discharge 24 preferably externally of the building.
The cool oil passes downwardly through a con-duit 25 in the divider 15 and into a multi~branched cold ~0 oil manifold 26 situated just above the element or bed and a plurality of apertures 27 in the manifold distri-butes the cool oil over the upper surface of the bed.
The contra-movement of the cool oil and warm moist air not only tranfers heat from the air to the oil but also, when the moisture reac~es it's dew point, moisture will deposit in the oil giving up latent energy. This mois-ture is then carried to the oil reservoir 19 where the oil ancl water will separate. Any moisture which collects in the base of the reservoir 19 may be discharged through water discharge pipe 38 in a conventional manner. Many dust, smoke, grease and other particles which may be present in the warm, moist, stale air will be trapped by the oil and carried to the reservoir 19 and will sink into the water layer to be discharged therewith. Also, any ice crystals ~hat form in this stale air cell would also be carriea downwardly by the oil where they would melt in the warm air entering at 22. The latent heat of vaporization would not be lost as the moisture in the air would pass from a vapor, to a li~uid, to a solid and back to a liquid.
A further screen 27 spans the casing above the divider 15 in the fresh air cell 16 thus defining a cold fresh dry air manifold 28 connected to a cold fresh dry ~0 air inlet 29 from externally of the building in which the device is situated. This cold fresh dry alr passes up-wardly through a similar non-absorbing packing material bed 30 and outwardly through a warm fresh dry air outlet 31 with a fan assembly 32 being shown schematically for ~2~i5~34 drawing the air through the inlet 29, and upwardly through the bed to be discharged through the outlet 31.
A conventional oil pump 33 is provided with an lnlet 34 extending into the oil reservoir 19 and picks up relatively warm oil from this reservoir in the stale air cell, and pumps it upwardly through conduit 35 and dis-charges same into a multi-branched warm oil header or manifold 36 situated at the upper end of the element 30 in the fresh air cell w~ich is spaced downwardly from the upper side 13 of the enclosure thus defining the warm fresh dry air header 37. This warm oil filters downward-ly through the upper element 30 giving up heat to the cold fresh dry air passing upwardly through the filter element thus warming same to be discharged into the building by means of the fan assembly 32. This oil which is now cooler, collects at the base of ~he upper cell 16 and passes downwardly through the conduit 25 into the header or manifold 26 above the lower cell 17 as herein-before described.
. Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment in which a single cell is utilized primarily for cleaning air in commercial :establishments such as kitchens, res-taurants or the like. The warm stale molst ~air enters intake 39 adjacent the base of the:enclosure 40 and : ~ :
.. . . . .
:
passes upwardly through a screen 41 spanning the enclo-sure above the base 42 and upwardly through the non-absorbent packing material bed 43 to the upper manifold 4~ to be discharged back to the building in a relatively cleaned and warmed condition through outlet 45. Oil is pumped via pump 46, with a grease trap or filter, from the reservoir 43 below the screen 41, to a header or manifold 47 which distributes the oil on the upper side of the filter bed 43' in a manner ~imilar to that herein-l~ before described.
The surface of the oil in the reservoir 43'assists in air cleaning as does the air passing upwardly through the filter element and oil passing downwardly therethrough.
The embodiment shown in Figure 5 operates in a manner similar to that described relative to Figures l, 2 and 3 except that the two cells are separated from one another and are either relatively close together or, may be xemote from one another, depending upon design and ~0 circumstances. This embodiment also consists of a stale air cell 48 and a fresh air cell 4g each enclosed in a casing 50 and 51 respectivelyO
The stale air cell is provided with a non-absorbent packing material bed 50 held spaced above the "''' ~2~5~3~
base 53 to form a reservoir 54 with a water outlet 55.
Above the reservoir and below the bed 52, is a warm, moist, stale air inlet 56 leading from the building in which the device is situated. Above the bed 52 is a cold stale air discharge 57 and a cool oil distribution header or manifold 58 all of which operate as hereinbefore des-cribed.
A fresh air cell 49 is similar in construction and includes a similar non-absorbent packing material bed 59 spaced above the base 60 to form an oil reservoir 61, it being understood thatj when the two cells are separ-ate, the fresh air cell also requires àn oil reservoir.
Above the reservoir 61 and below the bed 59 is a cold, dry, fresh air inlet 62 extending externally of the buil-ding to draw fresh air therein. Above the bed 59 is a warm dry air outlet 63 connected to the interior of the building. Fans (not illustrated) similar to fans 23 and 3~ may be provided to the cells 48 and 49 respectively.
An oil pump 64 transfers cool oil via a conduit ~0 65, from the reservoir 61 in the fresh air cell 49, to the oil manifold 58 in the stale air cell 48.
A similar pump 66 transfers warm oil via a conduit 67, from the reservoir 54 in the stale air cell 48, to a distribution manifold 68 situated above the bed ~S~3L~, 59 in the fresh air cell 49, it being understood that this distribution manifold 68 is similar to the manifold 58.
Although it is desirable that the two cells 48 and 49 be relatively close together, they may be remotely situated providing the cold oil line 65 is insulated.
As previously mentioned, the operation of this embodiment is similar to that hereinbefore described with the exception that oil from the reservoir 61 in the fresh air cell is pumped to the upper end of the stale air cell 48.
All of the embodiments have a cleaning affect on the air by trapping particles as they meet the oil, said particles being carried downwardly by the oil so that no clogging or loss of efficiency occurs.
Although the use of the packing beds is desir-able, under certain circumstances these may be dispensed with and the oil ejected at the upper ends of the cells in the form of a spray, with the air moving upwardly ~0 therethrough.
Possible other applications than heat exchan-gers include the possibility of heat recovery from stoves, the use as air cleaners in kitchens, restaurants, homes and the l,ke and cooling devlces for buildings when - - - - - . .. . ... .... ..
~5~34 coupled with a source of oil cooliny such as well water or the like.
Advantages of the unit include a much greater potential for efficiency particularly due to the fact that the packing beds are continuously cleaned by the oil passing therethrough.
Frosting up of the unit is no longer a limiting factor as the crystals are moved downwardly by the oil and melted so that the unit does not need to be fitted with frost controlled devices or methods.
The units make better use of the latent heat of vaporization of the exhaust air and can be operated with kitchen exhausts or farm building exhausts, as the grease particles in the air will not cling to the heat exchange surface thereby reducing efficiency.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from ~0 such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
(1) An air to oil to air heat exchanger comprising in combination an enclosure, a divider spanning said enclosure, a fresh air cell in said enclosure above said divider and a stale air cell in the lower portion of said enclosure below said divider, said stale air cell including a warm, stale, moist air inlet adjacent the base thereof, and a cool, stale air outlet adjacent the upper side thereof, a non-absorbent packing material bed in said stale air cell spaced above said air inlet defining an oil reservoir between the base of said bed and the base of said cell, a source of cold oil passing downwardly through said bed, said air passing upwardly through said bed and said oil and transferring heat and moisture to said oil, and discharging through said cool, stale air outlet above said bed, said fresh air cell including a cold, fresh, air inlet adjacent the base thereof and a warm, fresh air outlet adjacent the upper side thereof, a further non-absorbent packing material bed in said fresh air cell spaced above said cool, fresh air inlet defining an oil reservoir between the base of said further bed, and said divider, an oil conduit extending through said divider and communicating between the oil reservoir of said fresh air cell and above the packing material bed of said stale air cell and means to transfer said relatively warm oil from said oil reservoir in said stale air cell, to above the upper side of said further packing material bed, said warm oil passing by gravity downwardly through said further bed and into said oil reservoir of said fresh air cell, into said stale air cell above said packing material bed thereof and constituting said source of cold oil for said stale air cell, said fresh, cold air passing upwardly through said further packing material bed and said oil and transferring heat from said oil to said fresh air.
(2) The heat exchanger according to Claim 1 which includes an inlet fan assembly operatively connected with said warm, stale, moist air inlet.
(3) The exchanger according to Claim 1 which includes an outlet fan assembly operatively connected with said warm fresh, dry air outlet.
(4) The exchanger according to Claim 2 which includes an outlet fan assembly operatively connected with said warm fresh, dry air outlet.
(5) The exchanger according to Claim 1, which includes a screen spanning said stale air cell and a further screen spanning said fresh air lower cell above said warm stale moist air inlet and said cold fresh air inlet respectively, said screens supporting said beds thereabove.
(6) The exchanger according to Claim 5 in which said means to transfer relatively warm oil from said oil reservoir of said stale air cell to said fresh air cell includes an oil pump, an inlet extending into said reservoir of said stale air cell, and a warm oil manifold at the upper side of said further bed in said fresh air cell, the outlet of said oil pump being operatively connected to said warm oil manifold.
(2) The heat exchanger according to Claim 1 which includes an inlet fan assembly operatively connected with said warm, stale, moist air inlet.
(3) The exchanger according to Claim 1 which includes an outlet fan assembly operatively connected with said warm fresh, dry air outlet.
(4) The exchanger according to Claim 2 which includes an outlet fan assembly operatively connected with said warm fresh, dry air outlet.
(5) The exchanger according to Claim 1, which includes a screen spanning said stale air cell and a further screen spanning said fresh air lower cell above said warm stale moist air inlet and said cold fresh air inlet respectively, said screens supporting said beds thereabove.
(6) The exchanger according to Claim 5 in which said means to transfer relatively warm oil from said oil reservoir of said stale air cell to said fresh air cell includes an oil pump, an inlet extending into said reservoir of said stale air cell, and a warm oil manifold at the upper side of said further bed in said fresh air cell, the outlet of said oil pump being operatively connected to said warm oil manifold.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000488415A CA1265434A (en) | 1985-08-09 | 1985-08-09 | Oil, or air to oil to air to/air heat exchanger |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000488415A CA1265434A (en) | 1985-08-09 | 1985-08-09 | Oil, or air to oil to air to/air heat exchanger |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1265434A true CA1265434A (en) | 1990-02-06 |
Family
ID=4131156
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000488415A Expired - Fee Related CA1265434A (en) | 1985-08-09 | 1985-08-09 | Oil, or air to oil to air to/air heat exchanger |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1265434A (en) |
-
1985
- 1985-08-09 CA CA000488415A patent/CA1265434A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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| MKLA | Lapsed |