US20210080128A1 - Passive split heat recovery system - Google Patents

Passive split heat recovery system Download PDF

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Publication number
US20210080128A1
US20210080128A1 US16/572,309 US201916572309A US2021080128A1 US 20210080128 A1 US20210080128 A1 US 20210080128A1 US 201916572309 A US201916572309 A US 201916572309A US 2021080128 A1 US2021080128 A1 US 2021080128A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
heat pipe
heat
pipe assembly
interior
housing
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.)
Abandoned
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US16/572,309
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English (en)
Inventor
Marcus D'Arcy
Onieluan Tamunobere
Jared Smoot
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Heat Pipe Technology Inc
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Mitek Holdings Inc
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Publication date
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Priority to US16/572,309 priority Critical patent/US20210080128A1/en
Assigned to MITEK HOLDINGS, INC. reassignment MITEK HOLDINGS, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: D'ARCY, MARCUS, SMOOT, JARED, TAMUNOBERE, ONIELUAN
Priority to CA3089787A priority patent/CA3089787A1/fr
Publication of US20210080128A1 publication Critical patent/US20210080128A1/en
Assigned to HEAT-PIPE TECHNOLOGY, INC. reassignment HEAT-PIPE TECHNOLOGY, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MITEK HOLDINGS, INC.
Assigned to HEAT-PIPE TECHNOLOGY, INC. reassignment HEAT-PIPE TECHNOLOGY, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MITEK HOLDINGS, INC.
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F3/00—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems
    • F24F3/044—Systems in which all treatment is given in the central station, i.e. all-air systems
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D15/00—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies
    • F28D15/02—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes
    • F28D15/0266—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F3/00—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems
    • F24F3/06—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the arrangements for the supply of heat-exchange fluid for the subsequent treatment of primary air in the room units
    • F24F3/065—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the arrangements for the supply of heat-exchange fluid for the subsequent treatment of primary air in the room units with a plurality of evaporators or condensers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D1/00—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators
    • F28D1/02—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators with heat-exchange conduits immersed in the body of fluid
    • F28D1/0233—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators with heat-exchange conduits immersed in the body of fluid with air flow channels
    • F28D1/024—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, in which the other heat-exchange medium is a large body of fluid, e.g. domestic or motor car radiators with heat-exchange conduits immersed in the body of fluid with air flow channels with an air driving element
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D15/00—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies
    • F28D15/02—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes
    • F28D15/0275—Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores
    • 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
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28B—STEAM OR VAPOUR CONDENSERS
    • F28B1/00—Condensers in which the steam or vapour is separate from the cooling medium by walls, e.g. surface condenser
    • F28B1/06—Condensers in which the steam or vapour is separate from the cooling medium by walls, e.g. surface condenser using air or other gas as the cooling medium
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D21/00—Heat-exchange apparatus not covered by any of the groups F28D1/00 - F28D20/00
    • F28D2021/0019—Other heat exchangers for particular applications; Heat exchange systems not otherwise provided for
    • F28D2021/0068—Other heat exchangers for particular applications; Heat exchange systems not otherwise provided for for refrigerant cycles

Definitions

  • This disclosure generally relates to a split heat recovery system, and more particularly to condenser module for a split heat recovery system.
  • Heat exchangers can be used in climate control systems to transfer heat between warm and cool air streams.
  • a heat exchanger can be used to provide heat recovery between warm and cool air streams flowing through two different ducts (e.g., exhaust and supply) of the system.
  • Split heat recovery systems are used where the two air streams are not in close proximity and therefore a single side-by-side heat exchanger cannot be positioned to encounter both air streams.
  • Passive heat exchangers such as heat pipe systems are not typically controlled in a fine-tuned manner to adjust the amount of heat exchange provided. Rather, when a ventilation system is designed, the passive characteristics of a heat pipe system are chosen to provide the desired amount of heat exchange for a system.
  • Data centers are buildings used to house computer systems. Data centers consume large amounts of power and as a result produce large amounts of heat.
  • heat recovery to cool a data center DC is conventionally accomplished by using a single side-by-side heat exchanger HE that communicates with both the closed loop air stream AS 1 within the data center and the separate outside air stream AS 2 .
  • the outside air stream AS 2 and the closed loop inside air steam AS 1 both pass the heat exchanger HE, either the outside air stream must be brought into the data center DC through ducts extending into the data center, or the closed loop air stream must be brought out of the data center through ducts extending out of the data center.
  • the heat recovery system may also include additional components such as filters F, fan arrays FA, and cooling coils CC to facilitate heat exchange.
  • filters F filters
  • fan arrays FA fan arrays
  • cooling coils CC cooling coils
  • This type of heat recovery system produces installation complications, as special ductwork must be incorporated to facilitate the heat exchange process.
  • data center heat recovery is conventionally performed using common air conditioning systems that use a compressor to compress coolant to be delivered to a condenser in combination with a pump for driving the heat exchange. Heat recovery systems of this type consume large amounts of energy.
  • a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between an inside airstream flowing within an interior of a building structure and an outdoor airstream flowing outside of the interior of the building structure generally comprises a heat pipe system comprising a refrigerant.
  • the heat pipe system including a first heat pipe assembly and a second heat pipe assembly fluidly connected to the first heat pipe assembly such that the refrigerant can flow through the heat pipe system between the first heat pipe assembly and the second heat pipe assembly.
  • the first heat pipe assembly is installed within the interior of the building structure such that heat is transferrable between the first heat pipe assembly and the inside airstream flowing within the interior of the building structure.
  • the second heat pipe assembly is installed outside of the interior of the building structure such that heat is transferrable between the second heat pipe assembly and the outside airstream flowing outside of the interior of the building structure.
  • the heat pipe system is configured such that the inside airstream remains within the interior of the building structure and the outside airstream remains outside of the interior of the building structure.
  • a condenser module for exchanging heat between an outdoor airstream flowing outside of an interior of a building structure generally comprises a housing configured to be mounted on a top of the building structure.
  • a heat pipe assembly is disposed in the housing.
  • the heat pipe assembly is configured for fluid connection to a heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building such that a refrigerant can flow between the heat pipe assembly disposed in the housing and the heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building.
  • the heat pipe assembly disposed in the housing is configured to transfer heat to the outside airstream flowing outside of the interior of the building structure when the heat pipe assembly disposed in the housing is fluidly connected to the heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building.
  • the condenser module is free of any valves, compressors, or pumps for facilitating heat exchange.
  • a condenser module for exchanging heat between an outdoor airstream flowing outside of an interior of a building structure generally comprises a housing configured to be mounted on a top of the building structure.
  • a heat pipe assembly is disposed in the housing.
  • the heat pipe assembly is configured for fluid connection to a heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building such that a refrigerant can flow between the heat pipe assembly disposed in the housing and the heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building.
  • the heat pipe assembly disposed in the housing is configured to transfer heat to the outside airstream flowing outside of the interior of the building structure when the heat pipe assembly disposed in the housing is fluidly connected to the heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building.
  • the heat pipe assembly comprises a top header, a bottom header, and a plurality of heat pipes extending vertically to provide fluid communication between the top header and the bottom header.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a prior art heat exchanger for use in a data center
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective of a heat exchanger of the current disclosure for use in a data center
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the heat exchanger of the current disclosure
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a heat pipe system of the heat exchanger
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective of a condenser module of the heat exchanger
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the condenser module
  • FIG. 7 is an end view of the condenser module showing heat pipe coils disposed within the condenser module
  • FIG. 8 is a side view of the condenser module
  • FIG. 9 is a top view of the condenser module
  • FIG. 10 is a perspective of a heat exchanger of another embodiment
  • FIG. 11 is a perspective of a heat exchanger of another embodiment
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a condenser module of another embodiment.
  • FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of the condenser module of FIG. 12 .
  • the heat exchanger 10 comprises a heat pipe system 12 that is generally configured to exchange heat between warm and cool air streams.
  • the heat pipe system 12 generally comprises one or more thermally conductive tubes charged with refrigerant such that the heat pipe system is configured to transfer heat between warm and cool air streams by the refrigerant cyclically changing phase from vapor to liquid and back to vapor.
  • the heat exchanger 10 is generally configured to provide heat recovery within a data center DC ( FIG. 3 ).
  • the heat exchanger 10 is configured to provide heat recovery between an outside airstream OS passing outside of the data center DC, and an inside airstream IS flowing within the data center.
  • the outside air stream OS will comprise a relatively cool airstream and the inside airstream IS will comprise a relatively warm airstream.
  • the heat exchanger 10 has a split configuration whereby the airstreams OS, IS are not within ducts that are disposed side-by-side within a ventilation system. Rather, the outside airstream OS remains outside of the data center, and the inside airstream IS remains inside of the data center.
  • the heat pipe system 12 is split so that the thermally conductive tubes are positioned to encounter the separated airstreams. This system allows for heat recovery to occur between the outside and inside airstreams without having to construct complicated ductwork to bring the outside airstream into the data center DC, or carry the inside airstream out of the data center to bring the two airstreams together. It is envisioned that the heat exchanger 10 can be used with building structures other than data centers without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
  • the illustrated heat pipe system 12 comprises an inside heat pipe subassembly 14 (broadly, a first heat pipe subassembly) that is configured to be installed inside the data center DC in thermal communication with an inside air stream IS (e.g., return air) flowing through an inside duct ID, and an outside heat pipe subassembly 16 (broadly, a second heat pipe subassembly) that is configured to be installed outside of the data center DC in thermal communication with an outside air stream OS flowing through a housing 18 disposed outside of the data center.
  • each of the heat pipe subassemblies 14 , 16 includes a heat pipe portion that is configured to be installed inside the respective airflow structure ID, 18 .
  • the heat pipe portions of the subassemblies 14 , 16 are configured to be in direct thermal contact with the air streams OS, IS as the air streams flow through the airflow structures ID, 18 along the respective heat pipe portions.
  • Heat pipe portions of the heat pipe subassemblies 14 , 16 could also be installed in a climate control system in thermal communication with an air stream flowing through an airflow structure in other ways without departing from the scope of the invention.
  • the inside duct ID may also include additional air moving and/or heat exchanging components such as fans 19 and cooling coils 21 .
  • Each of the heat pipe subassemblies 14 , 16 comprises a top header 20 , a bottom header 22 , and a plurality of heat pipes 24 that extend vertically between the top and bottom headers.
  • the heat pipes 24 provide fluid communication between the respective top header 20 and the respective bottom header 22 .
  • Other configurations are also possible without departing from the scope of the invention.
  • Each of the top and bottom headers 20 , 22 can comprise a manifold having a main passage that is fluidly coupled to each of the heat pipes 24 .
  • the top and bottom headers 20 , 22 may be located inside or outside of the respective airflow structures ID, 18 . In the illustrated embodiment, the headers 20 , 22 are located inside of the respective airflow structures ID, 18 .
  • the top header 20 has a cross-sectional dimension (i.e., height) of at least 3 inches (7.6 cm). In one or more embodiments, the cross-sectional dimension of the top header 20 is greater than 3 inches (7.6 cm). The top header 20 could still have other dimensions without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
  • the vertical heat pipes 24 individually and collectively comprise heat pipe portions received in the respective airflow structure ID, 18 .
  • the vertical heat pipes 24 extend along an entirety of a height of the respective structure ID, 18 and are spaced apart along a width of the respective duct.
  • Two or more heat pipe subassemblies can also be vertically stacked inside the airflow structure ID, 18 in some embodiments.
  • the vertical heat pipes 24 have a height that is greater than about 36 inches (about 91 cm), such as greater than about 40 inches (about 102 cm), greater than about 45 inches (about 114 cm), greater than about 50 inches (about 127 cm), greater than about 55 inches (about 140 cm), greater than about 60 inches (about 152.4 cm), greater than about 65 inches (about 165 cm), greater than about 70 inches (about 178 cm), about 75 inches (about 191 cm), etc.
  • the heat pipes can also have other heights in one or more embodiments.
  • each heat pipe 24 can have cross-sectional dimension (i.e., diameter) of between about 1 ⁇ 4 inch (0.6 cm) and about 3 ⁇ 4 inch (1.9 cm).
  • each heat pipe 24 has a diameter of at least about 1 ⁇ 4 inches (0.6 inches). In one or more embodiments, each heat pipe 24 has a diameter of about 1 ⁇ 2 inches (1.3 inches). Accordingly, the air streams IS, OS can flow through gaps between the heat pipes 24 as they flow through the respective airflow structures ID, 18 . Referring to FIG. 4 , only a single row of vertical heat pipes 24 is shown in the illustrated embodiment. In other embodiments, however, a plurality of rows of heat pipes can be spaced apart in the direction of air flow through the respective airflow structure ID, 18 . In certain embodiments, the vertical heat pipes in a plurality of rows of heat pipes can be offset from one another along the width of the duct.
  • Additional rows of vertical heat pipes can be fluidly coupled to the same headers 20 , 22 or to different headers (e.g., there can be a dedicated header for each row of heat pipes or for a set of two or more rows of heat pipes).
  • heat transfer fins extend along the width of each airflow structure ID, 18 at spaced apart locations along the height of each duct such that the respective airstream IS, OS can flow through the gaps between the fins.
  • each fin can comprise a thin strip of thermally conductive material that is thermally and physically connected to one or more vertical heat pipes 24 in the respective airflow structure ID, 18 to transfer heat between the respective heat pipes and the respective air stream IS, OS.
  • the heat pipe system 12 is charged with a refrigerant that is suitable for the temperature range of the climate control system in which the heat exchanger 10 is installed.
  • the inside heat pipe subassembly 14 is fluidly connected to the outside heat pipe subassembly 16 such that the refrigerant can flow through the heat pipe system 12 between the heat pipe subassemblies.
  • the illustrated heat pipe system 12 comprises a vapor conduit 30 that provides fluid communication between the top headers 20 of the heat pipe subassemblies 14 , 16 and a liquid conduit 32 that provides fluid communication between the bottom headers 22 of the heat pipe subassemblies.
  • the heat pipe system 12 thus defines a continuous refrigerant flow loop extending from the top header 20 of the inside heat pipe subassembly 14 in series through vapor conduit 30 , the top header of the outside heat pipe subassembly 16 , the heat pipes 24 of the outside heat pipe subassembly, the bottom header 22 of the outside heat pipe subassembly, the liquid conduit 32 , the bottom header of the inside heat pipe subassembly, the heat pipes of the inside heat pipe subassembly, and back to the top header of the inside subassembly.
  • the continuous refrigerant flow loop was described as proceeding in a clockwise direction through the passaging depicted in FIG. 4 , it will be understood that the refrigerant can also flow in the opposite direction.
  • the heat pipe system 12 is configured so that the inside heat pipe subassembly 14 functions as an evaporator (e.g., an evaporator heat pipe subassembly) that is configured to evaporate liquid refrigerant while the outside heat pipe subassembly 16 functions as a condenser (e.g., a condenser heat pipe subassembly) that is configured to condense refrigerant vapor.
  • evaporator e.g., an evaporator heat pipe subassembly
  • condenser e.g., a condenser heat pipe subassembly
  • the heat pipe system 12 is configured to transfer heat from the warmer of the air streams IS to the cooler of the air streams OS as the refrigerant in the heat pipe system 12 flows between the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 and the condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 .
  • heat from the warm air stream IS is absorbed by evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 , thereby cooling the warm air stream and warming the refrigerant.
  • the warm, evaporated refrigerant flows through the top header 20 of the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 and through the vapor conduit 30 to the condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 .
  • the cool air stream OS flows along the heat pipes 24 and condenses the warm refrigerant vapor. Condensation of the refrigerant transfers heat to the cool air stream OS, thereby warming the air stream and cooling the refrigerant.
  • the cool, condensed refrigerant flows along the liquid conduit 32 back to the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 .
  • This heat recovery cycle can, in certain embodiments, continue passively in a closed loop. This occurs in part because of the outside air being cooler than the inside air within the data center.
  • the evaporator subassembly 14 is located below the condenser subassembly 16 so that at least a portion of the vapor conduit 30 and the liquid conduit 32 must each extend generally vertically or inclined to connect the subassemblies. Accordingly, in the illustrated heat pipe system 12 , refrigerant flow between the subassemblies is gravity-assisted (e.g., by orienting the liquid conduit 32 to slope toward the evaporator subassembly 14 ). In the illustrated embodiment, the heat pipe system 12 is free of any valves, pump, or compressors to drive the refrigerant flow through the heat pipe system. Thus, the heat pipe system 12 is entirely passive.
  • top header 20 facilitates passive operation of the system by preventing pressure drop across the header which could otherwise occur with a conventional smaller header size. This also produces a more reliable heat pipe system as there are less components which may be subject to failure or malfunction over time.
  • a pump could be used in certain embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
  • a condenser module is generally indicated at 40 .
  • the condenser module comprises housing 18 that is configured, in certain embodiments, to sit on a rooftop of a building structure such as a data center, and at least one condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 for transferring heat from the outside airstreams OS to the inside airstream IS.
  • the housing 18 is generally hollow and provides a frame for the condenser module 40 for mounting the condenser module on the building structure.
  • an outer portion 42 of the housing 18 is formed generally in the shape of a rectangular prism. The outer portion 42 is open along its sides to provide airflow access to an inner portion 44 of the housing 18 .
  • the inner portion 44 of the housing 18 is formed generally in the shape of an upside down triangular prism.
  • a mesh cover 46 is disposed over opposite open sides of the inner portion 44 covering the open sides.
  • the inner portion 44 houses the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 whereby the subassemblies are positioned generally at the open sides of the inner portion.
  • the upside down triangular prism shape of the inner portion 44 facilitates positioning the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 at an angle which reduces the overall height of the housing 18 and allows for less material to be used in making the housing.
  • the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 are angled such that the bottom of each subassembly is located closer to a midline of the housing 18 than the top of the subassembly. This generally points the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 downward, which along with the surrounding housing 18 , helps to shield the subassemblies from the outside elements.
  • the inner portion 44 of the housing 18 also mounts fans 48 on a top of the housing.
  • the fans 48 are operable to draw the ambient outside air through the condenser module 40 for heat exchange.
  • the fans 48 may be controlled by a controller (not shown) to regulate the amount of air that is drawn into the condenser module 40 to control the amount of heat transfer that occurs.
  • the fans 48 are received in openings in the top of the inner portion 44 of the housing 18 .
  • the mesh covers 46 provide protection to the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 while permitting the outside air to be drawn into the condenser module 40 and across the subassemblies.
  • Holes 50 may be provided in the outer portion 42 of the housing 18 to receive arms of a device (not shown) for lifting the condenser module 40 .
  • the parallel arrangement provides increased performance over an arrangement which places condenser heat pipe subassemblies in series because in a series arrangement the outside airstream is tempered by the initial heat pipe assembly reducing the effectiveness of the subsequent heat pipe assemblies which will receive a progressively more and more tempered airstream.
  • a heat exchanger 10 is shown incorporating three condenser modules 40 connected to evaporator heat pipe assemblies 14 disposed within the interior of a building structure BS.
  • each evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 t , 14 b includes three heat pipe sections arranged in series within the duct. Each heat pipe section is connected to a respective condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 in one of the condenser modules 40 . Therefore, each heat recovery circuit includes one condenser coil and one evaporator coil. It will be understood that the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14 could have other configurations without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
  • a heat exchanger 10 ′ including two condenser modules 40 connected to each other in series and connected to evaporator heat pipe assemblies 14 disposed within the interior of a building structure BS.
  • first condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 of the second condenser module 40 B is connected by liquid and vapor conduits 32 , 30 to a top evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 t
  • second condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 of the second condenser module 40 B is connected by liquid and vapor conduits to a bottom evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 b
  • the top and bottom evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14 t , 14 b are arranged in a stacked configuration and may be disposed within a duct in the inside of the building structure BS.
  • each evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 t , 14 b includes three heat pipe sections arranged in series within the duct.
  • the heat pipe sections of the top evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 t are connected to the first condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 in the second condenser module 40 B, and the heat pipe section of the bottom evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 b are connected to the second condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 in the second condenser module 40 B.
  • each heat recovery circuit includes one condenser coil and three evaporator coils.
  • the coils of the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 of this embodiment may be sized to be twice as long as the condenser coils used with the non-stacked evaporator coil assembly.
  • the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14 could have other configurations without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
  • any number of heat pipe sections could be used in the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14 used in connection with the condenser modules 40 in this embodiment. To this effect, if the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14 include only one heat pipe section then the vapor and liquid conduits 30 , 32 will not include branch sections.
  • the vapor and liquid conduits 30 , 32 will have a corresponding number of branch sections 56 , 58 to properly connect the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 to the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies.
  • a heat exchanger 10 ′′ is shown including one condenser module 40 connected to an evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 disposed within the interior of a building structure BS.
  • Each condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 includes a vapor conduit 30 and a liquid conduit 32 .
  • the vapor conduits 30 of the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 are connected to each other, and the liquid conduits 32 of the subassemblies are connected to each other so that a single vapor conduit section 60 and a single liquid conduit section 62 extends between the condenser module 40 and the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 in the building structure BS.
  • the single vapor conduit section 60 and single liquid conduit section 62 each branch into the three separate vapor and conduit sections 64 , 66 , respectively, for supplying fluid to the three heat pipe sections of the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 . Therefore, the heat recovery circuit includes two condenser coil and three evaporator coils.
  • evaporator heat pipe sections used in connection with the condenser module 40 in this embodiment.
  • the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14 included only one heat pipe section then the single vapor conduit section 60 and the single liquid conduit section 62 will connect directly to the single heat pipe section of the evaporator heat pipe subassembly.
  • a condenser module of another embodiment is generally indicated at 140 .
  • the condenser module 140 is similar to the condenser module 40 and thus like parts are given the same reference number plus 100.
  • the condenser module 140 operates in substantially the same manner as the condenser module 40 of the first embodiment except as otherwise provided herein.
  • the condenser module 140 includes a housing 118 configured to sit on a rooftop of a building structure such as a data center, and at least one condenser heat pipe subassembly 116 for transferring heat from an outside airstream to an inside airstream within the building structure.
  • the housing 118 is generally hollow and provides a frame for the condenser module 140 for mounting the condenser module on the building structure.
  • the housing 18 has a generally rectangular prism shape.
  • the housing 118 could have any shape without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
  • the housing 118 has openings 143 along three sides to provide airflow access to an inner portion 144 of the housing 118 .
  • Shutters 146 may be disposed over the openings 143 to control the amount of airflow that enters the housing 118 .
  • the inner portion 144 of the housing 118 houses the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 116 whereby the subassemblies are positioned generally at the openings 143 .
  • the housing 118 also mounts fans 148 on a top of the housing.
  • the fans 148 are operable to draw the ambient outside air through the condenser module 140 for heat exchange.
  • any number of fans can be used and the location and arrangement of the fans can be other than shown without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
  • the shutters 146 provide protection to the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 116 while permitting the outside air to be drawn into the condenser module 40 and across the subassemblies.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Heat-Exchange Devices With Radiators And Conduit Assemblies (AREA)
  • Other Air-Conditioning Systems (AREA)
US16/572,309 2019-09-16 2019-09-16 Passive split heat recovery system Abandoned US20210080128A1 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US16/572,309 US20210080128A1 (en) 2019-09-16 2019-09-16 Passive split heat recovery system
CA3089787A CA3089787A1 (fr) 2019-09-16 2020-08-10 Systeme de recuperation de chaleur passif separe

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US16/572,309 US20210080128A1 (en) 2019-09-16 2019-09-16 Passive split heat recovery system

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US20210080128A1 true US20210080128A1 (en) 2021-03-18

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US (1) US20210080128A1 (fr)
CA (1) CA3089787A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11598550B2 (en) * 2018-06-05 2023-03-07 Brunel University London Heat pipe thermal transfer loop with pumped return conduit

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11598550B2 (en) * 2018-06-05 2023-03-07 Brunel University London Heat pipe thermal transfer loop with pumped return conduit

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Publication number Publication date
CA3089787A1 (fr) 2021-03-16

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