US2111133A - Condensate entrainment means - Google Patents

Description

March 15, 1938, R zw c I 2,111,133

CONDENSATE ENTRAINMENT MEANS Filed July 1'7, 1954 Patented ag. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE CONDENSATE ENTRAINMENT MEANS Joseph R. Zwickl, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Baldwin-Southwark Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application July 17, 1934, Serial No. 735,662

12 Claims.

disposing of condensate by an agitating air stream which in its agitating or atomizing function is independent of the flowoi a main air stream directed over a heat exchange element such as a condenser or evaporator.

My invention is particularly applicable to an air conditioning unit having a condenser over which outside air is passed to cool the compressed 15 refrigerant and an evaporator over which air from a room or other suitable enclosure is passed for the purpose of cooling the air, or vice versa depending upon whether the unit is operating as a room heater wherein the condenser and evaporator functions of the heat exchange elements are interchanged; One type of unit to which my invention is particularly adapted is shown in pending application of Henry L. Galson, Serial No. 648,772, and for purposes of simplicity it will be consideredthat the unit herein shown is identical in every respect to said Galson application except for the improvements to be described, 31- though it will of course be understood that my invention is applicable to other types of units as 31) will be apparent from the disclosure herein.

It is an object of my invention to provide improved means whereby condensate is suitably collected so as to permit a main stream of air to be directed over a heat exchange element while 35 an initially separate stream of air is employed to efiect disposal of the condensate, these two air streams preferably finally merging before or after passing over the heat exchange element. As a result of this improved arrangement, it is possible to obtain a condensate disposal air stream of higher velocity or pressure than is required for the main air stream. v

A further object is to provide improved means for efliciently obtaining the flow of air for initially entraining the condensate, and a more specific object in this respect is to utilize a main fan or blower for the main air stream and a supplementary blower for the condensate disposal air stream which is drawn preferably from the casing of the main blower.

Another object is to provide an improved passage for conducting air from the main blower to the heat exchange elements in combination with means for deflecting condensate out of the path 5 of the main air stream thereby to collect the condensate at a location where the supplementary air stream may operate independently to dispose of the collectedcondensate.

Other objects and advantages will be more ap- I parent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawing in which:

g Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an air conditioning unit embodying my invention;

and

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-4 of Fig. 1, the evaporator being shown in elevation.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention which is shown herein merely'for the purpose'of disclosing one specific form among possible others that the invention might take, I have provided a unit having a base I upon which is supported a preferably vertical axis motor compressor unit 2 and a pair of complementary heat exchange elements 3 and 4. These elements for purposes of description will hereinafter be referred to respectively as the evaporator and condenser, it being understood that their construction is of usual type having longitudinal pipes 3a and 40. extending respectively through pipe fins 3b and ib. Room air is circulated over the evaporator by a fan 5 disposed in a suitable scroll casing 6, this casing having an inlet 1 communicating with the room air. The air is directed upwardly and then horizontally through suitable overlapping water deflectors 8 into an air chamber or passage 9 beneath the evaporator, the air then flowing upwardly over the evaporator to .be cooled and discharged to the room. Moisture that condenses 'on evaporator 3 will'drip downwardly into the bottom of chamber 9. Any moisture dripping down immediately above blower 5 will be directed by deflectors 8 into the bottom of chamber 9, whereupon water may accumulate as indicated by the liquid level It! in Fig. 2. p

A similar passage and deflector arrangement is used beneath condenser except that the condenser blower H is at the left end of the unit, and the corresponding chamber 9 extends toward the right end of the unit. The chambers 9 beneath the condenser and evaporator are connected by a pipe l2 to allow fluid flow in either direction depending upon whether the unit operates as a heater or cooler. Outside air normally flows inwardly through a suitable opening in the room wall and thence into an opening 15 and down over compressor unit 2 and thence inwardly through an inlet IE to blower H which circulates the air upwardly over condenser 4 and discharges the same to the outside through an outlet l1.

The volume and velocity of the outside air flowing over the condenser are preferably appreciably greater than that for the room air.

which flows over the evaporator. The room air blower 5 and outside air blower may if desired be driven by a common electric motor I8 supported upon the base The condensate is disposed of by the provision ofan air channel [9 extending (Fig. 2) longitudinally beneath transversely spaced vertical air openings 29, 2| and 22 grouped together as a set and formed adjacent each other in the bottom of each chamber 9. These openings are relatively short but a plurality of sets of such grouped openings are longitudinally spaced apart as generally indicated at 23, 24 and 25, although if desired only one set may be used depending upon the .volume of condensate to be disposed of. A deflector 26 is disposed over the center air passage 2| so as to direct air downwardly into adjacent troughs 21 and 28 formed by the walls of the openings, thereby forcibly atomizing or agitating the water that flows into these troughs 21 and 28 and throwing the water into the path of air flowing upwardly through openings 20 and 22. The water is thus thrown upwardly against the evaporator 3 to wet the surface thereof and thus increase the heat transfer efilciency of the evaporator and at the same time-washing the air.

However, due to the fact that the evaporator is cool, this'moisture will again drip down into the chamber 9.

The liquid that accumulates in chamber 9 below the evaporator 3 will flow through pipe i2 into the chamber 9 beneath the condenser 4.

- Due to having the same structure and mode of operation in regard to air openings 20-22 and the deflectors 26, the water in the condenser chamber will be thrown up against the condenser to wet the surfaces thereof. However, due to the condenser heat, a certain proportion of the water thrown against the condenser will be evaporated and carried away in the stream of outside air. Due to the fact that the condensate on the condenser side will be continuously discharged to the outside atmosphere, it is seen that the condensate from the evaporator side will continuously flow over to the condenser side to be disposed of.

The air admitted to the air channels l9 may be either diverted from the main body of air from the blowers 5 and H or as is preferable, supple-. mentary blowers 30 and 3| may be employed to provide air for the channels l9. In this event, the air may have a higher staticpressure than the air circulated by blowers 5 and II thus permitting'suitable circulation of the main body of a condenser and evaporator, then the moisture which condenses from the outside air on the heat exchange element 4 will flow over to beneath the other element 3 (now functioning as a condenser) to be discharged into the path of room air by the condenser heat, thus humidifying the room air.

' 'If desired,.theair channel l9 and the condensate disposal openings and deflectors associated therewith may be employed only beneath the condenser in which event only the supplementary blower 3| would be used. The condensate from the evaporator would accumulate in the bottom of chamber 9 in the manner as previously described and would flow immediately through the connecting pipe l2 to the chamber beneath the condenser to be disposed of by the condenser heat or to be carried out by the high velocity of the condenser air.

From the'foregoing disclosure, it is seen that I have provided an extremely efiective means for disposing of condensate to an outside stream of air by utilizing air under an appreciable pressure or velocity as compared to the pressure of a main body of air circulated through the unit.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An air conditioning unit comprising, in combination,a heat exchange element, a blower and a main passage for circulating air over said element, means forming an air passage separate from said other passage but communicating therewith, means whereby air is supplied to said separate passage, means for accumulating liquid, and means whereby air supplied through said separate passage causes accumulated liquid to be discharged into the flow of air in said main passage.

2. An air conditioning unit comprising in comfrom said other passage, means for accumulating liquid, and means rendered operative by air supplied through said separate passage for discharging the accumulated liquid into the flow of air over said element at a point in advance of said element.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the means for causing discharge of liquid into the air flow includes means for breaking up the liquid so that it may be carried away by said air flow.

5. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterzed in that said means for causing discharge of liquid into the air flow includes means for agitating the liquid and forcing the same into said flow of air over said element.

6. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the means for causing discharge of liquid into the air flow includes air openings in the bottom of the liquid accumulating means to permit communication between said '1. An air conditioning unit comprising, in combination, a heat exchange element, a blower, a passage leading from said blower and thence laterally beneath said element, and means disposed in said passage to prevent liquid from drip ping into said blower and to causethe liquid to be deflected for accumulation in the bottom of said passage.

a. The combination s'etiorth' in claim '1 mole, characterized by the provision oi pneumatically means located in the operated liquid disposal bottom 01 said passage, and an air channel for conducting air under pressure to said dispowl means.

9. The combination set forth in claim '1 further characterized by the provision or pneumatically operated liquid disposal means located in the. bottom of said passage, an air channel for condisposal means. located in e, an air channel tor conducting air under pressure to saiddispo l means. and a secondblowertor supplying air to the channel for the liquid disposal means.

11. The combination set forth in claim 7 further characterized by the provision or pneumatically operated liquid disposal means located in the bottom of said passage, an air channel for conducting air .under pressure to said disposal means, a second blower for supplying air to the passage cally operated liquid for said disposal means, and means whereby said second blower receives air from the first blower.

12. An air conditioning unit comprising, in combination, a heat exchange element, means for circulating air over said element including a passage extending beneath the same, means for accumulating liquid in the bottom of said passage, and pneumatic means for disposing of the liquid by dischargin it into the path 01 air flowing over said element. 1

JOSEPH R. ZWICKL.

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