US2300848A - Air tempering apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 3, 1942. J. F. SHELJON 2,300,848

AIR TEMPERING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 30,1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 bm, um. Wm. N wm. s

, JE Shelan Nov. 3, 1942. J, F, sHEL'l-ON 2,300,848

un TEMPERING APPARATUS Filed Aug. so, 1959 s sheets-sheet 2 Il l im' lim/'Mamme JESheZ'an K NV- '3, J. F. sHEL-roN 2,300,848

AIR TEMPERING APPARATUS Shelm www/Yi? Patented Nov. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE s AIR TEMPERING APPARATUS Jack Fenner Shelton, Memphis, Tenn.

Application August 30,1939, Serial No. 292,752

(C1. sis-'33) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in air tempering apparatus, that is to say, it is concerned with apparatus for either heating the air for a dwelling or supplying cool air, one of the principles of the invention being to perform either function depending upon its use in winter or summer. This dual use has its economical aspects, but an essential requirement of the apparatus for the performance of the dual function is to locate said apparatus in the attic of-the house.

This is more than a mere reversal of the common plan of locating the heating or cooling apparatus in the basement and deriving the tempered air therefrom, because by use of a novel simple arrangement of dampers it becomes pos- .sible to use one blower both for winter and summer use, and in each instance to make the blower work very effectively to either heat or cool the rooms.

With this general survey in mind, attention is directed to the objects of the invention which are as follows:

First, to provide an apparatus for tempering livered to the rooms through supply registers' adjacent to the ceiling and withdrawn through return grilles adjacent to the floor.

Second, to utilize the basement (or the cellar or sub-ground floor space equivalents) as a plek-H num chamber in respect to the living rooms of the house for the supply of a large volume of cool air in the summer, said sub-space affording a costless source which can be drawn upon for discharge into the rooms for a large part of the day or until the temperature of the air in said sub-space is equal to the temperature outside of the house when there would be no necessity of operating the apparatus. Y

Third, Vto locate said apparatus in the attic thus to adapt the one blower to the twin purposes of driving the heated air from around the furnace into the rooms in the winter and exhausting the oppressively warm air from the rooms in the summer and driving it into the attic whence it is discharged into the outer atmosphere at the same time to ventilate said attic.

Fourth, to achieve the foregoing result by prodampers are capable of two settings, first by one setting to direct the heated air by force feed of the blower into the main supply duct and thence to the rooms, the attic then being shut off, second by the other setting to direct the air by force feed of the blower into the attic thus producing a suction in the ducts from the rooms.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had y to the accompanying drawings, in which-v Figure l is a vertical cross section of a house, illustrating the embodiment of the improved air temperingapparatus wherein the tempering unit is located in the attic. I

Figure 2vis a central vertical section of the tempering unit particularly illustrating the single blower and the twin dampers.

Figure 3 is a detail elevation of one of the supply registers which is emplaced in the wall adjacent to the ceiling.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 4--4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail section of the sub-space air intake and'damper. A

.Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6-,6 of Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 5.

- The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in the house I. This `house is of the bungalow type, but the invention is not limited to this use because its principles will Work just as well -if the apparatus is installed in a dwelling having two or more stories, a basement and an attic.' Adheringto the example given, the house l includes a floor 2, a ceiling 3 andthe necessary side and partition walls 4, 5 defining a number of rooms 6. The floor 2 is raised from the ground level "l by foundations 8. The foundations usually include a surrounding wall with air vents. This arrangement defines an air space 9 which is herein known as the sub-space because 'of its being below the rst oor and between said floor' and the ground. Thus, it is conceivable that the sub-space might comprise a cellar or basement .which in most instances contain a more or less large Volume of relatively .cool air. Said subspace thus constitutes a plenum chamber or reservoir of cool air. The air in said sub-space is also relatively clean inasmuch as it is ordinarily A not ina state of turbulence and a consequent viding twin dampers in the tempering unit, which vehicle for the-suspension of dust.

Said house also includes an attic I0. This part of the ordinary house, if accessible is mostly used as a storage space. In many instances the attic use is made of the attic I0 by setting up the air tempering apparatus II therein As previously pointed out this is a reverse of .the time-honored practice of locating a similar apparatus in the sub-space 9, especially if the latter comprises a basement .or cellar. The apparatus II comprises a casing I2 (Fig. 2) which is surmounted by a plenum chamber I3. This chamber, as is common in heating apparatuses, is nothing more than a space in which a volume of air collects either prior to leaving the casing I2 or entering it.

The casing I2 contains a single blower I4. I

This blower can be of any preferred type. and it is usually motor driven. Said blower is revoluble in a housing I5. This housing `has a sideair inlet I6 and an air outlet I1. The outlet is connected to a wall I3 which divides the casing I2 into air and furnace sections I 3, 20. Both of these sections are in direct communication with the plenum chamber I3. They can be placed in immediate communication across said plenum chamber, but usually they communicate with each other through the blower housing I5 and around one of the dampers to which reference is presently made.

A gas-fired unit 2I is located in the furnace section 20. No attempt has been made herein to accurately picture said unit because any conceivable type may be employed without affecting the principles of the invention. It is sufficient to say that the unit 2l is placed more or less centrally in the furnace section 2l so that when air from the blower I4 is driven through the furnace section around said unit the air comes in immediate contact with the unit and is heated to a high' degree. l

By way of a parenthetical statement note is made of the possibility of substituting a cooler for the unit 2|. 'I'his cooler may comprise a refrigerating coil. The air blasts from the'blower I4 if circulated around the coil would be cooled just as successfully as it will Lwhen circulated around the hot unit 2|. The description is conned in its reference to the unit 2I as a furnace unit, but the broad aspect of the latter is that of a tempering unit changing the condition of the air either to hot or cold depending upon the time of the year.

The casing I2 has an exhaust opening 22 (Fig. 2). This is in the form of a throat that extends oil to one side of the casing I2 at or near its base. Said base is shown at 23, and it consists of a concrete slab which is used, advisedly it is thought, to afford the proper insulationof the framing of the house against the conduction of heat from the furnace unit 2| with the possibility of starting a vire. Said base is formed by pouring the concrete in a pan 24. This, however, is a detail which is not necessarily adhered to because the base slab could be -precast and hoisted into position either in whole or in part.

A -main supply duct25 branches oil from the apparatus II at an opening into the top of the plenum chamber I3. I'his duct has several branches 26, generally of a somewhat reduced size, terminating in supply registers 21. Each of these registers is located in a side or partition wall 4, 5 of the house close to the ceiling 3. These 75 registers could be located the ceiling but the l-wall location isk herein deemed preferable.

Each side registerzl'-, (Figs. 3 and 4) is noth- `ingmore than the perforated cover of the terminalchamberj- 28 of the respective branch 26. The register iscapable of being controlled by a damper 28.which is hinged atl 30' and has a lever 3I for its operation.A In practice the lever is de` sirably capableo'f-'being set in any one of several positions so that the damper 23 can be held either in afullyopen' or fully closed position,y or in positions intermediately thereof. I

A main return'air riser duct 32 is connected to another openinginto the plenum chamber I3 on the same level as the `duct 25 and usually, although not necessarily, on a line diametrically across. Said riser goes down vertically through the house, either being concealed in one of the partition walls or in a closet, ultimately come municating with a sub-spacelateral 33 'that runs longitudinally of the house under the floor 2. The junction chamber 34 (Fig. 5) between the riser 32 and lateral 33 has afresh air intake opening 35 which is in direct communication with the sub-space 3. Said lateral 33 communicates with return grilles 33 either directly or through branches 31.

'lhese grilles are located in the side and partition walls close to the door. 'I'heir purpose, as their name implies, is to provide for the intake of air. This intake of air is induced by the blower I4. The junction chamber 34 is recessed at 33 (Fig. 5) to accommodate the hinge pin 33 of the fresh air chamber 4l. y

Said chamber is movable either to the full or dotted line positions a, b (Fig. 5), or to any intermediate position such as c by means of a lever 4I which is accessible from one of the rooms 3 of the house. To this end it passes through a floor plate 42 (Fig. 6) It is pivotedat43 to a bracket 44, and has connection with a. crank 4.5 that extends off from the hinge pin 33. I'he means whereby the fresh air chamber 45 is actuated is not so essential. It can be made slidable in guides. Its ultimate purpose is to control the influx of air at the opening 35.

Of considerable importance is the twin damper arrangement in the casing I2. The two dampers, namely the top damper 43 and the bottom damper 41, are coupled by a link 43 so that the two will swing in unison on their pivots 43, 5l when the actuating handle 5I is manipulated. The top damper 43 has an attached slotted bracket 52 to which the link 43 is connected by a thumb nut adjustment ss. similarly, the bottom damper 41 has a slotted bracket 54 to which the link 48 is connected by a thumb nut adjustment 55. The obvious purpose of these adjustments is to take up any undesired loose play between the two dampers. i

The free end of the top damper 45 is adapted to be seated in a rest 56 (Fig. 2) which comprises an offset from the duct 25. 'I'he main purpose of the rest is to insure the location of the top dampers on a line below the bottom of the duct 25 so that there will be no diminution in the volume of the latter when the damper assumes the dotted line position d. In reference to the handle 5I it is seen in Figure 2 that this has a slot 51 with whicha thumb nut adjustment 53 coacts for the securing of the handle in the selected position. If the damper 46 is down (position d, Fig. 2) the damper 41 is also down (position e). Intermediate positions are obtainable,

but usually the two dampers will either be way up or all the way down.

Reverting to the gas red unit 2| it is s en in Figure 2 that this has a bridging chamber 59 to which a vent pipe 60 is connected. This vent pipe leads olf to the chimney 6 I. This can be anordinary chimney such as would be supplied fora stove in the kitchen. 'I'he installation of the apparatus does not require the building of an extra chimney nor one of an unusually large size. Also reverting to the construction of the house I it is seen in Figure 1 that the attic I0 has communication with the outer atmosphere through louvers 62. In practice these can be closed.

It is desired to state that the manual operation of the fresh air damper 40 and of the twin all the dampers 4B and 41 is not necessarily adhered to in practice. Arrangements are commonly in use for controlling the various units of a furnace by thermostatic means. A similar principle can be employed for the control of these dampers, but inasmuch, as thermostatic controls are not new it is thought unnecessary to specically illustrate the mode of such control of the dampers. It is thought suilicient to point out how the dampers are manipulated, the manner of control being left to choice in practice.

The Operation is readily understood. First consider the use of the apparatus in the winter. The furnace units 2l comprise a source of heat. The twin dampers 4s, 41 are ser in the fu11 line positions m Figure 2. Communication of the sections I9 and 20 is then had only through the blower housing I5. The blower I4 is set in operation. Inasmuch as the opening 22 is closed by the damper 41, the blast of air is necessarily delivered to the section 20. It is heated here and is deflected into the main supply duct 25 by the top damper 46. Thence it is distributed to the branches 26 and is delivered to -the rooms 6 by way of the supply registers 21 adjacent to the ceiling.

Said operation of the blower I4 creates a suction in the main riser 32. This draws the cooled air in at the return grilles 36. The damper 40 is adapted to be either totally closed (position b, Fig. or opened only part way (position c) so as to allow for the indraft of fresh air from the sub-space 9 to mix with the cooled air and thus keep the supply for the rooms relatively fresh.

For day summer use the twin valves 46, 41 will be adjusted to the same full line position (Fig. 2)

as for the winter use of the apparatus. All outside windows and doors should be shut. The fresh air damper 40 is now opened nearly all the way. In other words, it will be swung back' almost to the position a (Fig. 5). The blower I4 which circulated the hot air for winter use is now used to circulate cool air for s ummer use.

The source of supply is derived from the ample volume which collects in the sub-space 9 during the night. If the outside temperature is not too hot, this volume will last for a considerable portion of the day. It may be made to last all day if the blower I4 is only operated intermittently. In any event, the blower I4 starts up a suction in the riser 32 as before and blows the air under pressure through the section 2lI into the ma'n supply duct 25. From there it passes into the branches 2B and is delivered to the rooms .by'tbe supply registers 21. Inasmuch as the darn-per 40 (Fig. 5) is nearly al1 the way open, the constant supply oi cool air is drawn from the subspace 9, assures a material reduction in they temperature of the living rooms of the house. At

'air' by way of the lateral 33 and its branches v31.

For night use of the apparatus in the summer the twin dampers 46, 41 are shifted to the dotted line positions d, e (Fig. 2). The windows are opened so as to let in the cool night air. 'I'he blower I4 is set in operation. This sets up a suction in fthe air section I9, but this suction is now traced universally to the main supply duct 25 and its branches as well as to the riser 32 and its branches. Cool air is thus drawn through lthe windows and into-both the registers 21 and grilles 36.

This produces an artificial breeze through the rooms which eliminates use of electric fans. The air thus d wn in is discharged by the fan I4 through th xhaust opening 22 into the attic. From thence the air is driven through the louvers 62, and in doing so a thorough ventilation of'the attic occurs. The hot air previously entrapped in the attic during the day is driven out, producing a cooling of the ceiling 3 and a pleasant tempering of the house throughout.

The ventilation of the attic is not necessarily conned to the night. Theme may be times when one or more windows on the cool side of the house can be opened in the day time for an indraft of cool air lby operation of the blower I4, the latter then being made to exhaust into the attic by having the twin dampers 46, 41 adjusted to thedotted'line positions d, e. Any entrapped hot air will then be driven out of the louvers 62,

serving both to cool the attic space and the voeil--l ing 3 of the rooms.

It will be understood from the foregoing that neither a specially large floor space nor basement are required for the installation of the apparatus. The attic does provide oor space but this is usually of a more or less waste character. It is important to bear in mind that the one blower I4 serves both for distributing hot air in the winter and of circulating cool air in the summer. This avoids the extra .cost of a blower for summer use.

The principle of discharging the heated air adjacent to the ceiling 3 does not do violence to commonly accepted practice. According to the latter the heated air is delivered to a room adjacent to the oor whence it immediately rises toward the ceiling. By driving the heated air in through the supply registers 21 under pressure a layer is gradually built up in the room which soonv reaches the door.

This act of discharging the heated air at the registers 21 creates a partial vacuum, continually forcing the accumulated heat from the ceiling down to the floor level. The cooled air returns .by way of the grilles and ducts,'and beca'se of the cooled air being continuously removed from the floor level fresh warm air is continuously pulleddownfrom the ceiling thereby creating a more uniform, heat from the ceiling to the floor in all rooms.

I claimz' 1. Air tempering apparatus for a house having a living room and an attic,-air openingsA introduced into said room respectively adjacent to the ceiling" and floor thereof, a tempering unit located in the attic having an exhaust opening `and at least two duct openings, said tempering 'unit including a suction chamber, a pressure chamber and a division wallseparating the two chambers, but for a connecting openingin the\ connected with the other duct opening and the iioor air opening, a blower in said suction chamber being operable to set up an air current through the suction chamber and the pressure chamber, and a pair of connected dampers respectively movably mounted contiguously to the exhaust opening and to one of the duct vopenings, saidzdampers being settable with respect to their openings first to allow blower suction in said one duct and its air opening and a pressure discharge into the other air opening and its duct, second to allow blower` suction infboth air openings and their ducts and 'a pressure discharge through the exhaust opening into the attic, the damper contiguous to the duct opening being so mounted in the division wall that it will connect said duct with either the suction chamber or the pressure chamber.

2. Air tempering apparatus for a house having an attic with louvers and a living room with a window adapted to be closed and opened, air openings introduced into said room respectively adjacent to the ceiling and iioor thereof, a temp ering unit located in the atticy having an exhaust opening directed into vthe attic and at least two duct openings, a duct having its respective ends connected with one of the duct openings and the ceiling airopening,y another duct having its respective ends connected with theV other duct opening and the iloor air opening, said tempering unit including a suction chamber, a pressure chamber and a division walll separating the two chambers, but for a connecting opening in the bottom thereof, a blower embodied in said suction chamber being operable to set up an air current through said chamber, and a pair of connected' dampers respectively m'ovably mounted contiguously to the exhaust opening and to one of the duct openings, said dampers being settable with respect to their openings, first to allow blower suction in said one duct and its air opening and a pressure discharge into the other air opening and its duct with theI window and louvers closed, second to allow blower suction through the window when open and in both ducts through both ceiling and door openings and a pressure discharge at said exhaust opening into the attic and through said louvers when open,

the damper contiguous to the duct opening being so mounted in the division wall that it will connect said duct with either the suction chamber or the pressure chamber.

3. Air tempering apparatus for a house having a living room and an attic, air openings introduced into said room respectively adjacent to the ceiling and floor thereof, a tempering unit located in the attic having an exhaust opening directed' into the attic and at least two duct openings, a duct having its respective ends connectedwith one of the duct openings'and the ceiling air opening, another duct having its respective ends connected with the other duct opening and the floor air opening, said tempering unit including a suction chamber, a pressure chmber and a division wall separating the two chambers, but for a connecting opening in the bottom thereof, a blower embodied in said suctionchamber for setting up Ian air current through said chambers, and a damper arrangement to control the orientation of said air current, consisting of one damper mov-v ably mounted at the air opening of one ot said ducts and another damper movably mounted at the exhaust opening. said dampers being connected and adapted to two settings, iirst to divert the air current from the exhaust opening into said one 'duct for discharge through the respective duct at the ceiling opening thereof and to allow blower suction in the other duct and at its floor opening, second to direct the pressure discharge from the blower through the exhaust opening to the attic and allow blower suction at each of e ceiling and iloor openings from the room into bth ducts and back into the unit. the damper contiguous to the duct opening being so y mounted in the division wall that it will connect said duct .with either the suction chamber or the pressure chamber.

4. Air tempering apparatus for a house having a living room and an attic, air openings introduced into said room respectively adjacent to the ceiling and floor thereof, a vtempering unit located in the attic consisting of a suction chamber, a pressure chamber, a division wall separating the two chambers but for a connecting opening in the bottom thereof, and a common plenum chamber, said chamber having at least two ducts leading vtherefrom and connected to the respective air openings, one of said chambers having an exhaust opening into the attic, a blower discharging into said pressure chamber and inducing suctio'n through the suction chamber and plenum chamber, and a twin damper arrangement embodied in said unit and consisting of one damper controlling one of said ducts at said plenum chamber and another damper controlling said exhaust opening, said arrangement being capable of two settings, rst to divert the blower discharge through said pressure chamber into one of the ducts, shutting oil? the exhaust opening and inducing suction serially through the plenum chamber and other duct, second establishing immediate communication'of both ducts with the suction chamber across said plenum chamber and through the exhaust opening for a common air discharge into the attic, the damper contiguous to the duct opening being so mounted in the division wall that it will connect said duct with `either the suction chamber or the pressure A a bottom exhaust opening, at least two top ducts connecting the tempering unit to the respective air openings, an air intake opening in one of said ducts being in communication with said subspace, said tempering unit including a suction chamber, a pressure chamber and a division wall separating the two chambers, but for a connecting opening in the bottom thereof, a blower embodied in said suction chamber for setting up an air current through said chambers from one of the room openings and from said sub-space air intake opening into the respective one of the ducts thereby to utilize said sub-space as a plenum chamber, the commingled air being discharged into the other duct and thus again into the room, and a damper arrangement embodied in said unit including a top damper adjacent to one of the top ducts, being adapted to be set to allow the blowerindraft from both ducts and Openings into the unit. and a bottom damper acacent to said exhaust opening being adapted to be set to allow a. discharge o! the blower pressure through said discharge opening into the attic thereby to ventilate the attic.

6. Air tempering apparatus for a house having an attic and a living room witha sub floor space, air openings introduced into said room respectively adjacent to the ceiling and iloor thereof, a duct extending from the ceiling opening, a supply duct into which said ceiling opening duct merges, a duct extending from the floor opening,

a return riser with which said iioor opening duct scribe an air outlet from the housing to the other section, said other section having an exhaust opening directed into the attic space, a tempering element situated in said other section, twin dampers respectively pivoted in reference to the wall and in reference to the exhaust opening, said dampers being connected for simultaneous movement, means for adjusting the dampers at either of two settings, rst to shut the exhaust opening and divert the blower pressure through the second section to said supply duct thereby to induce blower suction in said riser, second to open the exhaust opening for a blower discharge into the attic and to shut oil the second sectionvat the top, thereby to commonly connect the supply duct and riser with each other across the plenum chamber, and a damper situated in the junction chamber for selectively controlling the air intake opening at either of the settings of the twin dampers.

JACK FENNER SHELTON.

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