US3729950A

US3729950A - Arrangement for air conditioning equipment containing a number of conditioning units

Info

Publication number: US3729950A
Application number: US00146200A
Authority: US
Inventors: L Astrom
Original assignee: Svenska Flaktfabriken AB
Current assignee: Svenska Flaktfabriken AB
Priority date: 1970-05-29
Filing date: 1971-05-24
Publication date: 1973-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-01
Also published as: HU165844B; CH536467A; DE2124440A1; PL76686B1; FR2093899A5; FI54649C; CS163782B2; NO130843B; NL7107391A; GB1356466A; DE2124440B2; FI54649B; AT312215B; CA925701A; NO130843C; BE767854A

Abstract

Air conditioning equipment containing several conditioning units comprising a bottom and a top, two opposing sides and two ends having an inlet and an outlet for the air to be conditioned, the bottom consisting of a bottom foundation resistant to torsional and bending forces, made up of two beams extending over the entire length of the equipment and two spacing elements resistant to torsional forces, adjoining each end, the top consisting of a corresponding element, the beams having a web arranged somewhat rearward in relation to the sides of the equipment and one flange extending to said sides, the plates forming the bottom and top of the equipment being fully bent back round the said protecting flange, the top and the bottom being interconnected by cornerposts, secured to the bottom and the top.

Description

[451 May 1, 1973 United States Patent [191 Astrom 464 78 W. a 526 m 04 n 333 P 1 ARRANGEMENT FOR AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CONTAINING A NUMBER OF CONDITIONING UNITS [75] Inventor:

Lennart Astrom, Saltsjobadsvagen Attorney gowson and Howson Sweden Assignee: Aktiebolaget Svenska Flaktfabrike ABSTRACT Nacka Sweden Air conditioning equipment containing several conditioning units comprising a bottom and a to p, two op- 22 Filed: May24,1971

211 Appl.No.: 146,200

posing sides and two ends having an inlet and an outlet for the air to be conditioned, the bottom consisting of a bottom foundation resistant to torsional and bending forces, made up of two beams extendin g over Foreign Application Priority Data May 29,1970 Sweden........1.,..........i....

the entire length of the equipment and two spacing h dee Cm nh e o mm g amm .memam -m t r om mrm Ji d w S a mw s wm fim eSO D. CCS mnd m foeet .l h aw a n fU mM moa s p am n da ofi fl IS xma O I. et n h OnI tC n s VOI mP h n rt nm m w do nmwa e le m7 d n mnmn eet.lfi 12 1 nfl U32 w le M6 m 6 Q 1 2 9 6 S m Q n 6"" mmh ."c u.-l "3 e s Lu m l d sum UIF 1]] 2 8 555 [[.1

bottom and top of the equipment being fully bent g flange, the top and the References Cited back round the said protectin UNITED STATES PATENTS bottom being interconnected by cornerposts, secured S e r U .m F g n i w m 2,l30,327 9/1938 2,513,517 7/1950 Reilly....1...... 2,926,506 3/1960 Skaeredofi..................

Patented May 1, 1973 i 3,729,950.

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN /ENTORQ V lqwunnr Asrk'u ARRANGEMENT FOR AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CONTAINING A NUMBER OF CONDITIONING UNITS This invention relates to an arrangement for air conditioning equipment containing a number of conditioning units and with high requirements on mechanical stability and airtightness and comprising a casing consisting of bottom and top, two opposing sides, and two ends having respectively an inlet and an outlet for the air which is to be conditioned and which is to be supplied from the equipment to a system of ducts or direct to a room.

Increasingly high requirements are now placed on airtightness in air conditioning equipment. Standards for permissible air leakage already exist. It has proved difficult to comply with these standards with the normal types of equipment existing hitherto, especially equipments which are assembled out of a number of sections on site. Leakage may then arise at every joint, especially as the equipments are often placed so that, depending on their size, and owing to the fact that they are often placed in inaccessible spaces or in spaces of irregular shape, difficulties arise in applying the necessary screw-joints on all sides. Great care must also be devoted to the design of inspection doors in order that the leakage may be kept within permissible limits.

An earlier common method of construction was that the equipment was made up of a framework in which doors were placed as described in the Swedish patent 128,409. This construction may be regarded as normative for the design of such equipments at a time when the air quantities to be conditioned, and consequently the size of the equipments were usually very much less than the requirements today. long length of edge was obtained in which leakage could occur. Thus for each frame a double length of edge was obtained.

Increasing importance is also placed nowadays on accessibility in order to reduce servicing costs. It is desired that preferably one side shall be fully accessible for inspection and removal of components. This applies especially to the air filters and similar expendable units in the equipments. This imposes special requirements on the design of framework and doors in order to preserve airtightness and strength. For combination of sections into a complete equipment a separate frame is usually required. If a frame is not used, each section of a heavy equipment must be suspended independently, which is usually complicated. A difficulty in installation is often that certain components are of greater width or height than the remainder of the equipment, which requires more complicated and expensive foundations. In the air-conditioning equipment room there is normally a sloping floor to a drain, which means that chocks must be placed under the equipment to bring it into horizontal position, which is necessary having regard to the water level in some of the basins for the conditioning units.

Transport up to the site ofinstallation has also been a severe problem earlier, as heavy components must be moved over uneven and not fully completed flooring. For the assembly of equipment delivered in the form of sections, furthermore, there has been found to be a risk of wrong sequence of assembly. Apart from the increased leakage through two boundary-lines at every In these cases, however, a

joint, the use of internal framework and external doors has also involved an increased risk of damage to doors both when setting up the equipment on a floor and during its handling up to the site of installation.

In view of the disadvantages and disamenities attaching to earlier principles of construction of air-conditioning equipments of the aforesaid kind, the object of the invention is a new and improved design of such equipments, which are characterized in that the bottom of the casing consists of an element resistant to torsional and bending forces and formed as a bottom foundation, made up of two beams extending along the entire length of the equipment and two spacing elements, resistant to torsional forces adjoining each end, and in that the top of the casing consists of a corresponding element, the beams having a web arranged somewhat rearward in relation to the sides of the equipment and at least one flange extending to the sides of the equipment, ad that the plates forming the bottom and top of the equipment are fully bent back round the said projecting flange and are thereafter directed inwards towards the web of the respective beam, and in that the top of the casing is connected to the bottom of the casing by means of comerposts, attached to the bottom and top, the end-pieces being connected to the cornerposts, for example, by means of clamping sections.

The flanges for the beams in the bottom foundation should preferentially be designed as attachments for screens or partition walls between the conditioning units of the equipment and basins, which may be required for them. Another embodiment of the equipment is characterized in that the beams in the bottom foundation have webs arranged somewhat rearward in relation to the center of the equipment so that locking devices and connecting-pieces for conditioning units in the equipment can be accommodated within the width dimensions of the equipment. In the same way, according to an advantageous embodiment, the beams in the bottom foundation can be made with a web of such height that a basin for collection of condensation water in cooling batteries, as also water for air humidifiers in the equipment, and water seals, as also pumps and valves for the water and the necessary controls, can be placed between the bottom beams and within their height dimensions. The spacer elements resistant to torsional forces situated close to each end between the beams in the bottom foundation, must, according to a preferred embodiment, consist of transverse tubular stays attached to the beams. These stays may suitably be secured by the beams in the bottom foundation by means of rectangular tubes arranged to carry elements designed for transport or support or suspension of the equipment or in the case of a sloping floor in the room for setting up of the equipment for any adjustment means that may be required. ln order that, for transport etc. of the equipment, the elements carried in the rectangular tubes shall not exceed the width of the equipment, according to another advantageous embodiment of the invention the rectangular tubes attached to the beams in the bottom foundation must be fitted to the inside of the webs of the beams where they can be attached by welding or by through-bolts. The earlier mentioned principle for construction of the airconditioning equipment according to the invention permits the conditioning units of the equipment to be withdrawn both through the back and the front. In most cases of installation it is preferable, in accordance with another suitable embodiment, that one side wall of the equipment is sealed by meansof a number of protecting doors or inspection doors corresponding to the number of conditioning units of the equipment, the doors having inwards-bent stiffening edges and, in the corners, cut-outs for the outward-bent flanges of the bottom foundation and top beams. A further development of this embodiment is characterized in that at least one side of the equipment has walls consisting of U- or L-shaped sections on each side of the inspection doors fastened in the outward-bent flanges of the beams of the bottom foundation and arranged to accomodate the locking devices of the inspection doors and the connecting-pieces of the conditioning units, so that these do not exceed the width of the equipment.

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which show an exemplifying embodiment of an air conditioning equipment according to the invention, which contains a number of conditioning elements, where FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the air conditioning equipment and its conditioning units, and

FIG. 2 shows the air conditioning equipment with a number of doors removed for exposure of some of the conditioning units.

In the drawings the casing is denoted by 1. This consists of a bottom 2 and a top 3, two opposing sides, of which the rear side is denoted 4a and the front side 4b is entirely exposed in FIG. 1. The casing has two ends 5a, 5b with an inlet 6 and an outlet 7 for the air to be conditioned and to be supplied from the air conditioning equipment to a system of ducts or directly to a room not shown in the drawing. In enlarged scale FIG. 1 shows that according to the invention the bottom 2 of the casing 1 shall consist of an element resistant to torsional and bending forces formed as a bottom foundation. The element is made up of two beams 9 extending along the entire length of the air conditioning equipment (indicated by arrows in the perspective view) and rigidly connected to two spacing elements 10, resistant to torsional forces, situated close to each end 511, 5b. The top of the casing consists of a corresponding element in which the beams are denoted 8. The

beams

8 and 9 as is clearly shown in the enlargement have a web 9a arranged somewhat rearward in relation to the sides of the equipment. In the present case the beam is of Z-type. One flange 9b extends to the sides of the air conditioning equipment and is on the same plane as the sides 4a, 4b. Both in the bottom foundation and in the top element the plate 11 is entirely bent back around this projecting flange and is thereafter inward directed towards web 9a of the

beam

9 or 8. The drawing shows the construction of the bottom foundation only in certain details. The beams of the top elements, however, can on grounds of strength, be somewhat more slender than those ofthe bottom foundation. The top 3 of the casing is connected to the bottom 2 of the casing by means of the end-pieces 5a, 51), attached to the bottom and top, for example, by means of clamping sections.

The invention is thus based on the use of a bottom,

resistant to torsional and bending forces, with essentially plane upper side. If the bottom is formed as a plate which is folded back round the upper flanges of underlying beams, any possibility of leakage between bottom plate and foundation beams is entirely eliminated. If the top is formed analogously to the bottom and is turned with the plane plate downwards, the corresponding advantages are obtained from the sealing aspect. The essentially plane plates allow free withdrawal of conditioning units 12-17 mounted between them. The edges formed by the plates bent back around the flanges provide a good seal with connecting

doors

22, 23 or wall sections. The rigid external frame allows attachment of means both for horizontal and vertical transport, setting up and suspension. Top and bottom beams are preferentially formed so that one equipment can be placed on another one. The robust bottom beams eliminate the risk of damage to the casing during movement over uneven floors.

According to a suitable embodiment of the invention the beams 9 in the bottom foundation have a web 9a of such a height, denoted h in FIG. 2, that a basin (see reference notation 18) for collection of condensation water in cooling batteries, as also water for air humidifiers in the equipment, and water seals, as also pumps and valves for the water and the necessary controls, can be placed between the bottom beams 9. 10 denotes spacer elements resistant to torsional forces, which may consist of tubular stays. These can be attached to the beam 9 in the bottom foundation by means of rectangular tubes 21 shown in FIG. 2 and in enlargement in FIG. 1. This is an attractive solution, as it allows by simple means the insertion and rigid at tachment in these rectangular tubes, at the ends of the robust bottom foundation, of elements designed for the transport or support or suspension of the air conditioning equipment. In the case of sloping of the floor of the room where the air conditioning equipment is to be set up, the necessary adjusting means can be inserted in said rectangular tubes. 24 denotes walls consisting of U- or L-shaped sections on each side of the inspection door 23. These sections, as indicated, are attached to the outward bent flanges 9a. The sections 24 are arranged to accommodate locking devices 25 for the inspection doors 23, the which devices may consist of locking levers of eccentric type described in the applicants patent (patent application l4 520/69).

What is claimed is:

I. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment containing a number of conditioning units and with high requirements on mechanical stability and airtightness, and comprising a casing consisting of a closed bottom, a closed top, two opposing sides adapted to be closed, and two ends having respectively an inlet and an outlet for the air which is to be conditioned and which is to be supplied from the equipment to a system of ducts or direct to a room, characterized in that the bottom of the casing consists of a structure resistant to torsional and bending forces and formed as a bottom foundation, made up ofa plate and two beams extending along the entire length of the equipment and two spacing elements, resistant to torsional forces, between said beams and adjoining each end, and in that the top of the casing consists of a corresponding structure, at least one of the beams in each structure having an upstanding web arranged inward in relation to the adjacent side of the equipment and at least one flange projecting outwardly to the adjacent side of the equipment, and that the plates forming the bottom and top of the equipment are fully bent back round the said outwardly projecting flange and are thereafter directed inwards towards the upstanding web of the respective beam, and in that the top of the casing is connected to the bottom of the casing by means of comerposts attached to the bottom and top, the two ends being connected to the cornerposts.

2. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that locking devices and connecting-pieces for conditioning units in the equipment are accommodated within the width dimension of the equipment by spanning between the flanges of the upper and lower structures.

3. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the beams in the bottom foundation have a web of a given height, and that the bottom plate is constructed to provide a basin for water and the necessary controls between the bottom beams and within said given height dimension.

4. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said Spacing elements consist of transverse tubular stays attached to the beams.

5. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that said tubular stays are secured to the beams in the bottom foundation by means of rectangular tubes extending along the length of said beams against the interior surface of its web.

6. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that one side wall of the equipment is sealed by means of a number of doors having inward-bent stiffening edges and, in the corners, cut-outs for the outward-bent flanges of the bottom and top structures, said stiffening edges adapted to engage over the top flange and under the bottom flange.

7. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that said one side of the equipment has locking sections on each side of the inspection doors, said locking sections being fastened between the outward-projecting flanges of the beams of the bottom and top structures, and locking devices for the doors of the conditioning units mounted on said sections so that these do not project beyond the width of the equipment.

8. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein each of said beams has an upstanding web and outwardly projecting flange, said casing including sides adapted to sealingly engage said plates where they are bent back around said outwardly projecting flanges.

Claims

1. An arrangement for air conditioning equipment containing a number of conditioning units and with high requirements on mechanical stability and airtightness, and comprising a casing consisting of a closed bottom, a closed top, two opposing sides adapted to be closed, and two ends having respectively an inlet and an outlet for the air which is to be conditioned and which is to be supplied from the equipment to a system of ducts or direct to a room, characterized in that the bottom of the casing consists of a structure resistant to torsional and bending forces and formed as a bottom foundation, made up of a plate and two beams extending along the entire length of the equipment and two spacing elements, resistant to torsional forces, between said beams and adjoining each end, and in that the top of the casing consists of a corresponding structure, at least one of the beams in each structure having an upstanding web arranged inward in relation to the adjacent side of the equipment and at least one flange projecting outwardly to the adjacent side of the equipment, and that the plates forming the bottom and top of the equipment are fully bent back round the said outwardly projecting flange and are thereafter directed inwards towards the upstanding web of the respective beam, and in that the top of the casing is connected to the bottom of the casing by means of cornerposts attached to the bottom and top, the two ends being connected to the cornerposts.