Classifications

• • 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
  • F24F3/12—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 treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling
  • F24F3/14—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 treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification
  • F24F3/1411—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 treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification by absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant
  • F24F3/1423—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 treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification by absorbing or adsorbing water, e.g. using an hygroscopic desiccant with a moving bed of solid desiccants, e.g. a rotary wheel supporting solid desiccants
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
  • F24F11/0008—Control or safety arrangements for air-humidification
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F5/00—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater
  • F24F5/0046—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater using natural energy, e.g. solar energy, energy from the ground
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F2203/00—Devices or apparatus used for air treatment
  • F24F2203/10—Rotary wheel
  • F24F2203/1016—Rotary wheel combined with another type of cooling principle, e.g. compression cycle
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F2203/00—Devices or apparatus used for air treatment
  • F24F2203/10—Rotary wheel
  • F24F2203/1068—Rotary wheel comprising one rotor
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F2203/00—Devices or apparatus used for air treatment
  • F24F2203/10—Rotary wheel
  • F24F2203/1084—Rotary wheel comprising two flow rotor segments

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a humidity control system and in particular to a humidity control unit which utilizes low grade waste heat to aid in regeneration of a desiccant device.
• a reactivation circuit for preheating regeneration air supplied to a desiccant unit of a dehumidification system.
• the reactivation circuit consists of a reactivation air cooled condenser coil/dehumidifier coil connected to a direct vaporization refrigeration circuit including a compressor and refrigerant heat exchanger (using water, brine, or other refrigerant) functioning as the evaporator for the circuit.
• This reactivation circuit functions as a water source heat pump to extract heat from the liquid refrigerant in a secondary refrigeration circuit that freezes the ice sheet.
• Low grade (low temperature 85-95 degrees F) heat is rejected from the secondary refrigeration plant and extracted by the reactivation circuit to generate a higher grade heat (high temperature 115-130 degrees F) through the air cooled condenser coil to regenerate the desiccant material.
• the heated air drives moisture from the desiccant and is discharged to the atmosphere.
• return air, or return air and fresh air, circulated to the interior space or enclosure containing the ice rink or the like is dehumidified in a continuous process by the desiccant material.
• the desiccant is a desiccant wheel which rotates through both the supply process air stream and the reactivation air stream.
• a dehumidification coil is positioned in the reactivation air stream upstream of the regeneration section of the dehumidifier wheel and is connected to a direct vaporization refrigeration circuit having a series of compressors and then to a separate air cooled condenser coil.
• the refrigeration circuit which generates the heat for the condensing coil which heats the desiccant regeneration or reactivation air stream is coupled with any low grade liquid heat loop that is decoupled from atmospheric temperature.
• the water, glycol or brine loop need not be limited to the heat rejected from secondary refrigerant loop such as the ice sheet cooling system above, but will include known solar heat loops, cooling tower, ground water loops, other heat of rejection cooling loops, or any loop that is designed to be maintained at a temperature between 45 0 F and 95 0 F year round.
• a low grade solar heat loop using water heated by the sun at low temperatures could be used.
• Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a dehumidifier system in accordance with the present invention.
• Figure 2 is a more detailed schematic view of one of the refrigeration systems used in the invention.
• the system 10 of the present invention includes a refrigeration system 12 for freezing an ice sheet 14 located within an enclosed space or building (not shown).
• System 10 further includes a humidity control unit 16 operable to control the humidity of a return air stream 18 coming from the enclosure and being returned thereto by the operation of a fan 20. If required, some proportion of fresh air can be introduced through a duct 22 in known manner into the return air stream.
• the refrigeration system 12 includes a liquid refrigerant secondary refrigeration system 24 which includes a set of coils (not shown) located in the floor of the ice rink or ice plant 14 or the like and connected by supply and return lines 26, 28 and pump 29 to an evaporator 30.
• a liquid refrigerant secondary refrigeration system 24 which includes a set of coils (not shown) located in the floor of the ice rink or ice plant 14 or the like and connected by supply and return lines 26, 28 and pump 29 to an evaporator 30.
• Evaporator 30 forms a part of a primary refrigeration system 32 which includes a condenser 34 and a compressor 36 connected by lines 38 to a coil within the evaporator 30.
• the primary refrigeration system is a conventional direct vaporization system which absorbs heat from the liquid refrigeration system in the evaporator and discharges that heat in the condenser 34 to the atmosphere.
• the primary refrigeration system 32 includes an additional heat exchanger 40 connected by lines 42, 44 to the refrigerant line 38. This heat exchanger functions as an evaporator for a third refrigeration system 50 which is also a direct vaporization refrigeration system.
• the system 50 includes a compressor 52 located in the housing 54 of the humidity control device 16. That device includes a regeneration air duct 56 and process air duct 58 separated from each other by conventional walls and baffling.
• Dehumidification system 16 also includes a desiccant wheel device 60 of known construction rotatably mounted in the housing such that it is regenerated in the regeneration duct 56 and dehumidifies air in the process air duct 58.
• the desiccant wheel is of known construction and rotatably mounted in any known manner.
• Regeneration air is drawn into the regeneration duct 56 from the atmosphere through an opening 62 in the housing 54 by a fan 64 which discharges the regeneration air, after it passes through the desiccant wheel, to the atmosphere.
• the refrigeration system 50 includes a condenser coil 66 mounted upstream of the desiccant wheel in the regeneration conduit 56.
• the coil is connected by refrigerant lines 68 to the compressor 52 which is in turn connected by lines 70 to the heat exchanger 40.
• the compressor 52 When it is necessary to dehumidify return air and/or return and fresh air being supplied to the interior of the enclosure, the compressor 52 is operated and supplies cooled refrigerant from the condenser to the heat exchanger 40.
• the temperature of the coolant in line 70 is raised in the heat exchanger 40 (by the coolant in lines 38 flowing from the line 42 through heat exchanger 40 to line 44) and returned to the compressor 52 where the refrigerant is compressed, heated and supplied to the condenser coil 66.
• the refrigerant In the condenser coil the refrigerant is cooled by the supply air entering the duct 62 and transfers heat to the regeneration air which then enters the regeneration portion of the rotating desiccant wheel 60 before being charged to the atmosphere.
• the above dehumidification process is continuous as the desiccant wheel rotates through the supply and reactivation air streams. However, if the rink humidity level rises above a predetermined point, requiring additional dehumidification, the humidity control device 16 is arranged to provide additional dehumidification, before the return air and/or fresh air/return air pass through the desiccant wheel. As seen most clearly in Figure 2, to accomplish this, the dehumidifier includes an additional refrigeration circuit 80 connected to multiple compressors 82, 83 and 84 which are connected by lines 86 to a dehumidification coil 88 and to an air cooled condenser coil 90 mounted at one end of the housing 54.
• the compressor 82 is operated to supply compressed refrigerant to the dehumidification coil which removes moisture from the air before it enters the desiccant wheel device. At the same time it cools the air before it reaches the desiccant wheel. The heat absorbed from the air in the dehumidification coil by the refrigerant is discharged to the atmosphere in the condensation coil 90 which is cooled by the fans 92, and returned to the compressor 82. If still further dehumidification is required, the second and third stage compressors 83 and 84 can be energized.
• the refrigeration circuit 80 is actually three independent refrigeration circuits which use different sections of the coils 88, 90 in their individual refrigeration circuits.
• compressor 82 is connected by lines 82' to coil sections 88' and 90';
• compressor 83 is connected by lines 83' to coil sections 88" and 90" and
• compressor 84 is connected by lines 84' to coil sections 88'" 90'".
• Each circuit is separately energized as required, and By cooling and dehumidifying the return air before it enters the desiccant wheel in this way the capacity of the desiccant wheel to remove further moisture from the process air stream in increased and the return air is reheated by the wheel to the desired process return temperature.
• the system provides sufficient capacity to handle varying conditions and variable amounts of make up air without modifying the basic refrigeration systems 12 or 32.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Central Air Conditioning (AREA)
• Drying Of Gases (AREA)
• Air Conditioning Control Device (AREA)

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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• 2008
  • 2008-05-27 MY MYPI20094894A patent/MY149193A/en unknown
  • 2008-05-27 MX MX2009012855A patent/MX2009012855A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2008-05-27 JP JP2010510448A patent/JP5329535B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-05-27 CN CN200880017893A patent/CN101715533A/zh active Pending
  • 2008-05-27 BR BRPI0811378A patent/BRPI0811378A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2008-05-27 KR KR1020097024720A patent/KR20100028025A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 2008-05-27 TR TR2009/08758T patent/TR200908758T1/xx unknown
  • 2008-05-27 CA CA002688182A patent/CA2688182A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2008-05-27 WO PCT/US2008/064844 patent/WO2008150758A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2008-05-27 AU AU2008260212A patent/AU2008260212B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2008-05-27 EP EP08769734A patent/EP2153134A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2008-05-27 US US12/600,567 patent/US20100192605A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2009
  • 2009-11-16 ZA ZA200908070A patent/ZA200908070B/xx unknown
  • 2009-11-19 IL IL202241A patent/IL202241A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2009-11-25 EG EG2009111733A patent/EG25395A/xx active

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