US20140102689A1 - Air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology - Google Patents
Air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology Download PDFInfo
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- US20140102689A1 US20140102689A1 US14/118,857 US201214118857A US2014102689A1 US 20140102689 A1 US20140102689 A1 US 20140102689A1 US 201214118857 A US201214118857 A US 201214118857A US 2014102689 A1 US2014102689 A1 US 2014102689A1
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- Prior art keywords
- air
- heat exchanger
- main body
- cooling coil
- air conditioner
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
- F25D21/04—Preventing the formation of frost or condensate
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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
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/02—Self-contained room units for air-conditioning, i.e. with all apparatus for treatment installed in a common casing
- F24F1/032—Self-contained room units for air-conditioning, i.e. with all apparatus for treatment installed in a common casing characterised by heat exchangers
- F24F1/0323—Self-contained room units for air-conditioning, i.e. with all apparatus for treatment installed in a common casing characterised by heat exchangers by the mounting or arrangement of the heat exchangers
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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
- F24F3/12—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
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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
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
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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
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0083—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units with dehumidification means
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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
- F24F12/00—Use of energy recovery systems in air conditioning, ventilation or screening
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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
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/30—Arrangement or mounting of heat-exchangers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, and particularly, to an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, in which a heat exchanger is provided in order to recover the cooling/dehumidifying energy.
- an air conditioner for air-conditioning an indoor space in the summer includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. As shown in FIG. 1 , an intake hole 101 , a cooling coil 110 , a fan 120 and a discharge hole 102 are provided in the indoor unit.
- indoor air is sucked through the intake hole 101 formed at the lower portion of the indoor unit 100 , passed through the cooling coil 110 so as to be cooled and then supplied to an indoor space through the discharge hole 102 formed at the upper portion of the indoor unit 100 by using a blower or the fan 120 .
- the air introduced into the indoor unit through the intake hole 101 is cooled/dehumidified to a saturation temperature while being passed through the cooling coil 110 , and then discharged to the indoor space. If the cooled air is directly discharged to the body of a user, the user may feel displeasure, i.e., cold draft. In case of a rainy day in which the humidity in the air is high, it is impossible to sufficiently perform dehumidifying, and also it is difficult to control the temperature and humidity at the same time.
- condensate generated while indoor air is cooled is formed on the surface of the cooling coil installed in the indoor unit.
- the condensate formed on the surface of the cooling coil cannot be naturally fallen down by gravity but stays thereon due to drawing force of the fan, and thus the surface of the cooling coil is wet and cooling efficiency of the cooling coil is deteriorated.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, which can prevent the cold draft, can enhance the cooling efficiency and also can save energy.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, which can finely and precisely control the temperature and humidity of the air discharged to an indoor space.
- the present invention provides an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, including a main body having an intake hole and a discharge hole; a heat exchanger which is disposed in the main body and installed downstream from the intake hole; a cooling coil which is disposed in the main body and installed downstream from the heat exchanger; a fan which is disposed in the main body and installed downstream from the cooling coil to exhaust air in the main body to an indoor space; and air passages for introducing air passing through the cooling coil again into the heat exchanger.
- the air passages further comprise a damper which is opened and closed in order to introduce a part of air passing through the cooling coil directly to the fan.
- the heat exchanger is provided at the front end of the cooling coil of the air conditioner in order to heat again the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil using the air introduced from the indoor space, it is possible to prevent the cold draft, and also since the air introduced from the indoor space is cooled by the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil, it is possible to save energy necessary for the cooling/dehumidifying and reheating.
- the damper which can bypass the air is further provided in the air conditioner so that, if necessary, the overcooled air can be bypassed through the damper and then properly mixed with the cooled/dehumidified and reheated air, it is possible to finely and precisely control the temperature and humidity of the air discharged to the indoor space.
- the air passed through the cooling coil forms a descending air current through the air passage vertically formed, it is possible to efficiently remove the condensate formed on the surface of the cooling coil by further help of gravity, and thus it is also possible to prevent deterioration of the cooling efficiency due to wetting of the surface of the cooling coil.
- FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional air conditioner.
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a view showing the configuration of a heat exchanger of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a view showing the configuration of a heat exchanger of FIG. 4 .
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is view showing the configuration of a heat exchanger of FIG. 7 .
- the present invention relates to an air conditioner in which heat exchange is performed between air introduced into the air conditioner through an intake hole and air cooled/dehumidified by a cooling coil in order to save energy.
- a heat exchanger 20 a cooling coil 30 and a fan 40 are installed, in turn, in an air flowing direction.
- An indoor air intake hole 11 is formed upstream from the heat exchanger 20 so that indoor air can be introduced through the intake hole 11
- an indoor air discharge hole 12 is formed at the side of a discharge part of the fan 40 so that the air introduced through the discharge hole 12 from the intake hole 11 is cooled/dehumidified and then discharged into an indoor space.
- the main body 10 is to install the heat exchanger 20 , cooling coil 30 and fan 40 therein. Therefore, a hollow portion is formed in the main body 10 , and also the main body 10 is formed with the intake hole 11 for sucking external air and the discharge hole 12 for discharging the cooled air into an indoor space.
- the intake hole 11 and discharge hole 12 formed at the main body 10 may be formed at one of front, rear and side surfaces of the main body 10 .
- the heat exchanger 20 and cooling coil 30 located in the main body 10 are also arranged differently. Hereinafter, these differences will be described in each embodiment.
- the heat exchanger 20 disposed downstream from the intake hole 11 performs heat exchange between air introduced into the main body 10 and cooled air, such that the introduced air is previously cooled, thereby ultimately enhancing cooling efficiency.
- the heat exchanger 20 is a stacked plate type heat exchanger in which plate type first and second heat exchanging plates 20 A and 20 B are alternately stacked.
- Heat exchanger intake and discharge holes 21 A, 21 B, 22 A, 22 B are formed in each of the first and second heat exchangers 20 A, 20 B so that air passing through the heat exchanger 20 is cross-flowed.
- the heat exchanger intake hole 21 A and heat exchanger discharge hole 22 A are respectively formed at left and right sides of the first heat exchanger 20 A
- the heat exchanger intake hole 21 B and heat exchanger discharge hole 22 B are respectively formed at left and right sides of the second heat exchanger 20 B so as to cross the heat exchanger intake and discharge holes 21 A, 22 A of the first heat exchanger 20 A. Therefore, air introduced through the intake hole 11 is flowed to the cooling coil 30 through the first heat exchanger 20 A, and the air passing through the cooling coil 30 is flowed to the discharge hole 12 through the second heat exchanger 20 B, such that the air in the heat exchanger is cross-flowed.
- the heat exchanger used in the present invention is preferably a plastic heat exchanger.
- the cooling coil 30 is disposed downstream from the heat exchanger 20 , and a circulating coolant is flowed in the cooling coil 30 .
- an air passage is formed between a rear surface of the main body 10 and the cooling coil 30 and at the lower portion of the heat exchanger 20 so as to form the “L”-shaped air passage 13 a, and thus the air passing through the cooling coil 30 is introduced again to the heat exchanger 20 .
- the fan 40 is disposed at the upper side of the heat exchanger 20 and cooling coil 30 , and the air passing through the heat exchanger 20 , cooling coil 30 and the air passage 13 a is sucked and then discharged to the indoor space through the discharge hole 12 .
- the indoor air introduced into the main body through the intake hole is introduced into the main body 10 through the opened side surface of the heat exchanger 20 , and primarily cooled by the cooled/dehumidified air flowed along an adjacent layer in the heat exchanger 20 , and then secondarily cooled while passing through the cooling coil 30 .
- the secondarily cooled air is guided to the side of the heat exchanger 20 through the air passage 13 a, introduced into the lower portion of the exchanger 20 and heated by indoor air while being flowed in the heat exchanger 20 .
- the heated air is discharged through an upper portion of the heat exchanger 20 and then flowed to the indoor space through the discharge hole 12 by the fan 40 .
- the heat exchanger is disposed at the front end of the cooling coil so that the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil is reheated again by the air introduced from the indoor space and then supplied, it is possible to prevent cold draft, and as the same time, since the air introduced from the indoor space is cooled by the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil, it is possible to save energy necessary for the cooling/dehumidifying and reheating.
- the indoor air is cooled, condensed and then attached on the surface of the cooling coil 30 .
- the condensate formed on the surface of the cooling coil 30 cannot be naturally fallen down by gravity but stays thereon due to drawing force of the fan 40 , and thus the surface of the cooling coil 30 is wet and the cooling efficiency is sharply deteriorated.
- the condensate formed on the surface of the cooling coil 30 can be efficiently removed by additional help of gravity. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the cooling efficiency due to wetting of the surface of the cooling coil.
- the air passage 13 a may further include a damper 31 by which a part of air passing through the cooling coil 30 is not reheated by heat exchange with the indoor air introduced from the intake hole 11 and is directly supplied to the fan 40 .
- the air passage is configured so that the air cooled by the cooling coil 30 has to be passed again through the heat exchanger 20 , it is difficult to properly control temperature and humidity of the air discharged to the indoor space. Therefore, according to the present invention, since a part of the air passing through the cooling coil 30 is directly introduced into the fan 40 through the damper 31 and then mixed with air passed again through the heat exchanger 20 , it is possible to properly control the temperature and humidity of the air.
- a controller of the damper 31 is connected with the temperature/humidity sensor (not shown), and the opening level of the damper 31 is automatically controlled by the controller according to the temperature/humidity value detected by the temperature/humidity sensor.
- a second embodiment relates to an air conditioner in which the intake hole 11 for sucking the indoor air is formed in the rear surface of the main body 10 , and the discharge hole 12 for discharging the cooled air to the indoor space is formed in the front surface of the main body 10 . Therefore, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that installation positions of the heat exchanger 20 , cooling coil 30 and air passage 13 b are opposed to those in the first embodiment.
- the intake hole 11 is formed in the rear surface of the main body 10 , and the heat exchanger 20 and cooling coil 30 are disposed, in turn, downstream from the intake hole 11 , and the air passage is formed between the front surface of the main body 10 and the cooling coil 30 and also at the lower side of the heat exchanger 20 , and thus a reversed “L”-shaped air passage 13 b is formed.
- a damper 31 may be further provided at an upper side of the air passage 13 b.
- positions of the heat exchanger intake hole 21 A and heat exchanger discharge hole 22 A formed in the first heat exchanging plate 20 A used in the heat exchanger 20 are also opposed to those in first embodiment.
- the intake hole 11 and discharge hole 12 are respectively formed in the rear and front surfaces of the main body 10 , it is prevented that the cooled air is introduced again into the main body 10 through the intake hole 11 due to the drawing force of the fan while the cooled air is discharged through the discharge hole 12 .
- a third embodiment relates to an air conditioner in which the intake hole 11 is formed in both side surfaces of the main body 10 . Except that, unlike the first embodiment, the intake hole 11 is formed in the side surfaces of the main body 10 , the rest configuration, i.e., the heat exchanger 20 , cooling coil 30 and air passage 13 c of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. As described above, if the intake hole 11 is formed in the side surfaces of the main body 10 , it is prevented that the cooled air is introduced again into the main body 10 through the intake hole 11 due to the drawing force of the fan while the cooled air is discharged through the discharge hole 12 .
- a fourth embodiment relates to an air conditioner in which the intake hole 11 is formed in a lower portion of the front surface or both side surfaces of the main body 10 .
- the heat exchanger 20 is disposed inside the rear surface of the main body 10 , and the cooling coil 30 is disposed (downstream) at a front surface of the heat exchanger 20 so that air passing through the heat exchanger 20 is flowed to the cooling coil 30 .
- the air passage 13 d is formed between the cooling coil 30 and the main body 10 .
- a lower side of the air passage 13 d is separated by a partition plate 14 provided at the lower end of the cooling coil 30 so that air passing through the air passage 13 d is not introduced into the intake hole 11 .
- the damper 31 may be further provided at the upper side of the air passage 13 d so that a part of the air passing through the cooling coil 30 is not passed through the heat exchanger but is directly supplied to the fan 40 . And the opening level of the damper 31 is also controlled in the same manner as the first embodiment.
- the indoor air introduced in the main body 10 through the intake hole 11 is introduced into the heat exchanger 20 through the lower end thereof, passed through the cooling coil 30 via the internal portion of the heat exchanger 20 , passed again through the cooling coil 30 along the vertical air passage 13 d, introduced again into the heat exchanger 20 , sucked by the fan 40 installed downstream from the heat exchanger 20 and then discharged to the discharge hole 12 .
- the heat exchanger intake hole 21 A and exchanger discharge hole 22 A are respectively formed in the lower and upper surfaces of the first heat exchanging plate 20 A′ forming the heat exchanger 20
- the heat exchanger intake hole 21 B and exchanger discharge hole 22 B are respectively formed in the side and upper surfaces of the second heat exchanging plate 20 B′.
- the heat exchanger 20 is disposed in the air conditioner, the cooled air is reheated by this structure and thus it is possible to prevent the cold draft, and as the same time, since the cooling/dehumidifying heat can be recovered, it is possible to increase the energy efficiency. Further, since the damper 31 is further provided, it is possible to precisely control the temperature and humidity of the air supplied to the indoor space.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, and particularly, to an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, in which a heat exchanger is provided in order to recover the cooling/dehumidifying energy.
- In general, an air conditioner for air-conditioning an indoor space in the summer includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. As shown in
FIG. 1 , anintake hole 101, acooling coil 110, afan 120 and adischarge hole 102 are provided in the indoor unit. Herein, indoor air is sucked through theintake hole 101 formed at the lower portion of theindoor unit 100, passed through thecooling coil 110 so as to be cooled and then supplied to an indoor space through thedischarge hole 102 formed at the upper portion of theindoor unit 100 by using a blower or thefan 120. - Herein, the air introduced into the indoor unit through the
intake hole 101 is cooled/dehumidified to a saturation temperature while being passed through thecooling coil 110, and then discharged to the indoor space. If the cooled air is directly discharged to the body of a user, the user may feel displeasure, i.e., cold draft. In case of a rainy day in which the humidity in the air is high, it is impossible to sufficiently perform dehumidifying, and also it is difficult to control the temperature and humidity at the same time. - In addition, condensate generated while indoor air is cooled is formed on the surface of the cooling coil installed in the indoor unit. In a conventional air conditioner, since the cooled air discharged from the cooling coil forms an ascending air current, the condensate formed on the surface of the cooling coil cannot be naturally fallen down by gravity but stays thereon due to drawing force of the fan, and thus the surface of the cooling coil is wet and cooling efficiency of the cooling coil is deteriorated.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, which can prevent the cold draft, can enhance the cooling efficiency and also can save energy.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, which can finely and precisely control the temperature and humidity of the air discharged to an indoor space.
- To achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention provides an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology, including a main body having an intake hole and a discharge hole; a heat exchanger which is disposed in the main body and installed downstream from the intake hole; a cooling coil which is disposed in the main body and installed downstream from the heat exchanger; a fan which is disposed in the main body and installed downstream from the cooling coil to exhaust air in the main body to an indoor space; and air passages for introducing air passing through the cooling coil again into the heat exchanger. Preferably, the air passages further comprise a damper which is opened and closed in order to introduce a part of air passing through the cooling coil directly to the fan.
- According to the present invention, since the heat exchanger is provided at the front end of the cooling coil of the air conditioner in order to heat again the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil using the air introduced from the indoor space, it is possible to prevent the cold draft, and also since the air introduced from the indoor space is cooled by the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil, it is possible to save energy necessary for the cooling/dehumidifying and reheating.
- Further, according to the present invention, since the damper which can bypass the air is further provided in the air conditioner so that, if necessary, the overcooled air can be bypassed through the damper and then properly mixed with the cooled/dehumidified and reheated air, it is possible to finely and precisely control the temperature and humidity of the air discharged to the indoor space.
- In addition, since the air passed through the cooling coil forms a descending air current through the air passage vertically formed, it is possible to efficiently remove the condensate formed on the surface of the cooling coil by further help of gravity, and thus it is also possible to prevent deterioration of the cooling efficiency due to wetting of the surface of the cooling coil.
- The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional air conditioner. -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a first embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a view showing the configuration of a heat exchanger ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a second embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a view showing the configuration of a heat exchanger ofFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a third embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is view showing the configuration of a heat exchanger ofFIG. 7 . -
[Detailed Description of Main Elements] 10: main body 11: intake hole 12: discharge hole 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d: air passage 14: partition plate 20: heat exchanger 20A, 20A′: first heat exchanging 20B, 20B′: second heat exchanging plate plate 21A, 21B: heat exchanger intake hole 22A, 22B: heat exchanger discharge hole 30: cooling coil 31: damper 40: fan - Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
- The present invention relates to an air conditioner in which heat exchange is performed between air introduced into the air conditioner through an intake hole and air cooled/dehumidified by a cooling coil in order to save energy. To this end, in an air conditioner
main body 10 of the present invention, as shown inFIG. 2 , aheat exchanger 20, acooling coil 30 and afan 40 are installed, in turn, in an air flowing direction. An indoorair intake hole 11 is formed upstream from theheat exchanger 20 so that indoor air can be introduced through theintake hole 11, and an indoorair discharge hole 12 is formed at the side of a discharge part of thefan 40 so that the air introduced through thedischarge hole 12 from theintake hole 11 is cooled/dehumidified and then discharged into an indoor space. - The
main body 10 is to install theheat exchanger 20,cooling coil 30 andfan 40 therein. Therefore, a hollow portion is formed in themain body 10, and also themain body 10 is formed with theintake hole 11 for sucking external air and thedischarge hole 12 for discharging the cooled air into an indoor space. - In the present invention, the
intake hole 11 anddischarge hole 12 formed at themain body 10 may be formed at one of front, rear and side surfaces of themain body 10. According to this difference, theheat exchanger 20 andcooling coil 30 located in themain body 10 are also arranged differently. Hereinafter, these differences will be described in each embodiment. - In a first embodiment, as shown in
FIG. 2 , all of theintake hole 11 anddischarge hole 12 are formed in the front surface of themain body 10, and theheat exchanger 20 andcooling coil 30 are disposed, in turn, downstream from theintake hole 11, and aseparate air passage 13 a is provided downstream of thecooling coil 30. - The
heat exchanger 20 disposed downstream from theintake hole 11 performs heat exchange between air introduced into themain body 10 and cooled air, such that the introduced air is previously cooled, thereby ultimately enhancing cooling efficiency. As shown inFIG. 3 , theheat exchanger 20 is a stacked plate type heat exchanger in which plate type first and secondheat exchanging plates discharge holes second heat exchangers heat exchanger 20 is cross-flowed. - In other words, as shown in
FIG. 3 , the heatexchanger intake hole 21A and heatexchanger discharge hole 22A are respectively formed at left and right sides of thefirst heat exchanger 20A, and the heatexchanger intake hole 21B and heatexchanger discharge hole 22B are respectively formed at left and right sides of thesecond heat exchanger 20B so as to cross the heat exchanger intake anddischarge holes first heat exchanger 20A. Therefore, air introduced through theintake hole 11 is flowed to thecooling coil 30 through thefirst heat exchanger 20A, and the air passing through thecooling coil 30 is flowed to thedischarge hole 12 through thesecond heat exchanger 20B, such that the air in the heat exchanger is cross-flowed. - Herein, in case that the first and second
heat exchanging plates discharge holes - The
cooling coil 30 is disposed downstream from theheat exchanger 20, and a circulating coolant is flowed in thecooling coil 30. - And an air passage is formed between a rear surface of the
main body 10 and thecooling coil 30 and at the lower portion of theheat exchanger 20 so as to form the “L”-shaped air passage 13 a, and thus the air passing through thecooling coil 30 is introduced again to theheat exchanger 20. - The
fan 40 is disposed at the upper side of theheat exchanger 20 andcooling coil 30, and the air passing through theheat exchanger 20,cooling coil 30 and theair passage 13 a is sucked and then discharged to the indoor space through thedischarge hole 12. - In the air conditioner of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the indoor air introduced into the main body through the intake hole is introduced into the
main body 10 through the opened side surface of theheat exchanger 20, and primarily cooled by the cooled/dehumidified air flowed along an adjacent layer in theheat exchanger 20, and then secondarily cooled while passing through thecooling coil 30. And the secondarily cooled air is guided to the side of theheat exchanger 20 through theair passage 13 a, introduced into the lower portion of theexchanger 20 and heated by indoor air while being flowed in theheat exchanger 20. The heated air is discharged through an upper portion of theheat exchanger 20 and then flowed to the indoor space through thedischarge hole 12 by thefan 40. - Therefore, since the heat exchanger is disposed at the front end of the cooling coil so that the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil is reheated again by the air introduced from the indoor space and then supplied, it is possible to prevent cold draft, and as the same time, since the air introduced from the indoor space is cooled by the air cooled/dehumidified by the cooling coil, it is possible to save energy necessary for the cooling/dehumidifying and reheating.
- In addition, in a conventional air conditioner, the indoor air is cooled, condensed and then attached on the surface of the
cooling coil 30. Herein, since an ascending air current is generated by thefan 40, the condensate formed on the surface of thecooling coil 30 cannot be naturally fallen down by gravity but stays thereon due to drawing force of thefan 40, and thus the surface of thecooling coil 30 is wet and the cooling efficiency is sharply deteriorated. However, according to the present invention, since a descending air current is formed at the side of a discharge part of thecooling coil 30, the condensate formed on the surface of thecooling coil 30 can be efficiently removed by additional help of gravity. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the cooling efficiency due to wetting of the surface of the cooling coil. - Meanwhile, the
air passage 13 a may further include adamper 31 by which a part of air passing through thecooling coil 30 is not reheated by heat exchange with the indoor air introduced from theintake hole 11 and is directly supplied to thefan 40. - That is, in case that the air passage is configured so that the air cooled by the
cooling coil 30 has to be passed again through theheat exchanger 20, it is difficult to properly control temperature and humidity of the air discharged to the indoor space. Therefore, according to the present invention, since a part of the air passing through thecooling coil 30 is directly introduced into thefan 40 through thedamper 31 and then mixed with air passed again through theheat exchanger 20, it is possible to properly control the temperature and humidity of the air. - Herein, it is preferable to control an opening level of the
damper 31 or whether to open or close thedamper 31 according to a value detected by a temperature/humidity sensor which is installed in themain body 10. - To this end, a controller of the
damper 31 is connected with the temperature/humidity sensor (not shown), and the opening level of thedamper 31 is automatically controlled by the controller according to the temperature/humidity value detected by the temperature/humidity sensor. Thus, it is possible to finely and precisely control the supply of cooled air according to a temperature/humidity value set by a user. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , a second embodiment relates to an air conditioner in which theintake hole 11 for sucking the indoor air is formed in the rear surface of themain body 10, and thedischarge hole 12 for discharging the cooled air to the indoor space is formed in the front surface of themain body 10. Therefore, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that installation positions of theheat exchanger 20, coolingcoil 30 andair passage 13 b are opposed to those in the first embodiment. That is, in the second embodiment, theintake hole 11 is formed in the rear surface of themain body 10, and theheat exchanger 20 and coolingcoil 30 are disposed, in turn, downstream from theintake hole 11, and the air passage is formed between the front surface of themain body 10 and the coolingcoil 30 and also at the lower side of theheat exchanger 20, and thus a reversed “L”-shapedair passage 13 b is formed. Further, adamper 31 may be further provided at an upper side of theair passage 13 b. - Therefore, a direction that air is introduced into the
main body 10 and then discharged is opposed to that in the first embodiment. Thus, as shown inFIG. 5 , positions of the heatexchanger intake hole 21A and heatexchanger discharge hole 22A formed in the firstheat exchanging plate 20A used in theheat exchanger 20 are also opposed to those in first embodiment. - As described above, since the
intake hole 11 anddischarge hole 12 are respectively formed in the rear and front surfaces of themain body 10, it is prevented that the cooled air is introduced again into themain body 10 through theintake hole 11 due to the drawing force of the fan while the cooled air is discharged through thedischarge hole 12. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , a third embodiment relates to an air conditioner in which theintake hole 11 is formed in both side surfaces of themain body 10. Except that, unlike the first embodiment, theintake hole 11 is formed in the side surfaces of themain body 10, the rest configuration, i.e., theheat exchanger 20, coolingcoil 30 andair passage 13 c of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. As described above, if theintake hole 11 is formed in the side surfaces of themain body 10, it is prevented that the cooled air is introduced again into themain body 10 through theintake hole 11 due to the drawing force of the fan while the cooled air is discharged through thedischarge hole 12. - As shown in
FIG. 7 , a fourth embodiment relates to an air conditioner in which theintake hole 11 is formed in a lower portion of the front surface or both side surfaces of themain body 10. - As shown in
FIG. 7 , theheat exchanger 20 is disposed inside the rear surface of themain body 10, and the coolingcoil 30 is disposed (downstream) at a front surface of theheat exchanger 20 so that air passing through theheat exchanger 20 is flowed to the coolingcoil 30. - Further, the
air passage 13 d is formed between the coolingcoil 30 and themain body 10. Herein, a lower side of theair passage 13 d is separated by apartition plate 14 provided at the lower end of the coolingcoil 30 so that air passing through theair passage 13 d is not introduced into theintake hole 11. - And like in other embodiments, the
damper 31 may be further provided at the upper side of theair passage 13 d so that a part of the air passing through the coolingcoil 30 is not passed through the heat exchanger but is directly supplied to thefan 40. And the opening level of thedamper 31 is also controlled in the same manner as the first embodiment. - In the fourth embodiment having the above-mentioned structure and arrangement, the indoor air introduced in the
main body 10 through theintake hole 11 is introduced into theheat exchanger 20 through the lower end thereof, passed through the coolingcoil 30 via the internal portion of theheat exchanger 20, passed again through the coolingcoil 30 along thevertical air passage 13 d, introduced again into theheat exchanger 20, sucked by thefan 40 installed downstream from theheat exchanger 20 and then discharged to thedischarge hole 12. - In order to achieve the above-mentioned air current, as shown in
FIG. 8 , the heatexchanger intake hole 21A andexchanger discharge hole 22A are respectively formed in the lower and upper surfaces of the firstheat exchanging plate 20A′ forming theheat exchanger 20, and the heatexchanger intake hole 21B andexchanger discharge hole 22B are respectively formed in the side and upper surfaces of the secondheat exchanging plate 20B′. - According to the present invention as described above, since the
heat exchanger 20 is disposed in the air conditioner, the cooled air is reheated by this structure and thus it is possible to prevent the cold draft, and as the same time, since the cooling/dehumidifying heat can be recovered, it is possible to increase the energy efficiency. Further, since thedamper 31 is further provided, it is possible to precisely control the temperature and humidity of the air supplied to the indoor space. - While the present invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims (16)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR10-2011-0047505 | 2011-05-19 | ||
KR1020110047505A KR101240512B1 (en) | 2011-05-19 | 2011-05-19 | Air conditioner using recovering technology of cooling/dehumidifying energy |
PCT/KR2012/003763 WO2012157923A2 (en) | 2011-05-19 | 2012-05-14 | Air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20140102689A1 true US20140102689A1 (en) | 2014-04-17 |
Family
ID=47177464
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/118,857 Abandoned US20140102689A1 (en) | 2011-05-19 | 2012-05-14 | Air conditioner using cooling/dehumidifying energy recovery technology |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20140102689A1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101240512B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2012157923A2 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10869410B1 (en) | 2019-06-27 | 2020-12-15 | Munters Corporation | Air handling unit with indirect air-side economizer and decoupled variable speed scavenger and condenser fan control |
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KR100459675B1 (en) * | 2002-11-06 | 2004-12-03 | 주식회사 아텍에너지 | Constant temperature/humidity device |
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JP2008036552A (en) * | 2006-08-08 | 2008-02-21 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Dehumidifying apparatus |
KR100927488B1 (en) * | 2008-11-27 | 2009-11-17 | (주)해팍이엔지 | Cooling and reheating plant of constant temperature and constant humidity using wasted filter |
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- 2011-05-19 KR KR1020110047505A patent/KR101240512B1/en active IP Right Grant
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- 2012-05-14 WO PCT/KR2012/003763 patent/WO2012157923A2/en active Application Filing
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US3444092A (en) * | 1967-03-28 | 1969-05-13 | Andrew Truhan | Fog generator and chamber |
US3492833A (en) * | 1968-05-22 | 1970-02-03 | Philco Ford Corp | Air conditioning |
US3938348A (en) * | 1974-10-15 | 1976-02-17 | Rickert Glenn E | Ventilating and/or cooling dehumidifier |
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US6427454B1 (en) * | 2000-02-05 | 2002-08-06 | Michael K. West | Air conditioner and controller for active dehumidification while using ambient air to prevent overcooling |
US20060272349A1 (en) * | 2004-03-12 | 2006-12-07 | Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha | Indoor unit of air conditioner |
US8141624B2 (en) * | 2006-06-28 | 2012-03-27 | Martin Jeffrey R | Apparatus for heating a restaurant kitchen, dining room, and hot water supply |
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US10869410B1 (en) | 2019-06-27 | 2020-12-15 | Munters Corporation | Air handling unit with indirect air-side economizer and decoupled variable speed scavenger and condenser fan control |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR101240512B1 (en) | 2013-03-11 |
WO2012157923A3 (en) | 2013-01-17 |
WO2012157923A2 (en) | 2012-11-22 |
KR20120129328A (en) | 2012-11-28 |
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