Heat Pump Dehumidification System

Abstract

A heat pump dehumidification system comprised of one of an air source heat pump system, a water source heat pump system, and a direct expansion heat pump system, with an extra interior air heat exchange means situated between the system's compressor's hot refrigerant gas discharge side and the exterior heat exchange means, for activation and use in conjunction with the system's primary interior air heat exchange means, located between the exterior heat exchange means and the system's compressor's refrigerant gas suction side, when operation in a dehumidification mode is desired absent sensible cooling, and optimum design sizes for both interior air exchange means while the system is operating in one of a dehumidification mode, a cooling mode, and a heating mode.

Description

APPLICATION FOR UNITED STATES LETTERS PATENT [0001] This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 815,530 filed May 5, 2004, entitled “Heat Pump Dehumidification System”, which claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 547,979 filed Feb. 26, 2004, entitled “Deep Well Direct Expansion System Dehumidifier”, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. [0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. [0003] Be it known that I, B. Ryland Wiggs, a citizen of the United States, residing at 425 Sims Lane, Franklin, Tenn. 37069, have invented a new and useful “Heat Pump Dehumidification System.”BA...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a heat pump system that improves humidity removal by adding a secondary interior air heat exchange means to a primary interior air handler. This allows the system to continue operating without cooling the interior air to an uncomfortable level. The secondary interior air heat exchange means removes humidity from the interior air while the primary air handler cools the air. The system is designed to operate in the cooling mode when the thermostat setting has been reached. The invention is particularly useful in a DX system design. The invention helps to maintain humidity levels below 50% and is efficient in removing unwanted humidity."

Problems solved by technology

However, in the cooling mode of operation, a second consequence of the heat pump's operation occurs.

In many areas, excessive moisture can create health concerns, such as fostering molds and dust mites, as well as decreasing comfort levels.

However, historically, as explained, humidity is only removed when the heat pump's cooling system is operating.

Such continuous operation typically results in excessive cooling, to the point of being uncomfortably cold.

While one could continuously operate a small cooling system in an effort to continuously remove humidity, and engage a larger cooling system only when the small unit could not remove the interior heat load, during cooler nighttime periods even the small cooling system could still make the interior space uncomfortably cold.

Further, smaller systems may not have the ability to remove large amounts of humidity present when the primary larger cooling system is shut off.

However, traditional dehumidifiers are not particularly efficient to operate, require additional space, do not have the typically higher design load capacities of heat pump systems, and often require the owner to manually dispose of trays of accumulated water.

Images