Installation for dehumidification and air treatment of a building housing a basin containing water, such as a swimming pool

Abstract

The present invention relates to an installation (I) for dehumidification and treatment of the air of a building (B) comprising: - a fresh air inlet (EAN) coming from the outside (EXT) and a blown air outlet (SAS); - a return air inlet (EAR) and an outlet (SAR) characterized in that it comprises: - a first air circulation vein (V1) with at least one device for filtering said fresh air (F1, F2), the first exchanger (10) of a heat exchange device (1), and at least one fan (T1); - a second air circulation vein (V2) with at least one device for filtering (F3) said return air, at least one fan (T3), the second exchanger (11) of said device (1), the evaporator of at least one thermodynamic circuit (3, 4), and at least one fan (T3). Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Installation for dehumidification and treatment of the air in a building housing a basin containing water, such as a swimming pool FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an installation for dehumidifying and treating the air in a building housing a basin containing water, such as a swimming pool. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] High energy efficiency thermodynamic heat pump technologies for dehumidification applications have existed for a long time. The present applicant proposes equipment capable of providing this technical function. This equipment is recognized for its performance, and the technology of which is mastered.

[0003] Buildings housing swimming pools are among the most energy-intensive buildings, both for heating the air, for dehumidifying it, and for heating the water in the swimming pools.

[0004] The financial viability of a swimming pool is directly linked to its energy consumption, which constitutes a major expense. Most municipal swimming pools are in fact in deficit, and this is largely due to these significant expenses.

[0005] Furthermore, the dehumidification of a swimming pool and the treatment of the air in the room or rooms that house it is critical to ensure the health of bathers and visitors.

[0006] Indeed, the emissions of toxic gases for humans linked to the use of chlorine impose very strict constraints on air treatment.

[0007] Finally, to preserve the building and the comfort of the occupants (swimmers, staff and spectators), the temperature / humidity ratio of the air must be controlled.

[0008] Installations which house a swimming pool in the broad sense (i.e. an artificial pool intended for swimming, diving, recreational activities, medical or paramedical exercises) are very demanding on energy equipment.

[0009] The topology of the dehumidification equipment historically manufactured by the present applicant is based on dehumidification mainly managed by thermodynamics only.

[0010] The management of fresh air (i.e. air newly introduced into the installation) is only used to treat the toxicity of ambient air, in particular air laden with trichloramine gas.

[0011] These systems have recognized efficiency but optimizations are possible along the following two axes:

[0012] - Maximization of compressor operating time;

[0013] - Greater supply of fresh air to massively treat the ambient air, associated with heat recovery, which is adapted to a high rate of fresh air to allow dehumidification depending on the conditions outside the building.

[0014] The solution proposed so far consists of a system which integrates four very distinct functions:

[0015] - a first function of fresh air treatment, which makes it possible to maximize the ambient air quality and ensure dehumidification of the air for a large part of the building's needs.

[0016] - a second function of massive recovery of calories from the air intended for be discharged outside, to preheat the significant supply of fresh air.

[0017] - a third regulation function allowing the control of the complete system and in coherence, with a view to maximizing dehumidification, air quality and energy performance.

[0018] - a fourth thermodynamic function of dehumidification in direct expansion of part of the air taken from the building and reinjected into it or a fourth thermodynamic function of massive recovery of calories from the air discharged outside, for preheating the pools and / or the ambient air.

[0019] Currently, on the market, these four functions are integrated into separate hardware, each of which operates autonomously and separately.

[0020] The existing thermodynamic dehumidification function is based on recovery technologies on an intermediate water loop, which makes its implementation complex and adds intermediate exchanger efficiencies. This therefore reduces the overall performance of the assembly.

[0021] In addition, such equipment takes up a significant amount of space, which is difficult to reconcile with the relative crampedness of the technical premises intended to accommodate it.

[0022] The invention proposes to overcome the problems stated above, namely:

[0023] - multiplicity of materials to be implemented to ensure the different functions

[0024] - complexity of implementation;

[0025] - energy performance could be improved;

[0026] - lack of compactness making integration into technical premises difficult cramped. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] To this end, the present invention proposes an installation for dehumidification and treatment of the air of a building housing a basin containing water such as a swimming pool, including:

[0028] - on the one hand an inlet of fresh air coming from outside said building, as well as a air outlet blown towards said building;

[0029] - on the other hand an inlet for air taken from said building and an outlet for the air taken back towards the exterior of said building,

[0030] characterized by the fact that it comprises:

[0031] - a first air circulation vein with, from upstream to downstream following the che air flow between said fresh air inlet coming from outside said building and said air outlet blown towards said building, at least one device for filtering said fresh air, the first exchanger of a heat exchange device, and at least one blowing fan;

[0032] - a second air circulation vein with, from upstream to downstream following the che air flow between said return air inlet and said return air outlet towards the exterior of said building, at least one device for filtering said return air, at least one return fan, the second exchanger of said heat exchange device, the evaporator of at least one thermodynamic circuit, and at least one fan.

[0033] Thanks to the solution of the invention and in terms of compactness, the different functions interconnected with each other make it possible to save space and, thus, to facilitate the installation of the system even in cramped premises, such as the technical rooms which equip swimming pools.

[0034] In terms of cost and simplicity of implementation, this installation is particularly suitable, because it is of the “plug and play” type.

[0035] In terms of energy performance, the treatment of dehumidification by fresh air involves massive quantities of fresh air. This supply also ensures excellent indoor air quality and requires a large volume of air extracted from the building. The thermodynamic function makes it possible to recover calories from the extracted air to continuously heat the water in the pools, which have constant needs.

[0036] In a variant, an additional function also makes it possible to restore the calories to the air via the same water loop. This makes it possible to reduce the gas requirements for preheating the air recovery battery.

[0037] Furthermore, the compressor is sized to its full operating power without start / stop, so that there are no losses due to transient effects.

[0038] Finally, a single automaton is able to control all the functions, which maximizes consistency and energy savings, through precise management of the supply of fresh air and energy recovery.

[0039] According to other advantageous and non-limiting characteristics of this installation, taken alone or according to a technically compatible combination of at least two of them:

[0040] - it has an additional bypass vein which has an inlet connected to the second air circulation vein, between said at least one return fan and the second exchanger of said two-exchanger enthalpy recovery battery, as well as an outlet connected to the first air circulation vein, between the first exchanger of said two-exchanger enthalpy recovery battery and said at least one blower fan, between this inlet and this outlet being mounted a damper shaped to be either open or closed, and thus allow the circulation of air, respectively prevent the circulation of air;

[0041] - said heat exchange device is chosen from the group formed by: a enthalpy recovery battery, a plate, wheel or heat pipe exchanger;

[0042] - said second air circulation vein is equipped with one to five evaporators which are each an integral part of one of the thermodynamic circuits;

[0043] - one of said evaporators is provided with a register shaped to be either open be closed, and thus allow the circulation of air, respectively prevent the circulation of air;

[0044] - said fresh air inlet, said air outlet blown towards said building, as well that said outlet of the air taken back towards the exterior of said building is provided with independent registers shaped to be either open or closed, and thus allow the circulation of air, respectively prevent the circulation of air;

[0045] - at least one of said registers is motorized;

[0046] - the condenser of said at least one thermodynamic circuit is connected to a water circulation loop of the building to preheat the water in the swimming pool it contains or the sanitary facilities with which it is equipped;

[0047] - said water circulation loop comprises a heat exchanger placed within of said first air circulation vein, downstream of said first exchanger and upstream of said at least one blowing fan. DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0048] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear from the description which will now be given, with reference to the appended drawings, which represent, for informational but non-limiting purposes, possible embodiments.

[0049] In these drawings:

[0050] [Fig.l] is a very schematic view of a first embodiment of the installation according to the present invention;

[0051] [Fig.2] is a very schematic view of a second embodiment of the installation according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] In [Fig.l] is shown very schematically an installation I in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] In this figure, the exterior of a building B which houses a basin containing water, such as a swimming pool PS, has been referenced EXT.

[0054] The installation I is for example installed in a technical room which is integrated into the building B or which adjoins the latter. In a variant, this installation I is positioned on the roof of the building B or outside, for example in a parking lot.

[0055] The fresh air inlet from outside EXT inside installation I, the blown air outlet from installation I to the inside of building B, the return air inlet from building B to the inside of installation I and the return air outlet to the outside EXT of installation I have been respectively referenced EAN, SAS, EAR and SAR.

[0056] The installation integrates a first air circulation vein V1 which extends between the EAN inlet and the SAS outlet.

[0057] From upstream to downstream following the path of the air between this fresh air inlet EAN and the blown air outlet SAS, the installation comprises an optional and preferably motorized register RI, which is shaped to be either open or closed, and thus allow the circulation of air, respectively prevent the circulation of air, at least one device for filtering said fresh air F1, F2, the first exchanger 10 of an enthalpy recovery battery 1 with two exchangers, and at least one blowing fan T1, as well as an optional and preferably motorized register R2.

[0058] Instead of the two-exchanger enthalpy recovery battery 1, we could use a plate, wheel or heat pipe exchanger.

[0059] Thus, the air entering the installation I is first filtered by the devices F1 and F2, with the aim of ridding it of polluting particles, in particular of different sizes. Two filters are shown here. In a variant, a single filter or a number greater than two could be used.

[0060] Downstream of the two filters F1 and F2 is provided, in the direction of air circulation, the first exchanger 10 of an enthalpy recovery battery 1. The second exchanger 11 of this battery is placed within a second air circulation vein V2, which will be discussed later in the description.

[0061] When the recovery system of the circuit is a water enthalpy recovery unit, water circulates inside these two exchangers 10 and 11 via a pipe 12 forming a loop, which is coupled to a circulation pump (not shown).

[0062] Downstream of the exchanger 10, still within the circulation vein VI, a blowing fan T1 is provided, preferably with a fixed flow rate, as well as a register R2. optional, and preferably motorized.

[0063] The installation integrates a second air circulation vein V2 which extends between the EAR outlet and the SAR outlet.

[0064] From upstream to downstream following the path of the air between this air inlet EAR taken from building B and the air outlet SAR taken to the outside EXT, this second air circulation vein V2 comprises at least one filtration device F3 for the taken air, for example of the same type as the filters F1 and F2, at least one return fan T3, as well as the second exchanger 11 of said enthalpic recovery battery 1 discussed above.

[0065] Downstream of the exchanger 11 is mounted a blowing fan T3 as well as, optionally, a register R5, preferably motorized.

[0066] On the air path between the exchanger 11 and the blowing fan T3 are mounted the evaporators 30 and 40 of two thermodynamic circuits independent of each other, referenced 3 and 4.

[0067] Just upstream of the evaporator 40 is mounted a register R4 which, when closed, allows the air flow to be directed only towards the evaporators 30 of the circuit 3.

[0068] In an embodiment not shown here, one could be dealing with only one thermodynamic circuit or, on the contrary, a number between three and five. Those skilled in the art understand that this number is determined in particular by the size of each circuit and the quantity of heat to be recovered from the VL vein.

[0069] The two water condensers of circuits 3 and 4 are referenced 31 and 41, while their respective pipes are referenced 32 and 42. There are two of them in the example described here, but their number can range from 1 to 5 depending on the needs of the building.

[0070] Each condenser 31 and 41 is connected to a water circulation loop B1, respectively B2 of building B, to preheat for example the water of the swimming pool which it contains, or the water of the sanitary facilities with which it is equipped.

[0071] The installation of [Fig.l] also includes a third optional vein, which constitutes a bypass vein V3. Its inlet is connected to the second air circulation vein V2, between the return fan T2 and the exchanger 11. Its outlet is connected to the first air circulation vein VI, between the first exchanger 10 of said enthalpy recovery battery 1, and the fan TL

[0072] On this vein is mounted a register R4, preferably motorized.

[0073] The air treatment within the installation of [Fig.l] is described below.

[0074] After being filtered by filters Fl and F2, the dry and fresh air, which enters the vein VI via the EAN inlet, is considerably preheated by passing through the exchanger 10 of battery 1. This air is then mixed with air from the bypass vein V3, then is blown via the SAS outlet, inside building B, for example at a tem- temperature of around 34°C.

[0075] The hot and humid air circulating in building B is taken back into vein V2 via the EAR inlet.

[0076] A portion of this air is conveyed, via the return fan T3, towards the exchanger 11. In contact with this cold exchanger, the hot and humid air loses a portion of its calories and transfers them to the fluid which circulates in the evaporators of each thermodynamic circuit 3 and 4.

[0077] Finally, the cooler air which has passed through the exchanger 11 is evacuated to the outside EXT via the outlet SAR.

[0078] Within vein V2, there is a significant excess of heat over the air, so that the exchange of calories which takes place via circuits 3 and 4 contributes very largely to the preheating of the water in the swimming pool or the sanitary installations with which building B is equipped.

[0079] The other part of the air taken back from building B is directed into the bypass vein V3, and is reinjected into the vein V1 to heat the air returning to building B.

[0080] In this installation, we immediately note the interconnection and synergy between the different equipment, to the extent that the recovery of calories from the returned air makes it possible to preheat the new air within the VL vein.

[0081] The embodiment variant illustrated very schematically in [Fig.2] uses the architecture and equipment of the first variant in [Fig.1].

[0082] Under these conditions, only the additional equipment of this variant will be described below.

[0083] In practice, the difference between the embodiment of [Fig.l] and that of [Fig.2] lies firstly in the fact that only one 31 of the condensers of the thermodynamic circuits 3 and 4 is connected to the water loop B1. On the other hand, the second condenser 41 is in heat exchange relation with an exchanger 2, to which it is connected by pipes 21, within a loop B3.

[0084] This exchanger 2 is arranged within the vein VI, just upstream of the fan T1, which contributes to increasing the temperature of the new air, before it is blown inside the building B, via the SAS outlet.

[0085] For both the first and second embodiments, a single programmable controller is configured to control all the equipment in the installation, thus maximizing consistency and energy savings through precise management of the supply of fresh air and energy recovery.

Claims

1.

2.

3. Claims Installation (I) for dehumidification and treatment of the air in a building (B) housing a basin (PS) containing water such as a swimming pool, comprising: - on the one hand a fresh air inlet (EAN) coming from outside (EXT) of said building (B), as well as a blown air outlet (SAS) towards said building (B); - on the other hand, a return air inlet (EAR) coming from said building (B) and a return air outlet (SAR) towards the outside (EXT) of said building (B), characterized by the fact that it comprises: - a first air circulation vein (VI) with, from upstream to downstream following the path of the air between said fresh air inlet (EAN) coming from the exterior (EXT) of said building (B) and said blown air outlet (SAS) towards said building (B), at least one device for filtering said fresh air (Fl, F2), the first exchanger (10) of a heat exchange device (1), and at least one blowing fan (Tl); - a second air circulation vein (V2) with, from upstream to downstream following the path of the air between said return air inlet (EAR) and said return air outlet (SAR) towards the exterior (EXT) of said building (B), at least one filtration device (F3) of said return air, at least one return fan (T2), the second exchanger (11) of said heat exchange device (1), the evaporator of at least one thermodynamic circuit (3,4), and at least one fan (T3). Installation (I) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an additional bypass vein (V3) which comprises an inlet connected to the second air circulation vein (V2), between said at least one return fan (T2) and the second exchanger (11) of said enthalpy recovery battery (1) with two exchangers, as well as an outlet connected to the first air circulation vein (VI), between the first exchanger (10) of said enthalpy recovery battery (1) with two exchangers and said at least one blowing fan (Tl), between this inlet and this outlet being mounted a register (R4) shaped to be either open or closed, and thus allow the circulation of air, respectively prevent the circulation of air. Installation according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said heat exchange device (1) is chosen from the group formed by: an enthalpy recovery battery, a plate, wheel or heat pipe exchanger.

4. Installation (I) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said second air circulation vein (V2) is equipped with one to five evaporators (30, 40) each connected to a thermodynamic circuit (3, 4).

5. Installation (I) according to claim 2, characterized in that one of said evaporators (30,40) is provided with a register (R5) shaped to be either open or closed, and thus allow the circulation of air, respectively prevent the circulation of air.

6. Installation (I) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said fresh air inlet (EAN), said blown air outlet (SAS) towards said building (B), as well as said return air outlet (SAR) towards the outside (EXT) of said building (B) are provided with independent dampers (RI, R2, R3) shaped to be either open or closed, and thus allow the circulation of air, respectively prevent the circulation of air.

7. Installation (I) according to one of claims 2, 5 or 6, characterized in that at least one of said registers (R1-R5) is motorized.

8. Installation (I) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the condenser (31, 41) of said at least one thermodynamic circuit (3, 4) is connected to a water circulation loop (B1, B2) of the building to preheat the water of the swimming pool which it contains or of the sanitary facilities with which it is equipped.

9. Installation (I) according to claim 8, characterized in that said water circulation loop (B1, B2) comprises a heat exchanger (2) placed within said first air circulation vein (VI), downstream of said first exchanger (10) and upstream of said at least one blowing fan (Tl).

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