Compressor driven air quality systems, devices, and methods

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location. The system includes a compressor system for receiving air from the interior location, compressing the air, and supplying the air to a desiccant system. The desiccant system removes moisture and pollutants from the air and transfers regulated air to at least one expansion device. The expansion device then provides the regulated air of atmospheric level back to the interior location.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] In hot and humid climates, hotels and similar establishments face significant challenges in maintaining comfortable indoor environments while adhering to the stringent ventilation requirements set by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). Traditional air handling units (AHUs) are tasked with conditioning large volumes of outdoor air, which involves substantial energy consumption due to the need to cool and dehumidify this air before it can be circulated within the building.

[0002] For example, cooling needs for commercial building in hot and humid climates can be significant, requiring as much as 1 ton of cooling capacity (3.5 kW) per 18 to 28 square meters to maintain proper temperatures. Furthermore, HVAC chillers in hotels, especially water-cooled systems, generate significant amounts of condensate as they cool the air, with a typical range of 10 to 25 liters of condensate per ton of cooling capacity. It follows that thousands of liters of water need to be condensed per hour to properly cool these larger commercial buildings. However, cooling alone is not the only factor to consider when conditioning the air within a building. Traditional AHUs operate inefficiently to regulate indoor air and present the following primary issues:

[0003] High Energy Consumption: The process of cooling and dehumidifying outdoor air is energy-intensive, leading to increased operational costs and a larger carbon footprint.

[0004] Inefficiency in Humidity Control: In humid climates, the continuous influx of moist air exacerbates the load on dehumidification systems, often resulting in suboptimal indoor humidity levels.

[0005] Ventilation Requirements: ASHRAE standards mandate high ventilation rates to ensure indoor air quality, further increasing the volume of outdoor air that must be conditioned.

[0006] Environmental Impact: The high energy demand for air conditioning contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, posing environmental concerns.

[0007] As such, the inventors have found there is a need for a more efficient solution to regulate air conditioning without excessive energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. The inventors have also found there exists a need for a more efficient air quality management system that is capable of conditioning increased volumes of outdoor air to comply with ASHRAE standards while combatting the continuous influx of moist air in humid climates.

[0008] Moreover, traditional AHUs require large amounts of ductwork and materials to condition the air within buildings (e.g., hotels). Larger ducts require more upfront costs and present other issues including space restrictions, noise level, capacity for expansion, and appearance. These large ducts can also be limited by the sheet widths stocked by contractors, and their joints can be more difficult to seal. Furthermore, the ducts can require extra insulation when externally wrapped to maintain the temperature of the circulating air, and special attachment points are required to secure the ducts to ceiling levels within buildings. As such, there also exists a need for a compact, simplified solution than can efficiently treat and condition the air within such buildings.SUMMARY

[0009] To address these challenges, the present disclosure describes and details an air quality management system (and method) that recycles indoor air and reduces dependency on outdoor air intake by using a compressor system. The proposed system involves the following principles:

[0010] Air Recycling: Instead of relying solely on outdoor air, the system recycles air from within the rooms, significantly reducing the volume of air that needs to be conditioned.

[0011] Cooling and Dehumidification: The recycled air is cooled and dehumidified using an advanced adsorption system, which efficiently removes excess moisture and CO2.

[0012] Energy Efficiency: By minimizing the need to condition outdoor air, the system achieves substantial energy savings, lowering operational costs and reducing the environmental impact.

[0013] Compliance with ASHRAE Standards: The system is designed to meet or exceed ASHRAE ventilation requirements, ensuring optimal indoor air quality without compromising energy efficiency.

[0014] This innovative approach disclosed herein not only addresses the high energy consumption and inefficiency of traditional AHUs but also aligns with sustainability goals by reducing the carbon footprint of HVAC operations in hotels and similar establishments.

[0015] Systems and methods are provided for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location. The system includes compressor system, a desiccant system, and one or more expansion devices. The compressor system is configured to receive air from the interior location or from an outdoor location and further configured to compress the air and supply compressed air through a piping network connecting the compressor system, desiccant system, and expansion devices. Because the compressor system generates heat, the compressed air is supplied to a cooler (e.g., aftercooler) to reduce the temperature of the compressed air. A knockout drum can also be provided and operably connected between the cooler and the desiccant system to receive the compressed air configured to separate and remove liquids present in the compressed air from the cooler.

[0016] The desiccant system receives the compressed air e.g., from the cooler and functions to dry the air and / or remove pollutants (e.g., CO2) from the air. The desiccant system can include a multi-tower arrangement to switch between operating towers for adsorption and desorption. Each tower may include one or more adsorbent materials (e.g., adsorbent beads) to adsorb moisture and / or pollutants from the compressed air. The desiccant material in the system can be adapted to the application. For example, the desiccant material can be designed for CO2 capture or reserved for water vapor capture. The desiccant material can be for oil vapor adsorption, and / or any other adsorbent, and any combination thereof. The moisture and pollutants that are adsorbed in the desiccant system can be captured and further stored upon desorption.

[0017] The desiccant system captures and expels the moisture and pollutants from the desiccant system and supplies the regulated air (e.g., dry, and clean) to one or more compressed air expansion devices. The one or more expansion devices are arranged between the desiccant system and the interior location and are configured to receive the compressed air from the desiccant system and to provide the regulated air of atmosphere level back to the interior location.

[0018] Desiccant systems can be based on pressure swing or temperature swing principles, e.g., a tower to be desorbed is opened to atmosphere, a vacuum pump can be used for pressure regulation, an electric heater can be used to heat the tower, and / or the heat of the compression system can be used to assist the desiccant system.

[0019] The compressor system can include a first compressor arranged to compress the air received from the interior location and a second compressor arranged to compress the air received from an outdoor location. The first compressor can be an oil-free air compressor; however, one skilled in the art will recognize that other types of compressors may be utilized depending on system requirements.

[0020] Because the compressed air is transferred through a piping network, the size of the system is more compact, and few materials are required to transfer the air throughout buildings. For example, an expansion device can be located proximally to the interior location for local air expansion. Alternatively, expansion devices can be located distally from the interior location and / or arranged to connect the piping network to preexisting ductwork of an HVAC system. The air expansion through valve(s) or any other apparatus can be central (e.g., after the compressor system) or decentral (e.g., per floor or room).

[0021] The system can further comprise a control system, or controller, having at least one sensor configured to measure one or more levels of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds within the interior location. Inside the rooms / spaces there are sensors (CO2, humidity, temperature, and / or others) to measure and monitor the air quality situation. These measurements are processed in a control system to regulate the compressor system to obtain correct CO2, humidity, temperature, and other parameters. The control system can also measure one or more levels of the air quality from the outdoor location and automatically adjust the ratio of recycled compressed air to fresh, outdoor air supplied to the compressor system.

[0022] In an embodiment, the system further includes at least one heat exchanger configured to transfer heat generated from the compressor system to one or more heating implementations.

[0023] Such is beneficial for sanitary water application, and further improves the energy efficiency of the system by using the heat generated by the compressor system in a practical manner. Other heating implementations include sanitary systems, swimming pools, or other heating uses. The at least one heat exchanger can be arranged to transfer the generated heat from the compressor system to the desiccant system for regenerating desiccant material used to dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air.

[0024] A first heat exchanger may be operably connected between the compressor system and the desiccant system and a second heat exchanger may be operably connected between the desiccant system and the interior location. Additionally, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are operably connected and configured to transfer heat between each other and to effectively transfer thermal energy to different locations of the system.

[0025] To further promote energy efficiency and recovery, at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices is connected to an electricity generator for recovering energy generated from the one or more compressor air expansion devices. In the simplest execution, the expansion of the clean air happens with a restriction / valve; however, recovering energy by using the air-expander connected to the electric generator provides for a more efficient solution.

[0026] Advantageously, the network of ductwork and / or pipes connecting components of the air quality management system is reduced in size compared to the traditional AHUs because far less air has to be circulated. The compressor system utilizes small compressed air pipes, which are substantially smaller in cross-sectional area compared to traditional ductwork, e.g., being 1.5 to 50, 5 to 25, 6 to 15 or generally 8 to 10 times smaller in cross-sectional area compared to traditional ductwork. For example, ductwork cross-sectional areas in traditional, commercial HVAC systems can range from 0.05 to 115 square meters, e.g., 0.25 to 75 square meters, 0.5 to 50 square meters, or 1 to 10 square meters. Accordingly, the distribution of clean, regulated air throughout the building can be done with a more compact network of pipes. The ductwork / pipes going towards the compressor system can be significantly reduced in size because far less air is circulated. Alternatively, existing ductwork can be used.

[0027] The proposed system focusses on compressing the air generally near, at, and preferably above 1 barg. The one or more compressors of the compressor system can be oil free, oil lubricated, water lubricated, or the like. The compressor can be piston, screw, scroll, turbo, or the like. The compressor can also be single stage or multistage. The compressor can have intercooling between the stages or not. In a particularly preferred embodiment, an oil free air compressor is provided. Advantageously, the high temperature in the compressor (order of magnitude 180° C.) eliminates the bacteria and viruses.

[0028] The clean (pressurized) air after the system can be brought to the destination with small (pressurized) pipes and expanded locally. This reduced the need for large ventilation ducts. Alternatively, the clean (pressurized) air can be immediately expanded after the system and injected into existing ductwork. Or a combination of both approaches may be used. The air can be transferred to individual rooms, to an entire floor or in the general duct system, as there is no limitation on where to bring the clean air back into the hotel or indoor environment.

[0029] The compressor(s) can be centralized (basement / roof), or decentralized (floor / chamber). The compressor(s) can be fixed speed or variable speed. In case there are two or more compressors, the amount of air intake from the rooms and the amount of fresh air from outside can be individually adapted. In embodiments having one compressor, the amount of air from outside will be controlled by a restriction / valve system to the same inlet of the compressor that is taking in air from the rooms. A solution is provided to allow the intake of fresh (outside) air into the compressor. This is to make up the oxygen balance and compensate for loss of air in the hotel.

[0030] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood regarding the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, but instead are generally schematic and drawn to provide a better understanding of the components thereof, and are not intended to be limiting in scope, but to provide exemplary illustrations. The figures illustrate exemplary configurations of compressed air systems, devices, and methods, and in no way

[0032] should be considered to limit the structures or configurations according to the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an air conditioning system of related art.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a compressor-driver air quality system of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a compressor system for the air quality system.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the compressor-driver air quality system.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the compressor-driver air quality system with a heat exchanger to extract high temperature heat.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the compressor-driver air quality system with a heat regenerated desiccant system.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the compressor-driver air quality system with an expander and compressor heat recovery.

[0040] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the compressor-driver air quality system with an expander and compressor heat recovery.DEFINITIONS

[0041] A description of a few terms is necessary for ease of understanding the disclosed embodiments of the disclosed method and system elements.

[0042] The term “compressor” refers to a machine or system that draws low-pressure gas from auxiliary storage as raw input and then outputs high-pressure gas for storage or to feed other processes. The terms “compressor” and “compressor elements” are not intended to be limiting in scope and may refer to positive displacement compressors and / or turbocompressors and / or individual components of compressors.

[0043] The term “computer storage media” or “hardware storage device” refers to physical storage media that store computer-executable instructions and / or data structures. Storage media, such as a digital data carrier, includes computer hardware, such as random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), solid state drives (SSDs), flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, and the like.

[0044] The term “controller” generally refers to a component that manages and regulates the behavior of other parts of a system. The controller may include control circuitry and / or a computerized command terminal. The controller may comprise or receive input from sensors and electrical components to regulate various compressor instruments or elements, e.g., variable speed drives (VSDs). In general, controllers include or are electrically connected to at least one main computing unit with a graphical interface and are adapted to monitor the instrumentation of various compressor components (e.g., motors, rotors, filters, bearings, valves, pressure sensors, temperature sensors), including multiple compressors. Exemplary controllers operate to collect data from sensors within the VSD and / or motor, processing said and delivering an overview. Controllers may be connected to mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, to allow for mobile monitoring over a secure network, or indeed controllers may be or include mobile devices, such as tablets or smartphones. Controllers may also allow for over-the-air updates from a service or cloud environment. The controller of the system may be either remote or local, or may be both remote and local to the system.

[0045] The term “desiccant system” or “desiccant dryer system” can include single‑ or multi‑tower configurations, with optional vacuum blowers and internal heaters; may include heatless desiccant dryers, heated purge desiccant dryers, heated blower purge desiccant dryers, and / or the like; may use silica gel, activated alumina, molecular sieves, activated carbon, amine‑functionalized sorbents, polymeric or fiber adsorbents, monoliths, and / or beads; and may operate based on pressure swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, vacuum swing adsorption, and / or temperature vacuum swing adsorption.

[0046] The term “network” refers to one or more data links that enable the wired or wireless transport of electronic data between computer systems and / or cloud environments and / or modules and / or other electronic devices. The term “cloud” or “cloud environment” refers to all cloud offerings and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), as well as all platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. A cloud environment may encompass hardware, software (including hardware and software configuration), networking, and executing workloads. The term “cloud environment” may also encompass a cloud storage or cloud service storage, which enables convenient, on-demand network access to configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, applications) that can be rapidly executed with minimal management or provider interaction.

[0047] The term “processor” or “computing unit” refers to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores or processing circuitry configured to process data, such as computer program instructions, and includes personal computers, computing units, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, tablets, pagers, routers, switches, and the like. Unless otherwise stated, references to a first processor may also apply to a second processor and vice versa.

[0048] The term “service” refers to an automated program that performs different actions based on input. As used herein, the terms “executable module,”“executable component,”“component,”“module,”“service,” or “engine” can refer to hardware processing units or to software objects, routines, or methods that may be executed on with the system.

[0049] The term “software” generally refers to computer-executable instructions, code, data, applications, programs, program modules, or the like, e.g., computer program product, maintained in or on any form or type of computer-readable media that is configured for storing computer-executable instructions or the like in a manner that is accessible to a computing device.

[0050] As used herein, reference to any machine learning or artificial intelligence may include any machine learning algorithm or device, convolutional neural network(s), multilayer neural network(s), recursive neural network(s), recurrent neural network(s), deep neural network(s), decision tree model(s) (e.g., decision trees, random forests, and gradient boosted trees) linear regression model(s), logistic regression model(s), support vector machine(s) (SVM), artificial intelligence device(s), or any other type of intelligent computing system. Any training data may be used (and perhaps later refined) to train the machine learning algorithm to perform the disclosed operations dynamically.

[0051] When introducing elements in the appended claims, the articles “a,”“an,”“the,” and “said” are intended to mean there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The present disclosure relates to a system for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location, the system comprising: a compressor system configured to receive air from outside the interior location and from the interior location, the compressor system being configured to compress the air and supply compressed air to a cooler; a desiccant system arranged to receive the compressed air from the cooler and to subsequently dry the air and / or remove CO2 from the air; and one or more compressed air expansion devices configured to receive the compressed air from the desiccant system and to provide regulated air of atmosphere level back to the interior location.

[0053] FIG. 1 illustrates an air conditioning (AC) system 10 according to related art. The system 10 pulls in hot and humid outdoor air 12, which contains dust, fine particles, and other air pollutants, with a fresh air handling unit 16, and then drives the air through one or more ducts 20 to a fan cooler unit 18, which distributes air to an interior location 14. The interior location 14 can include a single room, a plurality of rooms, a single floor, a plurality of floors, a building, or other similar location or structure separated from the outdoor air 12. Both the fresh air handling unit 16 and fan cooler unit 18 are connected to a chiller 28, and an energy meter 30, by one or more lines of chilled water supply 32 and chilled water return 34. The system 10 usually vents out cold, dry air from the fresh air handling unit 16. Additionally, while the system 10 will sometimes recycle the vented air for energy savings, this leads to an increase in volatile organic compounds and bacteria inside the system 10.

[0054] Traditional fresh air handling units 16 can also increase energy costs with excess water condensation. And water dripping from the fan cooler unit 18 can also cause maintenance problems and mold growth. While the system 10 can reduce the amount of fresh air used and increase the amount of recycled air to save energy, this increases humidity and mold growth within the ducts 20, 22, 24, 26. The mold present in the ducts 20,22, 24, 26 is usually caused by increased humidity and CO2 in the air being circulated in the system 10. The chiller 28 of the system 10 may also result in increased energy costs because such systems use 60 – 70% of a building’s energy consumption to cool the interior location 14.

[0055] While such a system 10 can employ a traditional building management system 36 to communicate with both the fresh air handling unit 16 and the chiller 28 to regulate the energy expended by the system 10, related or known systems do not adequately address the presence of CO2, volatile organic compounds, and health problems present within the interior location 14. In other words, while the system 10 can chill or cool the air within an interior location 14, the quality of the air within the interior location 14 is neither improved nor conditioned to provide a healthy environment.

[0056] The present disclosure provides a compressed air quality system arranged to provide a healthy environment within an interior location that is continuously monitored and controlled. The compressor(s) of the system can be any size of compressor, depending on the size of the area to be cleaned. A cooler (e.g., aftercooler) is provided downstream from the compressors, which cools the air from the compressor. The cooler can be cooled by a chiller and help lower compressed air temperatures to below an ambient temperature level. The system can include an integrated or a separate aftercooler, which is connected to a chilled water supply and a chilled water return. Advantageously, the cooler requires significantly less energy than previous air conditioning systems to cool the air. After cooling the air down to a desired temperature, the saturated air, i.e., relative humidity being approximately 100%, a knockout drum can be provided to knock out any free water or moisture before transferring the compressed air to a desiccant system of the air quality system.

[0057] While the present disclosure describes the use of a cooler, the disclosed systems and methods can include compressor(s) having a built-in or adjacent dryer configured to reduce the level of humidity. Typically, such dryers can be of air-cooled, refrigeration types, but other types of dryers are contemplated in the scope of the present disclosure. The compressor(s) with built-in dryers are typically air-cooled to makes that the air temperature stays above ambient temperature level. If the dryers are water cooled, the dewpoint can be further reduced.

[0058] The desiccant system may be a dryer machine that features one or more tower containing adsorbent material. For example, the first layer in the bottom of a tower could be beads that attract water, such as silica gel. Advantageously, the silica gel is adhesive to moisture and adsorbs the humidity from the compressed air. Another layer of beads could be of another type of material that attracts pollutants (e.g., CO2). In switching the towers, the airflow is guided to another tower, wherein the first tower is disconnected and (being connected to the external atmosphere) depressurized. By depressurizing, the captured pollutants and moisture are released from the tower. The temperature of the air can be maintained through the desiccant system; however, both pressure swing and temperature swing principles can be applied to improve the efficiency of the desiccant system. In other words, heat can be supplied to the desiccant system to evaporate moisture.

[0059] Additionally, the principles of temperature swing and pressure swing adsorption also include aspects of the present disclosure where some types of adsorption or desiccant systems use expanded compressed air to purge the saturated tower. The expanded (dry) compressed air is capable of removing the humidity in the “regenerating” tower. While such an embodiment loses compressed air from the system, this type of adsorption system is contemplated, e.g., for heatless desiccant dryer systems.

[0060] In one aspect of the present disclosure, It is also to be noted that the (regenerative) tower can be subjected to vacuum (e.g., with a vacuum pump) to release more of the adsorbed components. The vacuum cooling used during the regeneration process can enhance the efficiency of desiccant system. For example, instead of (or in addition to) using heated air to remove moisture, the desiccant bed of adsorbent material can be exposed to a vacuum. The reduced pressure lowers the boiling point of the moisture trapped in the adsorbent material, causing the moisture to vaporize at a lower temperature. This vaporization process helps remove moisture from the adsorbent material and reduces (or eliminates) the need for as much external heat. The moisture-laden air is then removed from the desiccant system by the vacuum pump.

[0061] The air is then provided to one or more pressure reduction devices or valves and / or expander devices that bring the air back to an atmospheric level. The regulated air (e.g., clean, and dry) can subsequently be introduced back in the interior location and / or one or more ducts going into a building, rooms, and / or floors of the interior location. Additionally, because such clean air can be provided back into the ducts requires far less amounts of air to be supplied. A primary benefit of the disclosed system and method includes energy savings from the need to condense massive amounts of humidity from the outside air. Another primary benefit is reduced levels of pollutants (e.g., CO2) being introduced into the system. Additionally, while the system and method can be implemented and integrated with existing ducts of buildings, the smaller piping used to circulate the compressed air provides a compact implementation that requires less space for installation.

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the air quality system 100 comprises a compressor system arranged to reduce the air carbon dioxide content and cost of heating, cooling and ventilating buildings while ensuring healthy indoor environments. Advantageously, the present system 100 requires limited air from an outdoor location 102 to introduce into the fresh air handling unit 106. This helps eliminate fine particulate and pollutant intake. And with the vent air being closed (i.e., the cleaned, recycled air being circulated in a generally closed loop), there is no or approximately zero loss of energy from the fresh air handling unit 106 or significantly less loss of energy from the fresh air handling unit 106.

[0063] The fresh air handling unit 106 is connected to the fan cooler unit 108. And both the fresh air handling unit 106 and fan cooler unit 108 are connected to the chiller 118, and an energy meter 120, by one or more lines of chilled water supply 122 and chilled water return 124. However, because the system 100 is compressor-driven, the ducts 110, 112, 114, 116, 117 are provided with dry, disinfected air and do not require a high velocity to circulate the air within the system 100. This provides the benefit of reduced maintenance and facilitation of mold-free ducts. The ducts 110, 112, 114, 116, 117 can be significantly reduced in size and resemble a network of pipes rather than ductwork with large sheet metal pieces. Additionally, in the absence of the humidity, the fan cooler unit 108 is not prone to dripping, which likewise reduces the required maintenance of the system for more efficient cooling.

[0064] The system 100 further includes a network 128 connected to various elements of the system 100, including one or more sensors or meters 130, 132, 134 arranged to read indoor air quality, expelled or exhausted air quality, and the compressed air quality to better manage the efficiency of the system 100. The network 128 is in communication with an air quality management system 126 configured to continuously monitor and control the environment of the interior location 104, such as one or more rooms, offices, or spaces in a building. For example, the air quality management system 126 automatically activates the compressor system 101 in response to the measuring levels of at least one of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds outside of a predetermined threshold to improve air quality within the interior location 104. In an embodiment, the compressor system 101 advantageously expels CO2-rich air and provides CO2-free and volatile organic compound-free air back to the fresh air handling unit 106.

[0065] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the compressor system 101 of the air quality system 100. The compressor system 101 includes one or more air compressors 136, 137 arranged to receive air from both an outdoor location 102 and recycled air (e.g., vent air 135) from the interior location 104. To make up the oxygen balance and compensate for loss of air in the indoor location 104, the compressor system 101 is configured to allow the intake of fresh (outside) air from the outdoor location 102 into the compressor 136. According to the present disclosure, reference to a single compressor 136 can apply to the one or more compressors 136, 137 individually or collectively.

[0066] In an embodiment, a first air compressor 136 is configured to compress the air received from the interior location 104 and a second compressor 137 is configured to compress the air received from the outdoor location 102. In an embodiment, the capacity of the first air compressor is between 10 m3h to 1,000 m3h, e.g., 50 m3h to 800 m3h, or 100 and 400 m3h, and the capacity of the second air compressor is between 5 m3h to 500 m3h, e.g., 25 m3h to 400 m3h, or 50 and 200 m3h. In another embodiment, the capacity of the first air compressor is between 10 and 4,000 m3h, and the capacity of the second air compressor is between 5 and 2,000 m3h.

[0067] An air quality management system 126 can be configured to automatically adjust the ratio air supplied by the first air compressor 136 and the second air compressor 137 depending on air quality of the outdoor location 102 and / or indoor location 104. In embodiments having two or more compressors 136, 137, the amount of air intake from the interior location 104 and the amount of fresh air from outdoor location 102 can be individually adapted. In an embodiment having one compressor 136, the amount of air from the outdoor location 102 will be controlled by a restriction / valve system to the same inlet of the compressor 136 that is receiving air from the indoor location 104.

[0068] The one or more air compressors 136, 137 are configured to compress the received air generally near, at, and preferably above 1 barg. Additionally, the one or more compressors 136, 137 of the compressor system 101 can be oil free, oil lubricated, water lubricated, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, an oil free air compressor is provided. The one or more compressors 136, 137 can be piston, screw, scroll, turbo, or the like. Moreover, the one or more air compressors 136, 137 can be centralized (e.g., installed in a basement or on the roof of a building) or decentralized (e.g., in the floor or chamber of the building).

[0069] The one or more compressors 136, 137 can also be single stage and / or multistage. In an embodiment, the one or more compressors 136, 137 can have intercooling between the stages to reduce temperature and improve efficiency, resulting in a higher final pressure and reduced workload required for compression. Furthermore, the one or more air compressors 136, 137 can be fixed speed and / or variable speed. Advantageously, embodiments having a variable speed compressor allow for fine-tuning the speed of the compressor system to input / output requirements.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more compressors 136, 137 generate warm, compressed air, generally above 25° C., e.g., approximately 40° C., or at or above 50° C., 60° C., 70° C., 80° C., or 90° C. However, in another embodiment, high temperatures are generated in the one or more compressors 136, 137 (e.g., order of magnitude greater, for example, at or above 100° C., or at or above 120° C., or at or above 150° C., or at or above 180°C, or at or above 190° C., or at or above 200°C, or at or above 210° C., or at or above 25° C.), which eliminates the bacteria and viruses present in the received air from the outdoor location 102 and / or indoor location 104. The temperature generated in the one or more compressors is in the range of 100° C. to 250° C., or 150° C. to 225° C., or 180° C. to 200° C. In a preferred embodiment, high temperatures are generated in the one or more compressors 136, 137 at or near 180°C. As depicted in FIG. 3, the compressed air from the one or more compressors 136, 137 is transferred through a compressed air piping network 103 to a cooler 138 (e.g., aftercooler) to reduce the temperature of the compressed air. The cooler 138 may receive a chilled material, for example, a cooling liquid, such as chilled water from a chilled water supply 140, and the chilled water lowers the temperature of the compressed air by heat absorption. The water is subsequently pumped from the cooler 138 through a chilled water return 142, and this water can then be cooled again and cycled back to the chilled water supply 140.

[0071] The chilled, compressed air from the cooler 138 is transferred to a system configured to remove or separate the liquid from the compressed air, such as, for example, a system that includes a knockout drum, a scrubber, a filter, a coalescer, a mist eliminator. In a preferred example, such a system includes a knockout drum 144. The knockout drum 144 is configured to remove liquid droplets from the air. The knockout drum 144 ensures a cleaner process and improve efficiency of the desiccant system 146 for the compressor system 101. The knockout drum 144 slows down the gas flow, allows liquids to settle out be expelled, e.g., through a drain 145, due to gravity or other means. The knockout drum 144 can include internal components, e.g., baffles, impingement plates, and / or demister pads, to improve the liquid separation. The knockout drum 144 further transfers the processed, compressed air to the desiccant system 146 through the piping network 103.

[0072] The desiccant system 146 is arranged to receive the compressed air from the cooler 138 and to subsequently dry the air and / or remove CO2 from the air. The capacity of the desiccant system is adapted to the air compressor system upfront. In an embodiment, the capacity of the desiccant system 146 is between 100 and 400 m3h. The desiccant system 146 can be allocated for at least one of CO2 capture, water vapor capture, oil vapor adsorption, capture of another adsorbent, and any combination thereof. In an embodiment, the desiccant system 146 is further configured to remove volatile organic compounds, sulfur oxides, radon, nitrous oxides, and carbon monoxide from the compressed air.

[0073] In an embodiment, the desiccant system 146 may be configured as a multi-tower structure containing an adsorbent substance to adsorb liquid and / or pollutants (e.g., CO2). The descant system 146 includes at least two towers, where one tower is configured to regenerate while the other tower is actively adsorbing moisture and pollutants from the supplied air. The adsorbent substance can include silica gel, activated alumina, and / or molecular sieve materials. According to some embodiments, the adsorbent substance comprises at least one of: activated carbon, carbon particles and / or fibers, polymer particles and / or fibers, and solid supported amine. The adsorbent substance may be formed as beads, a gel, a foam, or another type of structure. In an embodiment, The desiccant system 146 may include one or more bead-like materials to attract moisture and / or attract CO2.

[0074] In an embodiment, the desiccant system 146 includes a layered arrangement of adsorbent substances. A first layer is provided in a tower having a first adsorbent structure for attracting water and adsorbing humidity of the compressed air. A second layer is provided in the tower having a second adsorbent structure for attracting and adsorbing CO2 molecules. In exemplary embodiments, the desiccant system 146 is arranged to reduce the amount of CO2 present in the compressed air. In one embodiment, the desiccant system 146 is arranged to reduce the amount of CO2 present in the compressed air to the range of 1,000 to 0.1 ppm. In another embodiment, the desiccant system 146 is arranged to reduce the amount of CO2 present in the compressed air to the range of 900 to 1 ppm, or in another embodiment, in the range of 500 to 2 ppm. In another embodiment, to a range of 250 to 3 ppm. In yet another embodiment, the CO2 present in the compressed air is reduced to the range of 50 to 5 ppm. In a preferred embodiment, the desiccant system 146 is arranged to reduce the amount of CO2 present in the compressed air to less than or equal to 10 ppm.

[0075] Following saturation of the one or more adsorbent structures within a first tower, the desiccant system 146 is arranged to switch airflow of the piping network 103 to a second tower, which contains unsaturated adsorbent structures, disconnect the first tower from the airflow of the piping network 103, and expel the adsorbed moisture and pollutants from the first tower back into the atmosphere (e.g., outdoor location 102). The multi-tower arrangement of the desiccant system 146 then cycles through until the adsorbent structures within the second tower are saturated, at which point the desiccant system 146 is arranged to switch airflow of the piping network 103 back to the first tower, disconnect the second tower from the airflow, and expel the adsorbed moisture and pollutants from the second tower back into the atmosphere.

[0076] In other words, the desiccant system 146 is arranged to switch the function of the towers, while ensuring that at least one tower that is working to capture moisture and / or CO2 as another tower is the regeneration process to expel moisture and pollutants. The one or more adsorbent structures can be used repeatedly, i.e., the same one or more adsorbent structures can be used within the desiccant system 146 for 5,000 to 50,000 hours, more preferably for 10,000 to 40,000 hours, and even more preferably for 15,000 to 40,000 hours. Advantageously, the one or more adsorbent structures can be used repeatedly, i.e., the same one or more adsorbent structures can be used within the desiccant system 146 in a preferred embodiment for up to 24,000 hours, or approximately 3 years. The exhaust 147 expelled from the desiccant system 146 includes the adsorbed moisture and / or pollutants.

[0077] After the compressed air is treated by the desiccant system 146, compressed air is transferred through the piping network 103 to one or more compressed air expansion devices 148, 150. The air expansion devices 148, 150 may include one or more mechanical valves (e.g., ball valves or a butterfly valves). In an embodiment, the compressed air expansion devices 148, 150 are pressure reduction valves. A first expansion device 148 can be provided as a 15 bar (input) to 1.5 bar (output) pressure reduction valve to reduce a high-pressure inlet to a lower, regulated outlet. In a preferred embodiment, the first expansion device 148 can be provided as a 10 bar (input) to 1.5 bar (output) pressure reduction valve to reduce a high-pressure inlet to a lower, regulated outlet. In an even more preferred embodiment, the first expansion device 148 can be provided as an 8 bar (input) to 2 bar (output) pressure reduction valve to reduce a high-pressure inlet to a lower, regulated outlet. A second expansion device 150 can be provided as a 5 bar (input) to 0.01 bar (output) pressure reduction vale to further reduce the air pressure to an even lower regulated outlet suitable for HVAC systems. In a preferred embodiment, second expansion device 150 can be provided as a 3 bar (input) to 0.05 bar (output) pressure reduction valve to further reduce the air pressure to an even lower regulated outlet suitable for HVAC systems. In an even more preferred embodiment, the second expansion device 150 can be provided as a 2 bar (input) to 0.1 bar (output) pressure reduction valve to further reduce the air pressure to an even lower regulated outlet suitable for HVAC systems. The one or more compressed air expansion devices 148, 150 are configured to provide clean, regulated air 151 of atmospheric levels back to the interior location 104. In an embodiment, the one or expansion devices 148, 150 are located proximally to the interior location 104 for local air expansion. One or more dampening devices (e.g., sound installation foam) can further be provided with the one or more expansion devices 148, 150 to quiet the noise generated by the one or more expansion devices 148, 150.

[0078] Because such clean air is now being supplied into the ductwork (e.g., ducts 112, 116), far less air is required for proper circulation and ventilation, i.e., the energy needed to condense the massive amounts of humid air from the outdoor location 102 is dramatically reduced and the regulated air contains far fewer pollutants (e.g., CO2) compared to the air in the outdoor location 102. For example, while levels of CO2 between 400 and 900 ppm are considered good levels of air quality, the compressor system 101 further brings this amount down to near zero (e.g., less than or equal to 10 ppm).

[0079] Advantageously, the compressor system 101 for the air quality system 100 requires much less air to process, and the compressor system 101 further does not require massive amounts of energy to spend condense water for properly cooling larger commercial buildings.

[0080] FIGS. 4-8 are block diagrams of a compressor-driver air quality system 200 according to the present disclosure. As depicted in FIG. 4, the system 200 is provided with a compressor system 206, a desiccant system 210, and one or more expansion devices 212, 214 connected by a compressed air piping network 203. The compressor system 206 includes one or more compressors configured to receive air from an outdoor location 202 and an interior location 204 and further configured to compress the received air to above 1 barg or above 2 barg, or above 3 barg, or above 5 barg. The compressors of the compressor system 206 can be of the type described with respect to the aforementioned compressor system 101. The compressor system 206 can also include one or more compression stages. and supply compressed air to a cooler (138, 208).

[0081] The compressor system 206 transfers the compressed air, which has been elevated in temperature, through the compressed air piping network 203 to a compressed air cooler 208 (e.g., an aftercooler) to reduce the temperature of the compressed air. The cooler 208 is supplied with a chilled water supply 207 and chilled water return 209 to supply a constant level of cooling fluid to the cooler 208, e.g., the water from the chilled water return 209 can cooled and supplied again to the chilled water supply 207. The cooler can be externally located from or integrated with the system 200.

[0082] The compressed air is transferred from the cooler 208 to the desiccant system 210, which can be of the type described with respect to the aforementioned desiccant system 146. The desiccant system 210 separates moisture and further may also separate pollutants 211 from the compressed air and supplies dry and clean air to the one or more expansion devices 212, 214 through the compressed air piping network 203. The desiccant system 210 can operate by pressure swing adsorption, and the desorption of the desiccant system 210 can further be improved by including a vacuum blower. The one or more expansion devices 212, 214 can be of the type described with respect to the aforementioned expansion devices 148, 150. The decompressed, regulated air from the one or more expansion devices 212, 214 is then supplied to the interior location 204.

[0083] In an embodiment, the system 200 further includes a controller 205 configured to automatically monitor and regulate the air quality within the interior location 204. The controller 205 is configured to receive measurements from one or more sensors within the interior location 204, process the measurements (e.g., using a computing unit having a processor), and control the system 200 to produce an acceptable condition of air within the interior location 204. For example, the controller 205 automatically activates the compressor system 206 in response to the measuring levels of at least one of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds outside of a predetermined threshold to improve air quality within the interior location 204.

[0084] The controller 205 may include or use a special-purpose or general-purpose computer system, or a computing system that includes computer hardware, such as, for example, a processor or more than one processor and system memory. The controller may also be a software module stored on a memory device and operated on a computer system by one or more processors of the computer system. Or the controller may be hardware-based circuit system. The controller 205 may manage the running, switching, and idle costs of the compressor system 206, desiccant system 210, and one or more expansion devices 212, 214 of the system 200, thereby reducing the wear of components of the different devices while reducing or otherwise improving the energy consumption of the system 200. To this end, the controller 205 may be configured to schedule the operation of components of the system 200 in an optimal manner according to varying embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0085] In an embodiment, the controller 205 comprises a processor (e.g., a microprocessor), a memory storage, an output interface, and an input interface. The controller 205 may be at or proximal to the interior location 204, but may also be located at a remote position compared to other components of the system 200 while remaining connected to a network (e.g., network 128). The controller 205 can be configured as an air quality management system 126 described above. The controller 205 may be in relatively close proximity to the interior location 204 and receive hardwire or wireless signals from other components of the system 200 and send hardwire or wireless signals to other components of the system 200. Alternatively, controller 205 may be arranged remotely from other components of the compressor system and may receive signals from other components of the compressor system, including from one more sensors providing data indicative of one or more operating characteristics in the system 200, and transmit signals to other components of the system over a network, such as a local area network (LAN) or another safe local network.

[0086] FIG. 5 illustrates the compressor-driver air quality system 200 further comprising heat exchanger 216 configured to transfer high temperature heat generated by the compressor system 206 to one or more heating implementations 217. Because the compressor system 206 can generate large amounts of heat (e.g., greater than 200°C), the energy of the compressor system 206 can be recovered to heat water for sanitary water systems, pools, space heating, and other heating implementations 217.

[0087] FIG. 6 illustrates the compressor-driver air quality system 200, wherein the heat exchangers 216 is operably connected to the desiccant system 210, thereby providing a heat regenerated desiccant system. Because desorption of the desiccant system 210 is pressure dependent and temperature dependent, desorption of the desiccant system 210 is further improved by using heat generated by the compressor system to evaporate the moisture (e.g., adsorbed by one or more adsorbent structures) within one or more towers of the desiccant system 210.

[0088] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the compressor-driver air quality system 200 further comprising one or more expander devices 220, e.g., each having one or more stages, to reduce the compressed air pressure to an acceptable atmospheric level for supplying to the interior location 204. In an embodiment, the one or more expander devices 220 are operably coupled to an electric generator 222 for energy recovery during the pressure reduction phase, e.g., from 7 to 8 barg gauge to 0.1 to 0.5 barg, for example, from 15 barg gauge to 0.05 barg, or from 10 barg gauge to 0.1 barg. In FIG. 7, the heat of the compressor(s) is transferred to a heat exchanger 218 positioned upstream from the one or more expanders 220 to recapture both pressure energy and thermal energy back from the system 200 before expansion. This arrangement helps to maximize energy recovery, e.g., the system 200 recaptures up 50% of the electric energy before expansion, which cools the air. In FIG. 8, the heat of the compressor(s) is transferred to a heat exchanger 218 positioned downstream from the one or more expanders 220 to expel colder air from the expander 220.

[0089] Regarding FIG. 8, if no heat (or thermal energy) is added before or transferred to a location upstream the air expander 220 and generator 222, the air after the expander 220 will be very cold. This cold air can be used to cool down fluids that normally would go through a cooler 208. This is another form of energy recovery provided by the system 200. The very cold air after the expander 220 will get warmed up to the desired temperature by the fluids that cool down. And even more energy can be recovered by bringing the heat of compressor system 206 to the pressurized clean air before or upstream the air expander 220. The air transferred downstream the expander 220 is than either at the desired temperature or needs adjustment (extra cooling or extra heating) to reach the desired temperature. Furthermore, the cold air can also be used for cold-energy storage. With the cold that is present in the expanded air, a reservoir with fluid, a water-glycol tank, ice tank, etc. can be cooled down and stored as cold energy.ENUMERATED EMBODIMENTS AND EXAMPLES OF COMPRESSOR DRIVEN AIR QUALITY SYSTEMS AND METHODS

[0090] 1. A system (100, 200) for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location (104, 204), the system comprising:

[0091] a compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) configured to receive air from the interior location (104, 204), the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) being configured to compress the air and supply compressed air to a cooler (138, 208);

[0092] a desiccant system (146, 210) arranged to receive the compressed air from the cooler (138, 208) and to dry the air and / or remove pollutants from the air; and

[0093] one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150, 212, 214, 220) arranged between the desiccant system (146, 210) and the interior location (104, 204) and configured to receive the compressed air from the desiccant system (146, 210) and to provide regulated air (151) of atmosphere level back to the interior location (104, 204).

[0094] 2. The system according to example 1, wherein the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) is further configured to receive air from an outdoor location (102, 202).

[0095] 3. The system according to examples 1 or 2, wherein the compressor system (101) includes a first compressor (136) arranged to compress the air received from the interior location (104) and a second compressor (137) arranged to compress the air received from outside (102) the interior location.

[0096] 4. The system according to example 3, wherein the first compressor (136) is an oil-free air compressor.

[0097] 5. The system according to any one of examples 1-4, wherein at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150) is located proximally to the interior location (104) for local air expansion.

[0098] 6. The system according to any one of examples 1-5, further comprising a control system (126) having at least one sensor (130) configured to measure one or more levels of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds within the interior location (104).

[0099] 7. The system according to any one of examples 1-6, further comprising at least one heat exchanger (216, 218) configured to transfer heat generated from the compressor system to one or more heating implementations (217).

[0100] 8. The system according to example 7, wherein the at least one heat exchanger (216, 218) is arranged to transfer the generated heat from the compressor system (206) to the desiccant system (210) for regenerating desiccant material used to dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air.

[0101] 9. The system according to example 7, wherein a first heat exchanger (216) is operably connected between the compressor system (206) and the desiccant system (210) and a second heat exchanger (218) is operably connected between the desiccant system (210) and the interior location (204), and wherein the first heat exchanger (216) and the second heat exchanger (218) are operably connected and configured to transfer heat between each other.

[0102] 10. The system according to example 9, wherein at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices (220) is connected to an electricity generator (222) for recovering energy generated from the one or more compressor air expansion devices (220).

[0103] 11. The system according to any one of examples 1-10, further comprising a knockout drum (144) operably connected between the cooler (138, 208) and the desiccant system (146, 210) and arranged to receive the compressed air configured to separate and remove liquids present in the compressed air from the cooler (138, 208).

[0104] 12. A method of using the system according to any one of examples 1-11.

[0105] 13. A method for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location (104, 204), the method comprising:

[0106] compressing air received from an outdoor location (102, 202) and from the interior location (104, 204) with a compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206), the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) compressing the air and supplying compressed air to a cooler (138, 208);

[0107] receiving the compressed air from the cooler (138, 208) at a desiccant system (146, 210) and dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air; and

[0108] expanding the compressed air by one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150, 212, 214, 220) that receive the compressed air from the desiccant system (146, 210) and provide regulated air (151) of atmosphere level back to the interior location (104, 204);

[0109] wherein the compressor system (101) includes a first compressor (136) arranged to compress the air received from the interior location (104) and a second compressor (137) arranged to compress the air received from outside (102) the interior location.

[0110] 14. The method according to example 13, wherein the step of compressing air received from the outdoor location (102, 202) and from the interior location (104, 204) includes:

[0111] compressing the air received from the interior location (104) with a first compressor (136) and compressing the air received from outside (102) the interior location with a second compressor (137).

[0112] 15. The method according to example 13 or 14, further comprising locally expanding the air with at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150) proximal to the interior location (104).

[0113] 16. The method according to any one of examples 13-15, further comprising measuring levels at least one of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds levels within the interior location (104).

[0114] 17. The method according to example 16, further comprising automatically activating the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) in response to the measuring levels of at least one of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds outside of a predetermined threshold to improve air quality within the interior location (104).

[0115] 18. The method according to any one of examples 13-17, further comprising transferring heat generated from the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) to one or more heating implementations (217) using at least one heat exchanger (216, 218).

[0116] 19. The method according to example 18, wherein the at least one heat exchanger (216, 218) is arranged to transfer the generated heat from the compressor system (206) to the desiccant system (210) for regenerating desiccant material used to dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air.

[0117] 20. The method according to example 18, further comprising transferring heat between a first heat exchanger (216) and a second heat exchanger (218), wherein the first heat exchanger (216) is operably connected between the compressor system (206) and the desiccant system

[0118] (210) and the second heat exchanger (218) is operably connected between the desiccant system (210) and the interior location (204).

[0119] 21. The method according to example 20, further comprising recovering energy generated from the one or more compressor air expansion devices (220), wherein at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices (220) is connected to an electricity generator (222) arranged to recover the energy generated from the one or more compressor air expansion devices (220).

[0120] 22. A system (100, 200) comprising:

[0121] a computing unit having a processor; and

[0122] one or more hardware storage devices;

[0123] wherein the one or more hardware storage devices store instructions that are executable by the system (100) for carrying out the method of any one of examples 12-21.

[0124] 23. A computer program product comprising instructions or a computer-readable medium have instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors of a computing unit, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of the method of any one of any one of examples 12-21.

[0125] 24. A system (100, 200) for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location (104, 204), the system comprising:

[0126] a compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) configured to receive air from the interior location (104, 204) and from an outdoor location (102, 202), the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) being configured to compress the air and supply compressed air to a cooler (138, 208);

[0127] a desiccant system (146, 210) arranged to receive the compressed air from the cooler (138, 208) and to dry the air and / or remove pollutants from the air;

[0128] one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150, 212, 214, 220) arranged between the desiccant system (146, 210) and the interior location (104, 204) and configured to receive the compressed air from the desiccant system (146, 210) and to provide regulated air (151) of atmosphere level back to the interior location (104, 204); and

[0129] an air compressor piping network (103) connecting the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) to the desiccant system (146, 210) and the desiccant system (146, 210) to the one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150, 212, 214, 220);

[0130] wherein the compressor system (101, 136, 137, 206) is further configured to receive air from an outdoor location (102, 202).

[0131] 25. The system according to example 24, wherein the compressor system (101) includes a first compressor (136) arranged to compress the air received from the interior location (104) and a second compressor (137) arranged to compress the air received from outside (102) the interior location.

[0132] 26. The system according to example 25, wherein the first compressor (136) is an oil-free air compressor.

[0133] 27. The system according to any one of examples 24-26, wherein at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150) is located proximally to the interior location (104) for local air expansion.

[0134] 28. The system according to any one of examples 24-27, further comprising a control system (126) having at least one sensor (130) configured to measure one or more levels of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds within the interior location (104).

[0135] 29. The system according to any one of examples 24-28, further comprising at least one heat exchanger (216, 218) configured to transfer heat generated from the compressor system to one or more heating implementations (217).

[0136] 30. The system according to example 29, wherein the at least one heat exchanger (216, 218) is arranged to transfer the generated heat from the compressor system (206) to the desiccant system (210) for regenerating desiccant material used to dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air.

[0137] 31. The system according to example 29, wherein a first heat exchanger (216) is operably connected between the compressor system (206) and the desiccant system (210) and a second heat exchanger (218) is operably connected between the desiccant system (210) and

[0138] the interior location (204), and wherein the first heat exchanger (216) and the second heat exchanger (218) are operably connected and configured to transfer heat between each other.

[0139] 32. The system according to example 31, wherein at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices (220) is connected to an electricity generator (222) for recovering energy generated from the one or more compressor air expansion devices (220).

[0140] 33. The system according to any one of examples 24-32, further comprising a knockout drum (144) operably connected between the cooler (138, 208) and the desiccant system (146, 210) and arranged to receive the compressed air configured to separate and remove liquids present in the compressed air from the cooler (138, 208).

[0141] 34. The system according to example 28, wherein the control system (126) is further configured to adjust the ratio of recycled air to outdoor air based on real-time measurements of indoor and outdoor air quality parameters.

[0142] 35. The system according to example 34, wherein the control system (126) comprises a feedback loop that activates or deactivates the compressor system (206), desiccant system (210), and / or the one or more compressed air expansion devices (148, 150, 212, 214, 220) in response to threshold exceedance of one or more air quality parameters.

[0143] 36. A method of using the system according to any one of examples 24-35.

[0144] It is to be understood that not necessarily all objects or advantages may be achieved under any embodiment of the disclosure. The compressor-driven air quality system may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without achieving other objects or advantages as taught or suggested herein. The teachings of the present disclosure apply to occupied rooms and spaces as well as to spaces with special air quality requirements like, e.g., battery manufacturing areas.

[0145] Various disclosed features of the present application are interchangeable. Besides the variations described herein, other known equivalents for each feature can be mixed and matched by to build and use compression and air quality system under principles of the present disclosure. The features described herein may be adapted to other methods and types of compressor and air quality devices / applications.

[0146] It is intended that the present disclosure should not be limited by the disclosed embodiments described above and may be extended to other applications that may employ the features described herein.

Claims

1. A system for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location, the system comprising:a compressor system configured to receive air from the interior location, the compressor system being configured to compress the air and supply compressed air to a cooler;a desiccant system arranged to receive the compressed air from the cooler and to dry the air and / or remove pollutants from the air; andone or more compressed air expansion devices arranged between the desiccant system and the interior location and configured to receive the compressed air from the desiccant system and to provide regulated air of atmosphere level back to the interior location.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the compressor system is further configured to receive air from an outdoor location.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the compressor system includes a first compressor arranged to compress the air received from the interior location and a second compressor arranged to compress the air received from outside the interior location.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the first compressor is an oil-free air compressor.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices is located proximally to the interior location for local air expansion.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a control system having at least one sensor configured to measure one or more levels of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds within the interior location.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one heat exchanger configured to transfer heat generated from the compressor system to one or more heating implementations.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one heat exchanger is arranged to transfer the generated heat from the compressor system to the desiccant system for regenerating desiccant material used to dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein a first heat exchanger is operably connected between the compressor system and the desiccant system and a second heat exchanger is operably connected between the desiccant system and the interior location, and wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are operably connected and configured to transfer heat between each other.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices is connected to an electricity generator for recovering energy generated from the one or more compressor air expansion devices.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a knockout drum operably connected between the cooler and the desiccant system and arranged to receive the compressed air configured to separate and remove liquids present in the compressed air from the cooler.

12. A method for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location, the method comprising:compressing air received from an outdoor location and from the interior location with a compressor system, the compressor system compressing the air and supplying compressed air to a cooler;receiving the compressed air from the cooler at a desiccant system and dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air; andexpanding the compressed air by one or more compressed air expansion devices that receive the compressed air from the desiccant system and provide regulated air of atmosphere level back to the interior location;wherein the compressor system includes a first compressor arranged to compress the air received from the interior location and a second compressor arranged to compress the air received from outside the interior location.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of compressing air received from the outdoor location and from the interior location includes:compressing the air received from the interior location with a first compressor and compressing the air received from outside the interior location with a second compressor.

14. The method according to claims claim 12, further comprising locally expanding the air with at least one of the one or more compressed air expansion devices proximal to the interior location.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising measuring levels at least one of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds levels within the interior location.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising automatically activating the compressor system in response to the measuring levels of at least one of CO2, humidity, temperature, and volatile organic compounds outside of a predetermined threshold to improve air quality within the interior location.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising transferring heat generated from the compressor system to one or more heating implementations using at least one heat exchanger.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one heat exchanger is arranged to transfer the generated heat from the compressor system to the desiccant system for regenerating desiccant material used to dry the air and / or removing pollutants from the air.

19. A system for circulating air and controlling air quality of an interior location, the system comprising:a compressor system configured to receive air from the interior location and from an outdoor location, the compressor system being configured to compress the air and supply compressed air to a cooler;a desiccant system arranged to receive the compressed air from the cooler and to dry the air and / or remove pollutants from the air;one or more compressed air expansion devices arranged between the desiccant system and the interior location and configured to receive the compressed air from the desiccant system and to provide regulated air of atmosphere level back to the interior location; andan air compressor piping network connecting the compressor system to the desiccant system and the desiccant system to the one or more compressed air expansion devices;wherein the compressor system is further configured to receive air from an outdoor location.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the compressor system includes a first compressor arranged to compress the air received from the interior location and a second compressor arranged to compress the air received from outside the interior location.

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