Multi-Unit A/C Humidity Control Through Latent Load Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multiple unit air conditioning systems, the 'zoning' effect of sensible heat leads to imbalanced heat load distribution among units, causing inefficient operation as some units must provide excessive cooling and heating to maintain humidity control, while latent heat is not evenly distributed, resulting in suboptimal energy use.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning system with multiple units and a controller that senses humidity and heat loads, reallocates latent heat removal to optimize energy efficiency by ensuring no unit exceeds a certain percentage of latent heat removal relative to its sensible heat removal, allowing for efficient operation without the need for heating in zones with adequate sensible heat loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If each A/C unit operates independently to maintain temperature control in its zone, then temperature control is maintained, but some units must provide excessive cooling and heating to maintain humidity control, reducing energy efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the humidity control function from individual zone control to a global room-level control. The controller aggregates humidity data from all zones and coordinates latent heat removal across all A/C units, allowing the system to maintain humidity control while avoiding the need for individual units to operate inefficiently in heating mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the operation of each A/C unit based on real-time sensing of sensible and latent heat loads. The controller continuously monitors zone temperatures and room humidity, then dynamically redistributes latent heat removal tasks among units with excess cooling capacity, optimizing energy efficiency while maintaining temperature control.
2Reliability
If A/C units provide additional cooling to maintain humidity control when latent heat load exceeds sensible heat load, then humidity control is maintained, but the unit operates inefficiently requiring heating to balance temperature control
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from humidity sensors and temperature sensors in each zone to continuously monitor the state of the room and zones. The controller processes this feedback information and adjusts the operation of A/C units accordingly, redistributing latent heat removal to units with excess sensible cooling capacity, thereby eliminating the need for inefficient heating operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of A/C units dynamically. Instead of each unit operating at fixed setpoints, the controller adjusts the cooling output and latent heat removal of individual units based on overall system conditions, allowing units to operate at optimal efficiency points while maintaining required humidity control.
3Ease of operation
If latent heat removal is distributed evenly among A/C units, then humidity control is simplified, but units with insufficient sensible heat load must operate inefficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the latent heat removal task among specific A/C units based on their individual sensible heat load capacity. Rather than uniform distribution, the controller divides the total latent heat removal requirement into portions assigned to units with excess cooling capacity, optimizing overall system efficiency while maintaining humidity control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures all units operate efficiently by redistributing latent heat loads, maintaining humidity control and reducing energy consumption by eliminating the need for heating in zones with sufficient sensible heat, thereby improving overall system efficiency and balancing heat load distribution.
Implementation Method 1
This is due to the effect of vapor pressure created by the moisture in the air. This vapor pressure will force the moisture to distribute evenly within the room 10 independent of the air flow of the A/C units 12, 14 and 16.
Implementation Method 2
the majority of heat flow, which is controlled by convection, often stays within the zone determined by the air flow of the individual A/C units
Implementation Method 3
Latent cooling is the removal of moisture or humidity from the air
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning (A/C) system that may have a plurality of air conditioning units disposed in different zones of an area that each operate to cool the different zones, a humidity sensor for sensing the humidity in the area, and a controller. The controller may be adapted to analyze a sensible heat load being experienced by each of the air conditioning units and to control a latent heat removal being performed by each air conditioning unit such that a percentage of latent heat removal performed by each air conditioning unit does not exceed a percentage of sensible heat removal being performed by each air conditioning unit.