Air Conditioner Vortex Plate Humidification for Uniform Saturation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning technologies fail to achieve uniform humidification across the entire airflow path, leading to uneven temperature and humidity, and are inefficient in scattering and diffusion of water particles, resulting in low humidification and saturation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioner design featuring an agitating plate group with adjustable plate widths to create vortex flows and a spray nozzle that sprays water particles perpendicular to the airflow path, utilizing forced convection to enhance agitation and diffusion, ensuring uniform humidity and temperature across the entire flow path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water particles are sprayed into the airflow path to humidify the air, then humidification efficiency is improved, but uneven temperature and humidity distribution occurs inside the flow path
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path cross-section is divided into multiple regions by arranging multiple agitating plates at different positions. Each plate independently generates vortex flows that agitate local air regions, ensuring comprehensive and uniform humidification across the entire flow path without temperature or humidity stratification.
Solution Approach 2:
Agitating plates are arranged not only in the flow direction but also in the cross-sectional direction (width and height dimensions). This three-dimensional arrangement ensures that vortex flows are generated throughout the entire cross-section of the flow path, eliminating dead zones and achieving uniform humidification.
2Device complexity
If the spray nozzle sprays water particles in the flow direction, then the structure is simple, but scattering and agitation of water particles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Agitating plates are introduced as intermediary elements between the spray nozzle and the airflow. These plates receive the sprayed water particles and use the airflow to generate vortex flows that scatter and agitate the particles, converting simple linear spray into effective three-dimensional dispersion without complicating the nozzle structure.
3Productivity
If the number of nozzles is increased to enhance scattering property, then scattering improves, but steam is sprayed toward saturated steam region and spray energy is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
Agitating plates are positioned upstream of the spray nozzle to pre-generate vortex flows in the airflow path. When water particles are sprayed, they are immediately carried by these pre-established vortex flows, ensuring effective scattering and agitation from the moment of injection without requiring multiple nozzles or spraying into saturated regions.
4Productivity
If humidification is performed with high saturation efficiency, then humidity raising capability is improved, but wetting occurs inside the flow path
Solution Approach 1:
Agitating plates generate continuous vortex flows that create dynamic agitation and mixing in the airflow. This mechanical disturbance prevents water particles from settling and condensing on surfaces, maintaining high saturation efficiency while eliminating wetting by keeping the airflow in constant motion throughout the flow path.
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
The solution achieves high humidification and saturation efficiency by uniformly agitating air throughout the flow path, reducing wetting and maintaining high humidity gradients, thus improving overall air conditioning performance.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the agitating plates has a plate width adjusted to cause a vortex flow downstream
Implementation Method 2
spraying water particles to a field where the air in the entire flow path is agitated considerably improves uniformity of the temperature and humidity inside the flow path
Implementation Method 3
Diffusion: water molecules are evaporated from surfaces of water particles by thermal motion
Implementation Method 4
The spray nozzle is disposed immediately downstream of the agitating plate group, and sprays water particles in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the flow path
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioner includes a flow path through which air to be humidified flows, an agitating plate group, and a spray nozzle. The agitating plate group is configured by arranging agitating plates in parallel at intervals over an entire cross-section of the flow path. Each of the agitating plates has a plate width adjusted to cause a vortex downstream. The spray nozzle is disposed immediately downstream of the agitating plate group, and sprays water particles in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the flow path. The plate width of each of the agitating plates is adjusted to satisfy a range of a Reynolds number causing a Karman vortex within a range of used wind speeds. The air conditioner provides high humidification efficiency and high saturation efficiency.