Air conditioning system for dehumidifying and cooling air
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current air conditioning systems for supermarkets lack fine control over humidity and temperature levels, which is crucial for maintaining optimal conditions that prevent damage to refrigeration systems and fresh produce.
Innovation Solution
A dual path air conditioning system with a housing, cooling coil, humidity or dew point sensor, outside air damper, return air damper, bypass air damper, and controller, allowing independent control of airflow paths to precisely manage humidity and temperature levels by routing air over or around the cooling coil based on sensor data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single coil dual path dehumidification system is used, then outside air can be dehumidified, but fine control over humidity and temperature levels is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the airflow control into three separate dampers (outside air damper, return air damper, bypass air damper) that independently control three different airflow paths. This segmentation allows precise control of humidity and temperature by adjusting each damper position separately, resolving the contradiction between control precision and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampers are made adjustable and movable to intermediate positions between fully open and fully closed states. This dynamic control capability allows the system to respond to varying humidity and temperature conditions, achieving fine control precision while maintaining manageable complexity through continuous adjustment rather than discrete states.
2Productivity
If return air bypasses the cooling coil, then cooling efficiency is improved, but humidity control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different treatment qualities to different air streams: return air can be fully cooled through the coil when needed, while outside air receives dehumidification treatment. The bypass path allows unconditioned air to mix with conditioned air, creating locally optimized quality for each stream while achieving overall system efficiency and humidity control precision.
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
Enables precise control of humidity and temperature, optimizing dehumidification and cooling efficiency while preventing overcooling, thus maintaining ideal conditions for both refrigeration systems and fresh produce.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling coil which is preferably a single DX cooling coil located in the chamber
Implementation Method 2
The outside air therefore passes over the cooling coil and is dehumidified prior to being mixed with any other air
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning system includes a housing defining a first airflow path therein between an outside air inlet over a cooling coil and an outlet for delivering outside air from the outside air inlet over the coil to the outlet, a second airflow path between a return air inlet over the cooling coil and to the outlet for delivering return air over the cooling coil, and a third airflow path between the return air inlet and the outlet for delivering return air through the housing without passing over the cooling coil. The system includes outside, return, and bypass air dampers that are sequentially moveable between open and closed positions for directing air through or preventing air from entering the first, second, and third airflow paths, respectively. A controller independently controls the opening and closing of each damper in response to data received from the sensor.