Blower assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air handling units (AHUs) face challenges with complex and time-consuming installation due to the need for multiple brackets and supports, and inadequate zone separation decks that lead to vibration and mechanical failures when handling heavy blower assemblies.
Innovation Solution
The design includes interior cabinet walls with integral brackets and mounting features to simplify component arrangement and installation, and a blower assembly with an integral deck that slides into mounting channels for easy installation, reducing the need for separate brackets and enhancing structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If multiple brackets and supports are used to install blower assemblies, then the structural integrity is improved, but the installation complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blower assembly is merged with an integral mounting deck that combines multiple mounting functions into a single integrated component. This deck includes integrated brackets and mounting features that attach directly to the cabinet walls, eliminating the need for separate support components and reducing installation complexity while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The integral mounting deck serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the blower assembly, creates air pressure zones, facilitates installation through sliding mounting channels, and provides vibration damping. This multi-functional design reduces the number of separate components needed.
2Reliability
If zone separation decks are used to separate interior zones, then the air pressure zone separation is improved, but the deck becomes inadequate to support heavy blower assemblies causing vibration and mechanical failures
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting deck is merged with the zone separation function, creating an integral structure that simultaneously provides both support capacity and air pressure zone separation. The deck extends across the cabinet interior and includes integrated air seals that maintain zone separation while supporting heavy blower assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting deck is constructed from vibration-damping materials that provide both structural strength to support heavy blower assemblies and inherent vibration reduction properties. This composite material approach allows the single component to fulfill both support and separation functions reliably.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the blower assembly requires multiple separate mounting components, then the adaptability to different orientations is improved, but the installation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into standardized mounting channels integrated into the cabinet walls and a corresponding integral mounting deck on the blower assembly. This segmentation allows the blower assembly to be installed as a single unit that can be oriented in different directions by simply rotating the entire assembly within the standardized channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The integral mounting deck incorporates universal mounting features that work across different installation orientations. The deck includes standardized attachment points and vibration-damping elements that function effectively regardless of the blower assembly's orientation, eliminating the need for orientation-specific mounting components.
Data Source
AI summary
An air handling unit has a blower assembly, a first interior zone, and a second interior zone and the blower assembly physically separates the first interior zone from the second interior zone. A method includes providing a cabinet configured to receive a blower assembly, inserting a blower assembly into the air duct, and closing a cabinet door of the cabinet, wherein upon closing the cabinet door, the primary air flow path from a location within the cabinet downstream of the blower assembly to a location within the cabinet upstream of the blower assembly is through a blower housing of the blower assembly. A blower assembly has a blower housing comprising at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet and a blower deck extending from the outlet, wherein the blower deck comprises at least one substantially flat component having a substantially orthogonal wall extending from the flat component.