Energy Recovery Dehumidification Coil Layout for Low Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing climate control systems face issues such as high airside pressure drop, excessive cooling coil height leading to condensate stacking, inadequate drain pans, and energy inefficiencies, resulting in wasted energy and maintenance challenges, especially in unoccupied facilities where mold growth can occur due to poor humidity control.
Innovation Solution
The Energy Recovery High Efficiency Dehumidification System (ERHEDS) and its 100% efficient variant utilize a combination of air filters, supply fans, preheat and cooling coils, chemical mitigation systems, and heat rejection coils to recover and reuse energy, reducing energy consumption and preventing mold growth by maintaining low relative humidity levels, even in unoccupied spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If existing cooling coil designs are used, then cooling function is provided, but high airside pressure drop occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling coil is divided into multiple sections with varying row configurations. The first section has a different number of rows than the second section, allowing optimized airflow paths in each zone. This segmentation reduces overall airside pressure drop while maintaining cooling effectiveness in each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the cooling coil are designed with locally optimized characteristics. The first section uses a specific row configuration suited for initial cooling, while the second section uses a different configuration for final cooling stages. This local quality optimization reduces pressure drop in each specific zone rather than using a uniform design throughout.
2Temperature
If cooling coil vertical height is increased, then more cooling rows can be added, but condensate stacking effect occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling coil is segmented into multiple horizontal rows with adequate vertical spacing. This segmentation prevents condensate from stacking up between rows by ensuring each row has sufficient clearance for proper drainage, while still achieving the required cooling capacity through the multi-row configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling coil rows are positioned with pre-calculated vertical spacing that anticipates condensate formation and drainage requirements. This preliminary design consideration ensures that condensate can drain properly between rows before it accumulates, preventing the stacking effect while maximizing the use of vertical space for additional cooling rows.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If cooling coil rows are reduced, then condensate stacking is prevented, but inadequate dehumidification occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the cooling coil are designed with locally optimized row configurations. The first section uses a higher row count with specific spacing to maximize dehumidification, while the second section adjusts the row configuration to prevent condensate stacking. This local quality approach allows adequate dehumidification performance without condensate stacking issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates variable speed fans and adjustable coil row configurations that can dynamically adapt to different operating conditions. This allows the system to maintain adequate dehumidification performance across varying loads while preventing condensate stacking by adjusting the effective number of active rows based on real-time conditions.
4Productivity
If air velocity across coil is increased, then dehumidification rate improves, but excessive condensate carry-off occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling coil is divided into sections with progressively varying air velocity requirements. The first section operates at higher air velocity to maximize dehumidification rate, while the second section operates at optimized lower velocity to prevent excessive condensate carry-off. This segmentation allows different velocity regimes in different zones to achieve both high productivity and reduced substance loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts air velocity parameters across different coil sections and operating conditions. By changing the air velocity parameter locally in different sections rather than maintaining a uniform high velocity throughout, the system achieves high dehumidification rates where needed while preventing excessive condensate carry-off in other zones.
5Loss of energy
If compressor cycles on and off, then energy consumption is reduced, but condensate re-evaporation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling coil design maintains continuous dehumidification capability even during compressor cycling. The coil configuration and drainage system are designed to prevent condensate accumulation during off-cycles, ensuring that when the compressor restarts, there is no condensate available for re-evaporation. This continuity of useful action eliminates the harmful re-evaporation effect while allowing energy-saving compressor cycling.
6Adaptability or versatility
If temperature swings occur, then system responds to load changes, but condensate re-evaporation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling coil and drainage system are designed with preliminary considerations for temperature swing scenarios. The coil configuration and condensate management system are pre-configured to handle temperature variations without creating conditions for condensate re-evaporation, allowing the system to respond adaptively to load changes while preventing harmful effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor temperature and humidity conditions to detect impending temperature swings. This feedback allows the system to adjust operating parameters proactively to maintain conditions that prevent condensate re-evaporation while still responding appropriately to load changes, thus eliminating the harmful effect associated with temperature swings.
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 ERHEDS system significantly reduces energy waste, lowers maintenance costs, and prevents mold growth by efficiently controlling humidity and temperature, achieving up to 100% energy recovery and reducing cooling loads by 5% to 65%, thus providing a more reliable and resilient climate control solution.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling coil can cool and reduce a relative humidity of the air that passes over the cooling coil
Implementation Method 2
The cooling recovery coil can heat the cooled air to generate cooled dehumidified reheated air in a cooling recovery coil plenum
Implementation Method 3
The heat rejection coil that rejects heat recovered from one or more components of the mechanical and electrical equipment and cooling equipment
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing hot air or hot dehumidified air to a facility using an energy recovery high efficiency dehumidification system. The energy recovery high efficiency dehumidification system can include an air filter bank that receives air from a first inlet source, a supply fan that causes the air to flow from the first inlet source, a cooling coil configured to cool and reduce a relative humidity of the air that passes over the cooling coil, a cooling recovery coil coupled with the cooling coil and configured to heat the cooled air to generate cooled dehumidified reheated air in a cooling recovery coil plenum, an equipment room configured to surround mechanical and electrical equipment and further heat received cooled dehumidified reheated air, and a heat rejection coil that rejects heat from one or more components of the mechanical and electrical equipment to further heat the air.