Indirect Evaporative Cooler Layout for Lower Airflow Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing indirect evaporative cooling air conditioners have complex airflow patterns, high local resistance, and low energy efficiency ratios, which need to be addressed to improve system resistance and heat exchanger efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The design includes multiple heat exchangers arranged side by side within a housing, with partition plates separating indoor and outdoor airflow passages, allowing for increased windward heat exchange area and improved airflow circulation, reducing resistance and enhancing heat exchange efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple heat exchangers are arranged side by side with partition plates separating indoor and outdoor airflow passages, then heat exchange efficiency is improved and air flow resistance is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple independent airflow passages (indoor and outdoor) using partition plates, with each passage dedicated to specific heat exchange functions. This segmentation allows parallel heat exchange operations across multiple passages, improving overall heat exchange efficiency while maintaining organized, manageable complexity through functional separation.
2Temperature
If multiple heat exchangers are arranged side by side with partition plates separating indoor and outdoor airflow passages, then heat exchange efficiency is improved and air flow resistance is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple heat exchangers are merged into a single integrated housing structure with unified partition plates that simultaneously separate both indoor and outdoor airflow passages. This merging approach achieves improved heat exchange efficiency through parallel processing while containing the structural complexity within a single cohesive unit rather than requiring multiple separate components.
3Reliability
If complex airflow pattern is used in indirect evaporative cooling air conditioner, then cooling function is achieved, but local resistance increases and energy efficiency ratio decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Different airflow patterns are applied to different regions (local areas) of the heat exchange system. Indoor and outdoor airflow passages are given distinct, optimized flow paths tailored to their specific functions, allowing each local region to operate at optimal efficiency rather than forcing a single complex pattern throughout the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a single complex airflow pattern that forces air through multiple functions sequentially, the design inverts the approach by creating separate dedicated passages for indoor and outdoor airflows. Each passage has its own optimized, simpler flow path, eliminating the need for complex multi-functional airflow patterns while improving energy efficiency.
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 configuration reduces air flow resistance, increases heat exchange efficiency, and improves the energy efficiency ratio of the air conditioner, while allowing for simpler airflow patterns and increased space for refrigeration components.
Implementation Method 1
heat exchange between a fluid in the indoor circulation passage and a fluid in the outdoor circulation passage is performed by the at least two heat exchangers
Implementation Method 2
the multiple partition plates and the at least two heat exchangers separate the housing into multiple indoor air flow passages and multiple outdoor air flow passages
Data Source
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AI summary
An indirect evaporative cooling air conditioner is provided according to the present application, which includes a housing, multiple partition plates located in the housing and at least two heat exchangers arranged side by side, the multiple partition plates and the at least two heat exchangers separate the housing into multiple indoor air flow passages and multiple outdoor air flow passages, each heat exchange has a first heat exchange flow passage and a second heat exchange flow passage which are crosswise and independently arranged, the multiple indoor air flow passages are in communication with the first heat exchange flow passages to form an indoor circulation passage, the multiple outdoor air flow passages are in communication with the second heat exchange flow passages to form an outdoor circulation passage, and the fluid in the multiple indoor circulation passages exchange heat with the fluid in the multiple outdoor circulation passages through the at least two heat exchangers. Since at least two heat exchangers arranged side by side are provided in the air conditioner in this solution, under a same core body volume, a windward heat exchange area of the first or second heat exchange flow passage in the heat exchanger can be increased, an air flow resistance is reduced, heat exchange efficiency is increased, and an energy efficiency ratio of the air conditioner is improved.