Fan coil
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wall-mounted fan coil units often cause undesirable air stratification in rooms, leading to temperature differences between head and foot levels, resulting in comfort issues due to the upward expulsion of treated air.
Innovation Solution
A fan coil unit with a T-shaped through-duct and two separate outlet mouths, featuring independently controlled fans to direct airflow based on temperature, ensuring even air distribution by expelling cold air from the top and hot air from the bottom, thereby reducing air stratification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If treated air is expelled upward from the top of the fan coil unit, then the air conditioning function is achieved, but air stratification occurs causing temperature difference between head and foot levels
Solution Approach 1:
The single air outlet is segmented into two separate outlets: a first air outlet positioned in the upper portion of the outer casing and a second air outlet positioned in the lower portion. This segmentation allows independent control of air discharge locations, enabling hot air to be expelled from the top while cold air is expelled from the bottom, thereby eliminating air stratification and improving temperature distribution uniformity in the room.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single fan is used to drive airflow through the heat exchanger, then the device structure is simple, but the airflow direction cannot be controlled based on temperature conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The single fan is segmented into two independent fans: a first fan associated with the first air outlet in the upper portion and a second fan associated with the second air outlet in the lower portion. Each fan can be independently controlled to operate in different directions, allowing the system to adaptively discharge hot air upward or cold air downward based on temperature conditions, thereby achieving versatile airflow control while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
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 significantly reduces air stratification, improving room comfort by maintaining a more uniform temperature distribution, with experimental tests showing a reduction in temperature differences between upper and lower air levels.
Implementation Method 1
an air/liquid heat exchanger which is placed inside the duct so as to be skimmed/crossed by the air flowing along the duct, and is connected to an external hydraulic circuit so as to be also continuously crossed by a flow of hot or cold water
Implementation Method 2
an electrically-operated fan which is placed inside the vertical through-duct, beneath the heat exchanger, and is adapted to produce an upward airflow that flows through the entire length of the vertical through-duct, passing through/skimming the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
a condensation-collection tray which is placed immediately beneath the heat exchanger, and is adapted to collect the drops of condensed water that, in use, fall from the heat exchanger when the same is crossed by cold water
Implementation Method 4
collect the drops of condensed water that, in use, fall from the heat exchanger
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A fan coil unit (1) comprising: a substantially parallelepiped- shaped and rigid outer casing (2) which is structured for being firmly fixed to a wall (P) in a substantially vertical position, and is provided with a large T-shaped through-duct (5) that has the inlet mouth (5a) at the front face (2a) of the outer casing (2), a first outlet mouth (5b) at the upper face (2c) of the outer casing (2) and a second outlet mouth (5c) at the lower face (2d) of the outer casing (2); an air/liquid heat exchanger (6) which is placed inside the through-duct (5) so as to be skimmed/crossed by the air that flows through the duct, and is connected to an external hydraulic circuit so as to be also crossed by a hot or cold heat-transfer fluid; and two separate electrically-operated fans (7, 8) that are placed inside the through-duct (5), downstream of the bifurcation of the through- duct (5) and each arranged inside a respective branch of the through-duct (5), so as to each generate a respective airflow (f1, f2) that flows through the through-duct (5) crossing/ skimming the heat exchanger (6).