Heat exchanging ventilation device
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Solution Overview
Problem
The sealing property between the heat exchanger and guide rail in ceiling-embedded heat exchange ventilators deteriorates due to the detachment and attachment process, leading to air leaks and reduced heat exchange efficiency, as conventional packing materials like expanded foam suffer from increased frictional resistance and potential cracking or breaking.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates guide rails with end-face-facing, side-facing parts, and rib-shaped holding parts that include a seal member to create a clearance and ensure sealing between the heat exchanger frames and guide rails, minimizing contact pressure and frictional resistance, and using an elastomer seal member for stable sealing performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the contact part between the guide rail and heat exchanger is provided with space to enable sliding, then the heat exchanger can be easily attached and detached, but air leaks occur between the supply air flow and exhaust air flow passages
Solution Approach 1:
A seal member is introduced as an intermediary element between the guide rail and heat exchanger. The seal member fills the clearance space needed for sliding while preventing air leaks, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of ease of operation and prevention of harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member is designed as a flexible elastic body that can deform to maintain contact with both the guide rail and heat exchanger surfaces. This flexibility allows the seal member to adapt to the clearance space while effectively blocking air leakage paths.
2Reliability
If the packing is compressed with increased compressive force to ensure stable sealing property, then air leaks are reduced, but the frictional resistance increases making the heat exchanger difficult to slide
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is designed with specific elastic properties and cross-sectional shape that allow it to provide adequate sealing force while maintaining low friction during sliding. The elastic modulus and geometric parameters are optimized to balance sealing reliability with ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible elastic body seal member can deform during sliding to reduce frictional resistance while maintaining continuous contact for sealing. The flexibility allows the seal to adapt to surface irregularities without requiring high compressive force.
3Reliability
If the packing is compressed to provide sealing, then air leaks are prevented, but the packing develops cracks or breaks after repeated attachment and detachment, deteriorating sealing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is designed with optimized elastic properties and geometric parameters that reduce stress concentration during repeated compression and relaxation cycles. The material parameters and cross-sectional shape are selected to enhance fatigue resistance and prevent crack initiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic body seal member inherently provides cushioning effect by deforming elastically during attachment and detachment operations. This prior cushioning absorbs mechanical stresses that would otherwise cause cracking or breaking of the sealing material over time.
4Strength
If the weight of the heat exchanger is applied to the packing, then the heat exchanger is securely held, but the packing is more prone to cracking or breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible elastic body seal member is designed to bear the weight of the heat exchanger through its elastic properties. The distributed contact and material flexibility allow the seal to support the load without creating stress concentrations that would lead to cracking or breaking.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic seal member provides cushioning that distributes and absorbs the weight-induced stresses on the heat exchanger. This beforehand cushioning prevents direct transmission of concentrated loads that would cause packing failure over time.
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 maintains stable sealing performance, reduces air leaks, and facilitates smooth attachment and detachment of the heat exchanger, enhancing ventilation efficiency and extending the lifespan of the seal members by minimizing contact pressure and weight application.
Implementation Method 1
a seal member provided in the clearance and sealing a gap between the heat exchanger frame and the guide rail
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A heat exchange ventilator includes an exterior casing including a supply air passage that lets a supply air flow through and an exhaust air passage that lets an exhaust air flow through, and a heat exchanger that is mounted between the supply air passage and the exhaust air passage to perform heat exchange between the supply air flow and the exhaust air flow and includes a heat exchange element of quadrangular-prism shape and heat exchanger frames each of which is mounted to each of four corners of the heat exchange element. The heat exchange ventilator includes a plurality of guide rails (18) that are mounted inside the exterior casing and engage the heat exchanger frame (22) to guide the heat exchanger that is attached to and detached from the exterior casing. Each of the guide rails (18) includes an end-face-facing part (18a) facing an end face (22a) of the heat exchanger frame (22), a side-facing part (18b) providing a clearance between a side (22b) of the heat exchanger frame (22) and the side-facing part (18b), a holding part (20) projecting from the side-facing part (18b) toward the heat exchanger frame (22), and a seal member (21) that is provided in the clearance and seals a gap between the heat exchanger frame (22) and the guide rail (18).