Plastic Heat Exchanger Dehumidifier for Neutral-Temperature Dry Air
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern air conditioning systems, due to energy efficiency improvements and changes in refrigerants, as well as newer building designs, often fail to effectively dehumidify indoor spaces, leading to excessively humid conditions, and stand-alone dehumidifiers are inefficient or expensive.
Innovation Solution
A dehumidifier/cooler system integrating a plastic heat exchanger with a chiller and air handler, utilizing counter-flow heat exchange and a variable speed fan to efficiently dehumidify air while maintaining the air's original temperature, and featuring a programmable controller for automated operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If modern air conditioning equipment is designed to be more energy efficient, then energy consumption is reduced, but dehumidification effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioning system is divided into separate functional components: a cooling coil for temperature reduction and a dedicated dehumidification assembly with heating elements. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each function, enabling the dehumidification system to operate effectively without compromising overall energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines cooling and dehumidification functions into a single integrated system where the cooling coil and heating assembly work together. The cooling coil removes moisture by condensation while the heating assembly restores temperature, achieving both cooling and effective dehumidification in one unified apparatus.
2Power
If air conditioning equipment capacity is increased to handle maximum heat loads, then cooling performance is improved, but dehumidification capability deteriorates at lower capacities
Solution Approach 1:
The dehumidification system incorporates variable speed control for the blower motor, allowing it to operate at different speeds depending on humidity levels. This dynamic adjustment enables effective dehumidification across varying load conditions, maintaining performance whether the system is operating at maximum capacity or partial load.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by adjusting blower speed and heating element activation based on environmental conditions. During high humidity periods, the blower operates at higher speeds with heating elements activated; during lower load conditions, parameters are adjusted to maintain dehumidification effectiveness without excessive energy consumption.
3Reliability
If stand-alone dehumidifiers cool air excessively, then dehumidification is achieved, but additional heating is required to restore temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous temperature restoration through the heating assembly that operates concurrently with or immediately following the cooling coil. This continuous action ensures that air is constantly being reheated to comfortable temperatures, eliminating the need for separate reheating cycles and improving overall energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling and heating functions are merged into a single integrated airflow path, where air passes through the cooling coil for dehumidification and then immediately through the heating assembly for temperature restoration. This merging eliminates energy losses associated with separate operations and ensures efficient use of the air handling system.
4Reliability
If refrigeration type air conditioning is used for dehumidification, then water vapor is condensed, but air is issued at excessively cool temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The heating assembly acts as an intermediary between the cooling coil and the discharged air. It receives the over-cooled, dehumidified air from the cooling coil and restores it to a comfortable temperature before discharge, serving as a mediating element that corrects the temperature issue without affecting the dehumidification already achieved.
Solution Approach 2:
The air handling system is segmented into distinct functional zones: a cooling coil section for moisture removal and a heating section for temperature restoration. This spatial segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, with the cooling section focusing on condensation and the heating section focusing on temperature recovery.
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 system provides high efficiency and moderate power consumption, effectively dehumidifying air while allowing for optional cooling, using any type of chiller, and producing usable condensate, thus addressing the inefficiencies of existing dehumidifiers and air conditioning systems.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger preferably is made of plastic, and has a core made of plastic panels made of integral tubes forming a first set of passages, and spacers separating the panels from one another to form second passages between the panels, and using the two separate sets of passages for incoming and outgoing air to highly efficiently transfer heat between the two air streams.
Implementation Method 2
chilling the air for dehumidification
Data Source
AI summary
The dehumidifier uses an all-plastic air-to-air heat exchanger together with an integral chiller to cool the incoming air to remove water vapor, and then exchange heat with incoming air to cool the incoming air and re-heat the outgoing air. The degree of dehumidification and the temperature of the outgoing air can be controlled by varying the speed of a variable speed fan so as to provide varying degrees of cooling as well as dehumidification. A programmable controller can be used to operate the dehumidifier automatically, either together with a humidistat and thermostat, or in accordance with a predetermined time profile for the conditioned space.