Portable Air Conditioning Unit With Capillary Condensate Evaporation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning units for vehicles and enclosed spaces are cumbersome to install, require complex setup, and are difficult to transfer between environments due to the need for extensive installation and accessory usage, such as condensate pumps and reversing valves.
Innovation Solution
A portable air conditioning unit with a natural, capillary-based system for condensate collection and conveyance, eliminating the need for pumps and reversing valves, featuring a compact design with a frustum-shaped condenser housing and capillary material for efficient water evaporation, and a VELCRO attachment system for easy installation and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional air conditioning units are installed in motor vehicles, then temperature and humidity control is achieved, but installation complexity and difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioning unit is divided into separate functional modules: a portable evaporator unit with handle and a separate condenser unit. This segmentation allows independent handling and installation of each component, eliminating the need for complex integrated installation procedures while maintaining full cooling functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The condensate management system is extracted from the traditional pump-based design and replaced with a passive evaporation system using capillary wicking material. This extraction eliminates the need for condensate pumps, drainage holes, and complex fluid management systems, dramatically simplifying installation.
2Reliability
If conventional air conditioning units are installed in motor vehicles, then cooling function is provided, but transfer time between vehicles increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The unit is segmented into portable modules that can be independently carried and repositioned. The evaporator unit with its integrated handle can be easily removed and transferred between vehicles without requiring disassembly or complex connection/disconnection procedures, enabling rapid deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The installation system uses dynamic, reversible connections rather than permanent fixed installations. The evaporator unit can be quickly connected to or disconnected from the vehicle's air intake/exhaust systems, allowing the unit to be dynamically repositioned between different vehicles or locations without time-consuming installation procedures.
3Reliability
If conventional air conditioning units are used, then cooling performance is maintained, but device portability and encumbrance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into a lightweight evaporator unit equipped with a handle for easy carrying, and a separate condenser unit. This segmentation allows the main cooling components to be distributed, with the portable evaporator unit containing only the essential cooling elements needed for immediate use, significantly reducing the weight and encumbrance of the movable portion.
Solution Approach 2:
Heavy components such as the condenser, compressor, and associated mounting hardware are extracted from the portable unit and placed in a separate stationary or easily positioned unit. This extraction leaves the portable evaporator unit with minimal necessary components, optimizing its weight and portability while maintaining full cooling functionality through the distributed system architecture.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional air conditioning units are installed, then heating and cooling functions are provided, but installation modifications to vehicles are required
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the vehicle to accommodate a fixed air conditioning system, the system is inverted so that the air conditioning unit adapts to the vehicle. The evaporator unit uses universal connection methods that interface with standard vehicle openings or can be temporarily attached to existing air intake/exhaust systems, eliminating the need for custom installation modifications while providing both heating and cooling functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporator unit is designed with universal, multi-functional connection capabilities that can interface with various vehicle types and configurations. The unit can serve both heating and cooling functions through the same basic infrastructure, and can be installed in multiple vehicle types without requiring vehicle-specific modifications, achieving versatility through standardized universal interfaces.
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
Enables quick, easy installation and transfer of the unit, reduces encumbrance and accessory usage, and allows for rapid mode switching between heating and cooling without structural complications, ensuring efficient water evaporation and reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
a layer of capillary material, accommodated in the tank, for the conveyance, in a natural manner, of the condensed water toward the condenser
Implementation Method 2
for the evaporation thereof by means of the heat carried off from the heat transfer fluid
Implementation Method 3
the heat carried off from the heat transfer fluid
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
An air conditioning unit, which can be located in an enclosed environment (A) in order to modify the temperature levels, relative humidity, and the like, and which comprises at least one duct through which a heat transfer fluid flows. The duct is affected sequentially by at least one compressor (2), for raising the temperature and pressure of the heat transfer fluid in the gaseous state, at least one condenser (3), for carrying off heat from the heat transfer fluid and its passage from the gaseous state to the liquid state, at least one lamination element, for lowering the pressure of the heat transfer fluid in the liquid state, and at least one evaporator (4), for absorbing heat by means of the passage of the heat transfer fluid from the liquid state to the gaseous state. The air conditioning unit comprises means of natural, not forced, collection and conveyance, toward the condenser (3), of condensed water which may have formed along the outer surfaces of the evaporator (4), for the evaporation thereof by means of the heat carried off from the heat transfer fluid.