Rainscreen with integrated heat and moisture exchanger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat and moisture exchangers in buildings are inefficient in energy transfer, requiring large central units that incur space and cost penalties, and struggle to effectively separate intake and exhaust air streams to prevent recirculation and ensure proper air conditioning.
Innovation Solution
A building shield with a heat and moisture exchanger system that includes separate subchannels for intake and exhaust air, with a membrane impermeable to gases but permeable to water, allowing controlled air flow rates to manage heat and moisture exchange between the building and the external environment, thereby pre-conditioning air and reducing energy costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a single large central heat and moisture exchanger is used, then heat and moisture exchange effectiveness is improved, but space requirements and construction cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the building façade into multiple rain screen panels, each containing its own heat and moisture exchanger. This segmentation allows distributed heat and moisture exchange across the building surface, achieving effective preconditioning of makeup air without requiring a single large central unit, thus reducing space requirements while maintaining exchange effectiveness.
2Loss of energy
If a single large central heat and moisture exchanger is used, then heat and moisture exchange effectiveness is improved, but construction cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple smaller rain screen panels with integrated exchangers rather than one large central unit. This segmentation reduces construction costs by avoiding the need for large load-carrying structural support and reducing installation complexity, while achieving the same overall heat and moisture exchange effectiveness through distributed panels across the façade.
Solution Approach 2:
The rain screen panels serve multiple functions: they provide the building's weather-resistant façade, enable heat and moisture exchange, and facilitate makeup air intake. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate HVAC equipment locations, reducing construction costs while maintaining effective heat and moisture exchange.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple smaller distributed exchange units are used, then space requirements are reduced, but separation of intake and exhaust air streams becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Each rain screen panel is segmented into distinct functional zones with separate channels for exhaust air discharge and makeup air intake. The panel structure itself provides physical separation, with exhaust air discharged through upper portions and makeup air introduced through lower portions, ensuring reliable air stream separation while maintaining compact distributed units.
Solution Approach 2:
The rain screen panels employ asymmetric positioning of air streams, with exhaust air discharged upward and makeup air introduced downward. This asymmetric arrangement prevents immediate recirculation of exhaust air back into the intake, ensuring reliable air stream separation in the distributed configuration.
4Loss of energy
If heat exchangers are located at central HVAC positions, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but additional space and structural load are required
Solution Approach 1:
The rain screen panels serve dual purposes as both the building's weather-resistant façade and the heat exchanger housing. By integrating the exchanger into the façade structure itself, the system eliminates the need for separate centrally located HVAC equipment, reducing structural load requirements while maintaining effective heat exchange through the distributed panel configuration.
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 effectively controls moisture content and heat exchange, reducing energy consumption by pre-conditioning air and decreasing the load on HVAC systems, while avoiding recirculation and ensuring efficient energy transfer.
Implementation Method 1
a membrane parallel to and disposed between the exterior face and the interior face and dividing an internal channel of the building shield into first and second subchannels
Implementation Method 2
Heat exchangers are commonly used in the exhaust and makeup airflow pathways of these systems to recover some of the lost energy
Implementation Method 3
causing input air to flow into the first intake, through the first subchannel and out of the first egress at an input air flow rate, and causing exhaust air to flow into the second intake, through the second subchannel and out of the second egress at an exhaust air flow rate
Data Source
AI summary
A method of controlling moisture reaching a building façade may include providing a weather resistant building shield, the shield including first and second subchannels. The building shield may be disposed parallel to an inner façade and separated from the inner façade by an air gap. The method may include causing input air to flow through the first subchannel at an input air flow rate and causing exhaust air to flow through the second subchannel at an exhaust air flow rate. Controlling at least one of the input and exhaust air flow rates may provide control over moisture content in the gap.