System and terminal unit for conditioning of indoor air
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current HVAC technologies face challenges in balancing capital equipment and installation costs with operating efficiency and comfort, often requiring excessive tradeoffs between these factors.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid air conditioning system that uses a hybrid branch controller to transition from refrigerant to water cooling, eliminating the need for refrigerant in occupied spaces and incorporating a terminal unit with a mixing chamber and recirculation air ports to efficiently control temperature, humidity, and air quality, while avoiding the need for home runs of piping to each terminal unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If refrigerant-based cooling is used in terminal units, then cooling performance is achieved, but system complexity and installation costs increase due to refrigerant monitoring and piping requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts refrigerant from the terminal unit and relocates it to a centralized outdoor unit. The terminal unit now uses only water-based cooling coils connected to a hydronic distribution system, eliminating the need for refrigerant handling, monitoring, and associated complex piping at each terminal location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces water as an intermediary fluid that transfers cooling capacity from the outdoor unit to indoor terminal units. This water-based hydronic system replaces direct refrigerant expansion at terminal units, simplifying the terminal unit design while maintaining cooling performance through a distributed water circulation system.
2Temperature
If traditional HVAC systems are used, then temperature control is provided, but humidity control and air quality management are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal unit is designed as a multi-functional device that simultaneously provides temperature control through cooling coils, humidity control through integrated humidifiers and condensate management, and air quality management through filtration systems. This universal approach allows a single terminal unit to address multiple environmental control needs that were previously handled by separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments environmental control functions into modular terminal units that can be independently configured and controlled. Each terminal unit contains separate subsystems for cooling, humidification, dehumidification, and air filtration, allowing independent optimization of each function while maintaining overall system coordination through the control module.
3Ease of operation
If home run piping is installed to each terminal unit, then individual control is enabled, but installation costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a hydronic distribution system using water-based cooling coils connected through a simplified piping network to multiple terminal units. This hydraulic approach replaces complex refrigerant piping with easier-to-install water piping, enabling individual terminal control while reducing overall system complexity and installation costs through standard hydronic practices.
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 solution reduces costs by eliminating refrigerant monitoring and piping, enhances efficiency by using water for cooling, and improves comfort by simultaneously controlling sensible and latent cooling rates to meet temperature and humidity setpoints, thereby optimizing indoor air conditioning.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling coil within the first duct for cooling the first recirculation air
Implementation Method 2
The mixing chamber combines the first recirculation air, the second recirculation air, and the conditioned air to produce the supply air
Data Source
AI summary
A system and terminal unit are provided for efficiently and effectively conditioning indoor air. Some embodiments address temperature control, humidity control, air quality control, while also introducing conditioned outdoor air. One aspect relates to a terminal unit that monitors and controls sensible and latent cooling rates to simultaneously meet temperature and humidity setpoints for the conditioned space. A sensor suite provides measurements for monitoring cooling rates and a control system controls actuators to meet the sensible and latent cooling requirements. The terminal unit may have a secondary recirculation air intake that bypasses the cooling coil to warm supply air prior to exiting the terminal unit. The terminal unit may be part of an air conditioning system where it is connected to a main branch of a hybrid branch controller which avoids having a home run to the HBC for each terminal unit.