Ventilator system and method

Abstract

Desiccants or refrigeration can be used for dehumidification, in combination with heat exchangers for energy recovery. Plural heat exchangers can be connected to carry fresh air in series and exhaust air in parallel to increase energy recovery. In one embodiment, the fan of a central air conditioning system is used as the air handler for the heat exchanger by connecting the exhaust conduit of the heat exchanger to the positive pressure side of the fan and extracting a minor fraction of the air for use as exhaust air, and similarly adding fresh air to the negative pressure side of the fan to form a minor fraction of the return air to the central system. In another embodiment, evaporative cooling is used to cool the exhaust air before passing through the heat exchanger.

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       44 . A ventilator device for selectively introducing outside air into and exhausting air from an enclosed space, said device comprising: 
 a heat exchanger;    an exhaust air conduit and a fresh air conduit for said heat exchanger;    an exhaust air mover for moving exhaust air through said exhaust conduit and said heat exchanger;    a fresh air mover for moving fresh air through said fresh air conduit and said heat exchanger;    a first liquid desiccant chamber in said fresh air conduit for containing said fresh air with liquid desiccant after said fresh air leaves said heat exchanger, and a pump for circulating said liquid desiccant through said chamber in contact with said fresh air.    
   
   
       45 . A device as in  claim 44  including a second liquid desiccant chamber located in said exhaust conduit for contacting said liquid with said exhaust air before said liquid is delivered to said first liquid desiccant chamber.  
   
   
       46 . A device as in  claim 45  in which said second chamber is elevated above said first chamber and including a gravity feed conduit from said second chamber to said first chamber.  
   
   
       47 . A device as in  claim 46  including a liquid spray device positioned to spray liquid received under pressure from said pump into said second chamber, and a second liquid spray device fed by said gravity feed conduit to spray liquid into said first chamber.  
   
   
       48 . A device as in  claim 44  including a heater for regenerating said liquid before circulating it to said chamber, and including another heat exchanger in said exhaust air conduit to cool said liquid before circulating said liquid to said chamber.  
   
   
       49 . A device as in  claim 48  including a spray device for spraying said liquid into said chamber and a second pump for pumping said liquid from said other heat exchanger to said spray device.  
   
   
       50 . A ventilator device for selectively introducing outside air into and exhausting air from an enclosed space, said device comprising: 
 a first heat exchanger;    a second heat exchanger;    each of said heat exchangers having    a first plurality of flow passageways for conducting air in a first direction, and    a second plurality of flow passageways interleaved with said first flow passageways for conducting air in a second direction transverse to said first direction,    said heat exchangers being coupled together with said first flow passages in series with one another,    a fresh air conduit and air mover for conducting fresh air through said first flow passages, and    at least one exhaust air conduit and air mover for conducting exhaust air through said second flow passageways of said heat exchangers with said second flow passageways of said heat exchangers being in parallel with one another.    
   
   
       51 . A device as in  claim 50  including first and second evaporative cooling devices, each positioned at the inlet to said second flow passageways of one of said heat exchangers.  
   
   
       52 . A device as in  claim 50  including separate exhaust air outlet conduits for each of said heat exchangers, and a separate air mover in each of said exhaust air outlet conduits.  
   
   
       53 . A device as in  claim 50  including a common exhaust outlet conduit for both of said heat exchangers, said air mover being positioned in said common exhaust outlet conduit for pulling exhaust air through both of said heat exchangers.  
   
   
       54 . A device as in  claim 50  including a plenum separating said heat exchangers from one another and conducting fresh air from one to the other of said heat exchangers.  
   
   
       55 . A ventilator device for selectively introducing outside air into and exhausting air from an enclosed space, said device comprising: 
 a heating/cooling device for said enclosed space, said heating/cooling device having an air handler for distributing heated or cooled air into said enclosed space, said air handling having outlet and inlet conduits and sending heated or cooled air under positive pressure through said outlet conduit, and receiving return air from said enclosed space through said return conduit;    a heat exchanger having a fresh air conduit and an exhaust air conduit with heat-exchange means for exchanging heat between the air flowing through said conduits;    each of said fresh air and exhaust air conduits having an inlet and an outlet;    said inlet of said exhaust air conduit being connected to said outlet conduit of said air handler for extracting a minor proportion of the air flowing through said outlet conduit; and    said outlet of said fresh air conduit being connected to said return conduit for adding a minor proportion of fresh air to the return air flowing to said air handler.    
   
   
       56 . A device as in  claim 55  in which said proportions are approximately the same.  
   
   
       57 . A device as in  claim 55  in which said proportion of said air extracted from said outlet conduit is from about five percent to twenty-five percent.  
   
   
       58 . A device as in  claim 55  including an adjustable damper in each fresh air and exhaust air conduit.  
   
   
       59 . A device as in  claim 58  in which each of said proportions is about ten percent.  
   
   
       60 . A device as in  claim 55  in which said heat exchanger is selected from the group consisting of an all-plastic plate-type heat exchanger mounted in a housing; and an all-plastic plate-type heat exchanger with an integral housing.  
   
   
       61 . A device as in  claim 55  including an evaporative cooling device at the exhaust inlet to said heat exchanger.  
   
   
       62 . A device as in  claim 55  including adjustable dampers and actuators for said dampers for controlling the flow of air between said heat exchanger and said air handler, and a programmed controller for adjusting said dampers controlling the proportion of air extracted from said outlet conduit or added to said return conduit.  
   
   
       63 . A device as in  claim 62  in which said profile includes instructions to alter said proportions in accordance with outside air temperatures.  
   
   
       64 . A device as in  claim 63  in which said controller contains instructions to reduce said proportions when said outside air temperature and/or humidity exceeds a first value or falls below a second value lower than said first value.  
   
   
       65 . A device as in  claim 62  in which said controller has stored instructions to adjust said proportions relative to one another to provide balanced flow.