Heat Exchange Fan Apparatus

Abstract

A heat exchange fan apparatus has a rotor with opposing end faces that each feature inlet openings spaced apart around the rotor's central axis and extend outwardly away therefrom. Each inlet opening aligns around the axis with a respective closed portion of the other end face between two adjacent inlet openings therein. Axial flow channels extend between the end faces, each being closed at one end face and open at the other according to the spaced apart inlet openings. For each flow channel, a respective outlet opening is provided at a periphery of the rotor adjacent the closed end of said flow channel. A drive system effects rotation of the rotor, under which fluid is drawn from fluid sources exposed to the opposing end faces of the rotor into the flow channels through the inlet openings to create opposing fluid flows in adjacent flow channels.

1 . A heat exchange fan apparatus comprising:
 a rotor supported for driven rotation about a central axis thereof, the rotor comprising:
 opposing end faces at opposite ends of the rotor; 
 a series of inlet openings in each end face that are spaced apart from one another around the central axis and that each extend outwardly away from the central axis toward a perimeter of the end face, each inlet opening in each end face aligning around the central axis with a respective closed portion of the other end face between two adjacent inlet openings therein; 
 a series of flow channels disposed adjacent one another around the central axis and extending therealong from one of the end faces to the other, each flow channel being disposed between a pair of flow channels thereadjacent and sharing a common boundary wall with each of said pair of flow channels, and each flow channel having an open end defined by a respective inlet opening spanning between the common boundary walls of the flow channel in one of the end faces and a closed end defined by the respective closed portion of the other end face; and 
 for each flow channel, a respective outlet opening provided at a periphery of the rotor adjacent the closed end of said flow channel; and 
   a drive system operable to drive rotation of the rotor, under which fluid is drawn from fluid sources exposed to the opposing end faces of the rotor into the flow channels through the inlet openings to create opposing fluid flows in adjacent flow channels.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchange fan apparatus of  claim 1  comprising fluid guiding passages at opposing end portions of the rotor, each fluid guiding passage communicating with either the inlet openings or the outlet openings at a respective one of the end portions of the rotor to prevent mixing of fluid exiting one of the opposing fluid flows with fluid entering one the other fluid flow. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchange fan apparatus of  claim 1  comprising two housings each closing around a respective end portion of the rotor adjacent a respective one of the end faces thereof with an interior spiral channel of the housing open to the outlet openings adjacent said respective end face to fluid from said outlet openings to a tangential outlet of the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchange fan apparatus of  claim 1  wherein each common boundary wall, as extends outwardly away from the central axis, curves in a same direction about same central axis. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchange fan apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the drive system is arranged to drive rotation of the rotor in the same direction in which the common boundary walls curve. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchange fan apparatus of  claim 1  in combination with a building having an interior space separated from an external environment outside the building, the heat exchange fan apparatus having the inlet openings at one of the end faces in fluid communication with the interior space and the outlet openings adjacent said one of the end faces in fluid communication with the external environment, the inlet openings at the other of the end faces being in fluid communication with the external environment and the outlet openings at said other of the end faces being in fluid communication with the interior space. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchange fan apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the rotor comprises a cylindrical periphery wall closing around the central axis and extending between the end faces of the rotor, the outlet openings of the flow channels communicating through the cylindrical periphery wall. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchange apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the cylindrical periphery wall closes off each flow channel at the periphery of the rotor, except at the outlet opening of each flow channel, said outlet opening being provided in said cylindrical periphery wall. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchange apparatus of  claim 7  wherein each boundary wall extends away from the central axis to an outer end of the boundary wall where the boundary wall joins to the cylindrical periphery wall. 
     
     
         10 . The heat exchange apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the rotor comprises a cylindrical sleeve closing around the central axis, each boundary wall being joined to the cylindrical sleeve at an inner end of the boundary wall and joined to the cylindrical periphery wall at an outer end of the boundary wall so that each flow channel is enclosed on four sides, except at the outlet opening of said flow channel, by the boundary walls of said flow channel, the cylindrical sleeve and the cylindrical periphery wall. 
     
     
         11 . The heat exchange apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the rotor is fixed on a rotatably supported shaft that passes therethrough on the central axis, the shaft being coupled to the drive system for driven rotation of the rotor by driven rotation of the shaft. 
     
     
         12 . The heat exchange apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the end faces and boundary walls of the rotor are of sheet metal construction.