Architectural heat and moisture exchange

Abstract

An architectural heat and moisture exchanger. The exchanger defines an interior channel which is divided into a plurality of sub-channels by a membrane configured to allow passage of water vapor and to prevent substantial passage of air. In some embodiments, the exchanger includes an opaque housing configured to form a portion of a building enclosure, such as an exterior wall, an interior wall, a roof, a floor, or a foundation.

1 . An apparatus for enabling heat and moisture exchange, comprising:
 an exchanger housing including an exterior wall defining a channel through which a gas stream may pass;   a barrier, permeable to water vapor and substantially impermeable to oxygen and nitrogen, disposed within the interior channel and partitioning the interior channel into a plurality of separate sub-channels;   wherein a first of the sub-channels is adapted to receive a first gas stream at the same time a second of the sub-channels is adapted to receive a second gas stream; and   wherein at least a portion of the exterior wall forms a substantially opaque portion of a building enclosure system.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing forms a portion of a wall of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing forms a portion of a roof of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing forms a portion of a floor of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing forms a portion of a foundation of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a layer of insulation disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing is exposed to outdoor environmental conditions and wherein the exposed portion is constructed from a weather-resistant material. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein a first portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing is exposed to outdoor environmental conditions and a second portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing is exposed to a building interior. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the exposed portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing forms a portion of an outermost layer of a rain screen enclosure system. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further including a weather-resistant layer separate from the exchanger housing, wherein the exposed portion of the exterior wall of the exchanger housing and the weather resistant layer form a continuous layer configured to prevent ingress of water into a building. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for enabling heat and moisture exchange, comprising:
 an exchanger housing defining an interior channel;   a membrane disposed within the housing and dividing the interior channel into a first sub-channel through which a source gas stream may pass and a second sub-channel through which an exhaust gas stream may simultaneously pass;   wherein the membrane is permeable to water vapor and substantially impermeable to constituent gases of air; and   wherein at least a portion of the exchanger housing forms a substantially opaque portion of a building enclosure system.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a portion of the exchanger housing forms an interior wall portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a portion of the exchanger housing forms an exterior wall portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the exterior wall portion is exposed to outdoor environmental conditions and is constructed from a weather-resistant material. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a first portion of the exchanger housing forms an interior wall portion of the building enclosure system, and a second portion of the exchanger housing forms an exterior wall portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a portion of the exchanger housing forms a roof portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a portion of the exchanger housing forms a floor portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a portion of the exchanger housing forms a foundation portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising a layer of insulation disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the exchanger housing. 
     
     
         20 . A heat and moisture exchanger system, comprising:
 a rain screen layer attached to a building and defining a gap between the rain screen layer and an exterior wall of the building;   an exchanger forming a portion of the rain screen layer and also passing through the exterior wall to an interior of the building; and   a membrane dividing an interior channel of the exchanger into a plurality of sub-channels, the membrane configured to allow passage of water vapor and to prevent substantial passage of air;   wherein the exchanger is configured (a) to allow passage of a source air stream from outside the building, through one of the sub-channels, to inside the building, (b) to allow passage of an exhaust air stream from inside the building, through another of the sub-channels, to outside the building, and (c) to transfer heat and moisture through the membrane between the exhaust air stream and the source air stream.