US2013312929A1PendingUtilityA1

Architectural heat and moisture exchange

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Assignee: ARCHITECTURAL APPLIC P CPriority: Jul 16, 2010Filed: Jul 15, 2013Published: Nov 28, 2013
Est. expiryJul 16, 2030(~4 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:John Edward Breshears
F28D 21/00F28D 21/0015Y02B10/20Y02E10/44F24F 12/006F24F 3/147F24F 2003/1435F24S 20/66F24S 10/80Y02B30/56
55
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Claims

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.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for enabling heat and moisture exchange within a building, comprising:
 an exchanger housing defining an interior channel and configured (i) to be disposed within a building, (ii) to receive an incoming air stream from an environment outside of the building, and (iii) to exhaust an outgoing air stream to the environment outside of the building;   a membrane disposed within the housing and dividing the interior channel into a first sub-channel through which the incoming air stream may pass and a second sub-channel through which the outgoing air stream may simultaneously pass; and   an HVAC device configured to receive the incoming air stream after the incoming air stream passes through the housing and before the incoming air stream is introduced into an interior environment of the building;   wherein the membrane is permeable to water vapor and substantially impermeable to constituent gases of air.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the HVAC device is interconnected in fluid communication with the incoming air stream via an enclosed duct. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the HVAC device is interconnected in fluid communication with the incoming air stream via a plenum. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the plenum is disposed beneath a floor plane of the building. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the plenum is disposed above a ceiling plane of the building. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the plenum is disposed behind a wall plane of the building. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the HVAC device is directly coupled to the exchanger housing. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the exchanger housing forms a wall portion of the building. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the exchanger housing forms an interior partition portion of the building. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for enabling heat and moisture exchange within a building, comprising:
 an exchanger housing defining an interior channel and configured (i) to receive an incoming air stream from outside a building, (ii) to exhaust the incoming air stream into a plenum within the building, (iii) to receive an outgoing air stream from an interior environment of the building, and (iv) to exhaust the outgoing air stream outside the building;   a membrane permeable to water vapor and substantially impermeable to constituent gases of air, disposed within the housing and dividing the interior channel into a first sub-channel through which the incoming air stream may pass and a second sub-channel through which the outgoing air stream may simultaneously pass; and   an HVAC device configured to receive and process a recirculated air stream from the interior environment of the building and to exhaust the processed recirculated air stream into the plenum to form an intermingled air stream with the incoming air stream exhausted into the plenum by the exchanger housing;   wherein the plenum is configured to exhaust the intermingled air stream into the interior environment of the building.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the plenum is disposed beneath a floor plane of the building. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the plenum is disposed above a ceiling plane of the building. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the plenum is disposed behind a wall plane of the building. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the exchanger housing forms a portion of an exterior wall of the building. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the exchanger housing forms a portion of an interior wall of the building. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the exchanger housing forms a portion of an interior partition of the building. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for enabling heat and moisture exchange within a building, comprising:
 an exchanger housing defining an interior channel configured to receive an incoming air stream from outside a building and exhaust the incoming air stream into a plenum within the building, and to receive an outgoing air stream from an interior environment of the building and exhaust the outgoing air stream outside the building;   a membrane permeable to water vapor and substantially impermeable to constituent gases of air, disposed within the housing and dividing the interior channel into a first sub-channel through which the incoming air stream may pass and a second sub-channel through which the outgoing air stream may simultaneously pass; and   wherein the plenum is configured to receive a recirculated air stream from the interior environment of the building, to form an intermingled air stream including the recirculated air stream and the incoming air stream, and to exhaust the intermingled air stream into the interior environment of the building.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the plenum is disposed beneath a floor plane of the building. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the plenum is disposed above a ceiling plane of the building. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the plenum is disposed behind a wall plane of the building. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the exchanger housing forms a portion of a wall of the building. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the recirculated air stream is processed by an HVAC system before it forms the intermingled air stream. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the intermingled air stream is processed by an HVAC system before it is exhausted into the interior environment of the building.

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