Device for cooling and/or heat recovery

Abstract

An apparatus ( 10 ) for cooling and/or for heat recovery, the apparatus ( 10 ) being expandable in modular fashion in a simple manner without thereby prejudicing efficiency. For this purpose, the invention envisages forming an apparatus ( 10 ) from a plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) that can be assembled together, each having a heat exchanger.

1 . An apparatus ( 10 ) for cooling and/or for heat recovery having at least one heat exchanger ( 29 ), comprising a plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) which can be assembled together, wherein each of the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) comprises a heat exchanger ( 29 ), and the heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) can be assembled together in such a way that the heat exchangers ( 29 ) thereof can be operated in parallel. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) can be coupled together, preferably stacked together, vertically one above the other and/or horizontally adjacent to one another. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) has at least one air inlet opening ( 17 ), preferably two air inlet openings ( 17 ) and at least one air outlet opening ( 18 ), preferably two air outlet openings ( 18 ). 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the air inlet openings ( 17 ) and the air outlet openings ( 18 ) of successive heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) are situated one above the other and the heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) have a common supply air duct ( 21 ) and a common exhaust air duct ( 20 ). 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the air inlet openings ( 17 ) and the air outlet openings ( 18 ) of successive heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) can be supplied in the same way, preferably in parallel, by the common exhaust air duct ( 20 ) and the common supply air duct ( 21 ). 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) has a means for wetting water feed ( 37 ) and a means for wetting water discharge ( 35 ), wherein the means for wetting water feed ( 37 ) and the means for wetting water discharge ( 35 ) can preferably be connected by connecting or coupling together the heat exchanger modules ( 11 ). 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) are assigned a common wetting water reservoir ( 27 ) for wetting water, which wetting water reservoir ( 27 ) has at least one pump ( 39 ), by means of which the wetting water from the wetting water reservoir ( 27 ) can be fed to the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) and/or excess wetting water reservoir can be fed back to the wetting water. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) have means for assembly involving interengagement. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the wetting water reservoir ( 27 ) and each of the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) have a housing ( 13 ), which surrounds the heat exchanger ( 29 ) and is preferably formed by identical housing halves ( 41 ,  47 ). 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the housing halves ( 41 ,  47 ) of the heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) and the wetting water reservoir ( 27 ) each have interengaging depressions ( 31 ) and corresponding projections ( 33 ), by means of which the housing halves ( 41 ,  47 ) can be assembled with interengagement and/or positively. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ), preferably all the heat exchanger modules, are jointly surrounded by a common housing. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus ( 10 ) for indirect evaporative cooling having at least one heat exchanger ( 29 ), which has a plurality of heat exchanger plates ( 30 ) and a device for wetting the heat exchanger plates ( 30 ), in particular as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the device is assigned at least one baffle surface ( 57 ) in such a way that wetting water jets ( 53 ) produced by the device impinge on the at least one baffle surface ( 57 ) at an angle unequal to 90°. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the at least one baffle surface ( 57 ) is formed by an oblique partial area of a wall of the housing ( 13 ), preferably of a top wall of the upper housing half ( 47 ), and/or the at least one baffle surface ( 57 ) is oriented in such a way relative to the wetting water jets ( 53 ) and to the upright heat exchanger plates ( 30 ) that a wetting water curtain ( 58 ) from above, produced by the impact of the wetting water jets ( 53 ) on the baffle surface ( 57 ), is aligned transversely to the heat exchanger plates ( 30 ). 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 12 , characterized in that the device for wetting the heat exchanger plates ( 30 ) has at least one pipe extending transversely across the heat exchanger plates ( 30 ) of the heat exchanger ( 29 ) of each of a plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ) and having a plurality of openings ( 54 ) for producing the wetting water jets ( 53 ). 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the pipe for producing the wetting water jets ( 53 ) is designed as a lance ( 51 ), which is arranged underneath a top of an upper housing half ( 47 ) in each of the plurality of heat exchanger modules ( 11 ).