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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for enabling heat and moisture exchange, comprising:
 an exchanger housing including an opaque front face, an opaque rear face parallel to the front face and a pair of opaque parallel side faces collectively defining an interior channel in the form of a shallow rectangular volume wherein the opaque front face and the opaque rear face each have a surface area greater than a surface area of either of the opaque side faces; and   a barrier, permeable to water vapor and substantially impermeable to principal constituent gases of air, disposed within the interior channel, oriented generally parallel to the opaque front face and the opaque rear face, and partitioning the interior channel into first and second sub-channels adapted to receive a source air stream and an exhaust air stream, respectively;   wherein the opaque front face forms an opaque first portion of a building enclosure system that is disposed outside of the interior channel, the opaque first portion being adjacent to, in a plane parallel to, and facing in a common direction as a second portion of the building enclosure system that is not formed by the housing; and   wherein the sub-channels are configured to direct the source air stream and the exhaust air stream parallel to the opaque front face and the opaque rear face within the sub-channels.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opaque front face forms a portion of a wall of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opaque front face forms a portion of a roof of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opaque front face forms a portion of a floor of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the opaque front face 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 the opaque front face. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the opaque front face 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 the opaque front face is exposed to outdoor environmental conditions and the opaque rear face is exposed to a building interior. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the opaque front face 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 opaque front face 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 opaque exchanger housing having an opaque front face, an opaque rear face and a pair of opaque side faces collectively defining an interior channel in the form of a shallow rectangular volume with the front and rear faces each having a respective surface area that is larger than a surface area of each of the side faces, and wherein the front face forms an opaque first part of a building enclosure system that is exterior of the interior channel and is adjacent to, in a plane parallel to, and faces in a common direction as a second part of the building enclosure system that is not formed by the housing;   a corrugated membrane disposed within the housing generally parallel to the front face, 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 principal constituent gases of air;   wherein the membrane is corrugated by an amount allowing a desired membrane surface area to fit within the interior channel; and   wherein the sub-channels are configured to direct the source air stream and the and the exhaust air stream parallel to the opaque front face and the opaque rear face within the sub-channels.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the front face forms an interior wall portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the front face forms an exterior wall portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the front face is exposed to outdoor environmental conditions and is constructed from a weather-resistant material. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the front face forms an interior wall portion of the building enclosure system, and the rear face forms an exterior wall portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the front face forms a roof portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the front face forms a floor portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the front face forms a foundation portion of the building enclosure system. 
     
     
         19 . A heat and moisture exchanger system, comprising:
 an exchanger housing having an opaque front face, an opaque rear face and a pair of opaque side faces, each side face having a surface area smaller than a surface area of the front face and the rear face so that the front, rear and side faces collectively define a shallow rectangular volume having a length, a width and a depth less than both the length and the width,   wherein the front face forms an opaque first portion of a rain screen layer disposed on an exterior side of a building, the opaque first portion of the rain screen layer formed by the front face being adjacent to, in a plane parallel to, and facing in a common direction as a second portion of the rain screen layer that is not formed by the exchanger housing; and   a membrane dividing the rectangular volume defined by the exchanger housing into a pair of sub-channels each oriented substantially parallel to the front face and the rear face, the membrane configured to allow passage of water vapor and to prevent substantial passage of principal constituent gases of air between the sub-channels;   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;   wherein the opaque rear face is disposed on the exterior side of the building, leaving an air gap between the opaque rear face and an exterior wall of the building, and   wherein the sub-channels are configured to direct the source air stream and the exhaust air stream parallel to the opaque front face and the opaque rear face within the sub-channels.   
     
     
         20 . The exchanger system of  claim 19 , wherein the front major face is formed from a weather resistant material.