Air-treatment apparatus for use with building

Abstract

An air-treatment apparatus is for use with a building having a building air-duct circuit. The air-treatment apparatus includes an air-handler assembly configured to urge the flow of heat along the building air-duct circuit of the building. A vapour-expansion cycle assembly is configured to receive heat from the air-handler assembly. The vapour-expansion cycle assembly is also configured to circulate a refrigerant in response to the refrigerant receiving the heat from the air-handler assembly. This is done in such a way that the heat, in use, urges the refrigerant to circulate, and the refrigerant that circulates is used to generate alternating-current electricity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air-treatment apparatus for use with a building having a building air-duct circuit, and the air-treatment apparatus comprising:
 an air-handler assembly being configured to urge flow of heat along the building air-duct circuit of the building; and   a vapour-expansion cycle assembly being configured to receive, at least in part, heat from the air-handler assembly, and also being configured to circulate, at least in part, a refrigerant in response to the refrigerant receiving, at least in part, the heat from the air-handler assembly in such a way that the heat, in use, urges the refrigerant to circulate, and the refrigerant that circulates is used, at least in part, to generate alternating-current electricity.   
     
     
         2 . An air-treatment apparatus for use with a building having a building air-duct circuit, and the air-treatment apparatus comprising:
 an air-handler assembly being configured to:
 interface with the building air-duct circuit of the building; 
 generate heat; and 
 urge flow of the heat that was generated along the building air-duct circuit of the building; and 
   a vapour-expansion cycle assembly being configured to interface with the air-handler assembly, and the vapour-expansion cycle assembly including a refrigerant flow circuit being configured to:
 receive, at least in part, heat from the air-handler assembly; and 
 circulate, at least in part, a refrigerant in response to the refrigerant receiving, at least in part, the heat from the air-handler assembly in such a way that the heat, in use, urges the refrigerant to circulate along the refrigerant flow circuit, and the refrigerant that circulates along the refrigerant flow circuit is used, at least in part, to generate alternating-current electricity. 
   
     
     
         3 . An air-treatment apparatus for use with a building having a building air-duct circuit, and the building being surrounded by outdoor air, and the building having a fuel being delivered thereto, and the air-treatment apparatus comprising:
 an air-handler assembly including:
 a combustion gas-flow circuit being configured to receive the outdoor air and to receive the fuel in such a way that the fuel is burned, at least in part, thereby generating, at least in part, heat; and 
 a handler airflow circuit being configured to interface with the building air-duct circuit and also being configured to interface with the combustion gas-flow circuit in such a way that the heat, which was generated at least in part in the combustion gas-flow circuit, flows along the building air-duct circuit of the building; and 
   a vapour-expansion cycle assembly including a refrigerant flow circuit being configured to:
 interface with the combustion gas-flow circuit of the air-handler assembly and the handler airflow circuit of the air-handler assembly; 
 receive, at least in part, the heat that was generated by the combustion gas-flow circuit of the air-handler assembly and the heat that flows, at least in part, along the handler airflow circuit of the air-handler assembly; and 
 circulate, at least in part, a refrigerant in response to the refrigerant receiving, at least in part, the heat that was generated by the combustion gas-flow circuit of the air-handler assembly and the heat that flows, at least in part, along the handler airflow circuit of the air-handler assembly in such a way that the heat, in use, urges the refrigerant to circulate along the refrigerant flow circuit, and the refrigerant that circulates along the refrigerant flow circuit is used, at least in part, to generate alternating-current electricity. 
   
     
     
         4 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the air-handler assembly is configured to:
 be positioned within the building; 
 be coupled to the building air-duct circuit; 
 receive, at least in part, a flow of the outdoor air and the flow of the fuel; 
 burn, at least in part, the fuel that was received by using the outdoor air that was received in such a way that the fuel that is burned generates, at least in part, heat; and 
 provide, at least in part, the heat that was generated by the building air-duct circuit of the building. 
   
     
     
         5 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the vapour-expansion cycle assembly is configured to:
 be positioned relative to the air-handler assembly in such a way that the heat is received from the air-handler assembly. 
   
     
     
         6 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the vapour-expansion cycle assembly is further configured to:
 provide, at least in part, the heat, which was received and was not used to convert into the alternating-current electricity, to the building. 
   
     
     
         7 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a generator assembly configured to generate the alternating-current electricity; and   an expander assembly configured to:
 be fluidly coupled to the refrigerant flow circuit in such a way that circulation of the refrigerant along the refrigerant flow circuit, in use, urges operation of the expander assembly; and 
 be operatively connected to the generator assembly in such a way that operation of the expander assembly causes the generator assembly to generate the alternating-current electricity. 
   
     
     
         8 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 an inverter assembly being configured to:
 receive, at least in part, the alternating-current electricity generated by the vapour-expansion cycle assembly; 
 convert, at least in part, the alternating-current electricity that was received from the vapour-expansion cycle assembly into direct-current electricity; 
   a battery assembly being configured to:
 receive, at least in part, the direct-current electricity from the inverter assembly; 
 store, at least in part, the direct-current electricity; and 
 provide, at least in part, the direct-current electricity to the air-handler assembly and the vapour-expansion cycle assembly in such a way that the air-handler assembly and the vapour-expansion cycle assembly are operatively powered. 
   
     
     
         9 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the inverter assembly is further configured to:
 receive, at least in part, the alternating-current electricity from an electric utility grid for the case where the alternating-current electricity is not received by the inverter assembly from the vapour-expansion cycle assembly; and 
 provide, at least in part, the alternating-current electricity received from the electric utility grid to the battery assembly. 
   
     
     
         10 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the inverter assembly is further configured to:
 provide, at least in part, the alternating-current electricity that was received from the vapour-expansion cycle assembly for the case where the alternating-current electricity is required by the building. 
   
     
     
         11 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a heat-exchanger assembly being configured to:
 receive, at least in part, exhaust air and heat from the air-handler assembly; 
 separate, at least in part, heat that was received from the exhaust air that was received; 
 provide, at least in part, the heat that was removed from the exhaust air to the building; and 
 provide, at least in part, the exhaust air that was received to the outdoor air located outside of the building. 
   
     
     
         12 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a heat-exchanger assembly; and   a pre-heater assembly;   wherein:   the heat-exchanger assembly is configured to:
 receive, at least in part, exhaust air and heat from the air-handler assembly; 
 separate, at least in part, heat that was received from the exhaust air that was received; 
 provide, at least in part, the heat that was removed from the exhaust air to the pre-heater assembly; and 
 provide, at least in part, the exhaust air that was received to the outdoor air located outside of the building; and 
   the pre-heater assembly is configured to:
 receive, at least in part, the outdoor air; 
 receive, at least in part, the heat that was provided by the heat-exchanger assembly; 
 mix, at least in part, the outdoor air that was received with the heat that was received; and 
 provide, at least in part, the outdoor air that was mixed with heat to the air-handler assembly. 
   
     
     
         13 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the combustion gas-flow circuit includes:
 an air intake vent; 
 a burner assembly; 
 a primary heat exchanger; 
 a mixing node; 
 an exhaust fan; 
 a motor; and 
 an exhaust gas vent; 
 wherein: 
 the air intake vent is fluidly coupled to the burner assembly; 
 the burner assembly is fluidly coupled to the primary heat exchanger; 
 the primary heat exchanger is fluidly coupled to the mixing node; 
 the mixing node is fluidly coupled to an evaporator assembly of the refrigerant flow circuit; 
 the exhaust fan is fluidly coupled to the evaporator assembly of the refrigerant flow circuit; 
 the motor is operatively connected to the exhaust fan in such a way that the motor, in use, turns the exhaust fan, and the exhaust fan, in use, urges flow of air along the combustion gas-flow circuit; and 
 the exhaust gas vent is fluidly coupled to the exhaust fan. 
   
     
     
         14 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the handler airflow circuit includes:
 a building air supply; 
 a building air return; and 
 a supply fan; 
   wherein:
 the building air return is fluidly connected to the supply fan having a fan motor operatively connected to the supply fan in such a way that the fan motor, in use, urges the supply fan to move air along the handler airflow circuit; 
 the supply fan is fluidly connected to a condenser assembly of the refrigerant flow circuit; 
 the condenser assembly of the refrigerant flow circuit is fluidly connected to a primary heat exchanger of the combustion gas-flow circuit; and 
 the building air supply is fluidly coupled to the primary heat exchanger of the combustion gas-flow circuit. 
   
     
     
         15 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the refrigerant flow circuit includes:
 a condenser assembly; 
 a pump assembly; and 
 an evaporator assembly; 
 wherein: 
 the condenser assembly is fluidly connected to the pump assembly; 
 the pump assembly has a motor operatively connected thereto in such a way that the pump assembly, in use, circulates the refrigerant along the refrigerant flow circuit; 
 the evaporator assembly is fluidly connected to the pump assembly; 
 the evaporator assembly is also fluidly connected to an expander assembly, and the expander assembly is operatively connected to 1 generator assembly in such a way that movement of the refrigerant along the refrigerant flow circuit (in use) urges the expander assembly to rotate, and in response to rotation of the expander assembly, the generator assembly is made to rotate and generate the alternating-current electricity; and 
 the evaporator assembly is also fluidly connected to the expander assembly. 
   
     
     
         16 . The air-treatment apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the expander assembly includes:
 a first expander assembly; and 
 a second expander assembly operatively coupled to the first expander assembly; and 
   the generator assembly includes;
 a first generator assembly operatively coupled to the first expander assembly; and 
 a second generator assembly operatively coupled to the second expander assembly; and 
 the first generator assembly and the second generator assembly are connected together in such a way that the first generator assembly and the second generator assembly operatively provide the alternating-current electricity.