Air-conditioning via multi-phase plate heat exchanger

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-phase plate heat exchanger for 2 air media, wherein the surfaces (13a) are wetted for the heat transfer of fluids (3, 4), and the primary medium (1) is the warm and moist fresh air (15) and the secondary medium (2) is the cool dry exhaust air (16) of an occupied space, which flows in the opposite direction to the primary medium (1), wherein the surfaces of the plate gaps (1a) for the primary medium (1) are wetted with hygroscopic solution (17a) and the surfaces of the plate gaps (2a) for the secondary medium (2) are wetted with water (18), and wherein the regeneration of this hygroscopic solution (17b) occurs in a heat exchanger (14), in which the surfaces of the plate gaps (la) for the primary medium (1) are wetted with preheated thinned hygroscopic solution (17b), and wherein the secondary medium (2) is air (15c) which is heated after the primary passage through the heat exchanger (14) and is saturated with steam, such that, on the surfaces of the plate gaps (1a) for the secondary medium (2), evaporation heat is fed back via the formation of condensation during the cooling thereof.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A multi-phase plate heat exchanger for two or more gaseous media, comprising:
 heat exchanger plates forming a plurality of chambers which are separated by active surfaces from each other, said active surfaces being wettable on one or both surfaces for heat transfer between the media by one or two different slow flowing liquids which interact directly with the media to thereby realize evaporation or condensation and, due to a resulting change in concentration in the liquids, also crystallization or solution of crystals; and   pumps configured to move the liquids from a storage tank to specific inlet positions in the form of openings in heat exchanger plate gaps between the heat exchanger plates such that the liquids move from the inlet positions as a wetting liquid film along the active surfaces through the plate heat exchanger, with interacting media and liquids being able to flow in parallel or in countercurrent to each other, said pumps configured to fan out the liquids into a bundle of capillaries in pipe or tubular form which open at the openings in the heat exchanger, with adjacent ones of the active surfaces being wettable with the liquids in each of the heat exchanger plate gaps.   
     
     
         17 . The multi-phase plate heat exchanger of  claim 16 , wherein inflows for the media or the liquids or individual sections of the heat exchanger are in heat-conductive contact with separate temperature control media or an electrical heater to allow heating or cooling thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The multi-phase plate heat exchanger of  claim 16 , wherein the surfaces of the active surfaces for heat transfer enable a uniform distribution of the liquid film or a local retention of crystals or their further transport mechanically by at least one member selected from the group consisting of grooves, finely porous surfaces, grinding marks, scratches, fiber coating, hydrophilic materials, coatings, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The multi-phase plate heat exchanger of  claim 16  in combination with a further said multi-phase plate heat exchanger, with the combination comprised of a single plate pack of plural plates, with individual ones of the heat exchangers each forming congruent areas on the plates of the plate pack. 
     
     
         20 . A method for operating a multi-phase plate heat exchanger with two or more gaseous media moved in countercurrent or parallel flow by one or more controllable blowers, at different temperatures and with different steam content, said method comprising:
 wetting active surfaces between chambers formed by heat exchanger plates on one or both surfaces by one or two different slowly flowing liquids in direct interaction with the media to thereby realize evaporation or condensation and, due to a resulting change in concentration in the liquids, also crystallization or solution of crystals;   pumping the liquids from a storage tank to specific inlet positions in the form of openings in heat exchanger plate gaps between the heat exchanger plates such that the liquids move from the inlet positions as a wetting liquid film along the active surfaces through the plate heat exchanger, with interacting media and liquids being able to flow in parallel or in countercurrent to each other; and   fanning out the liquids from the pumps into a bundle of capillaries in pipe or tubular form which open at the openings in the heat exchanger, with adjacent ones of the active surfaces being wettable with the liquids in each of the heat exchanger plate gaps.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the liquids contain a member selected from the group consisting of water, another solvent, hygroscopic salt, refrigerant, disinfectant, and wetting agent. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein one of the media represents a primary medium in the form of hot and humid fresh air of an environment of a room to be cooled, and the other one of the media represents a secondary medium in the form of used dry and cool exhaust air of the cooled room which flows in countercurrent to the primary medium, said method further comprising:
 wetting inner surfaces of the plate gaps for the primary medium with hygroscopic solution, with the primary medium and the associated one of the liquids flowing in opposite directions; and   wetting inner surfaces of the plate gaps for the secondary medium with water which is able to flow in any direction.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , for use in regeneration of diluted hydroscopic solution, wherein one of the media represents a primary medium in the form of hot and moist fresh air of an environment of a room to be cooled, said method further comprising:
 heating diluted hygroscopic solution with separate temperature control media or an electrical heater;   wetting inner surfaces of the plate gaps for the primary medium with the heated diluted hygroscopic solution;   flowing the other one of the media representing a secondary medium in countercurrent to the primary medium, with the secondary medium being fresh air which has been heated after a primary passage through the multi-phase heat exchanger and is substantially saturated with additional steam;   forming condensation water on inner surfaces of the plate gaps for the secondary medium during cooling thereof; and   discharging from the multi-phase heat exchanger the cooled condensation water with the secondary medium flowing in direct current.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20  for operating a combination of two of said multi-phase plate heat exchanger, further comprising:
 cooling and isenthalpically humidified exhaust air of a room to be cooled to a dew point in a first one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers serving as an air humidifier; and 
 humidifying and heating the exhaust air in a second one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers by water, while being fed in countercurrent to a hot moist fresh air coming from an environment, with the hot moist fresh air being simultaneously dried by a hygroscopic solution and cooled down to close to the dew point of the room to be cooled. 
 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising continuing to cool isenthalpically the dried fresh air coming from the second multi-phase plate heat exchanger and cooled down to close to the dew point of the room to be cooled in a third multi-phase plate heat exchanger serving as air humidifier. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 preheating the moist fresh air by a third multi-phase plate heat exchanger serving as an air dryer under isenthalpic heating by means of hygroscopic solution, before the moist fresh air is cooled in the second one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers in countercurrent to the exhaust air and dried with hygroscopic solution.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 20  for operating a combination of three of said multi-phase plate heat exchanger, further comprising:
 humidifying exhaust air isenthalpically from a room to be heated in a first one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers serving as an air humidifier; 
 drying the exhaust air in a second one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers with hygroscopic solution, while being fed in countercurrent to cold fresh air coming from an environment, with the cold fresh air being simultaneously humidified by water and heated by the drying of the exhaust air; 
 isenthalpically drying and heating the humidified and heated fresh air in a third one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers serving as an air dryer; and 
 supplying the fresh air to the room for heating the room. 
 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 20  for operating a combination of two of said multi-phase plate heat exchanger for regeneration of diluted hygroscopic solution to convert it into concentrated hygroscopic solution by dehydration, further comprising:
 feeding fresh air to a primary side of a first one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers, while the fresh air flows in countercurrent to heated diluted hygroscopic solution which wets an active surface of the first one of the multi-phase plate heat exchanger, thereby heating and substantially saturating the fresh air with moisture; 
 feeding the heated and substantially saturated fresh air to a second one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers serving as an air humidifier in order to wet the active surface with hot water so that the fresh air continues to be heated and humidified; 
 directing the fresh air to a secondary side of the first one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers to cool it down and to condense excess steam on the active surface of the first one of the multi-phase plate heat exchangers, thereby providing heat required for dehydration of the diluted hygroscopic solution.