Using a Foam Panel in Water-Based Cooling

Abstract

A foam panel has a front face and a rear face. The foam panel is used in water-based cooling of air entering an air conditioner compressor. A plurality of channels is manufactured in a predetermined pattern into the foam panel from the front face to the rear face.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a foam panel, having a front face and a rear face, for use in water-based cooling of air entering an air conditioner compressor;   a plurality of channels manufactured in a predetermined pattern into the foam panel from the front face to the rear face.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of channels is sized and placed such that when the foam panel is wet with water, air flowing through the channels is cooled by evaporation of water. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of channels is sized and placed such that when the foam panel is wet with water, air flow from the front face to the rear face through the plurality of channels has an impedance of less than a predetermined impedance. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the foam panel is manufactured from a foam material having antibacterial properties. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the foam panel is made of a material having a three-dimensional open cell structure in which the cells are interconnected. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the material is a polyvinyl alcohol. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of channels is manufactured into the foam panel by die cutting. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of channels is manufactured into the foam panel by water jet cutting. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of channels is manufactured into the foam panel using a mold. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pattern is regular. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pattern has a plurality of long rows of channels interleaved with a plurality of short rows of channels. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pattern has a plurality of rows of channels. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pattern is a random pattern. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the foam panel is made from a foam material having pores having an average pore size; 
 the foam panel has a top and a bottom; 
 the foam panel, when dry, has a dry-thickness measured from the front face to the rear face, a dry-height measured perpendicular to the thickness dimension, and a dry-width measured perpendicular to the dry-height and the dry-thickness, and a volume; 
 the pattern has a plurality of long rows of channels interleaved with a plurality of short rows of channels, each channel having a shape of a cylinder flattened in a dry-height direction; 
 the foam panel has the average pore size, the pattern, the dry-thickness, the dry-height, and the dry-width such that, when wet with water having a water-volume<=1.10×the volume of the foam panel, and when suspended by its top, the foam panel has:
 a wet-thickness measured from the front face to the rear face, 
 a wet-width measured perpendicular to the wet-thickness, wherein wet-width<=dry-width+0.01×dry-width, 
 a wet-height measured perpendicular to the wet-height and the wet-thickness, wherein wet-heigh>=dry-height+0.09×dry-height, and 
 a modified pattern in which all of the plurality of channels has a shape that is substantially cylindrical. 
 
 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the foam panel is made from a foam material having pores having an average pore size; 
 the foam panel has a top and a bottom; 
 the foam panel, when dry, has a dry-thickness measured from the front face to the rear face, a dry-height measured perpendicular to the thickness dimension, and a dry-width measured perpendicular to the dry-height and the dry-thickness, and a volume; 
 the pattern has a plurality of channels, each channel having a shape of a cylinder flattened in a dry-height direction; 
 the foam panel has the average pore size, the pattern, the dry-thickness, the dry-height, and the dry-width such that, when wet with water having a water-volume<=1.10×the volume of the foam panel, and when suspended by its top, the foam panel has:
 a wet-thickness measured from the front face to the rear face, 
 a wet-width measured perpendicular to the wet-thickness, wherein wet-width<=dry-width+0.01×dry-width, 
 a wet-height measured perpendicular to the wet-height and the wet-thickness, wherein wet-height>=dry-height+0.09×dry-height, and 
 a modified pattern in which all of the plurality of channels are substantially cylindrical. 
 
 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the foam panel is made from a foam material having pores having an average pore size; 
 the foam panel has a top and a bottom; 
 the foam panel, when dry, has a dry-thickness measured from the front face to the rear face, a dry-height measured perpendicular to the thickness dimension, and a dry-width measured perpendicular to the dry-height and the dry-thickness, and a volume; 
 the pattern has a plurality of channels, each channel having a shape; 
 the foam panel has the average pore size, the pattern, the dry-thickness, the dry-height, and the dry-width such that, when wet with water having a water-volume<=1.10×the volume of the foam panel, and when suspended by its top, the foam panel has a modified pattern in which all of the plurality of channels are elongated in the dry-height direction. 
 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the foam panel includes a fluid insertion section and an evaporation section. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the pattern is included in the evaporation section and wherein the surface area of a cross-section of the evaporation section minus the cross-sectional area of all of the channels is greater than or equal to 50 percent of the total area of the cross-section of the evaporation section. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the fluid insertion section of the foam panel has a left-to-right slit and a plurality of front-to-rear slits. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the foam panel includes:
 a left foam panel and a right foam panel; and 
 a divider between the left foam panel and the right foam panel. 
 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus comprising:
 a bag having:
 a front mesh panel, and 
 a rear mesh panel; 
   a foam panel inside the bag, the foam panel having:
 a fluid insertion section, and 
 an evaporation section that:
 allows air to flow through the bag from the front mesh panel to the rear mesh panel, and 
 cools the air that flows therethrough by evaporation of fluid inserted into the fluid insertion section; and 
 
   a fluid line that provides a fluid entry port from outside the bag into the fluid insertion section of the foam panel.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the bag further comprises:
 a top panel coupled between the front mesh panel and the rear mesh panel, 
 a left panel coupled to the top panel and coupled between the front mesh panel and the rear mesh panel, 
 a right panel coupled to the top panel and coupled between the front mesh panel and the rear mesh panel, and 
 a bottom panel coupled to the left panel and the right panel and coupled between the front mesh panel and the rear mesh panel. 
 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  further comprising a plurality of hooks coupled to the top panel of the bag by which the bag can be attached to a grill of an air conditioner compressor. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 22  further comprising a plurality of hanging clips coupled to the top panel of the bag inside the bag and coupled to a hanging section of the foam panel by which the foam panel is suspended within the bag from the top panel. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein the fluid line has:
 an inlet that penetrates the left panel of the bag, 
 a dripper line in fluid communication with the inlet, and 
 a plurality of emitters in fluid communication with the dripper line. 
 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the foam panel has a left-to-right slit that accepts the fluid line and a plurality of front-to-rear slits that accept emitters that allow fluid communication from the fluid line to the fluid insertion section of the foam panel. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the foam panel fills less than 92 percent of an inside of the bag when it is dry and expands when it is wet to fill more than 98 percent of the inside of the bag. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the foam panel has a hanging section that remains dry when fluid is inserted into the fluid insertion section of the foam panel. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein:
 the foam panel comprises:
 a left foam panel and a right foam panel, the left foam panel having a left fluid insertion section and a left evaporation section, and 
 a divider between the left foam panel and the right foam panel; and 
 
 the fluid line comprises a left portion that communicates fluid to the left foam panel and a right portion that communicates fluid to the right foam panel. 
 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29  wherein the right portion of the fluid line communicates fluid from the left portion of the fluid line to the right foam panel. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the evaporation section of the foam panel has a plurality of channels from a front face that faces the front panel of the bag to a rear face that faces the rear mesh panel of the bag, the plurality of channels being sized such that an impedance of fluid flow through the bag from the front mesh panel to the rear mesh panel has an impedance of less than a predetermined impedance. 
     
     
         32 . A system comprising:
 a plurality of cooling panels, each cooling panel having:
 a bag having:
 a front mesh panel, and 
 a rear mesh panel; 
 
 a foam panel inside the bag, the foam panel having:
 a fluid insertion section, and 
 an evaporation section that:
 allows air to flow through the bag from the front mesh panel to the rear mesh panel, and 
 cools the air that flows therethrough by evaporation of fluid inserted into the fluid insertion section; and 
 
 
 a fluid entry port from outside the bag into the fluid insertion section of the foam panel; and 
   a fluid distribution network for distributing fluid to the fluid entry ports of the plurality of cooling panels.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32  wherein:
 the fluid line of each of the cooling panels has a fluid exit port from the bag; 
 the fluid distribution network has:
 a tube from the fluid exit port of all but a last of the plurality of cooling panels to a respective fluid entry port of another of the plurality of cooling panels, and 
 a plug on the fluid exit port of the last of the plurality of cooling panels. 
 
 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32  wherein the plurality of cooling panels is arranged to cool air entering an air conditioner compressor. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 32  further comprising:
 a source of water; and 
 a controller coupled to sensors to detect that water-based cooling of air entering an air conditioner compressor is desired and, in response, to connect the source of water to the fluid distribution network. 
 
     
     
         36 . A method comprising:
 arranging a plurality of cooling panels to cool air entering an air conditioner compressor, each cooling panel having:
 a bag having:
 a front mesh panel, and 
 a rear mesh panel; 
 
 a foam panel inside the bag, the foam panel having:
 a fluid insertion section, and 
 an evaporation section that:
 allows air to flow through the bag from the front mesh panel to the rear mesh panel, and 
 cools the air that flows therethrough by evaporation of fluid inserted into the fluid insertion section; and 
 
 
 a fluid line that provides a fluid entry port from outside the bag into the fluid insertion section of the foam panel; 
   sensing with a plurality of sensors that water-based cooling of air entering the air conditioner compressor is desired; and   a controller coupling a source of water to a fluid distribution network for distributing fluid to the fluid lines of the plurality of cooling panels.   
     
     
         37 . A method comprising:
 inserting a plurality of cooling panels into a vacuum bag, each cooling panel having:
 a bag having:
 a front mesh panel, and 
 a rear mesh panel; 
 
 a foam panel inside the bag, the foam panel having:
 a fluid insertion section, and 
 an evaporation section that:
 allows air to flow through the bag from the front mesh panel to the rear mesh panel, and 
 cools the air that flows therethrough by evaporation of fluid inserted into the fluid insertion section; and 
 
 
 a fluid line that provides a fluid entry port from outside the bag into the fluid insertion section of the foam panel; 
   evacuating the air from the vacuum bag to reduce the volume of the plurality of cooling panels for shipment.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising:
 wetting the foam panels in the plurality of cooling panels to reduce their rigidity before evacuating the air from the vacuum bag. 
 
     
     
         39 . A method comprising:
 manufacturing a foam panel, having a front face and a rear face and a plurality of channels manufactured in a predetermined pattern into the foam panel from the front face to the rear face; and   using the manufactured foam panel in water-based cooling.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39  wherein using the manufactured foam panel in water-based cooling comprises using the manufactured foam panel in water-based cooling of air entering an air conditioner compressor. 
     
     
         41 . An apparatus comprising:
 a bottom trough;   a top element;   a first frame element, a second frame element, and a third frame element;   a first foam panel and a second foam panel; and   a front mesh panel and a rear mesh panel;   wherein the bottom trough, the top element, the first frame element, the second frame element, and the third frame element are extruded and cut to respective desired lengths,   wherein the bottom trough, the top element, the first frame element, the second frame element, and the third frame element couple together mechanically to form a frame with a first chamber to contain the first foam panel and a second chamber to contain the second foam panel, and   wherein the front mesh panel fits into the frame to cover a front side of the first foam panel and a front side of the second foam panel and the rear mesh panel fits into the frame to cover a rear side of the first foam panel and a rear side of the second foam panel.   
     
     
         42 . A method comprising:
 attaching a first frame element, a second frame element, and a third frame element to a bottom trough to form a frame having:
 a first chamber bounded by the first frame element, the second frame element, and the bottom trough, and 
 a second chamber bounded by the second frame element, the third frame element, and the bottom trough; 
   inserting a first foam panel encased in a first bag into the first chamber and removing the first bag while leaving the first foam panel in the first chamber;   inserting a second foam panel encased in a second bag into the second chamber and removing the second bag while leaving the second foam panel in the second chamber;   inserting a front mesh panel into the frame to cover a front side of the first foam panel and a front side of the second foam panel;   inserting a rear mesh panel into the frame to cover a rear side of the first foam panel and a rear side of the second foam panel; and   coupling a top element to the first frame element, the second frame element, and the third frame element.