An air treatment system

Abstract

There is provided an air handling assembly that comprises a support structure; at least one air handling chamber arranged on the support structure, the, or each, air handling chamber including an inlet subchamber and an outlet subchamber, the inlet subchamber being in fluid communication with the outlet subchamber; a coil assembly arranged on the support structure and interposed between the inlet subchamber and the outlet subchamber so that air passing from the inlet subchamber to the outlet subchamber passes through the coil assembly; an air inlet in fluid communication with the inlet subchamber; and an air outlet in fluid communication with the outlet subchamber.

1 . An air handling assembly that comprises:
 a support structure;   at least one air handling chamber arranged on the support structure, the, or each, air handling chamber including an inlet subchamber and an outlet subchamber, the inlet subchamber being in fluid communication with the outlet subchamber;   a coil assembly arranged on the support structure and interposed between the inlet subchamber and the outlet subchamber so that air passing from the inlet subchamber to the outlet subchamber passes through the coil assembly;   an air inlet in fluid communication with the inlet subchamber; and   an air outlet in fluid communication with the outlet subchamber.   
     
     
         2 . The air handling assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the coil assembly is an evaporator coil assembly. 
     
     
         3 . The air handling assembly of  claim 1 , which includes air treatment apparatus that is arranged in the, or each, outlet subchamber. 
     
     
         4 . The air handling assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the air treatment apparatus includes an air heating apparatus. 
     
     
         5 . The air handling assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the air treatment apparatus includes an infrared emitter that is positioned to direct infrared rays on to the evaporator coil assembly to heat the coil assembly so that air passing through the coil assembly is heated. 
     
     
         6 . The air handling assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the air treatment apparatus includes a disinfecting apparatus to disinfect air in the outlet subchamber. 
     
     
         7 . The air handling assembly as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the air treatment apparatus includes a UV emitter that is positioned to direct UV rays on to the evaporator coil assembly to disinfect air passing through the coil assembly. 
     
     
         8 . The air handling assembly as claimed  claim 1 , which includes an air extractor that is operable to draw air into the inlet subchamber, via the air inlet, through the coil assembly and into the outlet subchamber and to expel treated air from the outlet subchamber  16 , via the air outlet. 
     
     
         9 . The air handling assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the support structure includes a floor, a roof and four sidewalls. 
     
     
         10 . The air handling assembly as claimed in  claim 9 , which includes an intermediate transverse wall interposed between the floor and the roof, and at least one dividing wall extending from the transverse wall to the roof so that the intermediate transverse wall, the roof, the sidewalls, and the at least one dividing wall define at least two air handling chambers. 
     
     
         11 . The air handling assembly as claimed in  claim 2 , in which at least one compressor is arranged on the support structure and is operatively connected to the, or each respective, evaporator coil assembly. 
     
     
         12 . An air treatment system that comprises:
 an air handling assembly including
 a support structure; 
 at least one air handling chamber arranged on the support structure, the, or each, air handling chamber including an inlet subchamber and an outlet subchamber, the inlet subchamber being in fluid communication with the outlet subchamber; 
 an evaporator coil assembly arranged on the support structure and interposed between the inlet subchamber and the outlet subchamber so that air passing from the inlet subchamber to the outlet subchamber passes through the coil assembly; 
 an air inlet in fluid communication with the inlet subchamber; and 
 an air outlet in fluid communication with the outlet subchamber; 
   an air supply duct connected to the air outlet to supply air to a zone in which air is to be conditioned and/or treated;   an air return duct connected to the air inlet to return air to the air handling assembly from the zone; and   a condenser having a housing, the housing having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a fan for directing air from the, or each, inlet and out through the, or each, outlet, and a condenser coil assembly positioned within the housing and interposed between the inlet and the outlet and operatively connected to the coil assembly.   
     
     
         13 . The air conditioning system as claimed in  claim 12 , which includes a compressor and an expansion valve assembly operatively connected to the evaporator coil assembly and the condenser coil assembly. 
     
     
         14 . The air conditioning system as claimed in  claim 13 , which includes a system controller operatively connected to the expansion valve assembly to control operation of the expansion valve assembly. 
     
     
         15 . The air conditioning system as claimed in  claim 14 , in which an air heating apparatus is arranged in the outlet subchamber and is operatively connected to the system controller so that the system controller can control a temperature of the air being discharged from the air outlet. 
     
     
         16 . The air conditioning system as claimed in  claim 14 , in which an air disinfecting apparatus is arranged in the outlet subchamber and is operatively connected to the system controller so that the system controller can control a disinfection process carried out on the air in the outlet subchamber. 
     
     
         17 . The air conditioning system as claimed in  claim 14 , which includes an air extractor that is operable to draw air into the inlet subchamber, via the air inlet, through the evaporator coil assembly, into the outlet subchamber and to expel conditioned and/or treated air from the outlet subchamber via the air outlet, the air extractor being operatively connected to the system controller so that the system controller can control a volumetric rate of air being discharged from the outlet subchamber. 
     
     
         18 . A method of conditioning air, the method comprising the steps of:
 displacing air into an inlet subchamber of an air handling chamber having the inlet subchamber and an outlet subchamber with a coil assembly interposed between the inlet and outlet subchambers so that the air passes from the inlet subchamber through the evaporator coil assembly and into the outlet subchamber; and   treating the air in the outlet subchamber before the air is discharged from the outlet subchamber.