Patent ID: 6923250
Filing Date: 2005-08-02
Classification: F28F

Abstract:
1. A louver assembly for use in a heat exchange apparatus in an ambient environment, the heat exchange apparatus being associated with a liquid basin, the louver assembly having a height and comprising a plurality of generally vertically oriented, non-corrugated sheets of material, and a plurality of generally vertically oriented corrugated sheets of material having corrugations extending across the corrugated sheet and along the corrugated sheet for the entire height of the louver assembly, each non-corrugated sheet of material being retained adjacent to a corrugated sheet of material; spaces between the corrugations and the non-corrugated sheets forming air passageways extending downwardly through the louver assembly from an inlet face of the louver assembly adjacent the ambient environment to an outlet face of the louver assembly adjacent an interior of the heat exchange apparatus; the louver assembly having a width based on the dimensions of the sheets in a direction along the inlet face and the outlet face of the louver assembly and the number of non-corrugated sheets and corrugated sheets comprising the louver assembly; the louver assembly having a depth defined by the distance from the inlet face to the outlet face of the louver assembly; the louver assembly having a generally vertical longitudinal reference plane extending through a centerline along the louver assembly's width and a generally vertical transverse reference plane extending perpendicular to the longitudinal reference plane; each sheet of material having a V-shape in a top plan view of the louver assembly, the V-shape of the non-corrugated sheets and the corrugated sheets being defined by two acute angles X and Y on one surface of the sheets with respect to the transverse reference plane and resulting in a vertex angle Z on an opposite surface of the sheets, the vertex angle Z being about 120° to about 140°; the V-shape of the sheets providing each of the corrugations and air passageways with a single inlet portion extending from the inlet face of the louver assembly to the longitudinal reference plane and a single outlet portion extending from the longitudinal reference plane to the outlet face of the louver assembly, the angle X being measured with respect to the intersection of the longitudinal and transverse reference planes regarding the inlet portion and the angle Y being measured with respect to the intersection of the longitudinal and transverse reference planes regarding the outlet portion; the inlet portion having a downwardly directed angle A 1 of greater than 0° to about 10° with respect to a horizontal reference plane measured from an intersection of the inlet face and the horizontal reference plane; the outlet portion having a downwardly directed angle A 2 of greater than 0° to about 10° with respect to a horizontal reference plane measured from the intersection of the inlet face and the horizontal reference plane; and each of the air passageways having a width generally parallel to the longitudinal reference plane such that there is a ratio of the depth of the louver assembly to the width of each of the air passageways of about 3:1 to about 6:1.