Abstract:
This invention relates in general to air exchange systems and, in particular, to an improved energy recovery ventilator, a cross flow plate core associated therewith and a method of conditioning air for a building. In one aspect, the invention provides a cross flow plate core comprising: a left hand wafer comprising a left hand spacer with a first of a plurality of membranes bonded thereto, the left hand spacer comprising a plurality of parallel curvilinear rails which form channels for receiving a first stream of air; and a right hand wafer comprising a right hand spacer with a second of the plurality of membranes bonded thereto, the right hand spacer comprising a plurality of parallel curvilinear rails which form channels for receiving a second stream of air, wherein the left hand spacer of the left hand wafer is bonded to the top of the membrane of the right hand wafer.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates in general to air exchange systems and, in particular, to an improved energy recovery ventilator (ERV), a cross flow plate core associated therewith and a method of conditioning air for a building. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Modern construction of commercial or residential buildings focuses on energy efficient building techniques which create airtight structures to minimize, in particular, heat loss in the winter and to reduce air conditioner use in the summer. However, unless properly ventilated, an airtight home can seal in indoor air pollutants and/or moisture. Contaminants such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and radon can accumulate in poorly ventilated homes, causing health problems. Excess moisture in a home can generate high humidity levels which can lead to mold growth and structural damage. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in modern home construction include a furnace or similar device for heating in the winter along with an air conditioning device for cooling in the winter. Preferably, an integrated ventilation system is also included in new home construction to reduce the load on the heating and cooling components of the HVAC system. 
     With respect to the ventilation system, organizations such as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) suggest that an indoor living area should be ventilated at a rate of 0.35 air changes per hour or 15 cubic feet per person per minute, whichever is greater. There are three basic ventilation strategies to exchange indoor air with outdoor air:
         (a) Natural ventilation which provides uncontrolled air movement into a home through cracks, small holes, and vents, such as windows and doors. In a modern airtight home natural ventilation is limited;   (b) Whole-structure ventilation which provides controlled air movement using one or more fans and duct systems. Such systems are particularly useful in airtight homes; and   (c) Spot ventilation which provides controlled air movement using localized exhaust fans to quickly remove pollutants and moisture at their source.       

     Whole-structure ventilation systems provide controlled, uniform ventilation throughout a building or home. These systems use one or more fans and duct systems to exhaust stale air and/or supply fresh air to the house. There are four types of systems:
         (a) Exhaust ventilation systems which force inside air out of a home;   (b) Supply ventilation systems which force outside air into the home;   (c) Balanced ventilation systems which force equal amounts quantities of air into and out of the home; and   (d) Energy recovery ventilation systems which transfer heat and/or moisture from incoming or outgoing air to minimize energy loss       

     There are two types of ERV systems: heat-recovery ventilators (HRV) and energy-recovery (or enthalpy-recovery) ventilators (ERV). Both types include a heat exchanger, one or more fans to push air through the heat exchanger, and some controls. The main difference between a heat-recovery and an energy-recovery ventilator is the way the exchanger works with respect to the transfer of either sensible heat or total latent heat energy. A heat-recovery ventilator is a sensible device which will result in a change of the air flow temperature only, while an energy-recovery ventilator is a total enthalpic device which results in a change of both the temperature and humidity within the air flow. In winter, an energy-recovery ventilator transfers some of the moisture from the exhaust air to the usually less humid incoming winter air, so that the humidity of the building air stays more constant. This also keeps the heat exchanger core warmer, minimizing problems with freezing. In the summer, an energy-recovery ventilator also helps to control humidity in the house by transferring some of the water vapor in the incoming air to the theoretically drier air that&#39;s leaving the house. In conjunction with an air conditioner, an energy-recovery ventilator generally offers better humidity control than a heat-recovery system. Most energy recovery ventilation systems can recover about 70%-80% of the energy in the exiting air and deliver that energy to the incoming air. Generally speaking, energy-recovery ventilators are most cost effective in climates with extreme winters or summers, and where fuel costs are high. 
     The key to an ERV system is the core which serves to exchange the heat/moisture between the incoming and outgoing air flows. There are two types of cores used in total enthaplic air exchangers: (a) Rotary wheel cores; and (b) Cross flow plate cores. With respect to (a),  FIGS. 1A and 1B  depicts a typical configuration of an air exchanger  6  with a rotary wheel core  8 . Rotary wheel core  8  is filled with an air permeable material which provides a large surface area. The surface area is the medium for the sensible heat transfer. As rotary wheel core  8  rotates between the supply and exhaust air streams  10 ,  12  it picks up heat energy and releases it into the colder air stream. The driving force behind the heat exchange is the difference in temperatures between supply and exhaust air streams  10 ,  12 , referred to as the thermal gradient. Typical media used in rotary wheel core  8  consist of polymer, aluminum, and synthetic fiber. The enthalpy exchange is accomplished through the use of desiccants. Desiccants transfer moisture through the process of absorption which is primarily driven by the difference in the partial pressure of vapor within the opposing air-streams. Typical desiccants consist of Silica Gel, and molecular sieves (to limit cross contamination). As shown in  FIG. 1B  which reflects summer conditions, the dry bulb (db) and wet bulb (wb) temperatures are both altered as air is passed through rotary wheel  8  e.g. both heat and moisture are removed from supply air stream  10 . 
     With respect to (b), a cross-plate core arrangement  14  is depicted in  FIG. 2A . Notably, air flows  16 ,  18  cross in the core and exchange heat/moisture. As will be understood in the art, the air flows do not physically interact, since the core consists of alternating layers of plates that are separated and sealed.  FIG. 2B  depicts a proprietary core structure offered by RenewAire highlighting how fresh and stale air flow streams  16 ,  18  are able to avoid coming in physical contact, yet are able to transfer heat/moisture through the configuration and type of membrane  20  which separates the air flows. The membrane  20  is typically treated paper or polyester fiber. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,298 issued Jul. 2, 2002 to Wnek et al. the membrane may consist of a sulfonated statistical copolymer. As will be appreciated, the construction of the core is essential to the efficient transfer of heat/moisture. 
     Current plate type ERVs require a complex process to manufacturer since the flow passage is contained by the plane of the membrane above and below it. As highlighted in  FIG. 2B , the simplest construction of plate type ERV core  14  consists of fresh and stale air flow streams  16 ,  18  being isolated by folding the membrane over a corrugate spacer. This is common for cross flow only cores where the flow passages are rectangular as shown in  FIG. 2C . Accurate control of adhesives application is required to seal the seams where the edges of the folded membrane meet. In most cases the membrane can be expensive and not very durable. Additionally, the exposed membrane edges are vulnerable to damage from incidental contact. As also shown in  FIG. 2C , in a traditional plate type ERV core  14 , fresh and stale air flow streams  16 ,  18  flow straight through flow passages  21  with the exit and entrance conditions being the same. Heat/moisture is transferred through upper and lower membranes  20  from air flow stream  16  to air flow stream  18 . 
     Counter current/co-current cross flow hybrids ERV cores (not shown) have more complex geometries. When the geometry is more complex than simple rectangles wrapping a spacer with membrane is very difficult and inefficient. The membrane must be cut into odd shapes and folded over at odd angles. Some manufacturers of this design extrude the plastic for the spacer elements onto the core as it is being built. This requires computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment and the ability to extrude plastic at the same time. Further the next membrane layer must be glued onto the spacer. A complex glue application process is required to apply glue only to the spacer without contaminating the membrane. 
     From a manufacturing standpoint, the core must be easy to assemble to keep production and capitol investment cost low. From an operational standpoint, the materials used in the core must allow moisture exchange but not allow air, which is mainly nitrogen and oxygen, to exchange between air flows  16 ,  18 . As well, the materials must be neither undamaged by contact with water nor allow particulate to be exchanged between air flows  16 ,  18 . From a safety standpoint, the core must meet Underwriters Laboratories UL900 Class 2 for smoke and flame resistance. This standard determines combustibility and the amount of smoke generated for air filter units of both washable and throwaway types used for removal of dust and other airborne particles from air circulated mechanically in equipment and systems installed in accordance with the Standards for Installation of Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems, NFPA 90A (Other Than Residence Type), and for Installation of Warm Air Heating and Air Conditioning Systems, NFPA 90B (Residence Type). With conventional spacers used to separate stale and fresh air flows, spacer rails normal to the flow direction at the outlet and inlet can melt together. However, this may not serve to completely block the flow of air and thereby limit the spread of fire. 
     Although the ERV cores presently available are adequate for their intended purpose, a cost-effective ERV core meeting the above criteria is needed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved ERV core which can be easily manufactured, meets the UL900 Class 2 standard and is operationally efficient in terms of heat/moisture transfer while inhibiting air and particulate transfer between air flows. 
     This object is realized by an ERV cross flow plate core which incorporates a unique spacer design for ease of manufacturing and aid in passing smoke and flame requirements. The unique flat spacer design allows a membrane to be laminated to the spacer to form a wafer. The core is then assembled using a sequence of left and right hand wafers, the left hand spacer being a mirror image of the right hand spacer. The shape and orientation of the left and right hand wafers in the core creates recessed steps at the air stream inlet and outlet. At the inlet, the recessed step directs the air stream flow into an air stream channel formed by the membrane of an upper right hand wafer, the membrane of a lower left hand wafer, and curvilinear rails of the flat spacer in the upper right hand wafer. More specifically, the air stream flow is directed against the membrane of the upper right hand wafer to maximize heat/moisture transfer. 
     The flat spacers are a low melt polyvinyl chloride which, when exposed to heat, melt together to block air flow thus minimizing flame and smoke, thereby meeting the UL 900 Class 2 standard. The spacer is also rated UL 94-V0 to further minimize smoke and flame spread. With the flat spacer design of the present invention, the recessed inlet and outlet steps (formed by spacer rails) can melt together to restrict air flow, as well as the curvilinear spacer rails which form the channels in the core. 
     The flat spacer construction of the present invention aids in maintaining the rigidity of the core and protects the membranes from incidental contact. Further, the membrane used in the ERV core of the present invention is much more stable when wet compared to treated paper that is commonly used in membrane based ERVs. Additionally, the membrane does not wash off and is undamaged by water. 
     Certain exemplary embodiments may provide in an air exchanger a cross flow plate core comprising: a left hand wafer comprising a left hand spacer with a first of a plurality of membranes bonded thereto, the left hand spacer comprising a plurality of parallel curvilinear rails which form channels for receiving a first stream of air; and a right hand wafer comprising a right hand spacer with a second of the plurality of membranes bonded thereto, the right hand spacer comprising a plurality of parallel curvilinear rails which form channels for receiving a second stream of air, wherein the left hand spacer of the left hand wafer is bonded to the top of the membrane of the right hand wafer. 
     Certain other exemplary embodiments may provide an energy recovery ventilator comprising: a cross flow plate core as described above; an outdoor inlet communicating with an indoor inlet, the cross flow pate core and an intake fan disposed therebetween; and an indoor outlet communicating with an outdoor outlet, the cross flow pate core and an exhaust fan disposed therebetween. 
     Still certain other exemplary embodiments may provide a method of conditioning air for a building by transferring heat and moisture between a first stream of outside fresh air and a second stream of stale building air, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an air exchanger comprising: (i) a cross flow plate core as described above; (ii) an outdoor inlet communicating with an indoor inlet, the cross flow pate core and an intake fan disposed therebetween; and (iii) an indoor outlet communicating with an outdoor outlet, the cross flow pate core and an exhaust disposed therebetween; (b) passing the first stream of outside fresh air through the cross flow plate core via the outdoor inlet and the indoor inlet; and (c) passing the second stream of stale building air through the cross flow plate core via the indoor outlet and outdoor outlet, wherein moisture and/or heat are exchanged between the first stream of outside fresh air and the second stream of stale building air. 
     Additional objects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description which follows. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described in relation to the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1A  depicts a prior art air exchanger with a rotary wheel core; 
         FIG. 1B  depicts the rotary wheel core of the air exchanger of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2A  depicts an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) with a cross flow plate core; 
         FIG. 2B  depicts a prior art cross flow plate core used in the ERV of  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 2C  depicts the stale and fresh air stream flow through the cross flow plate of  FIG. 2B ; 
         FIG. 3A  depicts a top view of a left hand spacer of a cross flow plate core in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3B  depicts a side view of a left hand spacer of a cross flow plate core in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  depicts a top view of a right hand spacer of a cross flow plate core in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a perspective exploded view of an assembled cross flow plate core in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 6A  depicts a side partial cross-sectional view of an assembled cross flow plate core in accordance with the present invention highlighting the air flow through the core; 
         FIG. 6B  depicts a top view and of the cross flow plate core in accordance with the present invention highlighting, from a different perspective, the air flow through the core as depicted in  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 7  depicts an ERV with an integral assembled cross flow plate core in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In general, the invention provides an ERV cross flow plate core which allows two air streams to flow in close proximity to one another and transfer heat/moisture through a membrane separating the two air streams. The ERV core consists of left and right hand flat spacers with membranes laminated thereto to form wafers which are stacked together to form the core. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , a top and side view respectively of a left hand spacer  22  in accordance with the present invention is depicted. Each left hand spacer  22  is generally hexagonal in shape and includes a series of parallel curvilinear arms  24  to form channels  26 , which as will be explained below, serve to direct a first air stream moving through the ERV core. A membrane  34  (see  FIG. 5 ) is bonded to the top of the left hand spacer  22  and trimmed to the shape of left hand spacer  22 . The left hand spacer  22  with bonded membrane  34  forms a left hand wafer  35 . 
       FIG. 4  depicts aright hand spacer  28 . Similar to left hand spacer  22 , each right hand spacer  28  is generally hexagonal in shape and includes a series of parallel curvilinear arms  30  to form channels  32 , which as will be explained below, serve to direct a second air streams moving through the ERV core. A membrane  36  (see  FIG. 5 ) is bonded to the top of the right hand spacer  28  and trimmed to the shape of right hand spacer  28 . The right hand spacer  28  with bonded membrane  36  forms a right hand wafer  37 . Notably, as highlighted most clearly in  FIG. 5 , left hand wafer  35  is the mirror image of right hand wafer  37 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , an ERV core  44  is built by bonding alternating left hand wafers  35  and right hand wafers  37  to form a stack. More specifically, as shown the figures, the bottom of a first smaller left hand wafer  35  is bonded to the top of a first larger left hand wafer  37 . The bottom of a second larger left hand wafer  37  is bonded to the top of the first smaller right hand wafer  35 . This pattern is repeated until a desired core size is achieved. With respect to  FIG. 5 , it should be noted that the membranes  34 ,  36  are not shown in the lower portion of ERV core  44  so that the relationship of the channels  26 ,  32  formed by the parallel curvilinear arms  24 ,  30  of left and right hand spacers  22 ,  28  can be more readily understood. More specifically, when left hand wafers  35  and right hand wafers  37  are stacked together the middle portion of channels  26 ,  32  are parallel to one another, while the ends of channels  26 ,  28  are offset from one another approximately 90 degrees. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  depict the flow of the two streams air entering and exiting ERV core  44  as it would occur in an assembled core. The first of the two air streams (e.g. the fresh air stream) are shown with flow stream lines A, B parallel to the page. It will be appreciated that, although not depicted, the second of two air streams passing through ERV core  44  (e.g. the stale air stream) flows roughly normal to the page and enters channels  26  i.e. as discussed above, the entrance and exit of the fresh air stream, and the entrance and exit of the stale air stream are offset from one another approximately 107 degrees. The fresh air streams enter at stepped recessed areas  40  and exit at stepped recessed areas  42 , The fresh air stream flows over left hand wafer  35  and through channels  32  formed by parallel curvilinear arms  30  in right hand spacer  28 . The stale air streams flow over right hand wafer  37  and through channels  26  formed by parallel curvilinear arms  24  in left hand spacer  22 . 
     The fresh air entering at A, B flows in channels  32  over membrane  34  bonded to left hand spacer  22  and under membrane  36  bonded to right hand spacer  28 . Moisture contained in the air stream diffuses to membranes  34 ,  36 . Moisture then passes through membrane  34 ,  36  by solid diffusion into the stale air stream flowing in channels  26 . Membrane  34 ,  36  is non porous and does not allow either air or particulate to pass through. As highlighted in  FIG. 6B , the approach angle of the fresh air stream is approximately 108° apart from the stale air stream. As also depicted, the fresh and stale air streams essentially pass through three stages in ERV core: a first cross/counter flow transition section; a cross flow section; and a second cross/counter flow transition section. As more clearly shown in  FIG. 7 , parallel curvilinear arms  24 ,  30 , of left and right hand spacers  22 ,  28  direct the flow to be counter current (i.e. flow directions are opposed) after the entrance and before the exit. 
       FIG. 7  depicts an air exchanger with an integral assembled ERV core  44  as described above. Fresh air enters at outdoor inlet  46  and passes through the layers of right hand wafers in ERV core  44 , then intake fan  48 , finally exiting at indoor inlet  50  into the building to be ventilated. Stale, air-conditioned air from the building to be ventilated enters indoor outlet  52  and passes through the layers of left handed wafers in ERV core  44 , then exhaust fan  54 , finally exiting through outdoor outlet  56 . As highlighted in the figure, the fresh air stream is typically tested at  35 C and a relative humidity of 50%. The stale air stream normally comprises air conditioned air. In testing, the typical conditions for the stale air stream are 22° C. and 50% relative humidity (RH). As will be appreciated by those in the art, the air exchanger is typically positioned in a mechanical room which is remote from either the area of the building to be ventilated or the outdoors. In such cases, outdoor inlet  46 , indoor inlet  50 , indoor outlet  52  and outdoor outlet  56  are connected to either to the outdoors or the areas of the building to be ventilated via duct work. 
     Membrane  34 ,  36  consists of a non porous hydrophilic membrane and a bonded scrim. Unlike treated paper typically used for this application the membrane is unaffected by water. The chemistry in treated paper can be washed off by water and the paper can become crinkled. With a non porous membrane as in the present invention, there is absolutely no air leakage across membrane  34 ,  36 . Treated paper for ERV core  44  applications typically exhibits some leakage. 
     The ERV core of the present invention offers several advantages. The main advantage of right and left hand spacers  22 ,  28  is the ease of manufacturing. Simple adhesive application processes such as roll coating can be used to apply adhesive to right and left hand spacers  22 ,  28 . Since right and left hand spacers  22 ,  28  are flat, it is easy to press the spacer to membrane  34 ,  36  to construct wafers and then press the wafers together to construct the ERV core. An added advantage is that by forming right and left hand spacers  22 ,  28  from a low melt poly-vinyl chloride (PVC), the plastic will droop together sealing flow passage when exposed to excessive heat such as a fire. This helps to limit combustion within the core and meet the UL 900 Class 2 standard. The spacer is also rated UL 94 V-0 to further minimize smoke and flame spread. This standard measures flammability characteristics of polymeric materials to determine a material&#39;s tendency either to extinguish or to spread the flame once the specimen has been ignited. There are 12 flame classifications specified in UL 94 that are assigned to materials based on the results of these small-scale flame tests. These classifications are used to distinguish a material&#39;s burning characteristics after test specimens have been exposed to a specified test flame under controlled laboratory conditions. Six of the classifications relate to materials commonly used in manufacturing enclosures, structural parts and insulators found in consumer electronic products (e.g. 5VA, 5VB, V-0, V-1, V-2, HB). 
     The ERV core design of the present invention also helps prevent inadvertent contact with membrane  34 ,  36 . In order for anything to contact membrane  34 ,  36  it must pass through the width of left and right hand spacer  22 ,  28 . In most other designs the membrane material is folded over to contain the air streams. The amount of exposed material is typically the same as a flow passage for each pass. 
     While the invention has been shown in a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those in the art that it is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, if the pressure gradient between the stale and fresh air flows is low, a micro-porous material could be used as membrane  34 ,  36 . Micro-porous membranes typically have higher moisture transfer rates so would be effective in such an environment. 
     Additionally, the invention may be applied to a fuel cell. A fuel cell consists of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which is placed between two flow-field plates. The MBA consists of two electrodes, the anode and the cathode, which are each coated on one side with a thin catalyst layer and separated by a proton exchange membrane (PEM). The flow-field plates direct hydrogen to the anode and oxygen (from air) to the cathode. When hydrogen reaches the catalyst layer, it separates into protons (hydrogen ions) and electrons. The free electrons, produced at the anode, are conducted in the form of a usable electric current through the external circuit. At the cathode, oxygen from the air, electrons from the external circuit and protons combine to form water and heat. The ERV core of the present invention could be used to control the flow of hydrogen and air.