APPARATUS FOR SHIFTING THE FLOW PATHS OF TWO FLUIDS AND AN AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM

Abstract: Apparatus for switching the flow paths of two fluids (50E, 52E) passing through a housing between passage-defining walls (30) between upper openings and lower openings (26, 28) in the end-walls of the housing can be guided for straight-through flow between the upper openings and between the lower openings, or for cross-flow between the upper and the lower openings, by means of butterfly valves (50C, 52C, 48) and by closing (50D, 52D) given horizontal upper and lower passage parts in the upper and lower halves of the housing respectively. The application also includes an air-conditioning system including said apparatus and a heat-pump system.

Description: Apparatus for shifting the flow paths of two fluids and an air-conditioning system. The present invention relates to apparatus for switching the flow path of two fluids which flow in separate passages between parallel walls through a housing, and between a pair of upper openings located in the upper half of the housing and a pair of lower openings located in the lower half of the housing, in the mutually op¬ posite first and second end walls of said housing, said apparatus including control devices, such as butterfly valves, which function to open or close the passages such that the two fluids will either flow straight through the housing at mutually different levels between the upper openings and lower openings respectively, or in a crosswise direction between the upper and the lower openings. Such apparatus can be used as a gas-flow alternating valve assembly, inter alia in different kinds of air- conditioning systems, either with or without heat- exchangers. The •apparatus can also be used for liquids. The problem resides in the provision of compact appara¬ tus which will require only a relatively small number of valves in relation to the number of passages present. This problem is solved with an apparatus of the afore¬ said kind which, in accordance with the invention, is characterized in that all of the passages can be closed in the region between the upper and the lower openings, by means of a first group of control devices, such as horizontal butterfly valves which when closed mutually separate the horizontal upper and lower passage parts; in that each passage forms a first group of passages whose upper, horizontal passage parts are in open communication with the upper opening in the second end wall, whereas communication of said passage parts with the upper opening in the first end wall can be closed with the aid of a second group of control devices, such as vertical butterfly valves mounted in the vicinity of the first end wall; in that the lower passage parts in the first group of passages are in open communication with the lower opening in the first end wall while communication of said lower passage parts with the lower opening in said second end-wall is closed; in that the second group of passages lies between the passages of the first group and has upper, horizontal passage parts which are in open communication with the upper opening in the first end-wall while communication of said hori- zontal passage parts with the upper opening in the second end-wall is closed; and in that the lower passage parts of the second group of passages are in open commu¬ nication with the lower opening in the second end-wall while communication of said lower passage parts with the lower opening in the first end-wall can be closed with the aid of a third group of control devices, such as vertical butterfly valves mounted in the vicinity of the first end-wall, wherewith crosswise flow of the two fluids is obtained when the control devices of the first group are open and the control devices of the second and the third groups are closed, whereas opening of the last mentioned devices and closing of the first group of devices will result in striaght-through flow in the upper and the lower horizontal passage parts opened by the second and the third group of control devices. When, for instance, four passages are included, there will be needed four horizontal valves for effecting straight-through flow of the fluids through the housing, and four vertical valves at one end-wall of the housing, for effecting crosswise flow of the fluids through the housing, normally different air volumes, such as exhaust air flows and supply air flows. Two such apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention and functioning as flow-alternator valve units can be advantageously combined with a heat pump equipped with two tube heat-exchangers for a heat-carrying medium, such as freon, wherewith the two alternator valve units and the two tube heat-exchangers form a compact air-conditioning plant, in which the alternator valve units can be adjusted for cross-flow through the valve units. The alternator valve units are utilized, to some extent, to recover heat, and will therewith func- tion as heat-exchangers such as to considerably improve the efficiency of the air-conditioning plant. Another advantage afforded by the invention, is that the flow direction of the heat-carrying medium need not be rever¬ sed, when the exhaust air and the supply air change paths with one another through the tube heat-exchangers. These and other characteristic features of the invention and advantages afforded thereby will become more apparent from the following description of an exempli- fying embodiment of an inventive apparatus intended for gases, and a unit comprising two such apparatus and a heat pump, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a side view of a housing which encloses the inventive apparatus. Figure 2 is an end view. Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 in Figure 1. Figure 7 illustrates schematically and in perspective one passage of a first group of passages incorporated in the apparatus. Figure 8 illustrates schematically and in perspective one passage of a second group of passages incorporated in the apparatus. Figure 9 is a schematic side view of an assembly in which two inventive apparatus functioning as alternator valve units are each connected to a respective side of a heat pump equipped with two heat-exchangers, the arrows showing straight-through flow of exhaust air and supply air in mutually opposite directions. Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9, but with both of the alternator valve units adjusted for crosswise throughflow, such that the flow paths are switched for passage through said two heat-exchangers. Figure 11 illustrates schematically the manner of con¬ nection of the heat pump with the two alternator valve units. Figure 12 illustrates schematically and in perspective the two valve units and the two tube heat-exchangers, the flow arrows showing straight-through flow and cross¬ wise through flow respective, and Figure 13 illustrates the same components as those shown in Figure 12, but from an opposite direction. The apparatus illustrated in Figures 1-8 includes a housing which comprises a bottom 10, a roof 12, two sides 14, 16, and a first and a second end-wall 18, 20, The end-wall 18 has an upper and a lower, rectangular opening or aperture 22 and 24 respectively provided therein, and the end-wall 20 has an upper and a lower, rectangular opening or aperture 26 and 28 respectively. In the illustrated position of use, the housing stands vertically and includes a plurality of vertical, mutually parallel walls 30, which may be of rectangular configuration, but which in the illustrated embodiment are triangular in shape, with a base edge 32 located adjacent the end-wall 18, and an upper and a lower side edge 34 and 36 respectively. Figure 12 illustrates two such apparatus 30, 40 each including a pack of triangular walls 30. The walls 30 taper in a direction towards the second end-wall 20, down to a pointed part 42 which is located adjacent the second end-wall 20, between the upper and the lower opening 26, 28. Formed between the walls are passages, of which each alternate passage is included in a first group of passages 44 and the remaining passages are included in a second group of passages 46. Provided in all passages is a first group of control devices in the form of horizontal butterfly valves 48, which when in their closed position divide the housing into an upper half and a lower half, with horizontal upper channel parts 50A, 52A and lower horizontal chan¬ nel parts 50B, 52B between the upper openings 22, 26 and the lower openings 24, 28 respectively. The horizontal upper passage parts 50A are in open communication with the upper opening 26 in the lower end-wall 20, whereas the communication of these upper passage parts with the upper opening 22 in the first end-wall 18 can be closed with the aid of a second group of control devices, in the form of vertical butterfly valves 50C mounted in the vicinity of the first end-wall 18. The lower passage parts 50B in the first group of pas¬ sages 50 are in open communication with the lower open¬ ing 24 in the first end-wall, whereas the communication of these lower passage parts 50B with the lower opening 28 in the second end-wall 20 is closed, due to the fact that the bottom edges 36 of pairs of walls 30 are con¬ nected through transverse walls 50D, which form sloping end-walls in the lower passage parts. The horizontal upper passage parts 52A in the second group of passages 52 are in open communication with the upper opening 22 located in the first end-wall 18, whereas communication of these upper passage parts 52A with the upper opening 26 in the second end-wall is closed by means of transverse walls 52D which extend between the upper edges 34 of pairs of walls 30 defining the passages 52. The lower passage parts 52B of the second group of passages 52 are in open communication with the lower opening 28 in the second end-wall 20, whereas communica¬ tion of these lower passage parts 52B with the lower opening 24 in the first end-wall 18 can be closed by means of a third group of control devices, in the form of vertical butterfly valves 52C mounted in the proxi¬ mity of the first end-wall 18. Figure 7 illustrates schematically a pair of walls 30 for one of the passages 50, and Figure 8 illustrates schematically a pair of walls 30 for one of the passages 52. For the sake of clarity, the passages 50, 52 are shown separated in Figures 7 and 8, although in reality the passages have one wall 30 in common. The arrows shown in Figures 7 and 8 indicate two gas flows, such as exhaust air flow 50E and supply air flow 52E. The full arrows indicate straight-through flow of exhaust air 50E in the upper horizontal passage parts 50A, when the butterfly valves 48 are closed and the butterfly valves 50C are open. Straight-through flow of the supply air 52E is obtained at the same time in the lower passage parts 52B, with the butterfly valves 48 closed and the butterfly valves 52C open. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, it is the exhaust air and the supply air which flow in counter- flow whereas other gas flows may have the same flow directions. When the valves 48 are closed and the valves 50C, 52C opened, the flow paths 50E and 52E illustrated in chain lines are obtained. The exhaust air 50E enters through the upper opening 26 in the second end-wall 20, passes into the upper passage part 50A, continues down beyond the open valves 48, is deflected by the sloping wall 50D, and departs through the lower opening 24 in the first end-wall 18. The supply air 52E enters through the upper opening 22 in the first end-wall 18, continues into the upper passage part 52A, is deflected by the sloping wall 52D, passes down beyond the open valves 48, departs at the open end of the passage part 52B, and flows out through the lower opening 28 in the second end-wall 20. The thus obtained flow paths cross one another on a respective side of the partitioning wall 30. When the walls are made of metal and the two gases or liquids 50E, 52E have substantially different temperatures, an exchange of heat will take place, to some extent, through the walls 30, such that the inventive apparatus will function as a flow-alternating valve assembly with which thermal energy can be recovered when the flows of the two media cross one another. This property of the inventive apparatus can be utilized advantageously by combining two inventive alternator valve assemblies of the configuration illustrated in Figures 1-8 with a conventional heat pump equipped with an upper and a lower tube heat-exchanger 54, 56 for the heat-carrying medium, such as freon, as illustrated in Figures 9-13. The upper heat-exchanger 54 has a much greater heat- exchange capacity than the lower heat-exchanger 56, this difference being in the order of 20-30%, which is essen- tial in the combination concerned. The advantages afforded by such a combination reside in a compact air-conditioning plant in which the alternator valve assemblies according to the invention are used to switch the flow paths of the exhaust air and the supply air through the upper and the lower heat exchangers 54, 56 when alternating from straight-through flow to cross- flow in the two alternator valve assemblies, which means that the heat-carrying medium in the series-connected tube heat-exchangers 54, 56 may always have the same direction of flow. This represents a design simpli¬ fication, in that it is not necessary to provide separate control devices for switching the direction of flow in a conventional manner. Furthermore, the inven- tive alternator valve assemblies enable a certain amount of energy to be recovered when the apparatus is switched to its cross-flow mode, thereby considerably improving the efficiency of the air-conditioning plant. Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the compact air-conditioning plant, which comprises an intermediate housing 58 having mounted therein an upper, larger tube heat-exchanger 54 and a lower, smaller tube heat-exchanger 56, and two housings 38A and 38B containing packs of plates 38 and 40 accoridng to Figures 12 and 13, and the devices described with reference to Figures 1-8, such as to form two apparatus or alternator valve assemblies according to the invention. Figure 11 illustrates schematically a heat-pump coupling diagram, comprising a circuit 60 for the heat-carrying medium, a compressor 62 and a check valve 64 operative to permit flow solely in one and the same direction. The upper heat-exchanger 54 functions as a heat- delivering condensor, whereas the lower heat-exchanger 56 functions as a heat-absorbing evaporator which vapor¬ izes the heat-carrying medium in a known manner. When the exhaust 50E and the supply air 52E pass straight through the apparatus and a given temperature difference prevails between the exhaust air and supply air, so- called summer-time operation is obtained. When the media flow crosswise through the two alternator valve assem¬ blies 38A, 38B, the exhaust air will flow through the lower heat-exchanger 56 and the supply air through the upper heat-exchanger. The air ventilation unit is ad¬ justed to this mode, the so-called winter mode, when the temperature difference between exhaust air and supply air is large. For instance, when the exhaust air has a temperature of 20°C and the supply air has a temperature of -18°C, the supply air can be heated to about 13°C, as indicated in Figures 9 and 10, with the unit in its winter mode, whereas with the unit in its so-called summer mode, the ambient air can be cooled from 25°C to 15°C. Although the apparatus can be switched between these different modes manually, switching is normally effected automatically with the aid of temperature sensors and known electronics. Although the invention has been described above with reference to controlling flows of gaseous media, it can also be used to control the flows of liquid media. The terms "upper" and "lower" used in the aforegoing are not intended to be restrictive, but merely identify the most common location of the outer heat-exchangers in a standing position, since the unit may also lie horizon- tally, in which case the aforesaid terms will be repla¬ ced with the commensurate terms "right" and "left".

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for switching the paths of two flowing media which flow in separate passages between parallel walls through a housing between a pair of upper openings in the upper half of the housing and a pair of lower openings in the lower half of the housing between mutu¬ ally opposite first and second end-walls, wherewith control devices, such as butterfly valves, are provided for opening or closing the passages in a manner such that the two fluids will either flow straight through the housing at mutually different levels, between the upper openings and the lower openings respectively, or in a crosswise direction between said upper and said lower openings, characterized in that all of the pas¬ sages (50,52) in the region between the upper and the lower openings (22,26; 24,28) can be closed by means of a first group of control devices, such as horizontal butterfly valves (48), which when in their closed posi¬ tion separate horizontal upper and lower passage parts (50A, 52A; 50B, 52B) one from the other; in that each alternate passage forms a first group of passages (50), the upper, horizontal passage part (50A) of which are in open communication with the upper opening (26) in the second end-wall (20), whereas the communication of said passage parts (50A) with the upper opening (52) in the first end-wall (18) can be closed by means of a second group of control devices, such as vertical butterfly valves (50C) mounted in the vicinity of the first end- wall (18); in that the lower passage parts (50B) of the first group of passages (50A) are in open communication with the lower opening (24) in the first end-wall (18), whereas communication of said channel parts (50B) with the lower opening (28) in the second end-wall (20) is closed (50D); in that the second group of passages (52) lie between the passages of the first group (50) and have upper, horizontal passage parts (52A) which are in open communication with the upper opening (22) in the first end-wall (18), whereas the communication of said passage parts with the upper opening (26) in the second end-wall (20) is closed (52D); and in that the lower passage part (52B) in the second group of passages (52) are in open communication with the lower opening (28) in the second end-wall (20), whereas the communication of said passage parts with the lower opening (24) in the first end-wall (18) can be closed by means of a third group of control devices, such as vertical butterfly valves (52C), mounted in the vicinity of the first end- wall (18), wherewith flow of the two fluids in the crosswise direction is obtained when the control devices (48) of the first group of control devices are open and the control devices (50C, 52C) of the second and the third groups of control devices are closed, whereas opening of the last mentioned devices (50C, 52C) and closure of the devices (48) of the first group cause the fluids to flow straight through the upper and lower horizontal passage parts which have been opened by the control devices (50C, 52C) of the second and third groups. 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the walls (30) have a base edge (32) which lies adjacent the first end-wall (18), an upper edge and a lower edge (34,36) which converge to an end (42) which lies adjacent the second end-wall (20), in the region between the upper and the lower opening (26, 28) in said end- wall; and in that closure of said passage parts is achieved with the aid of transverse walls (52D, 50D) which lie between pairs of associated upper edges (34) and pairs of associated lower edges (36) of said walls, such that the transverse walls form obliquely disposed guide walls which function to guide the fluid flows for crosswise throughflow. 3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the passage-defining walls comprise metal plates having a given ability to transfer thermal energy between fluids of mutually different temperatures during cross-flow of the fluids through said apparatus. 4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, in which one fluid comprises exhaust air taken from a space to which supply air is delivered from ambient atmosphere, characterized in that a heat pump having two series-connected tube heat-exchangers (54, 56), one above the other, is con¬ nected to the upper and the lower openings (22, 24) in the first end-wall (18) of said apparatus, with the upper opening being connected to one side of the upper heat-exchanger (54), which functions as a condensor, and the lower opening being connected to said one side of the lower heat-exchanger (56), which functions as an evaporator; and in that the upper opening (26) in the second end-wall (20), which functions as a supply air inlet (50E) to the upper or lower heat-exchanger with the apparatus in its straight-flow or croεsflow mode respectively and the lower opening (28) in the second end-wall (20) functions as an exhaust air outlet (52E), said exhaust air with the apparatus in its straight-flow mode passes through the lower heat-exchanger, and with the apparatus in its cross-flow mode passes through the upper heat-exchanger, the direction of flow of the heat- carrying medium being the same in both the straight-flow mode and the cross-flow mode of the apparatus while transferring thermal energy, such that said apparatus functions as a first, outer heat-exchanger (38B). 5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterized in that the first, outer heat-exchanger (38B) on one side of the 5 tubular heat-exchangers is combined with a second, outer heat-exchanger (38A) of the same construction as the first; and in that the upper and lower openings (26, 28) in the second end-wall (20) of said second, outer heat- exchanger are connected to the upper and the lower tube 0 heat-exchanger (54,56) respectively, such that the flow will either pass straight through the upper openings in the outer heat-exchangers and the upper tube heat- exchanger (54) and straight through the lower openings in the two outer heat-exchangers and the lower tube 15 heat-exchanger (56), or crosswise through the two outer heat-exchangers for heat exchange and reversal of the fluid flows through the upper and the lower tube heat- exchanger. 20 . 6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterized in that the upper tube heat-exchanger (54) has a much greater heat-exchange capacity than the lower tube heat- exchanger, in the order of at least 20-30% greater. 25

Inventors: FLOOD BERNT O, FLOOD, BERNT, O.
Applicants: H N AKUSTIK AB, H.N. AKUSTIK AB
Application year: 1989
Main classification: F28F27
IPC codes: F24F12, F28D9, F28F27