AN ARRANGEMENT IN CONNECTION WITH AN AIR CONDITIONING UNIT FOR LARGE SPACES

Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement in connection with an air conditioning unit, comprising at least one fan (4) fitted within a casing structure, means for conveying untreated outdoor and indoor air into the casing structure, and distributor means (9) for distributing air into the interior space of the building to be air conditioned. To improve the overall economy of the air conditioning unit, the arrangement is constructed as a wall-mounted unit and the distributor means (9, 19) for distributing air into the interior space are integrated in the same unit with the other components of the arrangement.

Description: An arrangement in connection with an air conditioning unit for large spaces The present invention relates to an arrangement 5 in connection with an air conditioning unit for large spaces, comprising at least one fan fitted within a casing structure, means for conveying untreated outdoor and indoor air into the casing structure, and distri¬ butor means for distributing air into the interior 10 space of the building to be air conditioned. Arrangements of this kind are well known in con¬ nection with heavy industry, for example, the wood pro¬ cessing industry. Nowadays ventilation of industrial premises is most often implemented by means of what are 15 called roof-top units. Roof-top units are installations in which fans are fitted in a unit placed on the roof of a building, wherefrom air is conveyed through ducts into the building. Several units of this kind may be provided on the roof of the building. 20 The drawback of the above previously known solutions is their weight, i.e. the fact that heavy units installed on rooftop require a very robust method of construction. In the Nordic countries, a heavy method of constructio.n has been traditionally used, 25 which has enabled installation of roof-top units. In Central Europe, however, a lighter method of construc¬ tion based e.g. on steel structures is used, and thus roof-top installations are not possible without consid¬ erable reinforcement of the structures. The above 30 lighter method of construction has gradually become r more common also in the Nordic countries. Further draw- ^ backs of the prior art include maintenance and control, which must be performed out of doors. In addition, accessibility problems presented for instance by snow 35 must be taken into account in the structures. The cost for the ductwork can be high, its placing in the building difficult and, in consequence, air distri¬ bution impractical. On the other hand, air conditioning of small spaces, such as clean rooms, ADP rooms, hospital and office rooms etc. is typically realized by means of small-sized room air-conditioning machines and jet and fan convectors which are usually designed to stand freely in the space to be air conditioned and to re- cycle the air within the room. At the same time, the air is treated in some manner, for instance cooled and/or filtered. Also outdoor air may be taken in, but since the air intake is usually low on account of the small size and structural reasons, outdoor air must be taken in through ducts, in order that no dust, gases or other impurities from the earth level may enter into the inlet which is located too low. Such machines are known for example from Finnish Patent 30 076 and Fin¬ nish application 860635, Figure 3 in the latter publi- cation showing also conventional arrangements for out¬ door ducting. These units are normally small in size, where¬ fore several of such may be required for the air condi¬ tioning of even a small space, as is seen from Figures 2, 3 and 4 in Finnish application 860635. A normal-size unit fits under a window, for example, as is seen from Figure 1 in Finnish Patent 30 076. The ventilation of large industrial halls would require as many as hun¬ dreds of such units, and for this reason alone they are not used in industry. Another, possibly more serious reason is that typically with such machines air is blown into the room space from the upper part of the machine upwardly, as in Figure 1 in Finnish Patent 30 076, or at least from the upper part of the machine, which produces an in- clined upward free flow. If the machine is small and located in a relatively low space, either the flow is self-directed or at least the ceiling deflects it to the breathing zone, which will provide satisfactory ventilation performance. On the other hand, high indus¬ trial halls need large air flows. Blowing upward would entrain the flow to the ceiling to a height of several metres, i.e. away from the breathing zone, as a result of the mass effect. Since for several reasons exhaust air devices are usually installed high, the air would arrive directly at the exhaust and a short-circuit flow would be produced. Further, blowing from above requires mixing air distribution, which owing to the large air flows required would render a large area in the vicin- ity of the machine useless. It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement wherewith the drawbacks of the prior art can be eliminated. This has been achieved with the arrangement of the invention, which is characterized in that the arrangement is constructed as a wall-mounted unit and that the distributor means for distributing air into the interior space are integrated in the same unit with the other components of the arrangement below them. The advantages of the invention include the fact that all maintenance points are located indoors. It is a further advantage that one avoids using special ele¬ ments in roof structures, and the piping, electrical, control and cabling works are moved from the roof to indoors, and the number of inlets through the roof is substantially diminished from that used in the prior art solutions. Still another advantage is the fact that stresses on the roof structures are diminished from those encountered with the prior art solutions. Owing to these facts, the total economy of the arrangement of the invention will be advantageous in view of the investment, running and maintenance costs. All main¬ tenance points are located in the lower part of the machine, thus enabling maintenance to be carried out from the floor. Also, it is possible to arrange the maintenance to be carried out from the space that the unit or arrangement serves, as set out hereinabove, or through a wall from outside the building. Further advantages of the invention include the fact that the arrangement is well suitable for renovation, and the fact that problems presented by condensed water in the prior art solutions are eliminated. Air distribution can be advantageously arranged, also as a combination of various methods of air distribution, and it can utilize the other components of the unit, such as the fans and filters. A collecting or distributing throw pattern can be simply produced with fan impellers rotating in different directions. The combination of various methods of air distribution can be achieved for example in such a manner that carrier jets are induced by a slot or nozzle, and these jets shape the throw pattern. The inclined front wall of the air distributor means is advantageous when displacing air distribution is employed. The filter may advantageously be in- tegrated with the air distributor means, in which its pressure losses are utilized to equalize the speed dis¬ tribution of the air flow. When the air distributor means is used as a pressure chamber for the impellers, complete mixing of the air flow and a uniform temperat- ure distribution is achieved also in cases where no heating is employed. A further advantage of the inven¬ tion is that the air distributor means can also be equipped with a 'UNO' blowing surface. The arrangement enables the use of heat having a low temperature value, e.g. waste heat of various industrial processes, for heating or cooling. When direct blowers are used, the operating point of the impeller is optimized for ins¬ tance by altering the blade angle or the diameter of the impeller. By this means, the power losses en- countered in a belt drive are completely eliminated. By air flow measurement integrated in the fan, rapid and efficient control is achieved. The arrangement can be sewered in an advantageous manner so that condensed water does not present any problems, as has been stated in the above. For example, the support structures for the battery and the suction box for the fan can simul¬ taneously serve as water-collecting drains. Thus it is possible to use the arrangement also for drying, whereby water is evacuated from the intake air. Given the absence of ducting, the constructions of the arran¬ gement enable all parts of the system to be washed, since water does not present any problems. Furthermore, water condensed on the batteries or other parts of the arrangement can be used for cleaning the batteries. Also, the overall construction is advantageous, since the piping, control equipment, electrical equipment, ductwork, air distribution, air intake and air treat¬ ment are combined in the same construction. In the following the invention will be set forth in greater detail by means of the preferred embodiments of the invention presented in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a schematic front view of another embodiment of the invention, and Figure 3 is a schematic sectional side view of the embodiment of Figure 2. Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a pre- ferred embodiment of the invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a load bearing vertical column of the building, reference numeral 2 a wall of the building and reference 3 the floor. Reference numeral 4 in Fig¬ ure 1 denotes fans, three of which are provided in this embodiment. Reference numerals 5 and 6 denote registers and reference numerals 7 and 8 heating or cooling bat¬ teries. Reference numeral 9 denotes generally the dis¬ tributor means for distributing air into the interior space. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the distributor means comprise a slot nozzle 9a and an apertured plate 9b. The passage of air is shown by arrows in Figure 1. In operation of the arrangement shown in Figure 1, air is drawn in by means of fans 4 either from out¬ side or from inside or both into the casing structure in which said air flows are mixed. The mixed air is blown further by means of distributor means 9 into the interior space. The air quantities are controlled with registers 5, 6. The air temperature can be raised or lowered according to need with batteries 7, 8. The units in accordance with the prior art solu¬ tions, such as those disclosed in Finnish Patent 30 076 and Finnish application 860635, are mainly intended to recycle air within the room they are installed in. It is generally not possible to take in untreated cold outdoor air; cf. page 1, paragraph 2 in Finnish Patent 30 076 and page 6, paragraph 3 in Finnish Patent Appli¬ cation 860635. The units disclosed in these publica¬ tions are not suitable for intake of cold outdoor air, since upon the encounter of cold outdoor air and warm, humid indoor air, condensed water and ice are formed. Convectors are designed to operate dry or so that water is only found on the heat exchanger surfaces of the cooling battery. In the design/operating conditions of the invention, strong formation of condensed water and ice takes place in the mixing chamber upon the en- counter of two air masses having a different state. Also, some of the surfaces within the apparatus are so cold that ice is formed on them. It has been a basis for the present design that water and snow formed with- in the apparatus do not hinder its operation. Mechan¬ ical operations are arranged in the less moist sec¬ tions, and proper sewerage and sealing has been attended to. In accordance with the essential idea of the invention, the arrangement is constructed as a wall- mounted unit and the distributor means 9 for dis¬ tributing air into the interior space are integrated in the same unit with the other components of the system below them in the lower part of the unit. The term wall-mounted unit denotes an arrangement mounted to the wall of a building. The mounting site may be for ins¬ tance the space between the load bearing columns 1 of the building, as shown in Figure 1. It is to be noted that Figure 1 shows only one column 1. Another column is in fact located on the left-hand side of Figure 1, but has not been illustrated. The arrangement may even be constructed to form part of the wall of the building to be air conditioned. In that case, the arrangement can also be advantageously formed such that it is ins- tailed in place from outside the building. However, the installation of the arrangement can naturally also be carried out from inside, even in a case where it forms part of the wall of the building. The distributor means 9 are arranged in the same unit, i.e. in the same aggregate with the other parts of the arrangement. The arrangement has, among other things, the advantage that lengthy and costly ducting, which was previously often required, is eliminated. The distribution of the air which is divided on a broad wall surface directly into the occupied zone is realized as displacing air dis- tribution by means of a simple apertured plate, which can be made inclinable as shown in Figure 1. This fea¬ ture is advantageous for the air distribution and, fur¬ thermore, leaves the floor free. The uniformity of the air distribution can be improved by arraying filters immediately in front of the air distribution surface, i.e. the apertured plate 9b. This arraying is also advantageous in view of space consumption. If the unit is located on the floor, air can be conveyed from its lower portion also into the floor beneath, as shown by an arrow in Figure 1. Furthermore, several methods of air distribution can be incorporated in the combined construction, such as the slot nozzle 9a shown in Fig¬ ure 1 wherewith air is retained in the occupied zone also when heating is employed, in which event the air would otherwise rise towards the roof. The nozzle 9a can be provided with a shutting device, and thus the air distribution is as advantageous as possible also when cooling is employed. Figures 2 and 3 show another advantageous embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment of Fig¬ ures 2 and 3, fans are indicated at reference numeral 14. Registers are indicated at 15 and 16 and heating or cooling batteries at 17 and 18. Distributor means for distributing air into the interior space are denoted generally by reference numeral 19. In Figure 3, the passage of air is denoted by arrows. The embodiment of Figures 2 and 3 corresponds in its operating principle and manner of installation to the embodiment of Figure 1, that is, the apparatus according to Figures 2 and 3 can be installed between the load bearing vertical columns of the building in the way shown in Figure 1, etc. This embodiment is particularly preferred, because the air jet issuing from the unit can be expanded or reduced by making the fans 4 to rotate either in the same direction or in different direc¬ tions. This can also be achieved, or the fan effect enhanced, with slot nozzles or rows of nozzles mounted on both sides or on one side of the plate 9b. Maintenance operations for the embodiments set out above can be performed in the space that the arran¬ gement primarily serves. The apparatus and components to be serviced are encased and can be serviced while standing on the floor. The batteries and possibly the electric motors can be serviced through separate ser¬ vice doors; The installation location of the arrange¬ ment can be the space between the load bearing columns of the building, which otherwise has no concrete use. The dimensions of the casing structure for the arrange¬ ment may be in the order of up to 5.4 m in breadth and 1.25 m in depth respectively, the distance between the columns being 6 , and several metres in height. The arrangement can be installed in a steel-frame building or in a concrete-frame building. The arrangement can be supported to the wall, to the columns or to the roof. The above-presented exemplary embodiments are in no way intended to restrict the invention, which can be modified with complete freedom within the purview of the claims. It will be appreciated that the arrangement according to the invention or its details need not necessarily be precisely those shown in the figures, but other kinds of solutions, too, are possible. The number, effect and type of the fans have in no way been restricted, but these features can naturally be sel¬ ected with complete freedom according to a given situ¬ ation. This also applies to the air distributor means, which are constructed in accordance with the specific situation and the desired result. Furthermore, heating or cooling batteries are not indispensable in the arrangement, but the arrangement can also be realized without batteries. The arrangement can be constructed as a unitary component or formed as a modular construc¬ tion which is transported in parts and assembled at site.

Claims: Claims: 1. An arrangement in connection with an air con¬ ditioning unit for large spaces, comprising at least one fan (4, 14) fitted within a casing structure, means for conveying untreated outdoor and indoor air into the casing structure, and distributor means (9, 19) for distributing air into the interior space of the build¬ ing to be air conditioned, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement is constructed as a wall- mounted unit and that the distributor means (9, 19) for distributing air into the interior space are integrated in the same unit with the other components of the arrangement below them. 2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement is constructed to form part of the wall (2) of the build¬ ing to be air conditioned. 3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrange¬ ment is constructed to fit in the space between two or more load bearing vertical columns ( 1 ) of the building to be air conditioned. 4. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fans (4, 14) are adapted to serve as air flow directing means. 5. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the air flow is arranged to be equalized by means of filters disposed in connection with the distributor means (9, 19 ) . 6. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the lower part of the arrangement is arranged to be in flow connection with the next floor of the build¬ ing for conveying air also into that floor. 7. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the air distribution surface (9b) which forms part of the air distributor means (9, 19) is disposed in an inclined position. 8. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement is adapted to distribute air as a combination of various methods of air distribution.

Inventors: PELTOLA HEIKKI, PELTOLA, HEIKKI
Applicants: FLAEKT OY, PELTOLA HEIKKI, ABB FLAEKT OY, PELTOLA, HEIKKI
Application year: 1993
Main classification: F24F1
IPC codes: E04C2, F24F1