Patent Publication Number: US-2015068710-A1

Title: Integral industrial air and conditioning filter assembly

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/876,299 filed on Sep. 11, 2013. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     NONE 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to industrial air filtering systems and, more particularly, to an integral industrial air filtering and conditioning system that uses one filter and one blower fan. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Air filters and air conditioners are well known in industrial applications. Air filters are used to filter contaminants from the air in an industrial facility and air conditioners are used to condition the air and remove heat and humidity from the air. These units are always separate units that perform their functions separately. One drawback to having these separate units is the cost, i.e. the cost to install the separate units, the cost to separately operate the units and the cost to maintain the separate units. 
     Another drawback to typical air conditioning units is there tendency to require regular maintenance and in particular the need to clean the cooling coil assembly or evaporator coils. Air conditioning units have to draw air over the cooling or evaporator coils to cool and dehumidify the air. If that air contains entrained contaminants, they can be deposited on the coils, which over time, build to the point of fouling. Although a typical air conditioner has a filter, the filter can foul. The filters in an air conditioner are not high capacity filters resulting in contaminants being able to pass through and be deposited on the coils. 
     Another problem with typical air conditioning units is their inability to be directed to the workspace where the greatest temperatures are likely to exist. With a typical air conditioning unit the conditioned air is exhausted to the building and not necessarily at the workstation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages by providing an integral industrial air and conditioning filter system that has a shared high capacity filter assembly and a shared blower assembly. 
     There are a number of advantages in using air conditioning systems integrated with dust collection and filtration systems. Air must be filtered before passing through the cooling coil to prevent dirt build up and fouling. Typically filters in an industrial air conditioning system are depleted very rapidly, however by using high capacity filters, which can also be cleaned and reconditioned automatically with a compressed air reverse pulse cleaning mechanism, extended operating time and filter replacement time can be achieved, reducing maintenance costs, labor costs and replacement parts costs. 
     A fan or blower assembly is required to create airflow for a dust collection and air filtration system to operate. Likewise a fan or blower assembly is required to create airflow for an air conditioning system to operate. However by integrating a dust collection air filtration system with an air conditioning system, a common fan or blower assembly can be used to create airflow for both systems simultaneously, giving reduced capital costs and increased energy savings by not having to set up and operate multiple independent fan or blower assemblies for air conditioning and dust collection systems. 
     The present invention is an industrial air filtering and conditioning assembly for use in a workspace with a shared high capacity filter assembly and a shared blower assembly. The invention includes a high capacity filter assembly for filtering contaminants from air to produce filtered air within the workspace. A blower for drawing air from the workspace through the filter assembly and a condenser operatively positioned adjacent to the blower. The blower passes filtered air over the condenser to condition the air by removing heat and humidity. The condensed air is passed back to the workspace to provide both filtered and conditioned air to the workspace. 
     In this way, the air is both filtered and conditioned with the use of a single filter assembly and blower. This reduces the contamination of the condenser, costs of installation and costs of operation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of the integral industrial air filtering and conditioning system of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the integral industrial air filtering and conditioning system of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of the integral industrial air filtering and conditioning system of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial perspective view of the integral industrial air filtering and conditioning system of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the integral industrial air filtering and conditioning system of the present invention is shown generally at  20 . Air containing contaminants, such as dust and or smoke, inside a manufacturing building  13  is drawn into a filter cabinet  10  either directly or through intake screens or through a system of connected ductwork pipes. In the filter cabinet  10  the air is passed though high capacity dust collection filters to capture and reduce levels of the contaminants in the airflow. The filter cabinet  10  can also house a compressed air reverse pulse cleaning mechanism to recondition the high capacity filters to extend the length of time before filters are required to be replaced due to excess containment accumulation. 
     After passing through the filters the cleaned air passes to the blower housing  11  containing the fan blower wheel and motor which generates the pressure differential necessary to create airflow. Airflow then passes to the coil plenum  12 , where it passes through a cooling coil assembly or evaporator, where the temperature of the air is reduced. The coil plenum  12  has coils, which in one embodiment contain refrigerant in a gaseous state. The gaseous refrigerant draws heat and humidity from the air passing across the coils. In another embodiment, the coil plenum has coils that contain circulating cooling water. 
     The coil plenum  12  can either be directly connected to the blower compartment  11 , or connected via sheet metal ductwork to allow some distance between blower housing  11  and the coil plenum  12 . Cleaned and cooled air is then returned inside the manufacturing building  13 . The conditioned air is both less humid and cooler providing a better work environment in the workstation. 
     The cooling coil inside the coil plenum  12  is connected to the air conditioning condenser  14  outside the manufacturing facility  13  by tubing or pipes  15  which convey either direct expansion refrigerant for example R410A or chilled water. 
     There are a number of advantages of using air conditioning systems integrated with dust collection and filtration system. Air must be filtered before passing through the cooling coil to prevent dirt build up and fouling. Typically filters in an industrial air conditioning system are depleted very rapidly, however by using high capacity filters, which can also be cleaned and reconditioned automatically with the compressed air reverse pulse cleaning mechanism, extended operating time and filter replacement time can be achieved, reducing maintenance costs, labor costs and replacement parts costs. 
     A fan or blower assembly is required to create airflow for a dust collection and air filtration system to operate. Likewise a fan or blower assembly is required to create airflow for an air conditioning system to operate. However by integrating a dust collection air filtration system with an air conditioning system, a common fan or blower assembly can be used to create airflow for both systems simultaneously, giving reduced capital costs and increased energy savings by not having to set up and operate multiple independent fan or blower assemblies for air conditioning and dust collection systems. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the system includes a workstation  22 , which can be for example a welding station. The station  22  is operatively connected to an industrial air-filtering unit  24 . In the disclosed embodiment, a duct  26  operatively connects the station  22  and air-filtering unit  24 . In operation, the air-filtering system has at least one blower that draws air from the station  22  and passes it through filters in unit  24  to filter the air. 
     Once filtered, the air is passed through an evaporator  28 . In the disclosed embodiment, refrigerant circulates through the evaporator  28  through refrigerant lines  34  to a compressor  30 , then a condenser  32 , an evaporator valve, and then back into the evaporator  28 . As should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the condenser  32  could take different forms, such as for example a fan blowing over the coils in the condenser  32 , a cooling tower to dissipate heat, a chilled water system, etc. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , an example of a workstation  22  is illustrated. The workstation is operatively connected to a filtering unit  24 . As in the previous embodiment, the air passes from the workstation  22 , through filters in the filtering unit  24  and through the evaporator  28  for cooling and dehumidifying. Once conditioned, the air is returned to the workstation  22  through for example a duct shown schematically at  36 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , a further example of a workstation  22  is illustrated. In this embodiment, the workstation  22  is a plurality of individual stations. Each station is connected through ducting  26  to a filter unit  24 . The filter unit  24  is operatively connected to an evaporator  28 . The conditioned air is returned to the workstation  22  through ducts shown schematically at  36 . 
     The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and do come within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.