Patent Description:
Designing or specifying equipment for an indoor pool environment or an indoor grow house /grow room environment can present challenges. Specifically, these challenges can include properly adjusting the indoor air environment, which can be exacerbated by the fact that the equipment must be designed to handle a maximum load, which is not always the load experienced in the environment. For example, pool room dehumidification equipment must be able to dehumidify the room when an absolute maximum number of bathers is present. However, there are many instances when fewer than the maximum number of bathers will be enjoying the pool room environment.

Additionally, with indoor pool environments, there is a complex set of factors to balance. These factors include but are not limited to room size, pool activity levels, expected and actual capacity, inside air and water temperatures, air distribution, outside air temperatures and humidity ranges, proper building features, HVAC and humidity control design, operating and maintenance costs, along with a number of other factors, as well as ultimately, the need to meet patron expectations. These factors may all be interrelated on various levels. Similarly, with indoor grow room environments, various factors that can present challenges include but are not limited to a desire for the environment to house a varied number of plants and/or varied types of plants, which may all exhibit various differences in carbon dioxide consumption, oxygen offload, and perspiration; necessary light levels; time of day; desired humidification level; and/or desired temperature level. The above-described pool environment factors may also be present. Getting any one of these factors wrong in the environment can lead to problems, and potentially expensive and/or frustrating results for the indoor environment owners, operators, and patrons.

As discussed above, current equipment for these environments must be designed to manage a maximum capacity, whether a maximum bather capacity, a maximum plant capacity, or other expectations. However, maximum capacity may not always be reached. For example, an indoor pool may be designed with equipment that is required to manage an environment for a capacity of <NUM>-<NUM> people. In the instance when only two or three people are in the pool room, the equipment must still typically operate at the same or similar levels required for maximum capacity. This can result in wasted energy. The same example may be envisioned for an indoor grow room environment. If the indoor grow room environment is designed with equipment that is required to manage plants within a certain square footage, but only half of the environment is filled with plants, the equipment must still typically operate at the same or similar levels required for maximum capacity. This can also result in wasted energy.

Additionally, at nighttime, plants expel large amounts of moisture which increases the level of humidity in the grow room. This excess moisture needs to be kept under control in order to allow the plants to thrive. The disclosed technology is designed to incrementally increase the dehumidification capacity to match the load required at any given point. Furthermore, in the daytime, the grow room may require a significant reduction in dehumidification needs and an increase in cooling needs, due to the daylight lighting load. The disclosed technology can help maintain a steady state with the appropriate capacity matching. <CIT> describes a racked modular system for heating and/or cooling requirements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system that fragments unit cooling in dehumidification capacity into incremental sizes. The general goal is that only the appropriate amount of capacity is in use for systems at any given need. This can provide better room control and can reduce the amount of capacity cycling typically required by systems that only incorporate one or two large, many ton compressors.

Specifically, according to the invention, there is provided an air management system according to claim <NUM>. In one example, the system is mounted with respect to an indoor pool. In an alternate example, the system is mounted with respect to an indoor growing room or greenhouse. In other examples, the system may be used in connection with any other type of HVAC application. These include but are not limited to air-conditioning and dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS).

It is generally desirable that each circuit within the plurality of circuits is configured to be separately removable from the system, and the system is configured to continue to function with one or more circuits removed from the system.

The system may include one or more fluid pumps, one or more check valves, one or more modulating valves, one or more filters, or any combination thereof as long as within the scope of the claims. These may be shared features, that function to flow the fluid through the hydronic loop. It is possible for each circuit in the plurality of circuits to range in size anywhere from about <NUM> to about <NUM> tons.

Another example provides a method for maintaining an indoor environment, according to claim <NUM>.

Matching the unit capacity to the load in the desired space is often not well executed due to current limitations of equipment. For example, it is often the case that one or more <NUM> or <NUM> ton circuits are installed for indoor environment management. However, if a load only requires <NUM> tons, a <NUM> or a <NUM> ton circuit must still be run.

Embodiments of the present invention thus provide a compressor wall system <NUM> that incorporates a plurality or series of smaller circuits <NUM> to achieve the required capacity modulation. Generally, providing a series of smaller circuits <NUM> can better match a given load in real time as opposed to a single larger circuit or multiple larger circuits. This allows the system to achieve a required capacity modulation by only activating the number of circuits required to reach the amount of capacity for the current need.

In a specific example, four to sixteen smaller circuits <NUM> may comprise the system <NUM>. These smaller circuit <NUM> may be from about <NUM>-<NUM> tons. In specific examples, the compressors may be <NUM>-<NUM> ton compressors. Specific tests have been run with <NUM> ton and <NUM> ton compressors with good results. It should be understood that each circuit is capable of operating independently from every other circuit. The circuits operate on their own, but may be mounted in a module such that they provide an array of independently operating circuits. If a single circuit is removed, it does not affect the operation of the remaining circuits.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary piping schematic illustrating the use of three smaller circuits <NUM>. Although three circuits <NUM> are illustrated in the schematic, it should be understood that more circuits may be added in parallel to provide a larger matrix of circuits, as described further below. The system is designed to be scalable up or down dependent upon load. As shown, each smaller circuit <NUM> incorporates an evaporator <NUM>, a compressor <NUM>, and a plate heat exchanger <NUM>. As general background, in use, air flows across the evaporator <NUM> as illustrated by airflow arrow <NUM>. Evaporator coils in the evaporator <NUM> function to absorb (or remove) heat from the air. The compressor <NUM> circulates refrigerant necessary for heat exchange and applies energy to the refrigerant. The constant flow of refrigerant results in constant heat transferring. The compressor <NUM> raises the temperature and pressure of the vapor refrigerant that leaves the evaporator <NUM>. After the condenser <NUM>, the refrigerant typically flows through an expansion valve, where it experiences a pressure drop. Finally, as refrigerant flows through the heat exchanger <NUM>, it condenses from vapor form to liquid form, giving off heat in the process. The evaporator <NUM> can draw heat from the region that is to be cooled. The vaporized refrigerant returns to the compressor <NUM> to restart the cycle. Heat may be rejected external to the system (outside) or if heat is needed within the environment, it can be delivered back inside to the environment. This transfer may be referred to herein as a hydronic loop <NUM>.

As shown by the hydronic loop <NUM> of <FIG>, the series of circuits <NUM> may share one or more fluid pumps <NUM> and/or one or more check valves <NUM>. The fluid pumps <NUM> function to move a fluid mixture comprised of water and glycol throughout the hydronic loop <NUM>. The check valves <NUM> function to prevent backflow or reverse flow into the fluid pumps <NUM>. The circuits <NUM> may also share one or more modulating valves <NUM>. The modulating valves <NUM> function to control the amount of flow and/or flow rate through the hydronic loop <NUM>. Although the circuits share various valves and pumps in common with the hydronic loop <NUM>, it should be understood that each individual circuit is provided with the components required to operate the circuit, such that it operates independently from the other circuits. <FIG> also illustrates hydronic reheat coils <NUM>. The heat being rejected in each brazed plate heat exchanger <NUM> can then be circulated into a hydronic reheat coil <NUM> or to the outdoor fluid cooler via modulating valve <NUM>.

Airflow and coolant flow through the system as follows. Coolant fluid from a fluid cooler enters the system at inlet <NUM>, flowing through a conduit and moved via one or more fluid pumps <NUM>. The fluid is directed past and through a heat exchanger <NUM>. Airflow <NUM> also enters the system across evaporators <NUM>. Heat from airflow is transferred to the refrigerant or coolant fluid, which cools the air and warms the coolant fluid. The warmed coolant fluid is then delivered to a fluid cooler via an outlet <NUM>. The cooled air passes over one or more hydronic reheat coils <NUM> and is delivered to the environment. If warmed air is needed in the environment, rather than exhausting warmed air external to the system, it may be routed across the hydronic reheat coils <NUM> and delivered to the environment.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate an example of a single circuit <NUM> contained within a module housing <NUM>. This circuit <NUM> incorporates an evaporator <NUM>, a compressor <NUM>, and a plate heat exchanger <NUM>, as well as accompanying conduits <NUM> that are configured to manage flow therebetween.

<FIG> illustrates a front plan view of a plurality of module housings <NUM> mounted within a single system <NUM>. This example shows a 3x2 embodiment, with three module housings <NUM> in two rows, for a total of six module housings <NUM> forming the system. It should be understood that the system configuration may instead be 2x3, 2x2, 3x3, 4x2, 2x4, 4x3, 3x4, 4x4, 5x2, 2x5, 5x3, 3x5, 5x4, 4x5, 5x5, 6x2, 2x6, 6x3, 3x6, 6x4, 4x6, 6x5, 6x5, 6x6, 7x2, 2x7, 7x3, 3x7, 7x4, 4x7, 7x5, Sx7, 6x7, 7x6, 7x7, 8x2, 2x8, 8x3, 3x8, 8x4, 4x8, 8x5, 5x8, 8x6, 6x8, 8x7, 7x8, 8x8, and so forth up to any appropriate combination of module housings <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates the configuration of <FIG> with added connection tubing <NUM>, which connects each module housing <NUM> to the hydronic loop <NUM> as a whole.

One of the benefits of the disclosed system <NUM> is that by providing an array of circuits <NUM> contained in individual module housings <NUM> within a single system <NUM>, it is easy to interchange or otherwise replace one of the circuits <NUM> when needed. For example, in a <NUM> x <NUM> array that has sixteen circuits <NUM>, if a single circuit <NUM> malfunctions, it may be replaced or repaired without affecting the remainder of the circuits or their functioning. Additionally, until that single circuit can be replaced or repaired, the entire system <NUM> can continue to run at almost capacity. In this example, fifteen circuits are still available.

An additional benefit of the disclosed system <NUM> is that it is possible to maintain a load at any given point by turning on or off any of the circuits <NUM> in the system <NUM>. As an example, a traditional system may have two <NUM>-ton circuits managing a particular environment. It may be the case that a particular load only requires <NUM> tons at a particular level of capacity. However, even if only one circuit is turned on in this example, <NUM> tons are in use, meaning that extra energy is expended/wasted. By contrast, if a system incorporates twelve <NUM>-ton circuits managing a particular environment and only <NUM> tons is required, it is possible to only activate three circuits to deliver <NUM> tons, resulting in a great energy saving. In the example provided, it is possible to manage a load as low as <NUM> tons with only a single circuit. This allows the system to easily match the load in real time by managing activation of only the number of circuits required although a complete load is always available when/if needed. A greater number of circuits and smaller circuits may also be used.

As shown by <FIG>, the system <NUM> may include a master housing <NUM> that houses or otherwise encloses the individual module housings <NUM>, each of which supports an individual circuit <NUM>. For removal or replacement, it is possible to provide the module housings <NUM> on slidable trays that can slide in and out of the master housing <NUM> on a track, much like drawers. When the user pulls a drawer forward, a lifting device may be used in order to remove the circuit. Additionally or alternatively, it is possible to provide a back or front or side wall that can slide open, allowing front, back, and/or side access to the module housings <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a side perspective view of an exemplary master housing <NUM> that supports one or more blowers/air movers, a rack <NUM> supporting a plurality of module housings <NUM>, and air expelling units <NUM>. <FIG> shows a side plan view of the same configuration, and <FIG> shows the same configuration schematically. <FIG> shows a top plan view of the same configuration. As shown in these figures, one or more lifting lugs <NUM> may be provided that can be used to lift the equipment during installation. <FIG> also shows filters <NUM>. The filters <NUM> function to ensure that the air delivered to the environment is filtered and free of allergens, dust, or other debris that may accumulate in the system.

In a specific example, the circuits <NUM> may be individual water-cooled air conditioning modules that can easily be replaced if one module experiences difficulty. The individual modules may all be connected to a single fluid cooled loop (hydronic loop <NUM>) that is cooled by fluid coils. The fluid coils may either be located in the air handling unit for reheat purposes or may be located outdoors for rejection of heat to the outdoors. This may be configured to be switched in use as well. For example, if heat is needed inside the environment, heat may be routed inside. If the inside environment needs to be cooled, the heat may be routed outside the environment. A valve, dial, or other modulator may be provided in order to actuate this movement of warmed air.

It is possible to vary or alter the number of modules or the size of each of the module components. It is also possible to vary the location of the components. In summary, there is provided an array of modularized circuits that work collectively to provide a system that can manage an indoor environment. The system is designed in order to match the delivered load more closely to the required load then has been done in the past. The system is also designed in order to enhance and ease of serviceability of the individual circuits when needed.

Advantages of the disclosed system include but are not limited to enhanced capacity control; ease of serviceability; a more compact air handling unit; redundancy in compressor capacity at partial loads; improved energy efficiency at partial loads; decrease in manufacturing labor.

The traditional and prevailing thought had been that it is more costly to build a system using a greater number of smaller circuits than it is to provide the traditional larger circuit configuration with fewer circuits. The present inventors have broken that paradigm by designing the disclosed system.

The subject matter of certain embodiments of this disclosure is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined in the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described and as long as within the scope of the claims.

Claim 1:
An air management system, comprising:
a plurality of circuits (<NUM>), each circuit comprising an evaporator (<NUM>), a compressor (<NUM>), and a plate heat exchanger (<NUM>), a refrigerant and an expansion valve arranged between the compressor (<NUM>) and the plate heat exchanger (<NUM>), the plate heat exchanger being a condenser,
wherein the evaporator (<NUM>) is configured to transfer heat from an air flow passing through the evaporator to a refrigerant flowing through the evaporator (<NUM>);
wherein each circuit in the plurality of circuits (<NUM>)is configured to operate independently of the other circuits,
wherein the system comprises a modular array having removable module housings (<NUM>) and wherein each of the plurality of circuits (<NUM>) is provided in a respective module housing (<NUM>) and wherein the plurality of circuits are fluidly connected via a hydronic loop (<NUM>),
the air management system further comprising:
a fluid cooler configured to provide a coolant fluid to the hydronic loop (<NUM>); and
a hydronic reheat coil (<NUM>) configured to remove heat from the coolant fluid in the hydronic loop (<NUM>) and to add heat to the air flow passing through the system, the system being further configured for the fluid cooler or the hydronic reheat coil (<NUM>) to receive the warmed coolant fluid from the hydronic loop after its passage through the heat exchanger <NUM> via one or more modulating valves <NUM>.