Patent Description:
Cooling systems are used in many types of residential and commercial applications. As one example, commercial refrigeration systems are used by many types of businesses such as supermarkets and warehouses.

<CIT> discloses an adiabatic condenser or fluid cooler with a condensing or fluid cooling coil, in which an adiabatic pad is provided wherein water can be used to cool the ambient air before entering or impacting the condensing or fluid cooling coil. Controls are provided that can adjust or eliminate the amount of water flowing over the adiabatic pad. The adiabatic pad may also be physically moved to allow ambient air to directly impact the condensing or fluid cooling circuit.

<CIT> discloses a self-cleaning method for an air conditioner, the air conditioner comprising a pulse vibration device arranged on an indoor heat exchanger, the air conditioner further comprising the indoor heat exchanger, outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor, an electronic expansion valve and a four-way valve which can form a closedloop refrigerant circulating system. According to the self-cleaning control method, the inner part of the indoor heat exchanger can be cleaned by the way of vibration first and washing second.

A cooling systems may use adiabatic cooling processes to pre-cool intake air that enters an outdoor condenser unit. For example, intake air may first pass through a wet pad or mesh material. Heat transfer with water on the material pre-cools the intake air. During operation, the adiabatic pad or mesh material may collect dust, dirt and other particulates from the surroundings. Impurities in the water used to wet the adiabatic pad or mesh may also cause the buildup of solid debris. These particulates and other debris may restrict the flow of air through the adiabatic pad or mesh, such that cooling performance is decreased. Operation of the cooling system must be stopped for a period of time to clean or replace the adiabatic pads.

This invention provides a technical solution to the problems of previous adiabatic cooling technology by allowing condenser cooling pads to be cleaned automatically. Automatic condenser pad cleaning facilitates an increased lifespan of the adiabatic cooling pads and more efficient and reliable performance of the cooling systems in which they are employed. Physical vibration of the adiabatic pads is actuated electronically to loosen and/or remove debris (e.g., using an electronically activated vibration mechanism, such as an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motor, a linear resonator actuator (LRA) device, or a piezoelectric vibration motor). Vibration may be applied at a resonance frequency of the adiabatic pads to improve debris loosening and removal. In some cases the loosened debris may fall from the pad after vibration. In some cases, a stream of air and/or water may be provided to help remove loosened debris. In some cases, the adiabatic pads may be arranged in a split configuration, and the split pads may be rotated after debris is loosened by the physical vibration, such that the loosened debris is more effectively removed from the adiabatic pads. In some embodiments, operations for cleaning the adiabatic pads may be fully automated. For example, a controller may detect a condition indicating cleaning is appropriate (e.g., an increased air pressure drop across the cleaning pads) and, in response, automatically perform a predefined sequence of cleaning operations (e.g., vibrating the adiabatic pads, rinsing the adiabatic pads, and/or rotating the adiabatic pads).

Certain embodiments may include none, some, or all of the above technical advantages. One or more other technical advantages may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures, descriptions, and claims included herein. The invention is set out in the claims.

In an embodiment, an adiabatic cooling system includes a condenser coil and one or more adiabatic pads positioned such that intake air for the adiabatic cooling system passes through the adiabatic pads prior to contacting the condenser coil. He adiabatic cooling system includes a vibration device attached to the adiabatic pad for each of the one or more adiabatic pads a vibration device. The vibration device includes an input interface and an electromechanically responsive portion. The electromechanically responsive portion is operable to physically vibrate in response to an electrical signal received at the input interface. The adiabatic cooling system includes a controller communicatively coupled to the input interface of the vibration device for each of the one or more adiabatic pads. The processor of the controller is configured to determine that cleaning of the one or more adiabatic pads should be initiated. After determining that cleaning of the one or more adiabatic pads should be initiated, an electronic signal is provided to the input interface of the vibration device attached to each of the one or more adiabatic pads. The electronic signal is configured to cause the electromechanically responsive portion of the vibration device for each of the one or more adiabatic pads to physically vibrate, thereby causing debris in the one or more adiabatic pads to become one or both of loosened and removed from the one or more adiabatic pads.

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Gas cooling systems are used in many types of residential and commercial applications. As one example, commercial refrigeration systems are used by many types of businesses such as supermarkets and warehouses. Many cooling systems use adiabatic cooling processes to pre-cool air before it enters an outdoor condenser unit. For example, large commercial refrigeration systems may include cooling towers where adiabatic pads are contacted (e.g., sprayed) with water in order to pre-cool intake air before it contacts condenser coils. While pre-cooling air using adiabatic pads aids in the overall efficiency of cooling systems in certain environmental conditions, adiabatic pads can be detrimental to the efficiency of the system if airflow through the adiabatic pads becomes obstructed. As an example, pathways for airflow through adiabatic pads may become blocked or clogged with debris resulting from the local environment or from water that is applied to the adiabatic pads. This reduces the overall efficiency of the adiabatic cooling system by increasing the amount of resources (e.g., electricity) needed to operate the system.

To address these and other limitations of previous adiabatic cooling system technology, embodiments of this disclosure facilitate the automatic cleaning of adiabatic pads. For example, if conditions are detected that indicate a possible blockage of airflow through the adiabatic pads, the adiabatic pads may be physically vibrated (e.g., using an electronically actuated vibration mechanism such as an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motor, a linear resonator actuator (LRA) device, or a piezoelectric vibration motor). Removal of residual debris that remains after being loosened by vibration may be achieved by applying a stream of water and/or air to the adiabatic pads. Certain embodiments may also or alternatively employ split adiabatic pads can be rotated or otherwise moved between different (e.g., open and closed) positions. Examples of adiabatic pads configured for such movement are described in <CIT> Kuppusamy and entitled "ADIABATIC CONDENSER WITH SPLIT COOLING PADS,". Movement of the adiabatic pads may facilitate the removal of debris loosened by physical vibration. The following describes adiabatic cooling systems with adiabatic pads having vibration devices for providing these and other desired features.

<FIG> illustrate an example adiabatic cooling system <NUM> from various views and with adiabatic pads rotated to either a closed position (<FIG>) or an open position (<FIG>). The adiabatic cooling system <NUM> includes one or more condenser coils <NUM>, one or more adiabatic pads <NUM>, vibration devices <NUM>, a water distributor <NUM>, sensors <NUM>, one or more fans <NUM>, and a controller <NUM>. During operation of the adiabatic cooling system <NUM>, water from the water distributor <NUM> is applied to adiabatic pads <NUM> in order to cool intake air <NUM> as it enters adiabatic cooling system <NUM> and before contacting condenser coils <NUM>. If debris <NUM> is trapped or forms via precipitation of salts and/or other impurities from the water provided by the water distributor <NUM> (see example debris <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>), the flow of intake air <NUM> will decrease or additional power <NUM> may be required for the fans <NUM> to maintain a desired rate of airflow. Pressure sensors <NUM> provide air pressure measurements to the controller <NUM>, which uses this information to determine when the flow of intake air <NUM> through the adiabatic pads <NUM> is obstructed by debris for example, based on an increased air pressure drop across the adiabatic pads <NUM>. The controller <NUM> then causes the vibration devices <NUM> to vibrate the adiabatic pads <NUM> at the resonance frequency of the adiabatic pads <NUM> in order to loosen the debris <NUM> and, in some cases, remove at least a portion of the loosened debris <NUM>.

In some cases, the controller <NUM> may initiate further actions to remove residual loosened debris <NUM> after application of physical vibration by the vibration devices <NUM> for a period of time. For example, the controller <NUM> may cause the distributor <NUM> to provide a water stream <NUM> and/or cause the fans <NUM> to reverse airflow direction to provide a reversed airflow <NUM> to aid in removing loosened debris <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. In some embodiments, the adiabatic cooling system <NUM> includes a pad pivoting system <NUM> for rotating the adiabatic pads <NUM> to remove debris <NUM> loosened by physical vibration. The pad pivoting system <NUM> may be mechanically coupled to adiabatic pads <NUM> or pad frames <NUM> (see <FIG>) holding the adiabatic pads <NUM> in order to cause the adiabatic pads <NUM> to move (e.g., between the closed position illustrated in <FIG> and the open position of <FIG> and <FIG>). Movement of the adiabatic pads <NUM> between these positions aids in the removal of debris <NUM> loosened via application of vibration by the vibration devices <NUM>. As described further below, movement of the adiabatic pads <NUM> may be implemented automatically by the controller <NUM> and pad pivoting system <NUM> or manually using the manual control <NUM>, described further below.

Adiabatic cooling system <NUM> is a system used to cool a refrigerant by condensing it from its gaseous state to its liquid state in condenser coils <NUM>. In certain refrigeration applications, adiabatic cooling system <NUM> is located outdoors and is fluidly coupled to indoor portions of the system (e.g., air handlers) via one or more refrigerant lines. In some embodiments, adiabatic cooling system <NUM> is a cooling tower. Adiabatic cooling system <NUM> includes one or more condenser coils <NUM> and one or more motors that turn one or more fans <NUM>. The condenser coils <NUM> may be any type and configuration of heat exchange coil as appropriate for a given application (e.g., refrigeration, cooling a space, etc.). Fans <NUM> draw intake air <NUM> into adiabatic cooling system <NUM> through adiabatic pads <NUM>, which, if the outdoor temperature is appropriately high, have been sprayed with water from water distributor <NUM>.

The adiabatic pads <NUM> may be made of any appropriate material that is capable of receiving and retaining water from the water distributor <NUM>. As a specific example, adiabatic pads <NUM> may be made of a mesh material through which intake air <NUM> passes before it enters condenser coils <NUM>. As intake air <NUM> passes through the wet adiabatic pads <NUM>, it cools and helps improve the cooling efficiency of the adiabatic cooling system <NUM>. Adiabatic pads <NUM> may be in any appropriate size, shape, and configuration and are not limited to those illustrated in the included figures. While the examples of <FIG> show six adiabatic pads <NUM> in the adiabatic cooling system <NUM>, the system <NUM> could include any appropriate number of adiabatic pads <NUM> from one or more.

Each adiabatic pad <NUM> may have one or more vibration devices <NUM> attached thereto. The examples of <FIG> show two vibration devices <NUM> attached to each adiabatic pad <NUM>. However, in other cases, an adiabatic pad <NUM> may have only one or more than two vibration devices <NUM> attached thereto. The vibration devices <NUM> are generally any mechanism capable of causing the adiabatic pads <NUM> to physically vibrate with a sufficient intensity to loosen and/or remove debris <NUM> in or on the adiabatic pads <NUM>. Each vibration device <NUM> includes an input interface <NUM> and an electromechanically responsive portion <NUM> that vibrates in response to a signal <NUM> received from the controller <NUM>. The input interface <NUM> is an interface configured to receive a signal <NUM> from the controller <NUM> and power from the controller <NUM> and/or a separate power supply, such as a battery, for powering the vibration device <NUM>. The input interface <NUM> may include ports or terminals for establishing signal communications with the controller <NUM>. Examples of the electromechanically responsive portion <NUM> of the vibration devices <NUM> include an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motor, a linear resonator actuator (LRA), or a piezoelectric material.

In some embodiments, the vibration devices <NUM> (e.g., the electromechanically responsive portions <NUM> of the devices <NUM>) are vibrated at a resonance frequency of the adiabatic pads <NUM> to which they are attached. For example, the signal <NUM> provided by the controller <NUM> has an appropriate amplitude, frequency, and/or other characteristics to cause the electromechanically responsive portion <NUM> of each vibration device <NUM> to vibrate at the resonance frequency of the adiabatic pad <NUM> to which the device <NUM> is attached. This may aid in providing sufficient physical vibration to effectively remove debris <NUM>. The frequency at which each vibration device <NUM> vibrates may be predetermined (e.g., via testing and/or modeling) for each adiabatic pad <NUM>, as appropriate. Predetermined resonance frequencies may be stored in a memory of the controller <NUM> (e.g., as resonance frequency <NUM> of <FIG>) and used to instruct the vibration devices <NUM> to vibrate at an appropriate frequency for debris <NUM> removal. The loosened and/or removed debris <NUM> may be dirt, dust, and/or any other particulates that are deposited from the environment in which the adiabatic cooling system <NUM> is operated. Debris <NUM> may also form due to precipitation of salts and/or other impurities in water that contacts the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., from the water distributor <NUM> and/or the environment).

The water distributor <NUM> is operable to cause water to contact the adiabatic pads <NUM>. For example, the distributor <NUM> may be a tube <NUM> or collection of tubes <NUM> with appropriate outlet(s) <NUM> to provide a flow (e.g., as a stream, drip, or spray) of water onto the adiabatic pads <NUM>, such as water stream <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. The outlet(s) <NUM> are openings in the tube(s) <NUM> that are located such that the flow of water will contact the adiabatic pads <NUM>. The outlet(s) <NUM> may include nozzles in some embodiments. The tube(s) <NUM> of the water distributor <NUM> are connected to a water source, such as a municipal water supply or the like (not shown for clarity and conciseness). One or more valves <NUM> are positioned within the tube(s) to control the flow of water into the tube(s) <NUM> and out of the outlet(s) <NUM> (see <FIG>). The valve(s) <NUM> are communicatively coupled to the controller <NUM>, such that the valve(s) <NUM> may be opened or closed based on a signal provided by the controller <NUM> to regulate the flow of water provided to the adiabatic pads <NUM>. In some cases, the controller <NUM> may instruct the water distributor <NUM> to provide a water stream <NUM> (e.g., either a spray or flow of water) onto the adiabatic pads <NUM> in order to improve the removal of debris <NUM> that is loosened after physical vibration of the adiabatic pads <NUM> by the vibration devices <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may provide instructions to open and/or close one or more valves associated with the water distributor <NUM>.

The adiabatic cooling system <NUM> may include pressure sensors <NUM> that are operable to measure an air pressure of the proximate environment (e.g., of intake air <NUM> on the input (or external) side of the adiabatic pads <NUM> and on the output (or internal) side of the adiabatic pads <NUM>). As illustrated in the cross-sectional view of <FIG>, one or more input pressure sensors 112a may be positioned on an input side of the adiabatic pads <NUM> and one or more output-side pressure sensors 112b,c may be positioned on an output side of the adiabatic pads <NUM>. As illustrated in the example of <FIG>, output-side pressure sensors 112b may be positioned downstream (in terms of direction of flow of intake air <NUM>) from the adiabatic pads <NUM> but upstream from the condenser coils <NUM>. Also or alternatively, one or more pressure sensors 112c may be located downstream of the condenser coils <NUM>.

The pressure sensors <NUM> are communicatively coupled to the controller <NUM>. The input-side sensors 112a measure an input-side air pressure (e.g., input pressure <NUM> of <FIG>), and the output-side pressure sensors 112b,c measure an output-side air pressure (e.g., output pressure <NUM> of <FIG>). The controller <NUM> receives air pressure measurements from the input and output pressure sensors 112a-c and uses the input and output air pressure to determine an air pressure drop (e.g., pressure drop <NUM> of <FIG>) across the adiabatic pads <NUM> (or across the adiabatic pads <NUM> and condenser coil <NUM>). The air pressure drop, or the difference in air pressure, between the internal side of the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., at the location of air pressure sensors 112b of <FIG>) and the external side of the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., at location of air pressure sensors 112a of <FIG>) increases when the resistance to airflow through the adiabatic pads <NUM> increases. The presence of debris <NUM> in the adiabatic pads <NUM> increases the resistance to airflow and thus also increases the air pressure drop across the adiabatic pads <NUM>.

The controller <NUM> may use the air pressure drop to detect a decrease in airflow (i.e., a decrease in the flow of intake air <NUM>) across the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., or an increase in airflow resistance across the adiabatic pads <NUM>). For example, if the air pressure drop is greater than a threshold value (e.g., a threshold <NUM> of <FIG>), then a decrease in airflow may be detected and further actions may be taken to automatically clean the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., by applying vibration to the adiabatic pads <NUM>, providing water stream <NUM> and/or airflow <NUM> across the adiabatic pads <NUM>, and/or rotating the adiabatic pads, as described further below).

In some embodiments, the cooling system <NUM> includes one or more airflow rate sensors <NUM> located one the output side of the adiabatic pads <NUM> relative to the direction of intake air <NUM> (see <FIG>). The air flow rate sensor(s) <NUM> are communicatively coupled to the controller <NUM> and may be any appropriate sensor for measuring an air flow rate (e.g., measured air flow rate <NUM> of <FIG>). The controller <NUM> may use the air flow rate to detect a decrease in airflow (i.e., a decrease in the flow of intake air <NUM>) across the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., or an increase in airflow resistance across the adiabatic pads <NUM>). For example, if the air flow rate is below a threshold value (e.g., a threshold <NUM> of <FIG>), then a decrease in airflow may be detected and further actions may be taken to automatically clean the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., by applying vibration to the adiabatic pads <NUM>, providing water stream <NUM> and/or airflow <NUM> across the adiabatic pads <NUM>, and/or rotating the adiabatic pads, as described further below). In some cases, the controller <NUM> may operate the fans <NUM> at a constant airflow rate by using the air flow rate to adjust the power <NUM> supplied to the fans <NUM> (see <FIG>). In such cases, an increase in the power <NUM> supplied to the fans <NUM> above a threshold level (e.g., a threshold <NUM> of <FIG>) may cause the controller <NUM> to detect a decrease in airflow across the adiabatic pads <NUM> and automatically clean the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., by applying vibration to the adiabatic pads <NUM>, providing water stream <NUM> and/or airflow <NUM> across the adiabatic pads <NUM>, and/or rotating the adiabatic pads, as described further below).

In some embodiments, cleaning of the adiabatic pads <NUM> using the vibration devices <NUM> may performed automatically without a detected decrease in airflow (or increase in airflow resistance) across the adiabatic pads <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may automatically cause the vibration devices <NUM> to vibrate intermittently (e.g., based on the schedule/timer <NUM> of <FIG>). Such automatic cleanings may aid in preventing significant buildup of debris <NUM> in the adiabatic pads <NUM>.

In some embodiments, adiabatic pads <NUM> are configured to pivot or rotate between the closed position illustrated in <FIG> and the open position illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. Rotation or pivoting of the adiabatic pads <NUM> may facilitate improved removal of debris <NUM> loosened by the physical vibration of the adiabatic pads <NUM>. As an example, the adiabatic pads <NUM> (or pad frames <NUM>) may be coupled to adiabatic cooling system <NUM> at a pivot point <NUM> on top of adiabatic cooling system <NUM> that is proximate a center of adiabatic pad <NUM> (and/or pad frame <NUM>). In other embodiments (not illustrated for clarity and conciseness), the adiabatic pads <NUM> (or pad frames <NUM>) may be coupled to adiabatic cooling system <NUM> at a pivot point <NUM> on top of adiabatic cooling system <NUM> that is proximate a center of adiabatic pad <NUM> (and/or pad frame <NUM>). Further description of various configurations of components for the rotation of the adiabatic pads <NUM> is described in <CIT> and entitled "ADIABATIC CONDENSER WITH SPLIT COOLING PADS.

In some embodiments, adiabatic cooling system <NUM> includes pad frames <NUM> to hold adiabatic pads <NUM> (see <FIG>). Pad frames <NUM> may be formed from any appropriate material such as metal or plastic. As illustrated in <FIG>, pad frames <NUM> may include a top portion and bottom portion that allows adiabatic pads <NUM> to easily slide into and out of pad frames <NUM>. This allows adiabatic pads <NUM> to be easily removed and installed in pad frames <NUM>. As described above, pad frames <NUM> may be pivotally coupled to adiabatic cooling system <NUM> at either an end or near a center of the pad frame <NUM>. In some embodiments, pad frames <NUM> are mechanically coupled to a pad pivoting system <NUM> in order to be moved between open and closed positions by the pad pivoting system <NUM>. In other embodiments, adiabatic pads <NUM> are directly coupled to adiabatic cooling system <NUM> without using pad frames <NUM>.

Pad pivoting system <NUM> is any electrical and/or mechanical system that is capable of moving adiabatic pads <NUM> or pad frames <NUM> between their open (see <FIG>) and closed positions (see <FIG> and <FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, the pad pivoting system <NUM> includes an interface <NUM> for communicating with the controller <NUM> (e.g., for receiving movement instructions <NUM> of <FIG>), a motor <NUM>, and a motor-actuated mechanism <NUM>. In some embodiments, the motor-actuated mechanism <NUM> is a rack and pinion <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. In such an embodiment, a toothed rack portion 128b of rack and pinion <NUM> is coupled to each adiabatic pad <NUM> or pad frame <NUM>, and the rack portion 128b is mechanically coupled to a pinion portion 128a of rack and pinion <NUM> (e.g., via a gear). The motor <NUM> turns the pinion portion 128a of rack and pinion <NUM>, which thereby moves the rack and all pad frames <NUM> or adiabatic pads <NUM> coupled to the rack. The pad pivoting system <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the controller <NUM> via interface <NUM>, thereby enabling controller <NUM> to instruct the pad pivoting system <NUM> to move the adiabatic pads <NUM> or pad frames <NUM> between the open position of <FIG> and <FIG> and the closed position of <FIG>.

In some embodiments, a manual control <NUM> may be coupled to pad pivoting system <NUM> to provide control of its movements. In some embodiments, the manual control <NUM> is a switch, button, or other such control on adiabatic cooling system <NUM> that causes the pad pivoting system <NUM> to change the positions of the adiabatic pads <NUM>. In some embodiments, manual control <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to controller <NUM> or pad pivoting system <NUM> in order to provide manual control of the positions of adiabatic pads <NUM>. For example, upon selection of a button-type manual control <NUM>, a signal <NUM> may be provided to the motor <NUM> of the pad pivoting system <NUM> to cause the adiabatic pads <NUM> to move from the closed to open positions (or vice versa) (see <FIG>).

In some embodiments, as illustrated in the example of <FIG>, the manual control <NUM> includes a rod <NUM> attached to the rack portion 128b of the rack and pinion <NUM>. A user may move the rod <NUM> between an extended position (see dashed line rod <NUM> in <FIG>) and a retracted position (see solid line rod <NUM> in <FIG>) to cause the adiabatic pads <NUM> to move between the closed to open positions. A technician may generally operate the manual control <NUM> in order to move adiabatic pads <NUM> from their closed positions (<FIG>) to their open positions (<FIG> and <FIG>) and from their open positions back to their closed positions. This rotating movement may facilitate the removal of residual debris <NUM> that was loosened by vibration of the adiabatic pads <NUM> and/or by rinsing of the adiabatic pads with water stream <NUM> and/or reversed airflow <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is any appropriate device or circuitry that controls functions of adiabatic cooling system <NUM>. Controller <NUM> may be within or coupled to adiabatic cooling system <NUM>, or it may be separate from adiabatic cooling system <NUM> in some embodiments. In some embodiments, controller <NUM> is a circuit board within adiabatic cooling system <NUM>. Controller <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the vibration devices <NUM>, pressure sensors <NUM>, and pad pivoting system <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an example controller <NUM> in greater detail. The controller <NUM> includes a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, and an input/output (I/O) interface <NUM>. The processor <NUM> includes one or more processors operably coupled to the memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is any electronic circuitry including, but not limited to, state machines, one or more central processing unit (CPU) chips, logic units, cores (e.g. a multi-core processor), field-programmable gate array (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or digital signal processors (DSPs) that communicatively couples to memory <NUM> and controls the operation of the cooling system <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be a programmable logic device, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or any suitable combination of the preceding. The processor <NUM> is communicatively coupled to and in signal communication with the memory <NUM>. The one or more processors are configured to process data and may be implemented in hardware or software. For example, the processor <NUM> may be <NUM>-bit, <NUM>-bit, <NUM>-bit, <NUM>-bit or of any other suitable architecture. The processor <NUM> may include an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) for performing arithmetic and logic operations, processor registers that supply operands to the ALU and store the results of ALU operations, and a control unit that fetches instructions from memory <NUM> and executes them by directing the coordinated operations of the ALU, registers, and other components. The processor may include other hardware and software that operates to process information, control the cooling system <NUM>, and perform any of the functions described herein (e.g., with respect to <FIG>). The processor <NUM> is not limited to a single processing device and may encompass multiple processing devices. Similarly, the controller <NUM> is not limited to a single controller but may encompass multiple controllers.

The memory <NUM> includes one or more disks, tape drives, or solid-state drives, and may be used as an over-flow data storage device, to store programs when such programs are selected for execution, and to store instructions and data that are read during program execution. The memory <NUM> may be volatile or non-volatile and may include ROM, RAM, ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and static random-access memory (SRAM). The memory <NUM> is operable to store measurements of the input pressure <NUM> (e.g., from sensor(s) 112a of <FIG>), output pressure <NUM> (e.g., from sensor(s) 112b or 112c), a determined pressure drop <NUM>, threshold(s) <NUM>, resonance frequencies <NUM> that are predetermined for the adiabatic pads <NUM>, air flow rate <NUM>, a schedule/timer <NUM>, movement instructions <NUM>, power <NUM>, signal <NUM>, and any other logic or instructions associated with performing the functions described in this disclosure (e.g., described above with respect to <FIG> and below with respect to <FIG>). The threshold values <NUM> generally include any of the threshold values described in this disclosure (e.g., a threshold pressure drop above which automatic cleaning is initiated by the controller <NUM>). The resonance frequencies <NUM> may be predefined or predetermined for the adiabatic pads <NUM> for the cooling system <NUM> that is controlled by the controller <NUM> using testing, modeling, or any other appropriate technique. The air flow rate <NUM> is a measure of air flow rate through the adiabatic pads <NUM> measured by air flow rate sensor(s) <NUM>. The schedule/timer <NUM> defines predetermined times and/or time intervals (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, etc.) at which the controller <NUM> automatically causes the vibration devices <NUM> to vibrate. The movement instructions <NUM> include any appropriate signals that are provided to the pad pivoting system <NUM> in order to open and close the adiabatic pads <NUM>, as described above with respect to <FIG>.

The I/O interface <NUM> is configured to communicate data and signals with other devices. For example, the I/O interface <NUM> may be configured to communicate electrical signals with components of the adiabatic cooling system <NUM> including the vibration devices <NUM>, water distributor <NUM>, pressure sensors <NUM>, pad pivoting system <NUM>, and air flow sensor(s) <NUM>. The I/O interface may receive, for example, pressure signals from sensors <NUM> and send electrical signals to the vibration devices <NUM> to cause vibration of adiabatic pads <NUM> and to the pad pivoting system <NUM> to rotate the adiabatic pads <NUM>. The I/O interface <NUM> may include ports or terminals for establishing signal communications between the controller <NUM> and other devices. The I/O interface <NUM> may be configured to enable wired and/or wireless communications.

Returning to <FIG>, in an example operation of the adiabatic cooling system <NUM>, water from the water distributor <NUM> is applied to adiabatic pads <NUM> in order to cool intake air <NUM> as it enters adiabatic cooling system <NUM> and before contacting condenser coils <NUM>. Throughout operation, the controller <NUM> uses air pressure measurements from sensors <NUM> and/or air flow rate measurements from sensor(s) <NUM> to monitor airflow through the adiabatic pads <NUM>. At some point during operation, the controller <NUM> detects a decrease in airflow across the one or more adiabatic pads (e.g., based on a determined air pressure drop <NUM> exceeding a corresponding threshold <NUM> and/or a determined air flow rate <NUM> falling below a corresponding threshold <NUM>). In response to detecting the decrease in airflow, the controller <NUM> causes the vibration devices <NUM> to activate to provide physical vibration to the adiabatic pads <NUM>. For example, the vibration devices <NUM> may vibrate at a resonance frequency (e.g., resonance frequency <NUM> of <FIG>) of the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., or within a threshold <NUM> of the resonance frequency) on which the devices <NUM> are attached. Vibration at or near the resonance frequency <NUM> of the adiabatic pads <NUM> may ensure that sufficient physical vibration of the adiabatic pads <NUM> is achieved to loosen and/or remove debris <NUM> blocking airflow through the adiabatic pads <NUM>.

After causing the vibration device for each of the one or more adiabatic pads to vibrate (e.g., for at least a predefined period of time), the controller <NUM> causes the water distributor <NUM> to provide the spray of water <NUM> onto the adiabatic pads <NUM> to aid in removing at least a portion of residual debris <NUM> from the adiabatic pads <NUM> (see <FIG>). The controller <NUM> may also or alternatively, cause the fans <NUM> to provide air in a reverse direction in order to provide reversed airflow <NUM> across the adiabatic pads <NUM> (see <FIG>). This may provide further removal of debris <NUM> loosened by the vibration devices <NUM> and/or the water stream <NUM>. Furthermore, the controller <NUM> may also or alternatively cause the adiabatic pads <NUM> to rotate about their pivot point <NUM> (see <FIG>) to further aid in the removal of residual debris <NUM> remaining in the adiabatic pads <NUM>. In some cases, an operator may use the manual controller <NUM> to cause the adiabatic pads <NUM> to rotate in order to remove residual debris <NUM> that was loosened by the vibration devices <NUM>.

The components of adiabatic cooling system <NUM> may be integrated or separated. In some embodiments, components of adiabatic cooling system <NUM> may each be housed within a single enclosure. The operations of adiabatic cooling system <NUM> may be performed by more, fewer, or other components. Additionally, operations of adiabatic cooling system <NUM> may be performed using any suitable logic that may comprise software, hardware, other logic, one or more processors, or any suitable combination of the preceding.

<FIG> illustrates an example method <NUM> of operating the adiabatic cooling system <NUM> of <FIG>. Method <NUM> facilitates the automatic cleaning of the adiabatic pads <NUM> described with respect to <FIG> above. Method <NUM> may begin at step <NUM> where the controller <NUM> determines whether a cleaning of the adiabatic pads <NUM> is scheduled, for example, based on the schedule/timer <NUM>. If a cleaning is scheduled, the controller <NUM> may proceed to the start of pad cleaning at step <NUM>. Otherwise, the controller <NUM> proceeds to step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> receives measurements from air pressure sensors <NUM> and/or airflow rate sensors <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may receive air pressure measurements from pressure sensors <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may receive an input pressure <NUM> from a sensor 112a located on an upstream or external side of the adiabatic pads <NUM> and an output pressure <NUM> from a sensor 112b or 112c located on in output or internal side of the adiabatic pads <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>.

At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> determines that a decrease in expected airflow is detected across the adiabatic pads <NUM>. For example, if measurements of air pressure <NUM>, <NUM> are received from air pressure sensors <NUM>, an air pressure drop <NUM> across the adiabatic pads <NUM> may be determined as the difference between the input pressure <NUM> and output pressure <NUM>. If the air pressure drop <NUM> is greater than the threshold value <NUM>, a decrease in airflow across the adiabatic pads <NUM> is detected. As another example, if measurements of air flow rate <NUM> are received from air flow sensor <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may determine whether the measure air flow rate <NUM> falls below a threshold vale <NUM> (e.g., at a constant power <NUM> provided to the fans <NUM>). For cases in which the fans <NUM> are configured to operate at a constant air flow rate, the controller <NUM> may detect a decrease in air flow across the adiabatic pads <NUM> when the power <NUM> exceeds a threshold value <NUM> in order to maintain the constant air flow rate. If a decrease in airflow is detected, the controller <NUM> proceeds to step <NUM>. Otherwise, the controller <NUM> returns to step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> causes the vibration devices <NUM> attached to the adiabatic pads <NUM> to physically vibrate. For example, an electronic signal (e.g., a voltage, current) may be provide to the vibration devices <NUM> in order to cause the vibration devices <NUM> to physically vibrate. The controller <NUM> may cause the vibration devices <NUM> to physically vibrate at the resonance frequency <NUM> of the adiabatic pads <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may determine the appropriate resonance frequency <NUM> that is predefined for each of the one or more adiabatic pads <NUM> and cause the vibration devices <NUM> that are attached to the adiabatic pads <NUM> to physically vibrate at (or within a threshold <NUM> range of) the corresponding resonance frequency <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may cause the water distributor to provide a water stream <NUM> to rinse out a portion of the residual debris <NUM> remaining in the adiabatic pads <NUM> (e.g., debris <NUM> that was loosened at step <NUM>). In some cases, the controller <NUM> may also or alternatively cause a reversed airflow <NUM> to be provided by fans <NUM> in order to facilitate the removal of residual debris <NUM> from the adiabatic pads <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may cause the adiabatic pads <NUM> to rotate (e.g., about the axis <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>). For example, the controller <NUM> may send a signal to the pad pivoting system <NUM> that causes the pad pivoting system <NUM> to rotate the adiabatic pads <NUM>, as described with respect to <FIG> above. For instance, the adiabatic pads <NUM> may be cyclically rotated from the closed position of <FIG> to the open position of <FIG> and <FIG> and back to open. This cyclical rotation from open to closed and back to open may be repeated any number of times to aid in removing residual debris <NUM> from the adiabatic pads <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may determine whether expected airflow has been restored after cleaning of the adiabatic pads <NUM> at steps <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>. For example, the controller <NUM> may determine whether, following cleaning the adiabatic pads <NUM>, the pressure drop <NUM> is now equal to or less than the threshold value <NUM> used to detect a decreased airflow at step <NUM>. As another example, the controller <NUM> may determine whether, following cleaning the adiabatic pads <NUM>, the air flow rate <NUM>, at constant fan power <NUM>, is now greater than or equal to the threshold value <NUM> used to detect a decreased airflow at step <NUM>. As yet another example, the controller <NUM> may determine whether, following cleaning the adiabatic pads <NUM>, the power <NUM>, at constant air flow rate <NUM>, is now less than or equal to the threshold value <NUM> used to detect a decreased airflow at step <NUM>. If airflow is restored, the controller <NUM> returns to the start of method <NUM>. Otherwise, if airflow is not restored, the controller <NUM> proceeds to step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the controller <NUM> determines if a threshold number <NUM> of cleaning attempts have been performed. For example, the controller <NUM> may determine whether steps <NUM>-<NUM> have been completed three times. If the threshold number <NUM> of attempts has not been completed, the controller <NUM> returns to step <NUM> and repeats the cleaning of the adiabatic pads <NUM>. Otherwise, if the threshold number <NUM> of attempts has been completed, the controller <NUM> may proceed to step <NUM> where the controller <NUM> provides an alert (e.g., to an occupant of the space cooled using the adiabatic cooling system <NUM>, a maintenance provider of the adiabatic cooling system, and/or the like) indicating decreased airflow across the adiabatic pads <NUM>. This alert may facilitate further review and/or maintenance of the adiabatic pads <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An adiabatic cooling system (<NUM>), comprising:
one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>);
for each of the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>), a vibration device (<NUM>) attached to the adiabatic pad (<NUM>), the vibration device (<NUM>) comprising an input interface (<NUM>) and an electromechanically responsive portion (<NUM>), wherein the electromechanically responsive portion (<NUM>) is operable to physically vibrate in response to an electrical signal received at the input interface (<NUM>); and
a controller (<NUM>) communicatively coupled to the input interface (<NUM>) of the vibration device (<NUM>) for each of the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>), the controller (<NUM>) comprising a processor (<NUM>) configured to:
determine that cleaning of the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>) should be initiated; and
after determining that cleaning of the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>) should be initiated, provide an electronic signal to the input interface (<NUM>) of the vibration device (<NUM>) attached to each of the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>), wherein the electronic signal is configured to cause the electromechanically responsive portion (<NUM>) of the vibration device (<NUM>) for each of the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>) to physically vibrate, thereby causing debris in the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>) to become one or both of loosened and removed from the one or more adiabatic pads (<NUM>).