Patent ID: 8534346

Claim:
An air handler comprising: an air flow enclosure; a fan supported in the enclosure; a cooling coil supported in the enclosure downstream of the fan, the coil having a length and a downstream face; a first heat exchanger adapted to transfer heat between a heat transfer fluid inside and air passing therethrough and supported in the enclosure upstream of the cooling coil; a second heat exchanger adapted to transfer heat between a heat transfer fluid inside and air passing therethrough and supported in the enclosure downstream of the cooling coil; and a conduit system fluidly connecting the first and second heat exchangers and comprising a fluid pump for circulating heat exchange fluid therebetween; wherein at least one of the first and second heat exchanger is a modular heat exchanger comprising: a first header; a second header supported a distance from the first header; and a plurality of heat exchange tubes adapted to transfer heat between fluid inside the tubes and air passing through the tubes, wherein the plurality of heat exchange tubes are disposed between the first and second headers and are connected to provide fluid communication therebetween, wherein each of the plurality of heat exchange tubes has a resting length, is made of a flexible material, and is characterized by a configuration that permits the resting length of the tube to be adjusted, whereby the distance between the first and second header can be adjusted to about the same as the length of the cooling coil so that the downstream face of the cooling coil is covered by the heat exchanger; and wherein the plurality of heat exchange tubes and the first and second headers were assembled as a module prior to installation in the air handler and were configured for installation in a pre-existing air handler.