A conditioning system includes a first plenum and a second plenum. The second plenum receives heated air from an enclosed space and supplies cooled air to the space. The system also includes a first liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger (LAMEE1) arranged inside the first plenum. LAMEE1 is configured to use a liquid desiccant to lower an enthalpy of the first air stream. A LAMEE2 is arranged inside the first plenum downstream of LAMEE1. LAMEE2 is configured to use the first air stream to evaporatively cool water flowing through LAMEE2. A first LAHX (LAHX1) is arranged inside the second plenum. LAHX1 is configured to directly and sensibly cool the second air stream using a first cooling fluid. A second LAHX (LAHX2) is in fluid communication with LAMEE1 and is configured to receive the liquid desiccant from LAMEE1 and cool the liquid desiccant using outdoor air.

Conditioning systems and methods for providing cooling to a heat load can include an evaporative cooler arranged in a scavenger plenum with a pre-cooler upstream and a recovery coil downstream of the evaporative cooler. Outdoor or scavenger air can be conditioned in the evaporative cooler such that the conditioned scavenger air can provide cooling to a cooling fluid circulating through the recovery coil. The reduced-temperature cooling fluid can provide liquid cooling or air cooling for an enclosed space (for example, a data center) or for one or more devices that are enclosed or open to the atmosphere. Given the design and arrangement of the pre-cooler, evaporative cooler and recovery coil in the plenum, the system can operate in multiple modes. The pre-cooler can be configured to circulate a cooling fluid to condition the scavenger air. The pre-cooler fluid circuit can be coupled or decoupled from a process cooling fluid circuit.

An air conditioner includes an outdoor unit including a compressor for compressing a refrigerant and an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and outside air. A ventilation device is connected to the outdoor unit through a liquid refrigerant pipe, a high-pressure refrigerant pipe, and a low-pressure refrigerant pipe. The ventilation device supplies the outside air to an indoor space, and discharges indoor air to the outside. The ventilation device includes a case, a main heat exchanger, a recovery heat exchanger, a refrigerant distributor, and a re-heat heat exchanger. A liquid refrigerant pipe valve is disposed in the liquid refrigerant pipe for controlling an amount of refrigerant.

A liquid panel assembly configured to be used with an energy exchanger may include a support frame having one or more fluid circuits and at least one membrane secured to the support frame. Each of the fluid circuits may include an inlet channel connected to an outlet channel through one or more flow passages. A liquid is configured to flow through the fluid circuits and contact interior surfaces of the membrane(s). The fluid circuits are configured to at least partially offset liquid hydrostatic pressure with friction loss of the liquid flowing within the fluid circuits to minimize, eliminate, or otherwise reduce pressure within the liquid panel assembly.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an energy recovery system for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system. The energy recovery system includes a nozzle having a flow passage with an inlet passage and an outlet passage that is narrowed relative to the inlet passage, in which the nozzle is configured to couple to a condenser and receive an air flow into the flow passage from a condenser fan. The energy recovery system further includes a wind turbine disposed within the outlet passage of the flow passage and having a first axis of rotation, and a generator that is external to the nozzle and that includes a shaft with a second axis of rotation. The generator is coupled to the wind turbine, such that the first axis of rotation is aligned with the second axis of rotation.

A method and apparatus for measuring quench characteristics of a fluid. The apparatus includes a probe with an energy input device electrically connected to a display unit to monitor temperature, media flow characteristics and media heat transfer characteristics. The method includes continuously measuring thermal energy transfer in a quenching media by measuring the surrounding fluid's heat transfer relative to input probe energy.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat pipe, which performs heat exchange. The air-conditioning apparatus provides supply air in a set state (temperature, humidity) through a change in the flow passage of ventilation air and outside air by the selective opening/shutting of dampers, cooling the outside air by spraying mist, and cooling and humidifying the supply air. The cooling temperature and humidity of the supply air is controlled at a ratio of the ventilation air passing through a cooling coil and the ventilation air passing through a bypass passage. Using a bypass passage, ventilation air can directly move to an air supply block without the intervention of the cooling coil within a heat exchange block through which a ventilation air passes.

An energy exchange system that includes a supply air flow path, an exhaust air flow path, an energy recovery device disposed within the supply and exhaust air flow paths, and a supply conditioning unit disposed within the supply air flow path. The supply conditioning unit may be downstream from the energy recovery device.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for a three-fluid liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger (LAMEE) to condition air (a first overall fluid). A liquid panel assembly used in the LAMEE can include a first fluid circuit for a first cooling fluid (a second overall fluid) and a second fluid circuit for a second cooling fluid (a third overall fluid). The first cooling fluid, also referred to herein as a desiccant, can be configured to circulate through the liquid panel assembly and condition an air stream passing through the LAMEE. The second cooling fluid, also referred to herein as a coolant, can be configured to also circulate through the panel assembly and reject heat from the first cooling fluid. The second cooling fluid can increase the cooling capacity and overall performance of the LAMEE. The first and second cooling fluids can be separate from each other during circulation through the panel assembly. Low operating pressures of the first fluid circuit can be facilitated by the design of the liquid panel to at least partially offset hydrostatic pressure gain with friction pressure loss of the first cooling fluid.

A heat pipe system including a heat pipe having a first end and a second end for transferring working fluid from the first to the second end, a first reservoir in fluid communication with the first end for holding working fluid in liquid form, a first heat exchanger for transmitting thermal energy from a heat source to working fluid in the first reservoir to vaporize the fluid, a second heat exchanger for transmitting thermal energy from vaporized working fluid to a heat sink thereby condensing the fluid, a return conduit and a pump for pumping the condensed working fluid along the return conduit, where the heat pipe, the return conduit and the first reservoir form a hermetically sealed circuit. A method of transferring thermal energy using a heat pipe system is also disclosed.