A total heat exchange element includes a plurality of partition plates arranged at intervals. Each of the partition plates includes a base having a first principal surface and a second principal surface, and a moisture permeable membrane provided on or close to the first principal surface of the base. First flow paths through which air flows and second flow paths through which air having a higher water vapor pressure than the air in the first flow paths flows are alternately arranged with an associated one of the partition plates sandwiched between adjacent ones of the first flow paths and the second flow paths. In each of the plurality of partition plates, the first principal surface of the base faces a corresponding one of the first flow paths, and the second principal surface of the base faces a corresponding one of the second flow paths.

A dehumidifying system includes an enclosure having at least one opening disposed at a first end and at least one opening disposed at a second end. A plurality of air paths that extend through the enclosure and are separated from one another by partitions along at least a portion of the enclosure. A dehumidifier evaporator is disposed within the enclosure and configured such that at least one of the air paths is disposed to flow through the dehumidifier evaporator. The dehumidifier evaporator includes a dehumidifying coil and a heat pipe assembly at least partially wrapping around the dehumidification coil.

A dehumidifying system includes an enclosure having at least one opening disposed at a first end and at least one opening disposed at a second end. A plurality of air paths that extend through the enclosure and are separated from one another by partitions along at least a portion of the enclosure. A dehumidifier evaporator is disposed within the enclosure and configured such that at least one of the air paths is disposed to flow through the dehumidifier evaporator. The dehumidifier evaporator includes a dehumidifying coil and a heat pipe assembly at least partially wrapping around the dehumidification coil.

An air conditioning system capable of treating a conditioned space by treating outdoor air from outside the conditioned space and treating air returned from inside the conditioned space, and mixing the outdoor air with the returned air to form supply air for the conditioned space, the air conditioning system including: •an outdoor air latent cooling treatment stage and a return air sensible cooling treatment stage, and •an air mixer for mixing outdoor air with return air to form the conditioned space supply air; wherein the outdoor air latent cooling treatment stage includes a dehumidification evaporator and the return air sensible cooling treatment stage includes a sensible evaporator, both evaporators being coupled to a direct expansion refrigeration circuit, and wherein the dehumidification evaporator thermal capacity is regulated in response to conditioned space humidity and the sensible evaporator thermal capacity is regulated in response to conditioned space dry bulb temperature.

A system designed to introduce fresh air ventilation into the living space, eliminate contaminants, and add fresh air to augment a building's HVAC system. This is done in order to save energy, and the costs associated with heat loss or gain in a building. The system employs the use of geothermal energy conferred to air via a cavity which is constructed in the basement, on the slab, foundation, in the crawl space and/or attic of a building. This cavity is created to circulate, absorb and store/release the geo-solar characteristics of a building, taking advantage the consistent subterranean temperature of the earth and/or sun, in order to warm air from outside during the winter minimizing the foundation heat sink, and cool air during the summer. One or more heat exchangers are used to transfer the energy from contaminated air in the cavity to clean air destined for the HVAC system.

A system designed to introduce fresh air ventilation into the living space, eliminate contaminants, and add fresh air to augment a building's HVAC system. This is done in order to save energy, and the costs associated with heat loss or gain in a building. The system employs the use of geothermal energy conferred to air via a cavity which is constructed in the basement, on the slab, foundation, in the crawl space and/or attic of a building. This cavity is created to circulate, absorb and store/release the geo-solar characteristics of a building, taking advantage the consistent subterranean temperature of the earth and/or sun, in order to warm air from outside during the winter minimizing the foundation heat sink, and cool air during the summer. One or more heat exchangers are used to transfer the energy from contaminated air in the cavity to clean air destined for the HVAC system.

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.

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.

A dehumidification system (1) comprising a sorption dehumidifier unit (2); a process air circuit (3) arranged to conduct a process air flow through desiccant material in the dehumidifier unit (2); a regeneration air circuit (4) arranged to conduct a regeneration air flow through desiccant material in the dehumidifier unit (2); and a heat pump (5) comprising an evaporator (6) and a condenser (7), where the system further comprises an intermediate fluid circuit (8) with a cooling fluid (C), arranged to cool the process air in a heat exchanger (9) before inlet of the process air into the dehumidifier unit (2), said intermediate fluid circuit (8) comprising a fluid pump (11) and a main conduit (8a) arranged to conduct cooling fluid (C) through the process air cooling heat exchanger (9) and through the evaporator (6) of the heat pump, and the intermediate fluid circuit (8) further comprising a flow control system (10) arranged to control the flow of cooling fluid (C) in the intermediate fluid circuit (8) to obtain a cooling fluid temperature dependent parameter value (T1) in the intermediate fluid circuit (8) upstream of the process air cooling heat exchanger (9), which corresponds to a given set-point cooling fluid temperature dependent parameter value (T1.sub.set).

A humidifier that suppresses formation of a slime, a scale, and a dew bridge in a lower portion of a humidifying member thereby preventing degradation in humidifying performance. The humidifier includes one or more porous metal bodies serving as the humidifying member and including therein a plurality of voids, a fan that blows air to the porous metal body, a water-supplying device (a supply pipe, a reservoir, and a nozzle) that supplies water to the porous metal body, and the porous metal body includes a tip portion formed in a lower end portion, in a protruding shape or a pointed shape.