Profiled damper and fan for controlling air flow direction in an air duct

Abstract

A device for controlling air flow in an air duct comprises a rotary, profiled damper, a fan or turbine, and an actuator. The profiled damper comprises two rotatable integral canopies, a central opening therebetween, flat ribs extending outwardly from the canopies and towards an interior of the air duct, wherein an axis of rotation of said canopies coincides with an axis of rotation of the profiled damper and the canopies are arranged on the opposite sides of the profiled damper. The profiled damper is characterized in that the actuator is configured to reverse a position of the profiled damper, thereby reversing a direction of an air stream generated by the fan or turbine.

Claims

1. A device for controlling air flow in an air duct comprising a working machine in a form of a radial fan, placed in a profiled damper, the profiled damper rotatably mounted in the air duct on a fixed shaft; comprising two embossings forming two rotatable integral canopies, the canopies comprising a suction/inlet canopy and a compression/outlet canopy, wherein the canopies further comprising a suction port therebetween formed in a central opening, the canopies connected by flat ribs that extend outwardly from the canopies and towards a duct interior to form a sealing partition, wherein the canopies are arranged on opposite sides of the flat ribs and have a common axis of rotation coinciding with an axis of rotation of the profiled damper; wherein the canopies are interposed so that the suction port central opening is located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the profiled damper; wherein the profiled damper obtains a drive from an actuator and rotates in relation to the air duct; wherein the radial fan, which continuously rotates in a fixed direction, is located in the compression/outlet canopy of the profiled damper, sucks in air from the suction/inlet canopy, through the suction port central opening, and into the compression/outlet canopy; wherein a control of the air flow direction in the air duct is obtained by rotatably reversing a position of the profiled damper such that the air flow changes direction; wherein the profiled damper flat ribs are symmetrical about the axis of rotation and comprise perimeter sealing edges; wherein the air duct comprises an inner frame, such that when the perimeter sealing edges come into contact with the inner frame, the duct is separated by tight seals into a first part and a second part which are exposed to different air pressures that permits an air stream within the duct air to reverse direction.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the profiled damper periodically rotates by an angle of no more than 180 degrees, wherein through contact of the perimeter sealing edges to the inner frame, the profiled damper separates the second part from the first part of the air duct and wherein position of the canopies relative to the air duct changes so that the canopy that was previously in the second part of the air duct is moved to the first part, and the canopy that was previously in the first part of the air duct is moved to the second part.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the profiled damper further comprises a hollow connector (3e) mounted in the air duct (1), such that the actuator is connected to the profiled damper by the hollow connector mounted in the air duct.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The subject of the invention is shown in the exemplary drawings where:

(2) FIG. 1 shows the a vertical cross-section of the device for controlling air flow inside the air duct, with a rotating profiled damper and a radial fan,

(3) FIG. 2 shows the profiled damper with the radial fan in the A-A horizontal cross-section,

(4) FIG. 3 shows the profiled damper with the radial fan in a horizontal cross-section.

(5) FIG. 4 shows the profiled damper with the radial fan according to claim 3 in the A-A cross-section.

(6) FIG. 5 shows the profiled damper with the radial turbine in a horizontal cross-section.

(7) FIG. 6 shows the profiled damper with the radial turbine in the A-A horizontal cross-section.

(8) FIG. 7 shows the profiled damper with the radial turbine in a vertical cross-section.

(9) FIG. 8 shows the profiled damper with the radial turbine according to claim 7 in the A-A horizontal cross-section.

(10) FIG. 9 shows the profiled damper with the axial fan in a vertical cross-section.

(11) FIG. 10 shows the profiled damper with the axial fan in the A-A horizontal cross-section.

(12) FIG. 11 shows the profiled damper with the axial fan in a horizontal cross-section.

(13) FIG. 12 shows the profiled damper with the axial fan according to claim 11 in the A-A horizontal cross-section.

(14) FIG. 13 shows the profiled damper with the axial turbine in a horizontal cross-section.

(15) FIG. 14 shows the profiled damper with the axial turbine in the A-A horizontal cross-section.

(16) FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the profiled damper, in one of the extreme positions.

(17) FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of the profiled damper, in the second extreme position.

(18) FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of the profiled damper with an axial fan, in one of the extreme positions.

(19) FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of the profiled damper with an axial fan, in the second extreme position.

(20) An example embodiment of the invention:

(21) The device to control an air flow direction in an air duct according to the invention consists of the air duct 1 and a working machine arrangement placed in a profiled damper 3. The device may be equipped, depending on the version, with the working machine in the form of a radial or axial fan and a radial or axial turbine. The damper is a specially profiled rotary damper 3 with two embosses, formed as canopies, and a circular central opening formed therebetween, the canopies comprise a suction/inlet canopy 3a and a compression/outlet canopy 3b, and are so arranged that they are on opposite sides of a plane of the damper and have a common axis of rotation with the profiled damper 3. The relative positioning of the canopies 3a and 3b cause the central opening to be formed a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the profiled damper 3.

(22) The profiled damper 3 obtains the drive from the actuator 9, which is fixed by the stationary support 8 to the air duct wall 1. The profiled damper 3 has the ability to shuttle rotation by an angle of no more than 180 degrees. In extreme positions, the damper 3, due to tight fit between the edges 4 of the dividing-sealing shelf 2, tightly separates the upper part 1a of air duct 1 from the bottom part 1b. The profiled damper 3, with all its sealing edges 4, comes into contact with the sealing of the dividing-sealing shelf 2, made inside the air duct 1.

(23) The profiled damper 3, driven by the actuator 9, can rotate by an angle of no more than 180 degrees. During such rotations the position of the canopy 3a and 3b relative to the air duct 1 changes, so that the canopy that is in the upper part of the air duct 1 moves to its lower part, and the canopy that is in the lower part of the air duct 1 moves to its upper part. The rotation takes place in the shortest possible time, during which the system is not airtight and the air streams can mix.

(24) The device according to the invention can be made in two versions. The first version is a device equipped with a radial working machine shown on FIG. 1 to FIG. 8, and in the second version, there is a device with an axial working machine shown on FIG. 9 to FIG. 14.

(25) In the first version, the radial working machine has the form of a radial fan or radial turbine. The radial machine is placed in the compression/outlet canopy 3b and the central opening 3 is placed in the suction port 3f, located in the compression/outlet canopy 3b. If a fan is used, the working machine draws in air, and if a turbine is used, the working machine collects air from the suction/inlet canopy 3a, directing it through the central opening in the suction port 3f to the suction/outlet canopy 3b.

(26) According to FIG. 1-4, the device in the first version is used to reverse the direction of the air flow in the air duct 1, which is driven by the radial fan continuously rotating in a fixed direction, provided with a rotor 13 and a motor 14. As shown in FIG. 5-8, this device is used to direct air coming from different directions into the air duct 1 on to the proper side of the radial turbine 5a, continuously rotating in a fixed direction, provided with the generator 6a. The rotary single plane profiled damper 3 in this version has a profiled shape formed by: a suction/inlet canopy 3a, a compressing/outlet canopy 3b and a central opening with the suction port 3f. Two symmetrical flat ribs connect the suction/inlet canopy 3a and the compressing/outlet canopy 3b forming a tight diaphragm with its sealing edges 4, tightly attached to the partition-sealing shelf 2. The profiled damper 3 has the ability to rotate pendulously at an angle of no more than 180 degrees. In extreme positions the profiled damper 3, by attaching the edges 4 to the partition-sealing shelf 2, tightly separates the upper part 1a from the bottom part 1b of the air duct 1. The profiled damper 3 is rotatably mounted in the air duct 1, either on the fixed shaft 15, holding the radial fan motor 14, or on the fixed shaft 15a, holding the radial turbine generator 6a, as well as on the hollow connector 3e mounted in the air duct 1. The actuator 9 of the rotary drive of the profiled damper is attached via the fixed support 8 to the air duct housing 1.

(27) In the second version of the device an axial working machine is used in the form of an axial fan or an axial turbine. The axial machine is located in the channel 3c, in which the central opening is also positioned. The axial working machine sucks in, in the case of a fan, or draws in, in the case of the turbine, air from the sucking/inlet canopy 3a, causing the air to flow through the air duct 3c to the compression/outlet canopy 3b.

(28) According to FIG. 9-12, the device in the second version is used to reverse the direction of airflow in the air duct 1 by means of an axial fan provided with a rotor 13a and a motor 14a. This device is also used to direct the air coming from different directions into the air duct 1 to the proper side of the axial turbine 5 provided with a generator 6 and is driven by air flowing through the air duct 1.

(29) Also in this embodiment, the single leaf profiled damper 3 is formed from the channel 3c connecting the sucking/inlet canopy 3a to the compression/outlet canopy 3b, and two symmetrical flat-shaped ribs 3d. Canopies 3a and 3b are located placed symmetrically, relative to the center of the profiled damper 3. Channel 3c has a circular section with an axis that coincides with the axis of symmetry of the profiled damper 3, and this is also its axis of rotation. The ribs 3d connect the sucking/inlet canopy 3a to the compression/outlet canopy 3b and the channel 3c, forming a sealing diaphragm, with edges 4 of which tightly attached to the partition/sealing shelf 2.

(30) The profiled damper 3 is rotatable and is mounted on rotary bearings, on a stationary axis 7 attached to the air duct 1 by means of a flange sleeve 11 and has the ability to rotate pendulously at an angle of no more than 180 degrees. In extreme positions, the profiled damper 3, due to the fit of the edges 4 and the partition/sealing shelf 2, tightly separates the upper part 1a of air duct 1 from the bottom part 1b of the air duct 1.

(31) The generator 6 is mounted on the fixed axis 7 so that the generator stator 6 and the stationary axis 7 both remain motionless, and the rotating winding of the generator 6 is connected to the axial turbine rotor 5. The actuator 9 of the rotary profiled damper 3 is mounted on the fixed axis 7 to the air duct housing 1 by the fixed support 8. The shaft of the actuator 9 is connected to the rotary profiled damper 3 by the hollow connector 3e mounted on bearings in the air duct 1.

(32) The operation of the device with the rotary, profiled damper 3 according to the invention is as follows: the profiled damper system in all versions is based on separating the air duct 1 into two parts by tight seals, the upper 1a and the lower 1b, which are exposed to different air pressures.

(33) In the first version of the device the only way for the air to flow through the sealed air duct 1 is through central opening of the suction port 3f located in the compression/outlet canopy 3b, in which the radial working machine formed as an radial fan or a radial turbine is mounted.

(34) In the second version of the device, the only way for the air to flow through the sealed air duct 1 is through a central channel 3c in which an axial working machine formed as an axial fan or an axial-flow turbine machine is arranged.

(35) The cyclical rotation of the profiled damper 3 at an angle of no more than 180 degrees causes temporary unsealing of the air duct 1. If a fan is used, after the profiled damper 3 is placed in the next extreme position, the reversal of direction of airflow in the air duct 1 occurs while the radial fan 13 or the axial fan 13a rotor continuously rotates in one fixed direction. This is the typical use for ventilation or heat recovery systems using stationary heat exchangers. If a turbine is used, there is a constant flow of air to the turbine rotor, despite the fact that the air in the air duct 1 changes its flow direction cyclically.