Ventilation assembly

Abstract

A ventilation assembly is defined comprising a fan located in the top of a drying chamber or furnace and which recirculates gases at high temperatures and/or humidity; a drive shaft with its mounts or bearings, on which is mounted the fan, and a separation chamber which houses the shaft bearings and separates said bearings from the inside of the drying chamber or furnace. The separation chamber is open to the external environment and is sized such that a person may enter it to perform maintenance of the shaft bearings without the need to enter the dryer or furnace. The ventilation assembly may further include the pre-assembly in the factory of the engine, its transmission system and/or one or more air renewal vents. Furthermore, the assembly can be complemented with trusses to further facilitate installation on the walls of the dryer or furnace.

Claims

1. A ventilation assembly to be located in a closed or partially closed space, including a dryer, a furnace or other similar enclosure, in which a gas is recirculated for drying, heating, marinate or chemically transform a product, wherein said ventilation assembly comprises an axial fan and a shaft on which is mounted the fan, and wherein the shaft is supported by one or more bearings and is driven by an engine located outside the enclosure, the ventilation assembly further comprising: a separation chamber that is in communication with the outside of the enclosure and projects towards the interior thereof, the separation chamber housing the shaft and the bearings, and allows to insulate these elements from the environmental conditions within the enclosure; wherein said separation chamber has an aerodynamic shape that allows an expedited runoff of gas flow recirculated within the enclosure, and that has a size that allows a person to access the bearings and carrying out installation and maintenance operations from outside the enclosure without contacting the inside thereof.

2. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein the separation chamber is open at its top to allow access of individuals.

3. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein an enclosure can have several ventilation assemblies.

4. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, comprising one or more vents located above the separation chamber to renew the interior gases forming a unit that can be preassembled and adjusted in a factory.

5. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation assembly is part of a truss that crosses the enclosure and also allows supporting ceiling panels.

6. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein the engine is installed within or over the separation chamber, directly coupled to the shaft or above the shaft with a drive system of pulleys and belts, forming a preassembled unit and adjusted in a factory.

7. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein the separation chamber has extensions to support a service walkway outside the enclosure.

8. The ventilation assembly according to claim 1, wherein the separation chamber is thermally insulated and minimizes heat loss from inside to outside the enclosure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the ventilation assembly of the present invention, wherein the separation chamber is shown with the respective drive shaft and fan.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the ventilation assembly of FIG. 1, wherein the engine, transmission assembly, and air renewal vents are shown.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the ventilation assembly of FIG. 2, wherein the assembly is part of a truss.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) In the set of claims a ventilation assembly having all the mentioned advantages is described. The basic module shown in FIG. 1 comprises an axial fan (a) located inside an enclosure, furnace and/or closed place, for recirculating humid air, vapor or gas, which is mounted on an shaft (b) and having at least one bearing (c) next to the fan housed and supported in a separation chamber (d). At the bottom and sides the separation chamber insulates the inner enclosure from the external environment and allows the runoff of the air flow recirculated inside. On its upper side the separation chamber is open to the environment outside the drying enclosure, so that the shaft bearing located next to the fan is not subjected to the high temperatures and humidity of the recirculated air within the enclosure.

(5) In large fans it is common that their blades are supported by central bushings having diameters of 350 mm and more. With this, in a flow direction there is a central space which can reach the separation chamber (d) without significantly compromising the runoff of the recirculated air and thus its efficiency. The separation chamber may have various shapes, for example cylindrical, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc., or a combination thereof, of constant or increasing traverse section. The important thing is that in the inside of the enclosure the flow is not disturbed significantly and at the other side the chamber has a size such that a person can access the first bearing and perform its maintenance from the outside.

(6) The shaft passes from inside the enclosure to the outside by a hole in the cover of the end of the separation chamber, which preferably have a seal to minimize exfiltrations or infiltrations from the inner enclosure. The engine (e) transmits its power to the shaft through a direct coupling, a system of pulleys and belts (f) or a system of sprockets and chains. Thus, all the bearings of the shaft and the engine and the bearings are located outside the enclosure, thereby allowing a more expeditious maintenance. Additionally, the entire assembly may be fully or partially preassembled in the factory, thereby reducing installation work on site.

(7) On the separation chamber (d) a box (g) can be installed with one or more vents to clear the recirculated air at one or both sides of the fan, thus forming a single structural unit. This unit can also be part of a truss (h) which passes through the enclosure and is supported on opposite walls.