Vortex Air Handling System

Abstract

A vortex air handling system includes a housing, a heat exchanger, an air conducting unit, and a water handling assembly. The housing includes an air intake port, an air output port, and an interior space connecting the air intake port and the air output port. The heat exchanger is positioned in the interior space and includes a plurality of walls defining a vortex path running from an outer portion to a central portion of the walls. The air conducting unit is designed to conduct air into the air intake port, through the vortex path, and out the air output port. The water handling assembly includes a supply assembly, a Peltier water cooling unit to cool water received from the supply assembly, and a dispensing assembly to dispense cooled water received from the Peltier water cooling unit into the interior space and into contact with the heat exchanger and air passing through the heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A vortex air handling system comprising: a housing comprising an air intake port, an air output port, and an interior space connecting said air intake port and said air output port; a heat exchanger disposed in said interior space and comprising a plurality of walls defining a vortex path running from an outer portion to a central portion of said walls; an air conducting unit configured to conduct air into said air intake port, through said vortex path, and out said air output port; and a water handling assembly comprising a supply assembly, a Peltier water cooling unit to cool water received from said supply assembly, and a dispensing assembly to dispense cooled water received from said Peltier water cooling unit into said interior space and into contact with said heat exchanger and air passing through said heat exchanger.

2. The vortex air handling system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of walls are disposed in essentially a spiral pattern.

3. The vortex air handling system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of walls are formed from one continuous wall.

4. The vortex air handling system of claim 1, wherein said air conducting unit comprises a blower connected to said air intake port and configured to blow air into said interior space.

5. The vortex air handling system of claim 1, wherein said air conducting unit comprises a blower connected to said air output port and configured to draw air through said interior space.

6. The vortex air handling system of claim 1, wherein said supply assembly comprises a collection tray forming a bottom cover of said housing and configured to collect water dispensed from said dispensing assembly and a pump unit configured to pump water to said Peltier water cooling unit.

7. The vortex air handling system of claim 6, wherein said collection tray comprises a main portion and a side portion containing said pump unit, wherein said side portion is vertically offset below said main portion such that water overflows from said main portion into said side portion to submerge said pump unit in water.

8. The vortex air handling system of claim 7, wherein said collection tray comprises a side wall portion configured to prevent flow of water from said main portion into said side portion and thereby maintain a desired level of water in said collection tray.

9. The vortex air handling system of claim 6, wherein said collection tray comprises a drainage unit.

10. The vortex air handling system of claim 1, wherein said dispensing assembly forms a top cover of said housing and is configured to drip water by gravity into said interior space.

11. The vortex air handling system of claim 10, wherein said dispensing assembly comprises an upper panel and a lower panel positioned in a stacked manner, a sealing gasket disposed between and sealing perimeter edges of said upper and lower panels to form a water space there between operatively connected to said Peltier water cooling unit, wherein said lower panel comprises a plurality of orifices therein to permit water in said water space to drip out through said orifices and into said interior space.

12. The vortex air handling system of claim 11, wherein said lower panel comprises a sealing layer in sealing engagement with an upper portion of said walls of said heat exchanger.

13. The vortex air handling system of claim 11, wherein said dispensing assembly comprises a water reservoir mounted on said upper panel and configured to receive and store water from said Peltier water cooling unit, wherein said water reservoir is connected to said water space to maintain a desired amount of water in said water space.

14. The vortex air handling system of claim 13, wherein said water reservoir comprises an overflow opening operatively connected to said supply assembly to permit flow of excess water directly to said supply assembly for recirculation.

15. The vortex air handling system of claim 14, wherein said water reservoir comprises a lid to permit opening and closing of said water reservoir for refilling.

16. The vortex air handling system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of walls comprise a metal configured to produce an oligodynamic effect.

17. A vortex air handling system comprising: a housing comprising an air intake port, an air output port, and an interior space connecting said air intake port and said air output port; a heat exchanger disposed in said interior space and comprising a plurality of walls defining a vortex path running from an outer portion to a central portion of said walls, wherein: said plurality of walls are disposed in essentially a spiral pattern, said plurality of walls are formed from one continuous wall, an air conducting unit configured to conduct air into said air intake port, through said vortex path, and out said air output port, wherein: said air conducting unit comprises a blower wherein one of (A) and (B): (A) said blower is connected to said air intake port and configured to blow air into said interior space, (B) said blower is connected to said air output port and configured to draw air through said interior space; and a water handling assembly comprising a supply assembly, a Peltier water cooling unit to cool water received from said supply assembly, and a dispensing assembly to dispense cooled water received from said Peltier water cooling unit into said interior space and into contact with said heat exchanger and air passing through said heat exchanger, wherein: said supply assembly comprises a collection tray forming a bottom cover of said housing and configured to collect water dispensed from said dispensing assembly and a pump unit configured to pump water to said Peltier water cooling unit, said collection tray comprises a main portion and a side portion containing said pump unit, wherein said side portion is vertically offset below said main portion such that water overflows from said main portion into said side portion to submerge said pump unit in water, said collection tray comprises a side wall portion configured to prevent flow of water from said main portion into said side portion and thereby maintain a desired level of water in said collection tray, said collection tray comprises a drainage unit, said dispensing assembly forms a top cover of said housing and is configured to drip water by gravity into said interior space, said dispensing assembly comprises an upper panel and a lower panel positioned in a stacked manner, a sealing gasket disposed between and sealing perimeter edges of said upper and lower panels to form a water space there between operatively connected to said Peltier water cooling unit, wherein said lower panel comprises a plurality of orifices therein to permit water in said water space to drip out through said orifices and into said interior space, said lower panel comprises a sealing layer in sealing engagement with an upper portion of said walls of said heat exchanger, said dispensing assembly comprises a water reservoir mounted on said upper panel and configured to receive and store water from said Peltier water cooling unit, wherein said water reservoir is connected to said water space to maintain a desired amount of water in said water space, said water reservoir comprises an overflow opening operatively connected to said supply assembly to permit flow of excess water directly to said supply assembly for recirculation, said water reservoir comprises a lid to permit opening and closing of said water reservoir for refilling.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0010] The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vortex air handling system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of components of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of components of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a view of a component of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a component of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 6 thereof, a new vortex air handling system embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

[0018] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, the vortex air handling system 10 generally comprises a housing 12, a heat exchanger 14, an air conducting unit 16, and a water handling assembly 18. The housing 12 includes an air intake port 20, an air output port 22, and an interior space 24 connecting the air intake port 20 and the air output port 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchanger 14 is positioned in the interior space 24 and includes a plurality of walls 26 defining a vortex path running from an outer portion to a central portion of the walls 26, as best seen in FIG. 5. The air conducting unit 16 is designed to conduct air into the air intake port 20, through the vortex path, and out the air output port 22. The water handling assembly 18 includes a supply assembly 28, a Peltier water cooling unit 30 to cool water received from the supply assembly 28, and a dispensing assembly 32 to dispense cooled water received from the Peltier water cooling unit 30 into the interior space 24 and into contact with the heat exchanger 14 and air passing through the heat exchanger 14.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the plurality of walls 26 are positioned in essentially a spiral pattern. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the plurality of walls 26 are formed from one continuous wall. The walls 26 can be made from one or metals that are designed to produce an oligodynamic effect. In one possible embodiment, copper can be used for its heat transfer properties and oligodynamic effect on microorganisms and other organic contaminants, though other metals could be used. The vortex design maximizes the contact of the air with the walls 26 in a very compact space.

[0020] The air conducting unit 16 includes a blower 34 that can either be connected to the air intake port 20 and designed to blow air into the interior space 24, such as shown in FIG. 1, or be connected to the air output port 22 and designed to draw air through the interior space 24, such as shown in FIG. 6. Either design can be used depending on the spacing and needs of a particular installation.

[0021] As shown in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2, the supply assembly 28 includes a collection tray 36 forming a bottom cover of the housing 12 and designed to collect water dispensed from the dispensing assembly 32, as well as a pump unit 38 designed to pump water to the Peltier water cooling unit 30. The collection tray 36 includes a main portion 40 and a side portion 42 containing the pump unit 38, wherein the side portion 42 is vertically offset below the main portion 40 such that water overflows from the main portion 40 into the side portion 42 to submerge the pump unit 38 in water. The collection tray 36 includes a side wall portion 44 designed to prevent flow of water from the main portion 40 into the side portion 42 and thereby maintain a desired level of water in the collection tray 36. The water essentially functions as a seal at the lower end of the walls 26. The collection tray 36 includes a drainage unit 46, which can be operated to drain out used or contaminated water.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the dispensing assembly 32 forms a top cover of the housing 12 and is designed to drip water by gravity into the interior space 24. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the dispensing assembly 32 includes an upper panel 48 and a lower panel 50 positioned in a stacked manner, a sealing gasket 52 positioned between and sealing perimeter edges of the upper and lower panels 48, 50 to form a water space 54 there between operatively connected to the Peltier water cooling unit 30, wherein the lower panel 50 includes a plurality of orifices 56 therein to permit water in the water space 54 to drip out through the orifices 56 and into the interior space 24. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower panel 50 includes a sealing layer 58, which is designed to be in sealing engagement with an upper portion of the walls 26 of the heat exchanger 14. The sealing layer 58 can be made from any appropriate sealing material, such as rubber or elastomers. In one possible embodiment, the sealing layer 58 could include channels or grooves to match the pattern of the walls 26.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the dispensing assembly 32 includes a water reservoir 60 mounted on the upper panel 48 and designed to receive and store water from the Peltier water cooling unit 30, wherein the water reservoir 60 is connected to the water space 54 to maintain a desired amount of water in the water space 54. The water reservoir 60 includes an overflow opening 62 operatively connected to the supply assembly 28 to permit flow of excess water directly to the supply assembly 28 for recirculation. The water reservoir 60 includes a lid 64 to permit opening and closing of the water reservoir 60 for refilling.

[0024] In operation, according to the exemplary embodiment shown, water, such as tap water, is conducted by the pump unit 38 through the Peltier water cooling unit 30, up to the water reservoir 60, and then into the water space 54. The Peltier water cooling unit 30 chills the water to a very cold temperature, comparable in temperature to chemical refrigerants. The water in the water reservoir 60 maintains the water space 54 filled with water, and the overflow helps drain excess water to the collection tray 36. The water 68 then drips through the orifices 56 and into the interior space 24, as shown in FIG. 2. The dripping water is contacted by the moving air and also contacts the walls 26. The cold water cools the walls 26 to cool the air in an air cooling process. In addition, the water vaporizes to help generate beneficial humidity. Finally, the water contacts particles in the air, such as dust and microorganisms, which causes them to adhere to the walls 26 and also fall out of the air with the water, which can produce an air purifying or filtering effect. The water is then collected in the collection tray 36 below. The side wall portion 44, which could extend all the way around the collection tray 36, prevents the flow of water from the main body into the side portion 42 and thereby maintains a desired level of water in the collection tray 36. In this manner, the upper portion of the water can flow into the side body for recirculation. However, the lower portion of water stays in the collection tray 36. Particles and contaminants knocked out of the air by the dripping water will settle in the bottom of the collection tray 36, whereas the upper portion of the water that flows over the side wall portion 44 and into the side portion 42 will be relatively clean. The water can be drained out of the collection tray 36 periodically. Heated exhaust air can be exhausted via air conduits 66 built into a building, or out through windows or wall openings.

[0025] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0026] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word comprising is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article a does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.