Method and apparatus for conservation of energy and containment and evacuation of smoke in a high rise building
First Claim
1. An improvement for use in a high rise building with a plurality of floors having air conditioning and ventilating duct members and control means for normally selectively controlling the flow of air to a plurality of selected locations in the building, said duct members including main air passageways extending vertically between said floors in said building, a plurality of auxiliary supply passageways and a plurality of auxiliary return passageways each extending horizontally between a main passageway and at least one selected location, a plurality of supply registers and a plurality of return registers, each communicating with at least one of said selected locations, each of said auxiliary supply passageways communicating with said selected locations through a corresponding supply register, each of said auxiliary return passageways communicating with said selected locations through a corresponding return register, a supply branch damper mounted relative to each auxiliary supply passageway, a return branch damper mounted relative to each auxiliary return passageway, each of said supply branch dampers and each of said return branch dampers including means being constructed and arranged for controlling, respectively, the flow of air into and out of each of said selected locations through said corresponding supply and return registers, said improvement comprising supply and return branch damper actuation means being operatively connected, respectively, to each of said supply and return branch dampers, means selectively controlling each of said supply and return branch damper actuation means to move said respective supply and return branch dampers between a fully opened position permitting substantially unrestricted air flow between said selected locations and said respective auxiliary passageways through said corresponding supply and return dampers and a fully closed position preventing substantially all air flow between said selected locations and said respective auxiliary passageways through said corresponding supply and return registers, said control means including means for selectively controlling said supply and return branch damper actuation means to move said supply and return branch dampers to at least one pre-selected position intermediate said fully opened and fully closed positions, said control means including means for normally cycling pre-selected supply and return branch dampers within said building between said fully opened and intermediate positions in a manner to reduce and conserve the total energy necessary to supply conditioned air to all of said selected locations within said building by maintaining a pre-selected percentage of said branch supply and return dampers in said intermediate position according to a pre-determined schedule.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus is provided for use in the method of conserving energy by operating a ventilating and air conditioning system in a high rise building in a manner to permit operation of a heating and cooling unit at a reduced percentage of full capacity while adequately heating or cooling the atmosphere within the building. The method is accomplished by cycling area air supply and return dampers between fully-open and intermediate-open positions to selected floors or parts of floors within the building. The dampers are cyclically operated by electro-pneumatic actuators which are operatively connected to a central control apparatus for cycling according to a pre-determined pattern. Smoke detection sensors, located to sample air returned from selected areas of the building to be controlled, supply signals upon actuation by the presence of smoke to the central control apparatus which provides appropriate signals to operate dampers controlling air circulation to the areas of the building where smoke is detected, to create a positive pressure from non-smoke areas of the building toward the smoke area. The smoke is directly evacuated from the building without being recirculated through the air circulating system and the air circulating systems is thereby transformed into a smoke safety, life-support system.
67 Citations
8 Claims
- 1. An improvement for use in a high rise building with a plurality of floors having air conditioning and ventilating duct members and control means for normally selectively controlling the flow of air to a plurality of selected locations in the building, said duct members including main air passageways extending vertically between said floors in said building, a plurality of auxiliary supply passageways and a plurality of auxiliary return passageways each extending horizontally between a main passageway and at least one selected location, a plurality of supply registers and a plurality of return registers, each communicating with at least one of said selected locations, each of said auxiliary supply passageways communicating with said selected locations through a corresponding supply register, each of said auxiliary return passageways communicating with said selected locations through a corresponding return register, a supply branch damper mounted relative to each auxiliary supply passageway, a return branch damper mounted relative to each auxiliary return passageway, each of said supply branch dampers and each of said return branch dampers including means being constructed and arranged for controlling, respectively, the flow of air into and out of each of said selected locations through said corresponding supply and return registers, said improvement comprising supply and return branch damper actuation means being operatively connected, respectively, to each of said supply and return branch dampers, means selectively controlling each of said supply and return branch damper actuation means to move said respective supply and return branch dampers between a fully opened position permitting substantially unrestricted air flow between said selected locations and said respective auxiliary passageways through said corresponding supply and return dampers and a fully closed position preventing substantially all air flow between said selected locations and said respective auxiliary passageways through said corresponding supply and return registers, said control means including means for selectively controlling said supply and return branch damper actuation means to move said supply and return branch dampers to at least one pre-selected position intermediate said fully opened and fully closed positions, said control means including means for normally cycling pre-selected supply and return branch dampers within said building between said fully opened and intermediate positions in a manner to reduce and conserve the total energy necessary to supply conditioned air to all of said selected locations within said building by maintaining a pre-selected percentage of said branch supply and return dampers in said intermediate position according to a pre-determined schedule.
- 7. In a high rise building having a plurality of selected locations, the method of normally supplying conditioned air to said building through a plurality of supply and return passageways communicating with a plurality of selected locations through corresponding supply and return registers in a manner to reduce and conserve the consumption of air conditioning energy, said method comprising normally providing conditioned air to and removing air from a pre-determined number of selected locations at a rate which is a pre-determined reduced percentage of the full capacity of said air conditioning system, simultaneously providing conditioned air to and removing air from the remaining number of said selected locations at said full rate, and cyclically varying the specific selected locations being supplied with conditioned air and having air removed therefrom at said reduced pre-determined percentage of said full rate.
Specification