Air blending apparatus for heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC)
First Claim
1. Air-blending apparatus comprising a chamber having a first inlet for outside air and a second inlet for return air and an outlet, a partition dividing a portion of said chamber adjacent to said inlet into first and second compartments, said partition extending from inlet ends of said compartments near said first and second inlets in the direction of said outlet to outlet ends of said compartments, first and second dampers pivotally mounted in said chamber on opposite sides of said partition, said dampers being rotatable into and out of closing engagement with said oulet ends of said compartments, said dampers defining a region of said chamber on opposite sides of said partition and between said outlet ends thereof and the outlet of said chamber of volume variable in accordance with the position of said dampers, means responsive to conditions representing stratification of the air in the vicinity of said outlet of said chamber, and means responsive to said last-named means for controlling the position of said dampers whereby to prevent stratification of the air in the vicinity of said outlet of said chamber.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for blending and destratification of outside and return air streams which are cooled or heated, as by fluid containing heat transfer coils, and discharged into a building. Gates control the flow and blending of outside and inside air in a casing in a region defined at its downstream end by the coils and at its upstream end by the gates which project into the region. The gates are pivotally mounted and vary the volume in the region, and also increase the velocity of air therein to prevent stratification. An array of sensors monitors the temperature of the air passing through the coils and controls the gates, especially when the velocity is low, thereby preventing any freezing of the fluid in the coils which can cause damage. The gates may be panels filled with insulation which provide a seal to protect the coils when the apparatus is not in use. A programmed computer receives inputs from the temperature sensor array and from a discharge air velocity sensor for independently actuating the gates to effect blending, and effect destratification, when destratification is necessary.
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Citations
26 Claims
- 1. Air-blending apparatus comprising a chamber having a first inlet for outside air and a second inlet for return air and an outlet, a partition dividing a portion of said chamber adjacent to said inlet into first and second compartments, said partition extending from inlet ends of said compartments near said first and second inlets in the direction of said outlet to outlet ends of said compartments, first and second dampers pivotally mounted in said chamber on opposite sides of said partition, said dampers being rotatable into and out of closing engagement with said oulet ends of said compartments, said dampers defining a region of said chamber on opposite sides of said partition and between said outlet ends thereof and the outlet of said chamber of volume variable in accordance with the position of said dampers, means responsive to conditions representing stratification of the air in the vicinity of said outlet of said chamber, and means responsive to said last-named means for controlling the position of said dampers whereby to prevent stratification of the air in the vicinity of said outlet of said chamber.
- 19. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing having inlet openings for outside air and for return air, heat transfer coils disposed across said casing, a variable volume air blending region in said casing between said inlet openings and said coils, said region being defined by first and second gates extending into said region for controlling the flow and distribution of air from said outside air and return air inlet openings, means for sensing stratification of air conditions across said coils, and means responsive to said sensing means for controlling the position of said gates in response to the stratification of air in said region across said coils to prevent such stratification.
Specification