Modular portable air-conditioning system

• US 6,240,742 B1
• Filed: 12/01/1999
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The United States of America The As Represented By The Secretary of The Navy, Chief of The Navy Research
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Dolinar, Paul A., Kaufman, Jonathan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Melvin
• Application Number:
  US09/452,236
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 624/80, 621/25, 621/29, 622/39, 623/17, 165/50
• US Class Current: 62/480
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/022 comprising a compressor cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/04 Arrangements for portability
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/36 Modules, e.g. for an easy mounting or transport

Abstract

A modular air-conditioning system is disclosed and consists of a power supply module, blower module(s), air-conditioning module(s), and an air-distribution module. The power module may be comprised of batteries, whereas the blower module provides ventilation through the air-conditioning system that extracts heat from the flow of fluid and directs the extracted heat to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is a closed-low pressure system consisting of a liquid filled with a water adsorbing material. The heat is extracted from boiling liquid in a lower chamber of the heat exchanger and transferred to an upper chamber of the heat exchanger by way of heat and mass transfer.

Claims

1. A modular portable cooling system comprising:

(a) a power module making available power excitation at its output;

(b) a blower module having means for connecting to said power excitation and having at least first and second blowers excited by said power and each blower preferably having a filter canister with an input and an output and with one canister being an upper canister arrange a above the other canister which is a lower canister;

(c) an air-conditioning module including a heat exchanger comprising;

(i) an upper compartment having entrance and exit ducts and containing a water adsorbing material;

said entrance duct being arranged in line with the lower canister of said blower module;

(ii) a lower compartment having entrance and exit ducts and containing water and also housing heat-exchanging fins, said entrance duct being arranged in line with the lower canister of said blower module; and

(iii) tubing interconnecting said upper and lower compartments; and

(iv) means fluidly coupled to said upper and lower compartments for maintaining pressure of said upper and lower compartments so as to reduce the boiling point of water near room temperature; and

(d) at least one air-distribution module having an interior and a manifold which divides said interior into upper and lower passageways each passageway having entrance and exit sections with the entrance section of an upper passageway being arranged so as to be in line with the exit duct of said upper compartment of said heat exchanger and with the entrance section of the lower passageway being arranged so as to be in line with the exit duct of said lower compartment of said heat exchanger.

2. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 1, wherein said manifold is adjustable and said air-distribution module further comprises a control valve operatively connected to said adjustable manifold so that the upper and lower passageway have air streams that can be mixed with each other.

3. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 1, wherein said lower passageway of said air-distribution module has a bottom portion having mounted thereto an exit port.

4. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 1, wherein said air distribution module further comprises means for purging said interior of said air-distribution module of any contaminants therein.

5. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 1 further comprising filtering means for filtering air leaving the exit section of the upper passageway of the air-distribution module.

6. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 5, wherein said filtering means is a canister containing NATO C2 CB.

7. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 1, wherein said power module, blower module, at least one air-conditioning module, and air-distribution module each further comprises a pin and latch mechanism each dimensioned so that said power module, blower module, at least one air-conditioning module, and air-distribution module may be removeably interconnected to each other.

8. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 1, wherein said power module comprise at least one battery.

9. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 1, wherein said exchangeable power modules have an input and an output with said input having means for connecting to excitation selected from various groups including 115 VAC at 400 Hz and 115 VAC at 60 Hz.

10. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 9, wherein said means for connecting to said excitation includes a transformer.

11. The modular portable cooling system according to claim 9 wherein said output of said power module has an operatively connected On-Off switch and a variable switch.

12. A portable air-conditioning module comprising

(a) a heat exchanger comprising;

(i) an upper compartment having entrance and exit ducts and containing a water adsorbing material;

(ii) a lower compartment having entrance and exit ducts and containing water and also housing heat-exchanging fins; and

(iii) tubing interconnecting said upper and lower compartments; and

(b) means for fluidly coupling between said upper and lower compartments and for maintaining pressure of said upper and lower compartments so as to reduce the boiling point of water to near room temperature.

13. The air-conditioning module according to claim 12, wherein said upper compartment comprises metal having a relatively high heat conductivity and having extrusions extending inward of an interior of said upper compartments.

14. The air-conditioning module according to claim 13, wherein said extrusions have a shape selected from the group consisting of fins and ribs.

15. The air-conditioning module according to claim 12, wherein said water-adsorbing material is Zeolite.

16. The air-conditioning module according to claim 12 further comprising at least one control valve fluidly coupled to said tubing.

17. The air-conditioning module according to claim 12 further comprising means for monitoring efficiency of operation of said heat exchanger.

18. The air-conditioning module according to claim 12, wherein said lower compartment has a bottom portion and wherein said air-conditioning module further comprises a discharge valve located at said bottom portion.

19. The air-conditioning module according to claim 12 further comprising a support structure dimensioned to house said air conditioning module.

20. The air-conditioning module according to claim 19, wherein said support structure is comprised of an insulative material and is dimensioned to allow insertion and extraction of said air-conditioning module.

21. The air-conditioning module of claim 20, wherein said insulative material is plastic.

22. The air-conditioning module according to claim 19, wherein said support structure has a pin and latch mechanism for removeably connecting to another structure.