Enhanced drying dehumidifier

• US 7,246,503 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bou-Matic Technologies, LLC, Therma-Stor LLC
• Original Assignee: Bou-Matic Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Dingle, Steve S., O'Brien, Timothy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; Melvin
• Application Number:
  US11/280,054
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 62/92, 621/85, 622/72, 622/92
• US Class Current: 62/272
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/265 by refrigeration (condensation)
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/125 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/153 with subsequent heating, i.e. with the air, given the required humidity in the central station, passing a heating element to achieve the required temperature

Abstract

A dehumidifier includes an impeller in a cabinet downstream of a condenser coil and drawing air through the cabinet from upstream to downstream through first, second and third segments of an air flow path from an evaporator coil to the condenser coil.

Claims

1. A dehumidifier comprising:

a cabinet;

a compressor in said cabinet for delivering hot compressed refrigerant;

a condenser coil in said cabinet and receiving refrigerant from said compressor and condensing same;

an expansion device in said cabinet and receiving refrigerant from said condenser coil and expanding same;

an evaporator coil in said cabinet and receiving refrigerant from said expansion device and evaporating same, and delivering said refrigerant to said compressor;

said refrigerant being circulated from said compressor to said condenser coil to said expansion device to said evaporator coil and back to said compressor in a refrigeration cycle;

said cabinet having an air flow path therethrough comprising;

a first segment passing ambient air to said evaporator coil;

a second segment passing air from said evaporator coil to said condenser coil;

a third segment discharging air from said condenser coil;

said first, second and third segments of said air flow path being in series from upstream to downstream, respectively;

an impeller in said cabinet downstream of said condenser coil and drawing air through said cabinet from upstream to downstream, namely through said first, second and third segments of said air flow path, respectively.

2. The dehumidifier according to claim 1 wherein said impeller is a backward incline blade impeller.

3. The dehumidifier according to claim 1 wherein:

said impeller rotates about a rotation axis extending along an axial direction;

said third segment of said air flow path extends axially along said axial direction;

said air flow path has a fourth segment discharging air from said impeller, said fourth segment extending radially along a radial direction relative to said axial direction;

said cabinet has an air flow outlet provided by an opening in a cabinet sidewall distally oppositely spaced from said impeller along said radial direction.

4. The dehumidifier according to claim 3 wherein said cabinet is portable, including along a floor, and comprising one or more deflectors directing exiting air downwardly through said opening in said cabinet sidewall towards said floor exteriorly of said cabinet to dry said floor, such that said dehumidifier is also a water-damage-restoration drying fan.

5. The dehumidifier according to claim 4 wherein said opening in said cabinet sidewall has one or more louvers extending there across and angled downwardly to provide said one or more deflectors.

6. The dehumidifier according to claim 3 wherein:

said cabinet has a bottom wall with an opening therein;

said air flow path has a fifth segment passing air from said impeller through said opening in said bottom wall;

such that said dehumidifier comprises two air flow outlets, namely a first air flow outlet along said fourth segment of said air flow path through said opening in said sidewall of said cabinet, and a second air flow outlet along said fifth segment of said air flow path through said opening in said bottom wall of said cabinet.

7. The dehumidifier according to claim 6 wherein said cabinet is portable, including along a floor, and comprising one or more deflectors directing exiting air downwardly through said opening in said sidewall of said cabinet towards said floor to dry same, such that said dehumidifier is also a water-damage-restoration drying fan drying the floor area around said cabinet through said first air flow outlet along said fourth segment of said air flow path through said opening in said sidewall of said cabinet, and also drying the floor area beneath said cabinet through said second air flow outlet along said fifth segment of said air flow path through said opening in said bottom wall of said cabinet.

8. The dehumidifier according to claim 1 wherein said air flow path comprises a fourth segment passing ambient air to said condenser coil.

9. The dehumidifier according to claim 8 wherein said first, second and third segments of said air flow path are in series from upstream to downstream, respectively, and said fourth segment of said air flow path is in parallel with said second segment of said air flow path.

10. The dehumidifier according to claim 9 comprising a heat exchanger having first and second heat exchange paths therethrough in heat exchange relation, and wherein:

said first segment of said air flow path has first and second subsegments;

said first subsegment supplies ambient air to said first heat exchange path of said heat exchanger;

said second subsegment supplies air from said first heat exchange path of said heat exchanger to said evaporator coil;

said second segment of said air flow path has third and fourth subsegments;

said third subsegment supplies air from said evaporator coil to said second heat exchange path of said heat exchanger;

said fourth subsegment supplies air from said second heat exchange path of said heat exchanger to said condenser coil;

said fourth segment is in parallel with said fourth subsegment.

11. The dehumidifier according to claim 10 wherein said fourth segment of said air flow path merges with said fourth subsegment of said air flow path downstream of said second heat exchange path of said heat exchanger.

12. The dehumidifier according to claim 10 wherein said fourth segment of said air flow path is in parallel with each of said first and fourth subsegments of said air flow path.

13. The dehumidifier according to claim 9 wherein said cabinet has an inlet receiving ambient air and having first and second branches, said first branch providing said first segment of said air flow path, said second branch providing said fourth segment of said air flow path.

14. The dehumidifier according to claim 8 wherein said fourth segment of said air flow path bypasses said evaporator coil.

15. The dehumidifier according to claim 10 wherein said fourth segment of said air flow path bypasses both said heat exchanger and said evaporator coil.

16. A dehumidifier comprising:

a cabinet;

a compressor in said cabinet for delivering hot compressed refrigerant;

a desuperheater coil in said cabinet and receiving refrigerant from said compressor and condensing same;

a condenser coil in said cabinet and receiving refrigerant from said desuperheater coil and condensing same;

an expansion device in said cabinet and receiving refrigerant from said condenser coil and expanding same;

an evaporator coil in said cabinet and receiving refrigerant from said expansion device and evaporating same, and delivering said refrigerant to said compressor;

said refrigerant being circulated from said compressor to said desuperheater coil to said condenser coil to said expansion device to said evaporator coil and back to said compressor in a refrigeration cycle;

said cabinet having an airflow path therethrough comprising;

a first segment passing ambient air to said evaporator coil;

a second segment passing air from said evaporator coil to said condenser coil;

a third segment passing air from said condenser coil to said desuperheater coil;

a fourth segment discharging air from said desuperheater coil;

said first, second, third and fourth segments of said air flow path being in series from upstream to downstream, respectively;

an impeller in said cabinet downstream of said desuperheater coil and drawing air through said cabinet from upstream to downstream, namely through said first, second, third and fourth segments of said air flow path, respectively.

17. The dehumidifier according to claim 16 wherein said air flow path comprises a fifth segment passing ambient air to said desuperheater coil.

18. The dehumidifier according to claim 17 wherein said first, second, third and fourth segments of said airflow path are in series from upstream to downstream, respectively, and said fifth segment of said air flow path is in parallel with said third segment of said air flow path.

19. The dehumidifier according to claim 18 comprising a heat exchanger having first and second heat exchange paths therethrough in heat exchange relation, and wherein:

said first segment of said airflow path has first and second subsegments;

said first subsegment supplies ambient air to said first heat exchange path of said heat exchanger;

said second subsegment supplies air from said first heat exchange path of said heat exchanger to said evaporator coil;

said second segment of said airflow path has third and fourth subsegments;

said third subsegment supplies air from said evaporator coil to said second heat exchange path of said heat exchanger;

said fourth subsegment supplies air from said second heat exchange path of said heat exchanger to said condenser coil;

said fifth segment is in parallel with said fourth subsegment after the latter passes through said condenser coil.

20. The dehumidifier according to claim 19 wherein said fifth segment of said airflow path is in parallel with said first subsegment of said airflow path.

21. The dehumidifier according to claim 18 wherein said fifth segment of said airflow path merges with said third segment of said airflow path downstream of said condenser coil and upstream of said desuperheater coil.

22. The dehumidifier according to claim 18 wherein said cabinet has an inlet receiving ambient air and having first and second branches, said first branch providing said first segment of said airflow path, said second branch providing said fifth segment of said airflow path.

23. The dehumidifier according to claim 17 wherein said fifth segment of said airflow path bypasses both said evaporator coil and said condenser coil.

24. The dehumidifier according to claim 19 wherein said fifth segment of said airflow path bypasses each of said heat exchanger and said evaporator coil and said condenser coil.