Air conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240823-B2
Application number	US-201514856661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	Jun 10, 2008
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

An air conditioning system that includes desiccant compartments for holding a desiccant; a heat exchanger, a blower and a vessel. The heat exchanger can be filled with a heat transfer medium, while the blower blows ambient air by the heat exchanger such that the blown air is cooled and the heat exchanger is warmed such that thermal energy increases and is transferred from the air to the heat transfer medium causing the heat transfer medium to turn into vapor. The vapor is then diffused to one of the desiccant compartments such that the vapor is adsorbed onto the desiccant creating a mixture. Then an energy source is applied to the mixture such that the vapor and desiccant are separated. The separated vapor is transported to the vessel where it is condensed and then sent back to the heat exchanger, such that the system is able to be continuously operating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning system, comprising:
a first desiccant chamber initially configured to operate in a cooling mode and a second desiccant chamber initially configured to operate in a recharging mode, wherein the cooling mode provides for adsorption of a refrigerant in vapor form and the recharging mode provides for the desorption of the vapor, wherein the refrigerant comprises water in the first desiccant chamber and the second desiccant chamber;
at least one heat exchanger configured to vaporize the refrigerant in liquid form into the vapor by absorption of heat from a fluid to be cooled, wherein a heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is provided by the fluid to be cooled;
a desiccant contained within the first desiccant chamber and the second desiccant chamber configured to adsorb the vapor generated by the vaporization of the refrigerant;
an energy source for causing the vapor in the desiccant to be desorbed;
a condenser for cooling and condensing the vapor for use as the refrigerant in the at least one heat exchanger;
at least one valve that reconfigures the first desiccant chamber for operation in the recharging mode once the first desiccant chamber adsorbs a certain amount of the vapor; and
at least one valve that reconfigures the second desiccant chamber for operation in the cooling mode, wherein the second desiccant chamber is reconfigured contemporaneously with the reconfiguration of the first desiccant chamber so that the cooling process of the fluid to be cooled is maintained.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the desiccant is amorphous silica gel, diatomaceous earth,
calcium aluminosilicate clay, molecular sieves, activated carbon, hydrous aluminum silicate, or
combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the hydrous aluminum silicate is a zeolite.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the zeolite is analcime, chabazite, heulandite, natrolite, phillipsite, stilbite, or combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the desiccant is housed in a desiccant cartridge of the desiccant chamber.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the desiccant cartridge is removable.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the desiccant cartridge has a circular cross section.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the energy source is heat.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the heat is solar heat, waste engine heat or an auxiliary heating unit.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the energy source is applied to the desiccant via a heat sink.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat sink is a tube dispersed in the zeolite.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the tube further comprises rings.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first desiccant chamber or the second desiccant chamber further comprises a perforated sieve configured to maintain the zeolite in the first desiccant chamber or the second desiccant chamber.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first desiccant chamber and the second desiccant chamber further comprises at least one perforated tube configured to facilitate the movement of desorbed vapor to the condenser.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is operated at a partial vacuum.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein a vacuum pump is used to evacuate the system prior to or during operation.

17. A modular air conditioning system comprising:
a heat exchanger module having at least one heat exchanger with a refrigerant, wherein the refrigerant comprises water;
an adsorption module having:
a first desiccant chamber initially configured to operate in a cooling mode;
a second desiccant chamber initially configured to operate in a recharging mode, wherein the cooling mode provides for the adsorption of a vapor and the recharging mode provides for the desorption of the vapor;
a first valve that reconfigures the first desiccant chamber for operation in the recharging mode once the first desiccant chamber adsorbs a certain amount of the vapor; and
a second valve that reconfigures the second desiccant chamber for operation in the cooling mode, wherein the second desiccant chamber is reconfigured contemporaneously with the reconfiguration of the first desiccant chamber so that the cooling process of the fluid to be cooled is maintained, wherein a heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is provided by the fluid to be cooled; and
a condenser module having at least a condenser for cooling and condensing the vapor for use as the refrigerant in the heat exchanger module.

18. The modular system of claim 17 , wherein the desiccant is amorphous silica gel, diatomaceous earth, calcium aluminosilicate clay, molecular sieves, activated carbon, or hydrous aluminum silicate, or combinations thereof.

19. The modular system of claim 18 , wherein the hydrous aluminum silicate is a zeolite.

20. The modular system of claim 19 , wherein the zeolite is analcime, chabazite, heulandite, natrolite, phillipsite, stilbite, or combinations thereof.

21. The modular system of claim 17 , wherein the adsorption module further comprises an energy inlet for heating the desiccant to cause the vapor adsorbed in the desiccant to be desorbed.

22. The modular system of claim 17 , wherein the adsorption module further comprises a coolant inlet, wherein the coolant is used in the condenser to cool and condense the vapor.

23. A method for providing cooling of a fluid, comprising:
operating a first desiccant chamber in cooling mode to adsorb a vapor generated by the expansion of a refrigerant, wherein the refrigerant comprises water;
operating a second desiccant chamber in a recharging mode by heating the desiccant to desorb the vapor; and
switching the operation of the first desiccant chamber to a recharging mode once the first desiccant chamber has adsorbed a certain amount of the vapor and contemporaneously switching the operation of the second desiccant chamber to a cooling mode so that the cooling of the fluid is maintained, wherein a heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is provided by the fluid to be cooled.

24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising cooling and condensing the vapor that is desorbed.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein the desiccant is zeolite and the refrigerant is water.

26. The method of claim 23 , further comprising a third desiccant chamber operating in the cooling mode, the recharging mode or a standby mode.

Assignees

• Oxicool Inc
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Barot Ravikant T
• Kaufman Jonathan William
• Coleman Stephen M

Classifications

• F25B17/083 Primary

  with two or more boiler-sorbers operating alternately · CPC title

• Y02A30/278

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F25B15/00

  Sorption machines, plants or systems, operating continuously, e.g. absorption type · CPC title

• Y02B30/64

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F25B27/00

  Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy (F25B30/06 takes precedence) · CPC title