Energy recovery ventilator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10775071-B2
Application number	US-201414146773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2014
Priority date	Jan 4, 2013
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

An energy recovery ventilator for a heating or cooling system includes a housing and a heat exchanger located in the housing for recovery of thermal energy from a stale airflow of the heating or cooling system. An exhaust fan positioned in the housing is in flow communication with the heat exchanger to urge the stale airflow from a return port disposed in a first side panel of the housing, across the heat exchanger and toward an exhaust port of the energy recovery ventilator. The exhaust fan and the heat exchanger are configured such that the heat exchanger is removable from the housing via a front panel opening in the housing without disturbing a position of the exhaust fan.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy recovery ventilator for a heating or cooling system comprising:
a housing having a front panel, a top panel and a rear panel;
a heat exchanger disposed in the housing for recovery of thermal energy from a stale airflow of the heating or cooling system;
an exhaust fan disposed in the housing vertically between the heat exchanger and the top panel and horizontally between the heat exchanger and the rear panel, the exhaust fan in flow communication with the heat exchanger to urge the stale airflow from a return port across the heat exchanger and toward an exhaust port of the energy recovery ventilator; and
a controls tray disposed in the housing between the front panel and the heat exchanger, such that the controls tray is removable through the front panel opening prior to removal of the heat exchanger;
wherein the top panel is perpendicular to a first side panel, both the exhaust port and a fresh inlet air port are in the top panel of the housing, the return port and a supply air outlet port both disposed in the first side panel perpendicular to the top panel, the exhaust fan and the heat exchanger are configured such that the heat exchanger is removable from the housing via a front panel opening in the front panel without disturbing a position of the exhaust fan;
wherein the controls tray further includes:
a supply fan to urge a fresh air flow into the energy recovery ventilator via the fresh air port, the supply fan located upstream of the heat exchanger relative to a flow direction of the fresh airflow from the fresh air port to the heat exchanger; and
a fresh air damper disposed in a fresh air duct between the supply fan and the energy recovery ventilator.

2. The energy recovery ventilator of claim 1 , wherein the exhaust fan is an impeller.

3. The energy recovery ventilator of claim 1 , wherein the exhaust fan has an axis of rotation extending toward the first side panel of the housing at an angle between about 45 degrees and 90 degrees.

4. The energy recovery ventilator of claim 1 , wherein the controls tray includes ERV control components.

5. The energy recovery ventilator of claim 1 , wherein the supply fan has an axis of rotation extending toward the first side panel of the housing at an angle between about 45 degrees and 90 degrees.

6. The energy recovery ventilator of claim 1 , wherein a width of the front panel of the energy recovery ventilator is in the range of 5 to 12 inches.

7. The energy recovery ventilator of claim 6 , wherein an aspect ratio of a height of the front panel to the width of the front panel is greater than 1.

8. An energy recovery system comprising:
a heating or cooling system including:
a furnace or fan coil;
a blower compartment including a blower to urge airflow across the furnace or fan coil; and
a return air duct to direct return air from a conditioned space to the blower compartment; and

an energy recovery ventilator coupled to a component of the heating or cooling system including:
a housing having a front panel, a top panel and a rear panel;
a heat exchanger disposed in the housing for recovery of thermal energy from a stale airflow of the heating or cooling system;
an exhaust fan disposed in the housing vertically between the heat exchanger and the top panel and horizontally between the heat exchanger and the rear panel, the exhaust fan in flow communication with the heat exchanger to urge the stale airflow from a return port across the heat exchanger and toward an exhaust port of the energy recovery ventilator; and
a controls tray disposed in the housing between the front panel and the heat exchanger, such that the controls tray is removable through the front panel opening prior to removal of the heat exchanger;

wherein the top panel is perpendicular to a first side panel, both the exhaust port and a fresh inlet air port are in the top panel of the housing, the return port and a supply air outlet port both disposed in the first side panel perpendicular to the top panel, the exhaust fan and the heat exchanger are configured such that the heat exchanger is removable from the housing via a front panel opening in the front panel without disturbing a position of the exhaust fan;
wherein the controls tray further includes:
a supply fan to urge a fresh air flow into the energy recovery ventilator via the fresh air port, the supply fan located upstream of the heat exchanger relative to a flow direction of the fresh airflow from the fresh air port to the heat exchanger; and
a fresh air damper disposed in a fresh air duct between the supply fan and the energy recovery ventilator.

9. The energy recovery system of claim 8 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator is coupled directly to the blower compartment via the return port and a supply port disposed at the first side panel.

10. The energy recovery system of claim 8 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator is coupled directly to the return air duct via the return port and a supply port disposed at the first side panel.

11. The energy recovery system of claim 8 , wherein the exhaust fan is an impeller.

12. The energy recovery system of claim 8 , wherein the exhaust fan has an axis of rotation extending toward the first side panel of the housing at an angle between about 45 degrees and 90 degrees.

13. The energy recovery system of claim 8 , wherein the controls tray includes ERV control components.

14. The energy recovery system of claim 8 , wherein the supply fan has an axis of rotation extending toward the first side panel of the housing at an angle between about 45 degrees and 90 degrees.

15. The energy recovery system of claim 8 wherein a width of the front panel of the energy recovery ventilator is in the range of 5 to 12 inches.

16. The energy recovery system of claim 15 , wherein an aspect ratio of a height of the front panel to the width of the front panel is greater than 1.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Dempsey Daniel J
• Heberer Dwight H

Classifications

• F24F12/006 Primary

  using an air-to-air heat exchanger (F24F12/002 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02B30/56

  Heat recovery units · CPC title

• Y02B30/563

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic