Dehumidifier with multi-circuited evaporator and secondary condenser coils

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10845069-B2
Application number	US-201816234200-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 16, 2017
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A dehumidification system includes a compressor, a primary evaporator, a primary condenser, a secondary evaporator, and a secondary condenser. The secondary evaporator receives an inlet airflow and outputs a first airflow to the primary evaporator. The primary evaporator receives the first airflow and outputs a second airflow to the secondary condenser. The secondary condenser receives the second airflow and outputs a third airflow to the primary condenser. The primary condenser receives the third airflow and outputs a dehumidified airflow. The compressor receives a flow of refrigerant from the primary evaporator and provides the flow of refrigerant to the primary condenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dehumidification system, comprising:
a primary metering device;
a secondary evaporator operable to:
receive a flow of refrigerant from the primary metering device; and
receive an inlet airflow and output a first airflow, the first airflow comprising cooler air than the inlet airflow, the first airflow generated by transferring heat from the inlet airflow to the flow of refrigerant as the inlet airflow passes through the secondary evaporator;

two or more secondary metering devices;
a primary evaporator comprising two or more circuits for flow of refrigerant, the primary evaporator operable to:
for each circuit of the two or more circuits, receive a portion of the flow of refrigerant from a corresponding secondary metering device; and
receive the first airflow and output a second airflow, the second airflow comprising cooler air than the first airflow, the second airflow generated by transferring heat from the first airflow to the flow of refrigerant as the first airflow passes through the primary evaporator;

a secondary condenser operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the secondary evaporator; and
receive the second airflow and output a third airflow, the third airflow comprising warmer air with a lower relative humidity than the second airflow, the third airflow generated by transferring heat from the flow of refrigerant to the third airflow as the second airflow passes through the secondary condenser;

a primary condenser operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant; and
receive the third airflow and output a dehumidified airflow, the dehumidified airflow comprising warmer air with a lower relative humidity than the third airflow, the dehumidified airflow generated by transferring heat from the flow of refrigerant to the dehumidified airflow as the third airflow passes through the primary condenser; and

a compressor operable to receive the flow of refrigerant from each circuit of the primary evaporator and provide the flow of refrigerant to the primary condenser, the flow of refrigerant provided to the primary condenser comprising a higher pressure than the flow of refrigerant received at the compressor.

2. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , further comprising two or more primary metering devices;
wherein the secondary evaporator comprises two or more circuits for flow of refrigerant, the secondary evaporator operable to:
for each circuit of the two or more circuits, receive a portion of the flow of refrigerant from a corresponding primary metering device.

3. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the secondary metering devices is a fixed or variable expansion device; and
the primary metering device is a fixed or variable expansion device.

4. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more fans operable to generate the inlet, first, second, third, and dehumidified airflows.

5. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , wherein the dehumidification system is included in a self-contained portable dehumidification unit.

6. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , wherein the dehumidification system is operable to cause the refrigerant to evaporate twice and condense twice in one refrigeration cycle.

7. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , further comprising a sub-cooling coil operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the primary condenser;
output the flow of refrigerant to the primary metering device; and
receive the third airflow and output a fourth airflow, the fourth airflow comprising warmer air with a lower relative humidity than the third airflow, the fourth airflow generated by transferring heat from the flow of refrigerant to the fourth airflow as the third airflow passes through the sub-cooling coil;
wherein the primary condenser is operable to:
receive the fourth airflow instead of the third airflow; and
generate the dehumidified airflow by transferring heat from the flow of refrigerant to the dehumidified airflow as the fourth airflow passes through the primary condenser, the dehumidified airflow comprising warmer and less humid air than the fourth airflow.

8. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , wherein the sub-cooling coil and primary condenser are combined in a single coil unit.

9. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , wherein two or more members selected from the group consisting of the secondary evaporator, the primary evaporator, and the secondary condenser are combined in a single coil pack.

10. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , wherein mass flow rate is different for the portion of the flow of refrigerant received for each circuit of the primary evaporator.

11. The dehumidification system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the secondary metering devices is operated in a substantially open state.

Assignees

• Therma Stor Llc

Inventors

• Sloan Scott E
• Yu Weizhong
• Lorang Grant M
• Demonte Todd R
• O'Brien Timothy S

Classifications

• F25B41/39

  Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in series, i.e. multi-stage expansion, on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F25B41/385

  Dispositions with two or more expansion means arranged in parallel on a refrigerant line leading to the same evaporator · CPC title

• F25B2600/21

  Refrigerant outlet evaporator temperature · CPC title

• F25B2600/19

  Refrigerant outlet condenser temperature · CPC title