Heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10962303-B2
Application number	US-201916290455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2019
Priority date	Mar 1, 2019
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A heat pipe heat exchanger is used in combination with a damper assembly to selectively control an amount of heat exchange provided. A divider defines discrete heat pipe plenums and bypass plenums within a duct, and the heat pipe system is configured so that all of the coils of one portion of the heat pipe system are received in the heat pipe plenum(s), while the bypass plenum(s) are free of any coils. The damper assembly includes adjustable heat pipe dampers aligned with the heat pipe plenums and adjustable bypass dampers aligned with the bypass plenums. The damper assembly can include a single actuator that simultaneously opens the heat pipe dampers and closes the bypass dampers and simultaneously closes the heat pipe dampers and opens the bypass dampers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a first duct portion and a second duct portion in a ventilation system, the heat exchanger comprising:
a divider that is configured to be installed in the ventilation system in the first duct portion to divide the first duct portion into at least one heat pipe plenum and at least one bypass plenum; a heat pipe system comprising a refrigerant, the heat pipe system including a first heat pipe portion and a second heat pipe portion, the second heat pipe portion being fluidly connected to the first heat pipe portion such that the refrigerant can flow through the heat pipe system between the first heat pipe portion and the second heat pipe portion, the first heat pipe portion being configured to be installed in the first duct portion so that at least one heat pipe segment of the first heat pipe portion is located in the heat pipe plenum such that heat is transferrable between the first heat pipe portion and air flowing through the heat pipe plenum, the bypass plenum being free of any heat pipe segment of the heat pipe system, the second heat pipe portion being configured to be installed in the second duct portion such that heat is transferrable between the second heat pipe portion and air flowing through the second duct portion; and
a damper assembly configured to be mounted across the first duct portion and being selectively adjustable between a heat exchange configuration in which the damper assembly permits air flow through the heat pipe plenum and restricts air flow through the bypass plenum and a bypass configuration in which the damper assembly restricts air flow through the heat pipe plenum and permits air flow through the bypass plenum;
wherein the damper assembly comprises a single actuator configured to adjust the damper assembly between the heat exchange configuration and the bypass configuration.

2. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the damper assembly comprises a frame configured to be installed in the first duct portion upstream of the evaporator portion, the damper assembly further comprising at least one heat pipe louver movably mounted on the frame for alignment with the heat pipe plenum and at least one bypass louver movably mounted on the frame for alignment with the bypass plenum.

3. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the damper assembly further comprises a linkage that connects each heat pipe louver and each bypass louver such that the linkage drives simultaneous rotation of the louvers with respect to the frame in response to movement of any of the louvers.

4. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 3 , wherein each heat pipe louver is oriented at a phase offset angle with respect to each bypass louver and each phase offset angle is in an inclusive range of from about 60° to about 120° in each of the heat exchange configuration and the bypass configuration of the damper assembly.

5. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the single actuator is connected to the linkage to drive simultaneous movement of each heat pipe louver and each bypass louver to adjust the damper assembly between the heat exchange configuration and the bypass configuration.

6. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the divider is configured to divide the first duct portion into at least first and second heat pipe plenums and the bypass plenum is located between the first and second heat pipe plenums.

7. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe system comprises a wraparound heat pipe system.

8. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the divider divides the first duct portion into a first heat pipe plenum, a second heat pipe plenum, and a bypass plenum; and wherein the bypass plenum is located between the first and second heat pipe plenums.

9. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the first heat pipe plenum is located above the bypass plenum and the second heat pipe plenum is located below the bypass plenum.

10. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 9 , wherein each heat pipe segment of the first heat pipe portion extends generally horizontally.

11. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the first and second heat pipe plenums and the bypass plenum are arranged in side-by-side relation and each heat pipe segment of the first heat pipe portion extends generally vertically.

12. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the bypass plenum comprises a first bypass plenum and the divider further divides the first duct portion into a third heat pipe plenum and a second bypass plenum, at least one heat pipe segment of the first heat pipe portion being located in the third heat pipe plenum and the second bypass plenum being free of any heat pipe segment of the heat pipe system, the first and second bypass plenums being interleaved between the first, second, and third heat pipe plenums.

13. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the damper assembly comprises a frame, the damper assembly further comprising at least one heat pipe louver movably mounted on the frame for alignment with each of the first and second heat pipe plenums and at least one bypass louver movably mounted on the frame for alignment with the bypass plenum.

14. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the damper assembly further comprises a linkage that connects each heat pipe louver and each bypass louver such that the linkage drives simultaneous movement of the louvers with respect to the frame in response to movement of any of the louvers.

15. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 14 , wherein each heat pipe louver is oriented at a phase offset angle with respect to each bypass louver and each phase offset angle is in an inclusive range of from about 60° to about 120° in each of the heat exchange configuration and the bypass configuration of the damper assembly.

16. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the heat pipe system comprises a wraparound heat pipe system.

17. A heat exchanger as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the frame extends in a damper assembly plane, the frame having an interior and the divider separating a heat pipe section of the interior from a bypass section of the interior;
wherein each heat pipe louver is rotatable with respect to the frame about a heat pipe louver rotational axis oriented generally parallel to the damper assembly plane between a closed position in which the heat pipe louver blocks air flow through the heat pipe section of the interior of the frame and an open position in which the heat pipe louver permits air flow through the heat pipe section of the interior of the frame;
wherein each bypass louver is rotatable with respect to the frame about a bypass louver rotational axis oriented generally parallel to the damper assembly plane between a closed position in which the bypass louver blocks air flow through the bypass section of the interior of the frame and an open position in which the bypass louver permits air flow through the bypass section of the interior of the frame;
wherein the single actuator is configured to perform a first actuation operation in which the actuator adjusts the damper assembly from the heat exchange configuration to the bypass configuration and a second actuation operation in which the actuator adjusts the damper assembly from the bypass configuration to the heat exchange configuration;
wherein by the first actuation operation, the single actuator is configured to simultaneously rotate each heat pipe louver about the respective heat pipe louver rotational axis

Assignees

• Mitek Holdings Inc

Inventors

• D'Arcy Marcus
• Tamunobere Onieluan

Classifications

• F28D15/0266

  with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers (F28D15/043 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F12/002 Primary

  using an intermediate heat-transfer fluid · CPC title

• F28D15/06 Primary

  Control arrangements therefor · CPC title

• F24F2012/005

  using heat pipes · CPC title

• F24F2012/007

  using a by-pass for bypassing the heat-exchanger · CPC title