Energy recovery system for HVAC system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11041651-B2
Application number	US-201916446366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2019
Priority date	May 24, 2019
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an energy recovery system for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system. The energy recovery system includes a nozzle having a flow passage with an inlet passage and an outlet passage that is narrowed relative to the inlet passage, in which the nozzle is configured to couple to a condenser and receive an air flow into the flow passage from a condenser fan. The energy recovery system further includes a wind turbine disposed within the outlet passage of the flow passage and having a first axis of rotation, and a generator that is external to the nozzle and that includes a shaft with a second axis of rotation. The generator is coupled to the wind turbine, such that the first axis of rotation is aligned with the second axis of rotation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy recovery system for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
a nozzle including a flow passage with an inlet passage and an outlet passage that is narrowed relative to the inlet passage, wherein the nozzle is configured to couple to a condenser and receive an air flow into the flow passage from a condenser fan;
a wind turbine having a first axis of rotation; and
a generator that is external to the nozzle and that includes a shaft with a second axis of rotation, wherein the shaft extends from the generator to the wind turbine and is coupled to the wind turbine, such that the first axis of rotation is aligned with the second axis of rotation, and wherein the wind turbine is positioned within the outlet passage of the flow passage via the shaft.

2. The energy recovery system of claim 1 , comprising a support frame configured to couple to a fan deck of the condenser, wherein the support frame is coupled to the nozzle and the generator and is configured to support the nozzle, the generator, and the wind turbine.

3. The energy recovery system of claim 2 , wherein the support frame is configured to suspend the nozzle at an offset distance from the fan deck.

4. The energy recovery system of claim 3 , comprising the fan deck, wherein the fan deck includes an opening, and the condenser fan is configured to force the air flow through the opening and into the flow passage.

5. The energy recovery system of claim 1 , wherein the wind turbine completely axially overlaps with the outlet passage.

6. The energy recovery system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet passage of the flow passage is configured to direct the air flow out of the nozzle and into a diffuser extending from the outlet passage of the flow passage.

7. The energy recovery system of claim 6 , wherein the nozzle and the diffuser are integrated with one another.

8. The energy recovery system of claim 1 , wherein the generator is electrically coupled to a utility power grid, a battery, or both.

9. The energy recovery system of claim 1 , wherein the generator is an induction generator.

10. The energy recovery system of claim 1 , wherein the wind turbine is directly coupled to the shaft.

11. An energy recovery system for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
a conduit configured to receive an air flow, wherein the conduit has a narrowed outlet passage;
a generator;
a wind turbine having a rotational axis and coupled to the generator, wherein rotation of the wind turbine about the rotational axis causes the generator to produce electrical power; and
a support frame coupled to the generator and to the conduit, such that the conduit, the generator, and the wind turbine are aligned about the rotational axis of the wind turbine, wherein the generator is positioned external to the narrowed outlet passage of the conduit via the support frame, and the wind turbine is disposed within the narrowed outlet passage.

12. The energy recovery system of claim 11 , wherein the support frame includes a segment, a first end of the segment is coupled to a fan deck of the HVAC system, a second end of the segment is coupled to the generator, and an intermediate section of the segment is coupled to the conduit.

13. The energy recovery system of claim 12 , wherein the intermediate section conforms to a geometry of the conduit.

14. The energy recovery system of claim 11 , wherein the support frame is configured to align the conduit, the generator, and the wind turbine with one another along the rotational axis of the wind turbine.

15. The energy recovery system of claim 11 , wherein the conduit has an inlet passage that transitions from a first width to a narrower second width.

16. The energy recovery system of claim 15 , wherein the conduit includes a diffuser extending from the narrowed outlet passage, wherein the diffuser has a diffuser outlet passage having a third width that is greater than the second width.

17. The energy recovery system of claim 11 , wherein a first edge of the wind turbine substantially aligns with a second edge of the narrowed outlet passage.

18. A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
a condenser having a fan deck and a condenser fan, wherein the fan deck has an opening, and the condenser fan is configured to direct an air flow through the opening; and
an energy recovery system having a conduit positioned from the fan deck by an offset distance and configured to receive the air flow directed through the opening, a support frame coupled to a generator and to the conduit, and a wind turbine having a rotational axis and coupled to the generator, wherein the conduit, the generator, and the wind turbine are aligned about the rotational axis of the wind turbine, wherein the conduit comprises an inlet passage having a first width, a narrowed passage having a second width that is less than the first width, and a diffuser outlet passage having a third width that is greater than the second width, and wherein the wind turbine is disposed within the narrowed passage.

19. The HVAC system of claim 18 , wherein the generator is disposed at least partially within the diffuser passage, the energy recovery system comprises a shaft extending from the generator to the wind turbine along the rotational axis, such that the wind turbine is suspended within the narrowed passage via the shaft.

20. The HVAC system of claim 18 , comprising a tunnel section coupled to the inlet passage of the conduit and to the fan deck to position the conduit at the offset distance from the fan deck, wherein the tunnel section has a flange, and the support frame has a segment coupled to the flange at an end of the segment.

21. The HVAC system of claim 20 , wherein the flange is a first flange, the end is a first end, the diffuser outlet passage has a second flange, and an intermediate section of the segment extends along the rotational axis to the second flange and a second end of the segment extends along the second flange in a direction transverse to the rotational axis.

22. The HVAC system of claim 21 , wherein a side of the generator is coupled to the second end of the segment.

23. The HVAC system of claim 18 , wherein the narrowed passage, the diffuser passage, and the diffuser outlet passage are integrally formed as one piece.

24. The HVAC system of claim 18 , comprising a motor configured to rotate the condenser fan, wherein the generator and the motor are each electrically coupled to a power source, the generator is configured to deliver generated electrical power to the power source to store the generated electrical power, and the power source is configured to supply the generated electrical power to the motor to rotate the condenser fan.

25. The HVAC system of claim 18 , wherein the opening has a first cross-sectional area, and the inlet passage has a second cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to the first cross-sectional area.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Elsaadany Mahmoud S E

Classifications

• F24F2140/10

  Pressure · CPC title

• F24F2110/20

  Humidity · CPC title

• F03D9/25 Primary

  the apparatus being an electrical generator (F03D9/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05B2220/604

  for domestic central heating or production of electricity · CPC title

• Y02B10/30

  Wind power · CPC title