Combined direct and indirect evaporative cooling system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12305883-B2
Application number	US-201917273535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2019
Priority date	Sep 20, 2018
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A cooling system for cooling an enclosure, the cooling system including a heat exchange section configured to transfer sensible heat; a humidifier located outside the heat exchange section and configured to humidify a working air stream C so that it transfers latent heat; an air moving system configured to move various air streams through the cooling system; and a piping system configured to connect the heat exchange section to the humidifier and the air moving system. The sensible heat transfer is decoupled from the latent heat transfer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system for cooling an enclosure, the cooling system comprising:
a heat exchange section configured to transfer sensible heat between an inlet air stream and a humid working air stream;
a humidifier located outside the heat exchange section and configured to humidify a working air stream, extracted from the inlet air stream, to generate the humid working air stream so that the humidifier transfers latent heat;
an air moving system configured to move various air streams through the cooling system; and
a piping system configured to provide the humid working air stream from the humidifier to the heat exchange section, and the working air stream to the humidifier,
wherein the sensible heat transfer between the inlet air stream and the humid working air stream is decoupled from the latent heat transfer at the working air stream.

2. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange section comprises:
a dry channel; and
first and second wet channels and,
wherein the dry channel is directly sandwiched between the first and second wet channels.

3. The cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the dry channel has an inlet for receiving the inlet air stream, the inlet air stream A being air received from outside the enclosure that is being cooled by the cooling system.

4. The cooling system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a dehumidifier connected to the inlet of the dry channel for removing humidity from the inlet air stream.

5. The cooling system of claim 3 , wherein the dry channel has an outlet fluidly connected to the air moving system.

6. The cooling system of claim 5 , wherein a cooled air stream exiting the outlet of the dry channel, is partially deviated as a working air stream toward the humidifier, and the remaining of the cooled air stream is released into the enclosure to be cooled.

7. The cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the working air stream is humidified inside the humidifier and transformed into the humid working air stream.

8. The cooling system of claim 7 , wherein a relative humidity of the humid working air stream is higher than 90%.

9. The cooling system of claim 7 , wherein the humid working air stream is input to the first and second wet channels.

10. The cooling system of claim 7 , wherein the humid working air stream is input at multiple injection ports for each of the first and second wet channels.

11. The cooling system of claim 9 , wherein the humid working air stream experiences evaporation within the first and second wet channels, resulting in a purged air stream.

12. The cooling system of claim 11 , wherein the purged air stream is released into the ambient at outlet ports of the first and second wet channels.

13. The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller located inside the enclosure to be cooled; and
a damper located in the piping system for deviating a part of a cooled air stream from the heat exchange section to the humidifier,
wherein the controller controls a flow of the deviated cooled air stream by adjusting a position of the damper.

14. The cooling system of claim 13 , further comprising:
plural temperature and humidity sensors located throughout the piping system for providing information to the controller for adjusting a speed of the air moving system and a position of the damper.

15. The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising:
another heat exchange section configured to transfer heat,
wherein a cooled air stream from the heat exchange section is used as input by the another heat exchange section.

16. A method for cooling an enclosure with a cooling system, the method comprising:
absorbing from outside the cooling system an inlet air stream and circulating the inlet air stream through a dry channel of a heat exchange section, which is configured to transfer sensible heat from the dry channel to first and second wet channels;
cooling the inlet air stream in the dry channel to obtain a cooled air stream;
removing part of the cooled air stream as a working air stream;
increasing a humidity of the working air stream with a humidifier, which is located outside the heat exchange section, to obtain a humid working air stream;
circulating the humid working air stream through the first and second wet channels to evaporate water droplets and obtain a purged air stream; and
expelling the purged air stream outside the cooling system.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dry channel is directly sandwiched between the first and second wet channels.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
dehumidifying with a dehumidifier the inlet air stream prior to entering the dry channel.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
releasing the remaining cooled air stream into the enclosure to be cooled.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
increasing a humidity of the working air stream so that a relative humidity of the humid working air stream is larger than 90%.

21. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
inputting the humid working air stream at multiple injection ports located along each of the first and second wet channels.

22. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
decoupling the sensible heat exchange from the latent heat exchange by performing the sensible heat exchange in the dry channel and by performing the latent heat exchange in the humidifier.

23. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
adjusting, with a controller, a position of a damper, which is located in a piping system ( 540 ), to control a flow of the working air stream.

24. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
measuring plural temperature and humidity values throughout the cooling system for adjusting a speed of the air moving system and a position of a damper.

25. A cooling system for cooling an enclosure, the cooling system comprising:
a dry channel configured to perform sensible heat exchange on an inlet air stream to obtain a cooled air stream for cooling the enclosure;
a first wet channel configured to transfer heat to a humid working air stream to obtain a purged air stream; and
a humidifier located outside the dry channel and the first wet channel and configured to humidify a working air stream to obtain the humid working air stream,
wherein the inlet air stream is taken from outside the enclosure, and
wherein the purged air stream is released outside the enclosure.

26. The cooling system of claim 25 , further comprising:
a second wet channel,
wherein the dry channel is directly sandwiched between the first and second wet channels.

27. The cooling system of claim 26 , further comprising:
an air moving system configured to move the inlet air stream, the cooled air stream, the working air stream, the humid working air stream, and the purged air stream through the cooling system; and
a piping system configured to connect the dry channel, the first and second wet channels to the humidifier and to the air moving system.

Assignees

• Univ King Abdullah Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Ng Kim Choon
• Shahzad Muhammad Wakil
• Burhan Muhammad
• Ybyraiymkul Doskhan
• Oh Seung Jin

Classifications

• F28C1/14 Primary

  comprising also a non-direct contact heat exchange · CPC title

• F24F6/04

  using stationary unheated wet elements · CPC title

• Y02B30/70

  Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating · CPC title

• Y02B30/54

  Free-cooling systems · CPC title

• F24F5/0035 Primary

  using evaporation · CPC title