Energy recovery wheel assembly for an hvac system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020200426-A1
Application number	US-201816234318-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 27, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2018
Publication date	Jun 25, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system including an enclosure that is divided by a partition extending between a first panel and a second panel of the enclosure such that the partition defines an outdoor air flow path and a return air flow path through the enclosure. The partition includes an opening extending between the outdoor airflow path and the return airflow path. The HVAC system also includes an energy recovery wheel that translatably extends through the opening and is positioned within the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path. The energy recovery wheel is disposed within the enclosure at an oblique angle relative to the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path.

First claim

1 . A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
an enclosure divided by a partition extending between a first panel and a second panel of the enclosure such that the partition defines an outdoor air flow path and a return air flow path through the enclosure, wherein the partition includes an opening extending between the outdoor airflow path and the return airflow path; and an energy recovery wheel translatably extending through the opening and positioned within the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path, wherein the energy recovery wheel is disposed within the enclosure at an oblique angle relative to the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path.

2 . The HVAC system of claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery wheel is translatably insertable into the enclosure along a first horizontal direction and translatably removable from the enclosure along a second horizontal direction.

3 . The HVAC system of claim 1 , comprising a support rail extending through the opening and along the first panel, wherein the support rail includes a guide track, wherein the energy recovery wheel includes a guide extension configured to translate along the guide track during translatable positioning of the energy recovery wheel into and out of the enclosure.

4 . The HVAC system of claim 1 , comprising a first subframe assembly and a second subframe assembly, wherein the first subframe assembly is disposed within the outdoor air flow path and includes an outdoor air bypass damper and an outdoor air filter positioned adjacent to one another, and the second subframe assembly is disposed within the return air flow path and includes a return air bypass damper and a return air filter positioned adjacent to one another.

5 . The HVAC system of claim 4 , wherein the outdoor air filter overlaps with the energy recovery wheel relative to a direction of outdoor air flow through the outdoor air flow path, the outdoor air bypass damper is offset from the energy recovery wheel relative to the direction of outdoor air flow, the return air bypass filter overlaps with the energy recovery wheel relative to a direction of return air flow through the return air flow path, and the return air bypass damper is offset from the energy recovery wheel relative to the direction of return air flow.

6 . The HVAC system of claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery wheel is disposed within the outdoor air flow path at an obtuse angle relative to a direction of outdoor air flow along the outdoor air flow path, and the energy recovery wheel is disposed within the return air flow path at an acute angle relative to a direction of return air flow along the return air flow path.

7 . The HVAC system of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the energy recovery wheel exceeds a height dimension of the enclosure between the first panel and the second panel.

8 . The HVAC system of claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery wheel is disposed between a first side panel and a second side panel of the enclosure that extend between the first panel and the second panel, and wherein the partition extends from the opening toward the first side panel along a direction of return air flow along the return air flow path.

9 . The HVAC system of claim 1 , comprising a first bypass damper disposed adjacent the energy recovery wheel and within the outdoor air flow path and a second bypass damper disposed adjacent the energy recovery wheel and within the return air flow path, wherein the first bypass damper and the second bypass damper are oriented at the oblique angle relative to the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path.

10 . A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
a partition configured to divide an enclosure into an outdoor air flow path and a return air flow path, wherein the partition includes an opening; a first support rail and a second support rail configured to extend through the opening and spanning across the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path; and an energy recovery wheel configured to engage with and translate along the first support rail and the second support rail to enable slidable positioning of the energy recovery wheel within the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path, wherein the energy recovery wheel is configured to extend between the first support rail and the second support rail at an oblique angle relative to the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path.

11 . The HVAC system of claim 10 , wherein the first support rail and second support rail are offset from one another with respect a direction of outdoor air flow along the outdoor air flow path.

12 . The HVAC system of claim 10 , wherein the energy recovery wheel includes guide extensions configured to translate along guide tracks of the first support rail and the second support rail in a first horizontal direction or a second horizontal direction to enable the slidable positioning of the energy recovery wheel into or out of the return air flow path and the outdoor air flow path.

13 . The HVAC system of claim 10 , comprising a first subframe assembly and a second subframe assembly coupled to and extending between the first support rail and the second support rail, wherein the first subframe assembly is disposed upstream of the energy recovery wheel with respect to a first direction of outdoor air flow along the outdoor air flow path, and the second subframe assembly is disposed upstream of the energy recovery wheel with respect to a second direction of return air flow along the return air flow path, wherein the first direction is substantially opposite the second direction.

14 . The HVAC system of claim 13 , wherein the first subframe assembly includes an outdoor air bypass damper and an outdoor air filter disposed adjacent to one another, wherein the outdoor air bypass damper is offset from the energy recovery wheel relative to the first direction of outdoor air flow, and the outdoor air filter overlaps with the energy recovery wheel relative to the first direction of outdoor air flow.

15 . The HVAC system of claim 13 , comprising a first block plate extending between the first subframe assembly and the energy recovery wheel and a second block plate extending between the second subframe assembly and the energy recovery wheel, wherein the first block plate and the second block plate are configured to block translational movement of the energy recovery wheel along the first support rail and the second support rail in an installed configuration of the energy recovery wheel.

16 . The HVAC system of claim 10 , wherein the first support rail, the second support rail, or both, are a single piece component.

17 . A rooftop unit for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
an enclosure including a first side panel and a second side panel with a partition therebetween to define an outdoor air flow path and a return air flow path through the enclosure, wherein the partition includes an opening defined therein; a railing system extending through the opening and extending between the first side panel and the second side panel of the enclosure; and an energy recovery wheel translatably coupled to the railing system and disposed within the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path at an oblique angle relative to the outdoor air flow path and the return air flow path, wherein the energy recovery wheel is configured to translate along the railing system to enable removal or insertion of the energy recovery wheel via a lateral side of the

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Nanjappa Vinay
• Ferrere Jr Marcel P
• Jagtap Vishal S
• A R Vijay
• Yelamanchili Chandra S
• Caskey Curtis W
• Karkhanis Rajiv K

Classifications

• Y02B30/56

  Heat recovery units · CPC title

• F24F2203/104

  Heat exchanger wheel · CPC title

• F24F13/28

  Arrangement or mounting of filters · CPC title

• F24F12/001 Primary

  with heat-exchange between supplied and exhausted air · CPC title

• F24F13/15

  with parallel simultaneously tiltable lamellae · CPC title