WO1986006461A1

WO1986006461A1 - Heat exchanger

Info

Publication number: WO1986006461A1
Application number: PCT/US1986/000948
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wallace E. Mattson
Original assignee: Wilhelm, Anthony, A.
Priority date: 1985-05-02
Filing date: 1986-05-01
Publication date: 1986-11-06
Also published as: GB2175082A; EP0220310A1; GB8603529D0

Abstract

A ventilation system for a building (10) having a dust laden interior atmosphere and includes an air inlet (20) and an air outlet (21) opening outwardly through a peripheral wall in laterally spaced relation. An elongated duct (9) is disposed within the building including gravity collapsible inner and outer flexible tubes (14, 13) constructed of good heat transfer materials and first and second enlarged hollow duct end enclosures (11, 12). One end of the inner tube extends through first enclosure (11) and one end of the outer tube opens into the first enclosure exteriorly of the inner tube. An inlet duct (19) communicates the air inlet (20) with the one end of the inner tube (14) and an outlet duct (18) has a first end opening into the first enclosure (11) and a second end communicated with the outlet (21). The other end of the outer tube opens into the second enclosure (12) and the other end of the inner tube connects to a pipe which extends through the second enclosure (12) and includes air outlet structure (15) opening into the interior of the building. The second enclosure (12) includes an interior ambient air inlet opening outwardly of the inner tube and provided with first air pump for pumping building interior air into the second enclosure (12). The inlet duct includes second air pump for pumping ambient air from the exterior of the building into the first end of the inner tube (14).

Description

Description HEAT EXCHANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When ventilating the interiors of animal housing farm buildings during mild weather such ventilation may be accomplished by simple ventilat¬ ing fans. However, when ventilating farm buildings during cold weather a considerable amount of interior building heat is lost as a result of ventilation of the building. Accordingly, a need exists for structure whereby the interior of a farm or other building may be ventilated during cold weather independent of loss of substantial interior building heat. Various different forms of ventilating systems operative to effect a "building ventilation operation with minimum heat transfer from the interior of the building to the exterior thereof during cold weather heretofore have been provided such as those disclosed in U.S. patent Nos. 2,092,835, 2,488,333, 2,938,714, 4,142,575, 4,184,538 and 4,334,577. However, these previously known forms of building ventilation systems are either relatively complex and thus expensive, or they are constructed in a manner whereby dust generated within the building may clog the system reducing efficiency and necessitating costly periodic maintenance or more than minimum heat loss occurs from the interior of a ventilated building during cold weather. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The heat exchanger of the instant invention is constructed in the form of a ventilation system for a farm building or the like and is operative to provide adequate ventilation for the interior of the building independent of any substantial heat loss from the interior of the building during cold weather as a result of the ventilation operation. The ventilation system utilizes relatively simple structure incorporating air handling components which are conventional in design, readily available, relatively inexpensive and are of lightweight construction. The ventilation system further may utilize two conventional fans or air pumps to handle the building inlet air and the building outlet air and the ventilation system is further simplified to the extent that the components thereof may be readily mounted (suspended) within a farm building or the like to be ventilated and properly operated even by inexperienced personnel.

The main object of this invention is to provide a ventilation system for a farm building or the like and which will be capable of effecting adequate ventilation of an associated building during cold weather independent of any substantial amount of heat loss from the interior of the building as a result of the ventilation operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide for heat exchange in a dust laden environment. Another object of this invention is to provide a building ventilating system utilizing conventional air handling sheet metal components and which may therefore be produced at a low cost. Still another important object of this invention is to provide a ventilating system whose structural components are of lightweight construction and may be readily mounted within an associated building to be ventilated by inexperienced personnel. A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a building ventilation system incorporating a heat exchange capacity and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical farm building with portions of the roof and one wall thereof broken away and illustrated in section and with the heat exchanger ventilation system of the instant invention mounted within the building; Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the outside air intake and inside air exhaust portions of the invention and the associ¬ ated building wall portion, the building wall portion being illustrated in horizontal section; Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the portion of the ventilating system intaking building interior air for exhausting to the exterior of the building and discharging building exterior air into the interior of the building; Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the hollow enclosure portion of the invention through which intake air is initially pumped and exhaust air is discharged and with near side wall of the enclosure removed; Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the hollow enclosure portion into which exhaust air is initially pumped and through which intake air is discharged, the near side wall of the enclosure being removed; Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a mid-length portion of the heat exchanger ventilation system illustrating the suspension system for the flexible tubes thereof; and Figure 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the section line 7—7 of Figure 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, B generally designates an elongated building which is typical of a farm building utilized to house animals. The building B includes at least one animal ingress and egress opening (not shown). In order to ventilate the building B during cold weather a heat exchanger-ventilating system referred to in general by the reference numeral 8 is provided and incorporates an elongated duct assembly referred to in general by the reference numeral 9 for intaking ambient air from the exterior of the building and exhausting air from interiorly of the building to the exterior thereof. The system 8 is operatively associated with the insulated peripheral wall 10 of the building B and the duct assembly 9 includes enlarged hollow suspended enclosures 11 and 12 at its opposite ends. The duct assembly is comprised of a gravity collapsible pair of outer and inner flexible plastic tubes 13 and 14 and a first end of the tube 14 terminates in a stiff lateral pipe section 15 which passes loosely through the interior of the enclosure 12 and terminates in a plastic discharge header tube 16 paralleling the duct assembly 9 and having lateral air outlet openings 16" therein spaced along its length. The end of the header tube 16 remote from the lateral pipe section 15 terminates in a suspended terminal enclosure 17. The end of the outer tube 13 remote from the enclosure 12 opens into the enclosure 11 and through one side wall thereof into a discharge pipe 18 which in turn opens through the peripheral wall 10 at one end of the building B.

A first end of the inner tube 14 is connected to one end of an inlet duct 19 which passes through the interior of the enclosure 11 and the second end of the inlet duct 19 opens horizontally through the peripheral wall 10 adjacent but laterally spaced from the discharge pipe 18.

An intake hood 20 is supported from the exterior of the peripheral wall 10 at the inlet end of the inlet duct 19 and an exhaust hood 21 is supported from the exterior of the peripheral wall

10 at the outlet end of the discharge pipe 18. A flaring duct connector 22 connects the discharge end of the outer tube 13 with the side of the enclosure

11 into which the outer tube 13 opens, an intake hood 23 is supported from an open side portion of the enclosure 12 remote from the side thereof into which the inlet end of the outer tube 13 opens and an electric motor powered blower assembly 24 is disposed within an inlet shroud 24' by which the inlet hood 23 opens into the interior of the enclosure 12.

A reducing connector 25 sealingly communicates the interior of the outer tube 13 with the adjacent open side of the enclosure 12 and an electric motor powered blower assembly 26 is disposed within a connector portion 27 which connects the outlet end of the inlet duct 19 with the adjacent end of the inner tube 14.

The blower assemblies 24 and 26 may be connected to a suitable source (not shown) of electrical potential through either a timing device or a thermostatic control. Further, at least a substantial portion of the air handling portions of the ventilation system 8 may be of conventional construction such as sheet metal. Although the outer and inner tubes 13 and 14 are illustrated as cylindrical, they are constructed of thin flexible plastic material. Also, any suitable forms of hangers may be used to support the enclosures 11, 12 and 17 from the roof 28 of the building B. With attention now invited more specifically to Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings, it may be seen that the thin, flexible and plastic inner and outer tubes 13 and 14 must be supported at points spaced longitudinally therealong. The outer tube 13 has a suspension wire 28' extending longitudinally therethrough and anchored at its opposite ends to the connectors 22 and 25. The suspension wire 17 supports the upper wall portion of the tube 13, whether the latter is inflated or collapsed, and a plurality of suspension chains ^J29 depend downwardly from the roof 28 and include hooks 30 on their lower ends hook engaged, through small openings provided therefor in the outer tube 13, about the suspension wire 17. In addition, a plurality of suspension hooks 31 are disposed between adjacent hooks 30 and hook engaged over the suspension wire 17 at their upper ends and with clamp-type clips 32 at their lower ends clamp engaged with longitudinally spaced portions of the upper wall portions of the tube 14. In this manner, the flexible tubes 13 and 14 are suspended from the ceiling 28 and the connectors 22 and 25. It is pointed out that the blower assembly 26 serves to internally pressurize the tube 14 and that the blower assembly 24 serves to internally pressurize the tube 13. However, the blower assembly 26 is of a capacity to provide slightly more internal pressure within the tube 14 than the internal pressure formed within the tube 13 by the blower assembly 24.

When the blower assemblies 24 and 26 are operational, the tubes 13 and 14 are "inflated" and assume their cylindrical configuration as shown in Figure 7. However, when the blower assemblies 24 and 26 are not in operation, the tubes 13 and 14 collapse into conditions in which the opposite sidewalls thereof are disposed in substantially vertical closely juxtaposed positions. Thus, each time the operation of the blower assemblies 24 and 26 is terminated and initiated, the tubes 13 and 14 are flexed from their "inflated" positions to their collapsed positions and then reinflated to their cylindrical configurations. This collapsing and reinflating is operative to shake any dust loose which may tend to collect on both the external and internal surfaces of the tubes 13 and 14. Thus, the heat transfer capacity of the heat exchanger is maintained relatively high, even though the heat exchanger is operated within a heavily dust ladened environment.

Claims

1. In combination with a building containing a dust laden interior atmosphere and including a peripheral wall, a ventilation system, said

5 system including an exterior air inlet opening into the building from the exterior thereof and an air outlet opening outwardly of the building from the interior thereof, an elongated horizontal duct including inner and outer tubes

10 constructed of good heat transfer materials, a first enlarged hollow enclosure into which one end of said outer tube opens and through which one end of said inner tube extends, an inlet tube communicating said exterior air inlet with

15. said one end of said inner tube, an outlet tube having a first end opening into said first hollow enclosure outwardly of said inner tube and a second end communicated with said outlet, a second enlarged hollow enclosure into which

20 the other end of said outer tube opens and through which the other end of said inner tube extends, said second enclosure including a building interior air inlet opening thereinto outwardly of said inner tube, the other end of

25 said inner tube including an air outlet structure opening into the interior of said building, said interior air inlet including a first air pump structure operatively associated therewith for pumping air from the interior of said building

30 into said second enclosure, said inner tube including second air pump structure operatively associated therewith for pumping building exterior air into said one end of said inner tube, said inner and outer tubes including gravity collapsible major length portions thereof constructed of thin, flexible material, the length and heat transfer capability of said inner and outer tube major length portions being such that said interior atmosphere may be ventilated by building exterior air during cold weather independent of substantial heat loss from the interior of said building, said first and second air pump structures being operative to maintain said inner and outer tube major length portions, respectively, inflated, the collapsing of said major length portions during periods of non-operation of said first and second air pump means being operative to dislodge dust accumulated, during operation of said first and second air pump structures, upon the outer surface of said inner tube major length portion and the inner surface of said outer tube major length portion, said first air pump structure being operative to maintain a pressure within said inner tube major length portion greater than the pressure maintained in said outer tube major length portion by said second air pump structure.

2. The ventilation system of claim 1 wherein said inner and outer tubes, when inflated are cylindrical.

3. The ventilation system of claim 2 wherein said inner and outer tube major length portions are longitudinally straight.

4. The ventilation system of claim 3 wherein said interior air outlet structure includes an elongate air discharge manifold generally paralleling said inner and outer tube major length portions and including lateral air outlets.

5. The ventilation system of claim 1 wherein the opposite ends of said outer tube open into said first and second enclosures via flaring connectors.

6. The ventilation system of claim 1 wherein said first and second air pump structures are supported from said second and first enclosures, respectively.

7. The ventilation system of claim 1 wherein the exterior of said peripheral wall includes inlet and outlet hoods supported therefrom in operative association with said exterior air inlet and interior air outlet.

8. A heat exchange ventilation system including inner and outer horizontal tubes, at least said inner tube including a major length portion thereof constructed of thin, flexible and heat transfer material, first blower means operative to pump air into one end of said inner tube from a first specific area, the other end of said inner tube being communicated with a second specific dust laden atmosphere area, means substantially preventing free air flow between said areas other than by said ventilation system, the opposite ends of said outer tube being communicated with said first and second areas, said inner and outer tubes including gravity collapsible major length portions thereof constructed of thin, flexible material, second blower means operative to pump air from said second area into the end of said outer tube opening into said second area, the length and heat transfer capability of said major length portion of said inner tube being such that said dust laden atmosphere area may be ventilated by colder air from said second area independent of substantial heat loss from said dust laden atmosphere area, said first blower means being operative to maintain a pressure within said inner tube major length portion greater than the pressure maintained in said outer tube by said second blower means whereby said major length portion of said inner tube will be maintained inflated, the collapsing of said major length portion of said inner and outer tube major length portions during periods of non-operation of said first blower means being operative to dislodge dust accumulated, during operation of said first blower means, upon the outer and inner surfaces of said inner and outer tube major length portions.