Duct mounted dehumidifier using parallel air flow

This application claims priority from, and hereby incorporates by reference, U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/003,547, filed Nov. 16, 2007, to Khanh Dinh, entitled “Duct mounted parallel flow heat pipe dehumidifier.”

In modern buildings, control of humidity is needed for human comfort, health, as well as for the preservation of items such as books, paintings, and carpets, for example. In hot and humid climates, the use of air conditioners is common to help reduce indoor humidity, and people sometimes use their air conditioners even when temperatures are mild, just to reduce humidity. Whole house dehumidifiers based on the vapor compression cycle are now available from several manufacturers, but most are stand alone units that include their own compressor, blower, evaporator, and condenser. These common machines include the Aprilaire model 1750, for example. These units usually have limited air flow and therefore are not effective for whole-house dehumidification.

Most vapor compression dehumidifiers are built based on the general configuration shown on FIG. 1. The direction of air flow is indicated by arrow F. A typical dehumidifier 10 includes an evaporator/cooling coil/evaporating coil 12, a condenser/condensing coil 14, a compressor 16 and a blower 18, all of which are enclosed in an enclosure/cabinet 20. The air is drawn by blower 18 through the evaporator 12, where water is condensed on the cold surface of the evaporator 12 and removed from the dehumidifier 10 through drain 22. The cold air exiting from the evaporator 12 is then used to cool the condenser 14. The compressor 16 provides the vapor compression motive power, and the blower 18 is used to draw air through enclosure 20.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,607,498 and 5,404,938 by Dinh, hereby incorporated by reference, teach that the dehumidification capacity of the cooling coil can be increased by the use of an air-to-air heat-exchanger such as a heat pipe. Such improved dehumidifiers 110 have been made commercially available by the Heat Pipe Technology, Inc. of Gainesville, Fla., under the trade name of BKP™ Dehumidifiers. Those improved dehumidifiers work based on the principle shown in FIG. 2. Like in a conventional dehumidifier, air is drawn through the different components of the dehumidifier listed analogously as dehumidifier 110, evaporator 112, condenser 114, compressor 116, blower 118 enclosure 120, and drain 122, with the addition of heat exchanger 124. Heat exchanger 124, by exchanging heat between the incoming air and the air leaving evaporator 112, pre-cools the air reaching evaporator 112, thereby increasing the ability of evaporator 112 to remove moisture.

One difficult problem with integrating a dehumidifier into a central air conditioning system is matching airflow requirements for the dehumidifier and the central air conditioner. Typically, a dehumidifier only uses 20% to 30% of the airflow that usually goes through a central air conditioning system. For example, a dehumidifier with a capacity of 100 pints per day typically uses 300 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of air, but a typical 3-ton central air conditioning system in a house will require 1500 cfm.

One cannot successfully run all the air of a central air conditioning system through a dehumidifier because such practice would require too much blower energy, and the excess air will reduce the ability of the dehumidifier to remove water. Therefore, most dehumidifiers must have their own blower, and they are typically installed in parallel with the air-handling portion of the central air conditioning system, requiring complicated duct-work, duct connections and dampers.

In one aspect, a dehumidifier is provided for installation in an air duct of an HVAC system. The air duct has air flowing therethrough controlled by a blower of the HVAC system. The dehumidifier comprises an enclosure configured for installation in the air duct. The dehumidifier further comprises a compressor connected to an evaporator and a condenser. The evaporator has a first air flow rate for the air flowing therethrough. The condenser has a second air flow rate for the air flowing therethrough, wherein the second air flow rate is higher than the first air flow rate.

In another aspect, a dehumidifier is provided for installation in an air duct of an HVAC system. The air duct has air flowing therethrough controlled by a blower of the HVAC system. The dehumidifier comprises an enclosure, which comprises a compressor connected to an evaporator and a condenser. The evaporator has a first air impingement surface area for the air flowing therethrough. The condenser has a second air impingement surface area for the air flowing therethrough, wherein the air impingement surface area is larger than the first air impingement surface area.

In yet another aspect, a dehumidification system comprises a blower of an HVAC system that controls air flowing through an air duct of the HVAC system. A dehumidifier is provided for installation in the air duct. The dehumidifier comprises an enclosure, which comprises a compressor connected to an evaporator and a condenser. The evaporator has a first air flow rate for the air flowing therethrough. The condenser has a second air flow rate for the air flowing therethrough, wherein the second air flow rate is higher than the first air flow rate.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the claimed subject matter, and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Many other novel advantages, features, and relationships will become apparent as this description proceeds. The figures and the description that follow more particularly exemplify illustrative embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The disclosed subject matter will be further explained with reference to the attached figures, wherein like structure is referred to by like reference numerals throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional vapor compression dehumidifier.

FIG. 2 shows an improved dehumidifier with an air-to-air heat-exchanger.

FIG. 3 shows a duct mounted dehumidifier with separate airflows serving the evaporator and the condenser in parallel, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

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