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  Cooling assemblyUSPTO Application #: 20060032258Title: Cooling assembly Abstract: An apparatus for air conditioning the interior of a structure is shown which can be run entirely off a DC power source, such as a storage battery. A shell and tube heat exchanger is combined with a mechanical refrigeration system to provide a wet shell side and a dry tube side of the apparatus. In the operation of the air conditioner, a mass of distributed water is established on the wet shell side, and a flow of ambient air is passed through the wet shell side to form a resulting stream of moist air. A flow of ambient air is passed through the dry tube side and a resulting stream of dry cooled air is recovered. The streams of most and cooled air can either be combined or routed separately depending primarily upon the humidity of the surrounding environment to be cooled. (end of abstract)
Agent: Charles D. Gunter, Jr. Whitaker, Chalk, Swindle & Sawyer, LLP - Fort Worth, TX, US Inventors: Roger Pruitt, Keith Newman, Kevin Bath, John Maurais USPTO Applicaton #: 20060032258 - Class: 062310000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Material Cooling Means Including Gas-liquid Contactor, Fluid Recirculating Means The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060032258. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of my earlier filed application Ser. No. 10/963,188, filed Oct. 12, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of earlier filed Ser. No. 10/629,121, filed Jul. 28, 2003, and which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/405,584, filed Aug. 23, 2002. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates in general to low power air conditioning systems, and, in particular, to a low power air conditioning system employing a tube and shell heat exchanger for use in arid conditions and to a combination direct/indirect evaporative cooler with refrigerated sump water for use in other environments. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] In one embodiment, the present invention provides air conditioning for structures that are located in arid, high temperature environments, such as deserts. Such environmental control is essential to enjoying a good quality of life, and, in some instances, is essential to supporting life. This is true for both humans and livestock. [0006] In desert environments, daytime temperatures often reach well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit while at the same time the relative humidity is often below 20 percent. Typically, conventional evaporative cooling based air conditioning systems, so called "swamp coolers", are effective in such conditions, because of the low humidity. A source of electrical power is required to operate such systems, so the cost of operation is a limitation on their use. Conventional evaporative coolers consume considerable quantities of water so their use is limited to areas where water is available. Sufficient quantities of water are not always available in desert environments. Other types of air conditioning systems require sealed buildings, expensive and high maintenance equipment, and are expensive to operate. Some dwellings and particularly buildings in which livestock may be kept are not well sealed or insulated so there is little impediment to the interiors of such structures reaching thermal equilibrium with the exterior environment. Typically, such structures are not provided with air conditioning systems because of the cost of operating them and the general ineffectiveness of air conditioning systems in such structures. Most air conditioning systems operate on electricity, and electricity is not always available, or is not available at a reasonable price where the structures are located. It would be greatly beneficial to both human beings and livestock if an effective, simple, self-contained air conditioning system could be provided for desert environments that would operate inexpensively in unsealed structures. [0007] It would also be advantageous to provide an air conditioning system which could be powered on direct current, either by batteries or solar panels, or both, or less expensively on AC current, which system had the previously described advantages while at the same time being operable over wider humidity ranges including tropical and semi-tropical climates. [0008] It would be a further advantage to provide such a system which utilized both a relatively wet airstream and a relatively dry airstream, which airstreams could be selectively routed to the interior of a structure to be cooled, either by combining the streams in a predetermined ratio or by selecting, for example, only the relatively dry airstream to be delivered to the space to be cooled in the presence of high humidity. [0009] In its simplest form evaporative cooling of buildings has been accomplished by injecting a fog or mist of water into a moving stream of air. See, for example, Atkins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,762. One problem with this system is that it causes excess humidity within the building resulting in algae and bacteria problems. Atkins proposes to minimize some of these problems by placing exhaust fans at one end of a building widely spaced from fogger nozzles at the opposite end of the building. The disclosed rate of water consumption is very high. In excess of 95 percent of the water supplied to the fogger nozzles is consumed. Atkins' evaporative cooling system is said to produce a temperature drop of approximately 20 degrees. [0010] Conventional evaporative cooling systems have been combined into more elaborate systems that include heating means. See, for example, Grant et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,471. Conventional evaporative cooling systems have also been combined into elaborate systems with refrigerated air systems. See, for example, Conner U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,745. [0011] Urch U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,963 discloses an air cooler with two air flow paths, namely, an inlet path for outside air and an outlet path for stale air. A heat exchanger pre-cools the fresh air with heat extracted from the stale air, and further cooling is achieved by means of an evaporative cooler that spans the two air flow paths. [0012] Those concerned with these problems recognize the need for an improved air conditioning system. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] In one embodiment, the air conditioning assembly according to the present invention comprises a shell and tube heat exchanger wherein ambient air is forced through both sides and discharged approximately together into the interior of the structure that is to be cooled. For convenience, the air streams from the two sides can be combined into one combined stream before being discharged into the interior of the structure, or they may be discharged separately into the structure. This heat exchanger is particularly suited for use in the high heat and low humidity conditions that are typically found during the summer months in deserts. The air conditioning assembly is particularly effective in situations where the temperature is above approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative humidity is below approximately 40 percent, and, preferably, below approximately 35 percent. The assembly is suitably operable even in situations where the structure to be air conditioned is not tightly sealed, that is where there may be openings through the structure that are substantially unobstructed to air flow having as much as, for example, six square inches to a square foot or two of area. Barns, tents, temporary structures and the like are provided with an efficient, reliable, economical, simple, and effective air conditioning system according to the present invention. The air conditioning system according to the present invention does not require an elaborate or expensive installation for its functioning. It can be easily transported to and set up inside of a temporary structure such as, for example, a tent. [0014] The shell side of the heat exchanger is preferably wet with a shower or weep of a liquid such as water, and the air flow is turbulent through the shell side. The stream of flowing air is directed from the shell side to an outlet. The air flowing through the tube side is cooled by contact with the walls of the tubes, and is discharged to an outlet. Preferably the air streams from the shell and tube sides are combined and discharged into the interior of the structure that is to be cooled. These air streams can be combined after discharge into the interior of the structure, if desired. Preferably, the intake and discharge of the air streams are all within the interior of the structure. [0015] In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a direct/indirect evaporative cooler with refrigerated chilled sump water. The cooler is preferably designed as a stacked arrangement. A refrigeration compressor and storage batteries occupy a top section of the design and rest on a top shelf. The top shelf forms the top wall of an exhaust air plenum. A forced-air evaporative cooling chamber, located below the exhaust air plenum, occupies the middle section of the design and comprises about 65% of the total height of the unit in one embodiment. A cold water sump and an intake air plenum occupy the bottom floor of the cooling chamber. The bottom floor of the cooling chamber also comprises the top wall of an intake plenum which houses an intake fan. The intake fan draws air upwardly through a plurality of riser tubes which connect the intake plenum with the exhaust plenum and which pass through the cooling chamber. [0016] Water in the cold water sump is refrigerated by the refrigeration compressor located in the top section of the design. Cold water from the cold water sump is introduced into the evaporative cooling chamber through a distribution header. The cold water saturates an evaporative media which surrounds or otherwise contacts the riser tubes in the cooling chamber. Air is introduced into the cooling chamber by means of oppositely arranged fans mounted on sidewalls of the cooling chamber which create a turbulent air flow in the cooling chamber and which enhance the evaporative cooling process. Cooled air from the cooling chamber can be discharged through a suitable duct to the interior of the structure to be cooled. [0017] Air is also being drawn into the intake plenum by the intake fan, which air flow is forced upwardly through the riser tubes in the cooling chamber. The riser tubes pass though the cold water sump and also contact the evaporative media in the cooling chamber, whereby the outside of the tubes are cooled. The air within the tubes is cooled by conduction through the tubes. This relatively drier air can be directed through a suitable duct to the interior of the structure to be cooled and can be combined with the more moist, cooled air from the cooling chamber, if desired. [0018] In this latter embodiment of the invention, air is being cooled using two simultaneous processes. Air is cooled by direct contact with water in the evaporative cooling chamber, raising the absolute humidity of the air cooled in this manner. Additional air is also being cooled by conductive heat transfer within the riser tubes. If desired, the two air flows can be combined into a discharge duct so that the discharged air consists of a mixture of relatively humid air from the evaporative process and air with near ambient humidity. The cold water sump at the bottom of the cooling chamber serves as a cooling mass, as well as a water storage sump. The water in the sump is refrigerated to near freezing by means of a low temperature compressor similar to that used on an ice machine. The compressor can be AC or DC operated. The electric fans used in the intake plenum and on the cooling chamber are preferably DC fans which can be driven by solar cells or storage batteries. [0019] In higher humidity environments, an additional refrigeration manifold may be located inside the wet chamber in the vicinity of the discharge outlet from the wet chamber. The additional refrigeration manifold can be supplied with refrigerant from the existing mechanical refrigeration system used to chill the sump water in the wet chamber. Pump down valves control the flow of refrigerant to the additional manifold so that the manifold is only cooled when the oppositely arranged fans mounted on the sidewalls of the wet chamber are running. [0020] The air entering the wet chamber can be ducted so that either outside air is being introduced, or so that room air from the lower dry chamber of the assembly is being introduced. The air conditioning assembly can be installed within a room having ceiling vents which are used to move static air to the attic space for subsequent discharge to the exterior of the structure being cooled. [0021] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Continue reading... Full patent description for Cooling assembly Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Cooling assembly patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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