Patents Assigned to Munters Corporation
  • Patent number: 6155060
    Abstract: A condensation and frost control system for cooler and freezer doors is disclosed which includes a desiccant dehumidifier containing a desiccant body, a blower for drawing air into the desiccant body and discharging dry air therefrom. A duct system conveys the dried dry air from the blower to predetermined locations around the side edges of the door to distributed the dry air along at least a predetermined portion of the door thereby to prevent condensation and sublimate frost and ice on the predetermined portion of the door directly from solid to gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: David Parkman
  • Patent number: 6085834
    Abstract: An air handling system for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems to provide a variable air flow between an air treatment section and an air bypass section includes selectively sliding panels to vary the air flow between the air treatment section and the bypass section. Positioning of the panels can direct the flow of incoming air to be conditioned from all incoming air flowing through the air treatment section to all incoming air flowing through the bypass section and a mixture of incoming air flowing through the air treatment section and the bypass section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventors: Patricia T. Thomas, Richard S. Pautz
  • Patent number: 5971370
    Abstract: A water distribution system for use with an evaporative cooling pad having a top and first and second sides includes a water distribution pipe which has at least one water discharge outlet in its periphery. The pipe is mounted above the top of the pad and a water distribution unit extends along the top of the pad intermediate its first and second sides. The water discharge opening in the pipe is located to direct water against a deflector plate integrally formed in the deflector unit and having a predetermined configuration to direct water from the pipe onto the top of the pad. In addition, the pipe is mounted to rotate relative to the deflector plate in order to selectively expose the openings in a position facing away from the plate for cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Martin J. Galabinski
  • Patent number: 5839288
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for conditioning air is disclosed which includes a housing and a first fan for drawing return air from an enclosure and returning at least some of the return air to the enclosure at a first location. The housing includes a make up air opening which allows make up air from the atmosphere to enter the housing for mixture within the housing with the return air for discharge by the first fan to the enclosure. The housing also includes air drying apparatus and a second fan for selectively drawing some of the make up air and the return air from the housing through the air drying apparatus and supplying the thus dried air to the enclosure at a position remote from the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Danny L Dotson
  • Patent number: 5658067
    Abstract: A modular light unit is disclosed which has a housing including an openable access panel with an electric lamp mounted in the housing. The housing has opposed ends which respectively mount male and female double insulated electrical connector plug means therein for electrically connecting the light unit to another light unit. The double insulated connector is formed with fully isolated terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph D. Engle, John R. Howard, Robert Machacek, George S. Boznos
  • Patent number: 5653115
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for conditioning air for an enclosure is disclosed in which a stream of outside ambient air is dried in a desiccant core and cooled; thereafter the air stream is further cooled by passing the same over a cooling element whose surface temperature under normal operating conditions is higher than the dew point of the cooled and dried air leaving the heat exchanger. The thus cooled outside air stream is supplied to the enclosure while return air is withdrawn from the enclosure and supplied to desiccant core to pass in heat and moisture exchange relation to the outside air stream in order to remove moisture sorbed by the desiccant material from the outside air stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen C. Brickley, Nancy Banks, Larry Klekar
  • Patent number: 5540867
    Abstract: A hanger-supported liquid-gas contact body includes a pad of cross corrugated fill having a width, top, front and back, and the pad has a transverse slot running across at least a portion of the pad's width. The slot starts at and forms an angle .alpha. with the back, so that the slot runs toward the pad front. A bent hanger having first and second legs is bent at an angle .theta. which is approximately equal to angle .alpha., and the first leg is disposed in the slot and the second leg abuts a portion of the pad back. In addition, a method for supporting cross-corrugated fill includes providing a pad of cross-corrugated fill having a width, top, front and back, the pad having a transverse slot running across at least a portion of pad width, this slot starting at and forming an angle .alpha. with the back. The slot runs toward the front of the pad. The method also involves providing a bent hanger having first and second legs, the hanger being bent at an angle .theta. which is approximately equal to .alpha.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Frederick B. DeBello
  • Patent number: 5505769
    Abstract: A humidity exchanger element is formed from a corrugated sheet and a flat sheet laminated to points of contact of a ridged surface of the corrugated sheet. Each corrugated and flat sheet is formed of a paper of inorganic fibers and an adsorbent formed of an aerogel bonded to surfaces of each sheet and impregnated on the inorganic fibers. The aerogel being a silicate of titanium or titanium-aluminum. A humidity exchanger medium is formed of a bonded honeycomb matrix of wound or stacked sheets of the humidity exchanger element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1996
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventors: Paul A. Dinnage, Gerard Tremblay
  • Patent number: 5502975
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for conditioning air for an enclosure is disclosed in which a first stream of outside ambient air is dried in a desiccant wheel dehumidifier and cooled in a heat exchanger while maintaining the moisture content thereof relatively unchanged; thereafter the air stream is cooled by passing the same over a cooling element whose surface temperature under normal operating conditions is higher than the dew point of the cooled and dried air leaving the heat exchanger. The thus cooled first outside air stream is then supplied to the enclosure while return air is withdrawn from the enclosure and supplied to the heat exchanger to pass in heat exchange relation to the dried first outside air stream in order to reduce the temperature of the first outside air stream in the heat exchanger while increasing the temperature of the enclosure return air which can be either exhausted to the atmosphere or used to reactivate the desiccant wheel before being returned to the atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen C. Brickley, Nancy Banks, Larry Klekar
  • Patent number: 5435958
    Abstract: The humidity exchanger medium is manufactured by forming a laminate of (i) a corrugated sheet and (ii) a flat sheet bonded to points of contact of a ridged surface of the corrugated sheet, the laminate having been impregnated with sodium silicate waterglass and then partially dried, each corrugated and flat sheet constituted of a paper of inorganic fibers; forming a honeycomb matrix from at least one laminate; soaking the honeycomb matrix in an acidic solution containing at least a titanium inorganic salt to convert the sodium silicate waterglass to a titanium-containing silicate hydrogel; and washing and drying the honeycomb matrix to convert the titanium-containing silicate hydrogel to a titanium-containing silicate aerogel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1995
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventors: Paul A. Dinnage, Gerard Tremblay
  • Patent number: 5320651
    Abstract: A gas and liquid contact body for use in a gas and liquid contact apparatus in which gas and liquid flow in cross-flow relationship to each other includes a plurality of corrugated sheets having opposed first and second edges which are facially opposed in substantially parallel relationship to one another to define a plurality of intersecting and intercommunicating passages allowing the passage of gas and liquid therethrough. In one embodiment, the first edges of the sheets are located generally in the same plane and define a gas inlet edge of the contact body. Alternate sheets in the body are narrower from their first to their second edges than the remainder of the sheets in the body. The second edges of these alternate sheets define an air outlet portion in the body and spaces between the wider adjacent sheets at said outlet portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Larry E. Drummond
  • Patent number: 5312464
    Abstract: A gas and liquid contact body for use in a gas and liquid contact apparatus in which gas and liquid flow in cross-flow relationship to each other includes a plurality of corrugated sheets having opposed first and second edge which are facially opposed in substantially parallel relationship to one another to define a plurality of intersecting and intercommunicating passages allowing the passage of gas and liquid therethrough. The first edges of the sheets are located generally in the same plane and define a gas inlet edge of the contact body. Alternate sheets in the body are narrower from their first to their second edges than the remainder of the sheets in the body. The second edges of the sheets define an air outlet portion in the body wherein the second edges of the alternate sheets define spaces between the wider adjacent sheets at said outlet portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1994
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: George A. Gay
  • Patent number: 5248454
    Abstract: A gas-liquid contact body for use in a gas-liquid contact apparatus is disclosed which is formed of a plurality of facially opposed corrugated sheets with the corrugations in alternate sheets being disposed in parallel to form a plurality of criss-crossing channels for gas and liquid. The contact body has an air inlet side including an air inlet portion which is coated with a water-impermeable hydrophilic material containing an algicide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1993
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Patricia T. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5242627
    Abstract: A gas liquid contact body for use in a gas liquid contact apparatus is disclosed which consists of at least first and second sets of corrugated sheets with the sheets in the first set being disposed alternately with the sheets of the second set. The corrugations in the first set of sheets extend vertically in the contact body and the corrugations in the second set extend at an angle to the corrugations of the first set. The passageways formed between the inclined corrugations and the vertical corrugations serve to distribute air and water evenly through the contact body and avoid clogging thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1993
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Sven A. Lundin
  • Patent number: 5230725
    Abstract: A mist eliminator for removing liquid droplets from a gas stream includes a first layer of a plurality of mutually parallel spaced partitions defining respective flow channels between the partitions. The partitions are curved to define the flow channels as circuitous paths of travel for gas. The partitions have free edge portions which define exit ports for the channels. A second layer of a plurality of mutually spaced partitions defining respective flow channels therebetween is located downstream of the first layer in the direction of air flow. The partitions of the second layer have inlet edges located in alignment with the exit ports of the first layer which are offset from the free edge portions of the partitions in the first layer. The inlet edges of the second layer are aligned with the direction of gas flow out of the exit ports of the first layer and the partitions of the second layer have main body portions extending at an angle to those inlet edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: James M. Chowaniec
  • Patent number: 5203894
    Abstract: A mist eliminator pack is disclosed which is formed of a plurality of non-planar mist eliminator sheets having first and second opposed and generally parallel edges with integrally formed offset tabs in at least the first edge of the sheets. The pads are dimensioned and positioned to engage an adjacent sheet on one side of their associated sheets, with the tabs being secured to the adjacent sheets by an adhesive, or the like, thereby to define an integral pack of evenly spaced sheets having uniform flow paths between the sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1993
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: James M. Chowaniec
  • Patent number: 5143658
    Abstract: An improved contact body for use in a liquid gas contact apparatus formed of first and second sets of corrugated sheet material arranged with the sheets of the first set disposed alternately with the sheets of the second set. The corrugations of the sheets define passageways which penetrate the contact body from edge to edge with both vertical and horizontal components of direction. The passageways are simultaneously passed by a flow of gas in one direction and liquid in the other direction in either counterflow or cross-flow in the contact apparatus. The corrugations of the first set of sheets cross the corrugations of the second set of sheets at an acute angle in the range of 15.degree. to 80.degree.. Corrugations of the first set of sheets have a greater inclination to the horizontal plane of the contact apparatus than the corrugations of the second set of sheets and the corrugations of the first set of sheets have a smaller amplitude dimension than the corrugations of the second set of sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Patricia T. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5112538
    Abstract: A gas and liquid contact apparatus in which gas and liquid flow in cross-flow relationship to one another is disclosed. The apparatus includes a contact body formed of a plurality of sheets of corrugated material having first and second opposed edges with corrugations formed in the sheets extending at an angle to the edges and abutting each other at points in adjacent sheets to form through-passing channels for gas and liquid. The first and second edges of the sheets define gas inlet and outlet edges in the contact body. The gas inlet edge has a plurality of rows of generally channel-shaped notches formed therein so that liquid flowing through the contact body will agglomerate at the notches. The agglomerated liquid will flow downwardly along the gas inlet edge of the contact body to clean the sheet at that gas inlet edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1992
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Patricia T. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5057251
    Abstract: An improved contact body element, for use in forming the fill of a gas and liquid contact apparatus to produce interaction between a gas and liquid flowing through the apparatus, of the type having formed sheet members with a longitudinally extending edge of the sheet member folded over on a longitudinally extending surface of the corrugated member. This provides a strip of sheet material secured in overlapping relationship to the surface of the formed sheet member forming a full gap therebetween. An adhesive with intumescent qualities, which are triggered by heat, is applied within the fold such that the longitudinal edge and longitudinal surface in cooperation with the adhesive form a substantially rigid ply that is substantially resistant to erosion and can withstand higher compressive forces and which will expand in the event of fire, to block the openings between the sheets. The sheet edge may be slitted along its length to facilitate this blockage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Jan O. Skold
  • Patent number: 5055239
    Abstract: A gas and liquid contact body for use in a gas and liquid contact apparatus in which gas and liquid flow in cross flow relationship to one another is disclosed. The contact body is formed of a plurality of sheets of corrugated material having first and second opposed edges with corrugations formed in the sheets extending at an angle to the edges and abutting each other at points in adjacent sheets to form through-passing channels for gas and liquid. The first and second edges of the sheets define gas inlet and outlet edges in the contact body. Either the gas inlet edge or the gas outlet edge, or both, have a plurality of generally channel shaped notches formed therein so that liquid flowing through the contact body will agglomerate at the notches. The agglomerated liquid will flow downwardly along the gas inlet edge of the contact body to clean the sheet at that gas inlet edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1991
    Assignee: Munters Corporation
    Inventor: Patricia T. Thomas