Air Conditioner Cooling Device
Described herein is a device for cooling condenser coils of an air conditioner system, where the condenser coils are located along with a compressor within a suitable housing. Cooling is made efficient by providing a manifold located adjacent to the housing for controllably carrying water and dispensing it through a set of nozzles, which create a mist of water droplets adjacent to side walls of the housing.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/092,666, filed on Aug. 28, 2008, and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/142,831, filed on Jan. 6, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a device for cooling condenser coils of an air conditioner system, where the condenser coils are located along with a compressor within a suitable housing. Cooling is made efficient by providing a manifold located adjacent to the housing for controllably carrying water and dispensing it through a set of nozzles, which create a mist of water droplets adjacent to side walls of the housing.
BACKGROUNDAn air conditioning unit, whether residential or commercial, typically includes a cabinet located exterior to a building to be cooled, and is connected to the building's central heating and air conditioner system. The cabinet serves as a condenser, and includes a housing enclosing a compressor operated as a pump and heat exchanging or condenser coils. A heat absorbing fluid is directed through the coils, and expansion and contraction of the fluid serve to remove heat from the building's interior, which heat is discharged into ambient air exterior to the building through the coils. A fan is typically included in the cabinet to move air across the coils in order to improve heat transfer.
Attempts have been made to increase the efficiency of an air conditioner system by dispensing a water mist adjacent to condenser coils. Such a mist can promote faster heat exchange from the coils to ambient air. Water on the coils can cool the coils and a heat absorbing fluid contained therein, thereby resulting in a fluid pressure reduction. This fluid pressure reduction can lead to a reduction in back pressure experienced by a compressor and a reduction in energy consumption by the compressor, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the air conditioner system. This, in turn, can result in a lowering of the temperature at an evaporator coil inside a building, thereby yielding further efficiency gains.
Although the delivery of a water mist can improve the efficiency of an air conditioner system, previous devices incorporating such functionality have suffered from certain deficiencies that have impeded their widespread adoption. Some of the previous devices include complicated mechanisms such as pumps, specialized valves, evaporative filters or other media, and specialized nozzle arrangements. Such mechanisms and their constant operation can increase costs and maintenance requirements to undesirable levels. Also, use of evaporative media to bring down ambient air to wet bulb temperatures can result in scaling and biological growth. While simplified devices have been proposed, these simplified devices can be unreliable. For example, simple, relatively inexpensive nozzle arrangements have been proposed, but these arrangements can sometimes produce large water droplets that are deposited on condenser coils, which can lead to scaling, bacterial growth, corrosion, extensive maintenance, and costly repairs. It would be desirable to provide a reliable device that avoids or reduces the deposition of large water droplets on condenser coils, thereby avoiding or reducing scaling, biological growth, and corrosion.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop the cooling devices and related systems and methods described herein.
SUMMARYCertain embodiments of the invention relate to a device for cooling condenser coils of an air conditioner system, such as one that is air-cooled. The system includes a condenser that includes a compressor and the coils located within a housing. The housing includes side walls joined at a seam to a top, and also includes a fan for expelling air from within the housing and causing air to be drawn through the side walls past heat exchanging fins located adjacent to the coils. The device includes a manifold that is located adjacent to the seam for controllably carrying water and dispensing it through a set of nozzles, which create a mist of water droplets adjacent to the side walls. The device also includes a preheater for heating water introduced into the manifold. The configuration of the device allows effective separation of smaller water droplets from larger water droplets by gravitational force, and allows the smaller water droplets to be drawn into the condenser. The device also includes a coding mechanism for selecting lengths of tubes extending between a loop portion of the manifold and the nozzles, according to particular climatic conditions. The device further includes a set of sensors for controlling the dispensing of water through the nozzles, and the manifold is connected to the housing via an adjustable mechanism.
Other aspects and embodiments of the invention are also contemplated. The foregoing summary and the following detailed description are not meant to restrict the invention to any particular embodiment but are merely meant to describe some embodiments of the invention.
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of some embodiments of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers denote like components, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The following definitions apply to some of the aspects described with respect to some embodiments of the invention. These definitions may likewise be expanded upon herein.
As used herein, the singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an object can include multiple objects unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As used herein, the term “set” refers to a collection of one or more objects. Thus, for example, a set of objects can include a single object or multiple objects. Objects that are part of a set also can be referred to as members of the set. Objects that are part of a set can be the same or different. In some instances, objects that are part of a set can share one or more common characteristics.
As used herein, the terms “connect,” “connected,” and “connection” refer to an operational coupling or linking. Connected objects can be directly coupled to one another or can be indirectly coupled to one another, such as via another set of objects.
As used herein, the term “adjacent” refers to being near or adjoining. Adjacent objects can be spaced apart from one another or can be in actual or direct contact with one another. In some instances, adjacent objects can be connected to one another or can be formed integrally with one another.
As used herein, the terms “substantially” and “substantial” refer to a considerable degree or extent. When used in conjunction with an event or circumstance, the terms can refer to instances in which the event or circumstance occurs precisely as well as instances in which the event or circumstance occurs to a close approximation, such as accounting for typical tolerance levels or variability of the embodiments described herein.
As used herein, the terms “optional” and “optionally” mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur and that the description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances in which it does not.
As used herein, the term “size” refers to a characteristic dimension of an object. Thus, for example, a size of an object that is a spherical can refer to a diameter of the object. In the case of an object that is non-spherical, a size of the object can refer to an average of various orthogonal dimensions of the object. Thus, for example, a size of an object that is a spheroidal can refer to an average of a major axis and a minor axis of the object. When referring to a set of objects as having a specific size, it is contemplated that the objects can have a distribution of sizes around the specific size. Thus, as used herein, a size of a set of objects can refer to a typical size of a distribution of sizes, such as an average size, a median size, or a peak size.
Attention first turns to
Still referring to
The embodiment illustrated in
For certain implementations, an effective area of the preheater 20 to collect solar thermal energy is such as to provide between about 100 Watts (“W”) to about 400 W of heating power for each gallon of water misting per hour (or for each 1.05 milliliter of water misting per second), which can elevate water temperature from at or below about 60° F. as received from a conventional water outlet up to about 211° F., with a nominal temperature of about 125° F. Desirable resulting water temperatures can be in the range of about 122° F. to about 140° F. or about 120° F. to about 140° F. Heating the water can reduce the dynamic viscosity of the water passing through the portion 23 from about 1.1×10−3 Pascal-seconds (“Pa·s”) at about 60° F. to about 0.53×10−3 Pa·s at about 125° F., or less if the water temperature is higher than 125° F. In such manner, the viscosity of the water can be reduced by at least a factor of about 2, such as at least a factor of about 2.1, at least a factor of about 2.2, or at least a factor of about 2.3, and up to a factor of about 3 or more. Table 1 and Table 2 below set forth examples of resulting water temperatures and viscosities in accordance with various thermal energy inputs.
Referring back to
Still referring to
Ambient temperature and ambient humidity can affect the rate at which water droplets dispensed from the nozzles 16 evaporate and are reduced in size. Also, a sweep rate can be affected by the velocity of water droplets dispensed from the nozzles 16 and a suction created by the fan 51 within the cabinet 9. Given these factors, another improvement of the illustrated embodiment is to select or optimize lengths of the tubes 15 so as to regulate sizes of water droplets that reach the cooling fins and the condenser coils 53, if at all, for various climatic conditions. In particular, the illustrated embodiment allows a user to “fine tune” the lengths of the tubes 15, or, in other words, to set appropriate distances of the nozzles 16 from the condenser coils 53 to be cooled. Establishing the appropriate distances can maximize the cooling effectiveness of low micron-sized droplets of water by allowing the droplets to be swept through and evaporated in close proximity to the cooling fins adjacent to the condenser coils 53, with little or no scaling of the cooling fins. Insufficient water dispersion can result in inefficient cooling and low energy savings. However, excessive water droplets beyond a certain size can result in water residue on the cooling coils, thereby causing scaling and possibly corrosion. For certain implementations, appropriate distances of the nozzles 16 from the side walls 11 (as measured along a horizontal plane) are in the range of about 0.3 feet to about 3.5 feet, such as from about 0.3 feet to about 3 feet or from about 0.3 feet to about 2.5 feet, and appropriate sizes of water droplets to be drawn into or near the cabinet 9 are in the range of about 1 micrometer (“μm”) to about 300 μm, such as from about 1 μm to about 100 μm, from about 1 μm to about 50 μm, or from about 1 μm to about 20 μm. In such manner, larger water droplets can be substantially separated by gravity, and the larger water droplets can fall and become dissipated or spread out on the ground. In such manner, a surface area of the larger water droplets can be increased, and the larger water droplets can more readily evaporate and cool the surrounding air, thereby contributing to cooling efficiency while safeguarding the condenser coils 53 from scaling and corrosion.
Specific climactic conditions can affect an optimal distance or an optimal range of distances between the nozzles 16 and the condenser coils 53. In accordance with this dependence, another improvement can be appreciated in conjunction with
Referring to
Another set of improvements can be appreciated with reference to
One mechanism to determine heat exchanger effectiveness is to measure the ambient temperature. High ambient temperatures can reduce the heat exchanging capacity of the cabinet 40 with its surrounding air, and an elevated temperature of the compressor can be an indication that the compressor is overworked. For certain implementations, a cooling fog or mist can be effective at ambient temperatures at or above about 85° F. To account for these variables and to ensure that a cooling fog or mist is dispensed when appropriate, a controller 47 controls the introduction of water, and is activated when the air conditioner system is operating and when the ambient temperature is at least a predetermined set point or a threshold value, such as in the range of about 85° F. to about 90° F. In such manner, the controller 47 can avoid the adverse effect of starving a refrigerant expansion loop and running the air conditioner system inefficiently, while consuming water needlessly and possibly scaling cooling fins. The controller 47 can be implemented in a number of ways, such as mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electronic, or a combination thereof.
In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 47 operates in conjunction with and is connected to the sensors 45 and 46. The controller 47 and the sensors 45 and 46 are powered by a solar collector 60, which can be a solar panel including a set of photovoltaic cells, although it is contemplated that other power sources also can be used. The sensor 45 serves to detect operation of the air conditioner system and the compressor within the cabinet 40, and includes a pressure sensitive plate or a flapper switch that is placed adjacent to the opening 43 to detect fan discharge. Unless fan discharge is detected, the controller 47 is not activated, and, regardless of ambient conditions, no cooling fog or mist is dispensed adjacent to the cabinet 40. Once operation of the compressor is acknowledged by detecting fan discharge, the sensor 46 serves to detect the ambient temperature and to determine if the ambient temperature is sufficiently elevated to justify dispensing a cooling fog or mist. The sensor 46 can be implemented in a number of ways, and, for example, can include a thermocouple or another type of temperature sensor. If both of the sensors 45 and 46 have suitable indications, a valve within, or connected to, the controller 47 is activated accordingly, and a cooling fog or mist is dispensed adjacent to the cabinet 40. Alternatively, or in conjunction, a water temperature sensor can be optionally included to detect the temperature of water that passes through a preheater, such as previously described with reference to
Finally, referring back to
While the invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, method, or process to the objective, spirit and scope of the invention. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto. In particular, while the methods disclosed herein have been described with reference to particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these operations may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the operations are not limitations of the invention.
Claims
1. A cooling device for use with an air conditioner cabinet, the cooling device comprising:
- a manifold located adjacent to the air conditioner cabinet and configured to carry water and dispense the water as a mist of water droplets, the manifold including a set of nozzles configured to dispense the mist of water droplets adjacent to side walls of the air conditioner cabinet; and
- a preheater connected to the manifold and configured to heat the water prior to introduction of the water into the manifold.
2. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the preheater includes a tube through which the water passes, and the tube is configured to absorb ambient radiation to heat the water.
3. The cooling device of claim 2, wherein the tube is a coil, the preheater further includes a plate on which the coil is mounted, and the plate is configured to absorb ambient radiation to heat the water.
4. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the preheater includes a tube through which the water passes, and the tube is configured to absorb thermal energy from a hot refrigerant of the air conditioner cabinet to heat the water.
5. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the preheater provides between 100 W to 400 W of heating power for each gallon of the water misting per hour.
6. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the preheater heats the water to a temperature in the range of 122° F. to about 140° F.
7. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the preheater heats the water, such that a viscosity of the water is reduced by at least a factor of 2.
8. The cooling device of claim 7, wherein the viscosity of the water is reduced by at least a factor of 2.3.
9. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the manifold further includes a set of tubes, the set of nozzles are connected to respective ones of the set of tubes, and lengths of the set of tubes are determined in accordance with an anticipated climatic condition of a location of the cooling device.
10. The cooling device of claim 9, wherein the set of tubes incorporate a coding mechanism in accordance with the anticipated climatic condition.
11. The cooling device of claim 9, wherein an orientation of the set of tubes is such that an angle relative to a horizontal plane is in the range of −25 degrees to 70 degrees.
12. The cooling device of claim 11, wherein the angle relative to the horizontal plane is in the range of −20 degrees to 20 degrees.
13. A cooling device for use with an air conditioner cabinet, the cooling device comprising:
- a manifold located adjacent to the air conditioner cabinet and configured to carry water and dispense the water as a mist of water droplets, the manifold including a set of nozzles configured to dispense the mist of water droplets adjacent to side walls of the air conditioner cabinet; and
- a set of sensors connected to the manifold and configured to control dispensing of the water, a first sensor of the set of sensors configured to detect operation of the air conditioner cabinet, a second sensor of the set sensors configured to detect ambient temperature.
14. The cooling device of claim 13, wherein the first sensor includes a pressure sensitive plate configured to detect operation of a fan within the air conditioner cabinet.
15. The cooling device of claim 13, further comprising a controller connected to the set of sensors, and the controller is configured to activate dispensing of the water through the set of nozzles if the air conditioner cabinet is operating and if the ambient temperature is at least a first threshold value.
16. The cooling device of claim 15, wherein the first threshold value is in the range of 85° F. to 90° F.
17. The cooling device of claim 15, further comprising a preheater connected to the manifold and configured to heat the water prior to introduction of the water into the manifold.
18. The cooling device of claim 17, wherein a third sensor of the set of sensors is configured to detect a temperature of the water passing through the preheater, and the controller is configured to activate dispensing of the water through the set of nozzles if the temperature of the water is at least a second threshold value.
19. The cooling device of claim 18, wherein the second threshold value is in the range of 120° F. to 125° F.
20. The cooling device of claim 13, further comprising an adjustable mechanism connected to the manifold and configured to mount the manifold to the air conditioner cabinet.
21. The cooling device of claim 20, wherein the adjustable mechanism includes an adjustable lanyard line including an elastic band.
22. The cooling device of claim 13, further comprising a windscreen mechanism located adjacent to the air conditioner cabinet and configured to reduce an influence of wind on the mist of water droplets.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 28, 2009
Publication Date: Sep 29, 2011
Applicant: AC RESEARCH LABS (San Jose, CA)
Inventor: Tuyen Vo (San Jose, CA)
Application Number: 13/061,504
International Classification: F25B 29/00 (20060101);