With Heating Or Cooling Patents (Class 95/73)
  • Patent number: 7226497
    Abstract: A ventilation system for a building is provided. The ventilation system includes a pair of passages between the interior and exterior of the building and at least one corona discharge apparatus for drawing fluid through the passages. The ventilation system may also include an energy recovery ventilator for transferring energy, humidity or the combination of energy and humidity between the fluid flowing through the two passages. Variable flow rates through the passages are provided by varying the voltage to the corona discharge apparatus. In addition, the corona discharge apparatuses may filter the air flowing through the passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Ranco Incorporated of Delaware
    Inventor: Nicholas Ashworth
  • Patent number: 7208030
    Abstract: An apparatus analyzes components of particulate materials suspended in air. The apparatus includes a container into which the air is introduced, a discharging electrode arranged in the container to electrically charge the particulate materials contained in the air, a dust collecting electrode arranged in the container to collect charged particulate materials utilizing electric potential difference, and a device for separating volatile components contained in the particulate materials collected on the dust collecting electrode. A gas analyzer is connected to the container into which the volatile components of the particulate materials separated in the container are introduced, to analyze the volatile components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichiro Totoki
  • Patent number: 7182805
    Abstract: An air conditioning device for heating and/or an environment is provided. The air conditioning device includes a heat exchanging apparatus, a passage, and a corona discharge apparatus. The passage is in thermal communication with the heat exchanging apparatus and extends between an inlet and an outlet. The corona discharge apparatus is disposed within the passage to draw a fluid from the environment into the passage through the inlet, move the fluid through the passage to permit the heat exchanger to remove or heat the fluid, and expel the fluid through the outlet into the environment. As such, the environment is cooled or heated. Embodiments of the present invention include package terminal air conditioners (PTACs), room air conditioners (RACs), and mini-split heating and cooling systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Ranco Incorporated of Delaware
    Inventor: Debra Jean Reaves
  • Patent number: 7156899
    Abstract: The present invention provides a power generation facility that is adapted to clean large air masses. Air from the environment, which normally contains the most pollutants, is directed into an air flow path through which large quantities of air are directed by a plurality of large diameter fans. The large air flow is directed through electrically insulated cooling fins which cool heated gas from power generators. The electrically insulated cooling fans have a voltage applied thereto and act as electrodes used to produce an electric field that attracts particles such as pollutants. In a preferred embodiment, a charging section is utilized within the air flow prior to the electrically insulated cooling fins to charge the particles with a charge opposite to the voltage applied to the cooling fins to thereby attract the particles to the cooling fins. A cooling fin washing system with pressurized jets is provided in one embodiment to wash the pollutants from the surface of the cooling fins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Canatxx Energy, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ross K. Hill, Paul J. Grimes, Charles E. Lawrence
  • Patent number: 7022296
    Abstract: A multiple-field precipitator, flue-gas treating device, in accordance with the principles of the invention, includes a first section having a dual-function, sensible-cooling heat exchanger/electrostatic precipitator, a second section having a wet electrostatic precipitator, and a middle section fluidly connecting the first and second sections. In the first section, the exchanger/precipitator sensibly cools the flue gas and collects most of the dust from the flue gas. In the middle section, the dust-reduced flue gas is combined with an alkaline material, thereby forming reaction products. These reaction products and several other pollutants are captured by the wet electrostatic precipitator, in the form of a pollutant-laden liquid. The pollutant-laden liquid is directed to a series of heat exchangers and settling tanks, where various pollutants such as SOx, metals, NOx, and chlorides are removed in different stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: University of Cincinnati
    Inventors: Soon-Jai Khang, Timothy Keener
  • Patent number: 6974494
    Abstract: Pollutants in a flue gas stream from a dryer of products, such as wood chips, are removed by a pollution abatement system that includes an electrified filter bed unit for removing solid particulates. To prevent deteriorated operation of the electrified filter bed unit due to condensation of volatile organic compounds, the flue gas stream is heated, prior to admission to the electrified filter bed unit, to a temperature sufficient to convert condensable liquid aerosols to a gaseous state. The electrified filter bed unit then removes solid particulate selectively without collecting condensable organics. After the flue gas stream has passed through the electrified filter bed unit, gaseous pollutants can be removed by an oxidation process, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Inventor: Karim Zahedi
  • Patent number: 6824587
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing contaminants from gas streams. A first step involves selecting a contaminant to be removed from a gas stream and determining a characteristic ionizing energy value required to selectively ionize the selected contaminant with minimal effect on other contaminants in the gas stream. A second step involves applying the characteristic ionizing energy value to the gas stream and selectively ionizing the selected contaminant. A third step involves capturing the selected contaminant after ionization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Inventor: Moustafa Abdel Kader Mohamed
  • Patent number: 6749670
    Abstract: There is provided a process for trapping particulate matter in a gas stream exiting a combustion equipment comprising providing a combustion equipment with one or more exits for exhaust gases, each exit connected to one or more ducts, and placing at least one particulate trap in each duct, wherein the particulate trap is removable and/or replaceable while the combustion equipment is online.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Steven Paul Giles, Alex Frederik Woldhuis, Marinus Marcus Wilhelmus Johannes Miggelbrink, James Arther Salter, Charles Phillip Brundrett
  • Patent number: 6709490
    Abstract: It is disclosed a combined system for the elimination of pollutants from gaseous effluents of the type that comprises means for carrying out at least one electronic bombardment operation and means for carrying out at least one electrostatic interaction operation, in which a heat diffusion and molecular destabilization operation is performed as a previous treatment in order to restrict the flow of gases in such a way that it causes the gas molecules and suspended particles to tend to split up and electronically destabilize at the time that the temperature of the same gases is reduced; and/or a magnetic molecular rearrangement operation is carried out prior to each electrostatic interaction operation, consisting of subjecting the gases to a magnetic field having such a force that achieve a rearrangement of the sub-particles and heavier molecules thus achieving a selective separation that prepares the gaseous stream for the electrostatic interaction operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Inventor: Juan José Calderón De Los Santos
  • Patent number: 6527829
    Abstract: The present invention describes a method and an arrangement for purifying the intake air of a gas turbine of solid particles and liquid droplets. According to the invention air is taken into the system of intake air passages (1, 2, 4) of the gas turbine and the particles contained in the intake air are collected by means of at least one plate filter (3) to which a collection voltage has been connected. In order to enable and enhance collection, the air is taken into at least one charging chamber (2) arranged at a distance prior to the plate filters (3) in the flow direction of the air, where an electric field is formed between at least two electrodes (5, 7) by connecting a voltage between the electrodes which exceeds the collection voltage, whereby powerful charging of the particles and at least partial removal of the water contained in the air are effected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Fortum Oyj
    Inventors: Matti Malkamäki, Matti Lehtimäki
  • Patent number: 6508861
    Abstract: An improvement in an electrostatic precipitator and method for removing particulate contaminants entrained in a gas stream passed through an electrode arrangement in which particulates are charged in a first electrostatic field and subjected to a second electrostatic field to be removed and collected for further disposition. The electrode arrangement includes a charging section having a charging electrode and a field electrode, and a collecting section having a repelling electrode and a collecting electrode. The field electrode and the collecting electrode are integrated, providing a relatively compact construction, and the charging electrode and the repelling electrode are electrically separated by high voltage diodes in a single power supply arrangement such that the charging section and the collecting section each are provided with a corresponding electrostatic field operated at an optimum voltage and current for respectively charging and collecting particulate contaminants entrained in the gas stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Croll Reynolds Clean Air Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Isaac Ray
  • Patent number: 6494934
    Abstract: An air cleaner having a minus ion generator and a positive electrode. The minus ion generator carries a high minus voltage, and the positive electrode carries a high plus voltage. Preferably, the minus ion generator has a heater. The air cleaner may have an absorbing sheet positioned close to the positive electrode. Preferably, the minus ion generator is spaced apart from the positive electrode by a distance not less than a half of the maximum distance between walls of room. Preferably, the high plus voltage is not less than 4,000 Volts, and the absolute value of the high minus voltage is larger than the absolute value of the high plus voltage. Preferably, the air cleaner has a sterilizing function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Security System Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Fumio Fukushima
  • Patent number: 6488740
    Abstract: The apparatus includes a wet electrostatic precipitator (ESP) field disposed along a combusted fossil-fuel flue gas stream path downstream of a dry ESP field. The wet ESP field includes a chamber having a flue gas inlet and a flue gas outlet, and at least one collection plate positioned within the chamber. The chamber also includes one or more wash nozzle positioned adjacent the collection plate, and a wet hopper positioned substantially under the collection plate. The apparatus preferably further includes one or more cooling nozzles positioned near the flue gas inlet. The cooling and wash nozzles are fluidly coupled to a water source, while the wet hopper is fluidly coupled to either a pH adjustment module or a treatment processor. A method of removing contaminants from a flue gas stream using the above apparatus is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan V. Patel, Alfred L. Hester, David W. Morris
  • Patent number: 6464754
    Abstract: An economical air purification system and process that greatly reduces concentrations of dust and noxious gases to provide for a cleaner and healthier enviroment for people, plants, poultry and other animals. Desirably, the special air purification system and process has a set of modules arranged for emitting overlapping flow patterns of ions. The modules can include parallel arrays of ionizers which are preferably arranged in a matrix or grid pattern. For even better results, the ionizers can comprise self-cleaning ionizers. One or more fans can be spaced from the modules to circulate the ions and air as well as draw influent air through the intake ports and exhaust purified air through the outlet ports. Heaters can also be provided to heat the circulating air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Kairos, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Joe Ford
  • Patent number: 6436170
    Abstract: An apparatus for removing particles from a gas in a high purity flowing gas system is provided which includes a flow tube inserted inline in the flowing gas system having an inlet and an outlet, a pressure sealed, electrically insulated feed-through integral to the flow tube, an emitter inserted through the feed-through into the flow tube to create a plasma in the gas to charge particles in the gas, and a collector surface in proximity to the emitter; whereby an electric field between the emitter and the collector surface draws the particles in the gas to the collector surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemical, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Thomas McDermott, Richard Carl Ockovic
  • Patent number: 6251170
    Abstract: An electronic dust collector has a discharge line spaced parallel to a dust collector electrode. Discharge line fixing parts at the ends of the discharge line are bent outward to increase the distance from the dust collector electrode, thereby reducing the likelihood of abnormal discharge between the discharge line fixing parts and the dust collector electrode. In another embodiment, the discharge line and the discharge line fixing parts remain in alignment, and the ends of the dust collector electrode facing the line fixing parts are bent outward. The electronic dust collector may be part of an air conditioner. The dust collector electrode has a heater therein for self cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasumasa Hironaka, Hisanobu Tanaka, Shinji Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6235088
    Abstract: An alcohol separator is provided with an atomizer which supplies a mist of atomized alcohol solution to one region of a flow path, and an electrostatic collection device which uses an electrostatic field corona discharge to capture, liquefy, and recover alcohol solution mist generated by the atomizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Inventor: Kazuo Matsuura
  • Patent number: 6193782
    Abstract: A condensing wet electrostatic precipitator is constructed of collection electrode modules which establishing collection electrodes and a cooling jacket, each collection electrode module having a configuration including at least one part-tubular section and a cooling fluid chamber integral with the part-tubular section for containing cooling medium for cooling the part-tubular section, the configuration of each collection electrode module being such that upon assembly of the collection electrode modules into an assembly of juxtaposed collection electrode modules the part-tubular sections are juxtaposed to establish at least one corresponding generally tubular collection electrode comprised of the juxtaposed part-tubular sections and the discrete cooling fluid chambers are juxtaposed to establish a corresponding cooling jacket comprised of the juxtaposed discrete cooling fluid chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Croll Reynolds Clean Air Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Isaac Ray
  • Patent number: 6152988
    Abstract: An electrostatic bag filter unit is formed of a plurality of sections arranged in series. One section is a bag filter section containing a plurality of parallel elongated filter fabric bag elements extending across and traverse to a gas flow path therethrough and a plurality of grounded, electrically-conductive support frames, each support frame being internal to and supporting one of the filter fabric bag elements. Optionally, the bag filter section may further include a plurality of non-discharging electrodes disposed parallel to and interspersed among the filter fabric bag elements. A filter precharger section is located immediately upstream of and contiguous with the bag filter section and is formed of a linear array of alternating corona discharge electrodes and grounded electrodes arranged perpendicular to the gas flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
    Inventors: Norman Plaks, Charles B. Sedman
  • Patent number: 6129781
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus with an air cleaning function. In the apparatus, an electric dust collector is provided in the air passage on the rear side of a heat exchanger. A heater for self-cleaning is combined with a dust collector electrode of the electric dust collector. A heat shield plate is combined with the heater. Air flow resistance is not increased although the dust collector electrode is plane in shape. An increase of air flow resistance caused by the use of the heat shield plate is also suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2000
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Okamoto, Yoshiaki Ikuzawa, Akinori Okazaki, Takao Sakaue
  • Patent number: 6033457
    Abstract: An oxygen generating system includes an oxygen generator having an oxygen ion conducting honeycomb structure and a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the oxygen generator. The system also includes a heater thermally coupled to the oxygen generator and a control module coupled to the oxygen generator and the heater. The control module monitors one or more of the system parameters and dynamically controls the oxygen generating system in response to the one or more system parameters such as, for example, varying the speed of a draft fan in the outlet waste air stream. A method of operating an oxygen generating system includes initializing the oxygen generating system in response to an operation status request and generating oxygen in an oxygen ion conducting honeycomb structure in response to a desired oxygen flow rate input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: OxyNet, Inc.
    Inventor: William N. Lawless
  • Patent number: 5792238
    Abstract: An integrated flue gas treatment condensing heat exchanger having a particle charger located upstream of the second stage heat exchanger of the system for improved cleaning of flue gas and increased removal of fine particulate matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: The Babcock & Wilcox Company
    Inventors: Dennis W. Johnson, Robert B. Myers, Karl H. Schulze, Ralph T. Bailey
  • Patent number: 5401301
    Abstract: The invention describes a device for transporting materials which has at least a first pipe (I) and a second pipe (II), each having a six-cornered, honeycomb-shaped flow cross section, the first pipe (I) having at least two first wall parts (1) which are not arranged adjacent to one another and whose longitudinal edges (1') are arranged at a first distance (a) from the connection point (3) between the first wall part (1) and the adjacent second wall part (2), which connection point (3) is nearest to the longitudinal edge (1'). Plate-shaped brackets (4) are arranged at the sides of the first wall parts (1) remote of the materials to be transported at a second distance (c) from the nearest longitudinal edge (1'). The angle (.alpha.) of inclination between the plane of the bracket (4) and the plane of the first wall part (1) is 60.degree., and the second pipe (II) has at least one corresponding first wall part (1) which is arranged parallel to the second wall part (2) of the first pipe (I).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christian Schulmerich, Wilhelm Moeller