AIRFLOW REDIRECTION AIR-HANDLING UNIT

Abstract

According to various embodiments, an air-handling apparatus includes: a housing having a plurality of vertical walls; an air inlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to receive first air into the air-handling apparatus while the first air moves in a first direction; an air outlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to discharge second air from the air-handling apparatus while the second air moves in a second direction, wherein the first direction differs from the second direction by at least 90 degrees; a centrifugal fan that is disposed within the housing and receives the first air and discharges the second air; and an air temperature-conditioning component that is disposed within the housing and in the path of one of the first air or the second air.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field of the Various Embodiments

The various embodiments relate generally to heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) technologies and, more specifically, to an airflow redirection air-handling unit.

Description of the Related Art

Certain rooms, labs, or other spaces in a building can have strict cooling, humidity, and/or filtration requirements. For example, for patient safety, operating rooms benefit from the delivery of a high volume of filtered air, on the order of several air changes per hour. Similarly, cooling the high sensible heat load of a server room can be facilitated via the delivery of a high volume of conditioned air. To supply sufficiently high quantities of air to such spaces, the air-handling units and associated ductwork for such spaces can occupy significant volume in the available ceiling space. In fact, as the target level of air changes for a particular type of room increases, the footprint of the air-handling units and ductwork for the room can significantly exceed the footprint of the room. As a result, when a large number of such rooms are located adjacent to each other, the ductwork and air-handling equipment can be the limiting factor for how many of these rooms can be included in an area of a building having a specified footprint. Thus, with conventional air-handling systems, there can be a trade-off between the number of air changes provided to a certain type of room and how many of that type of room can be included in a building.

As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art are more effective techniques for supplying high air changes to certain rooms or spaces.

SUMMARY

According to various embodiments, an air-handling apparatus includes: a housing having a plurality of vertical walls; an air inlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to receive first air into the air-handling apparatus while the first air moves in a first direction; an air outlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to discharge second air from the air-handling apparatus while the second air moves in a second direction, wherein the first direction differs from the second direction by at least 90 degrees; a centrifugal fan that is disposed within the housing and receives the first air and discharges the second air; and an air temperature-conditioning component that is disposed within the housing and in the path of one of the first air or the second air.

At least one technical advantage of the disclosed design relative to the prior art is that the disclosed design enables high air changes to be provided to a served space without the need for return-air ductwork extending significantly beyond the footprint of the served space. A further advantage is that the air-handling unit is self-contained, with hydronic and/or electrical control systems disposed within the housing of the air-handling unit. Thus, the footprint required for installation of the air-handling unit within a ceiling space can be smaller than that required for conventional air-handling units. Furthermore, with the hydronic and/or electrical control systems disposed within the housing of the air-handling unit, other ceiling-mounted utilities are prevented from interfering with the installation of the air-handling unit by occupying areas of ceiling space required for such control systems. These technical advantages provide one or more technological advancements over prior art approaches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the various embodiments can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the inventive concepts, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to various embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the inventive concepts and are therefore not to be considered limiting of scope in any way, and that there are other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual plan view of a ceiling-installed air-handling system that includes a horizontal air-handling unit that supplies air to a served space in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the horizontal air-handling unit of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual plan view of the horizontal air-handling unit of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A is a conceptual plan view of a portion of a horizontal air-handling unit with a centrifugal blower in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B is a conceptual side view of the portion of the horizontal air-handling unit of FIG. 4A in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual plan view of a horizontal air-handling unit in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual plan view of a horizontal air-handling unit in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one of skilled in the art that the inventive concepts may be practiced without one or more of these specific details.

As noted above, ceiling space can be limited for certain served spaces, such as operating rooms, computer server rooms, cleanrooms, and the like. Consequently, the reduction in footprint of an air handling system serving such spaces can enable more of these spaces to be included in a facility. The present disclosure relates to an air-handling unit for providing air to such served spaces. According to various embodiments, the air-handling unit operates with a horizontal airflow and is configured to redirect supply air into a different direction than that of return air received by the air-handling unit. Thus, airflow is redirected within the air-handling unit, rather than by the routing of ductwork within the ceiling space. Such airflow redirection within the air-handling unit enables an air-handling system that includes the air-handling unit to have a significantly smaller footprint, and therefore occupy less of the ceiling space associated with the served space. This is particularly true when the air-handling unit redirects airflow in the horizontal plane. An embodiment of one such air-handling system is described below in conjunction with FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual plan view of a ceiling-installed air-handling system 100 that includes a horizontal air-handling unit 120 for providing supply air to a served space 130 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, horizontal air-handling unit 120 is an air-handling apparatus that receives return air 121 from and provides supply air 122 to served space 130. Served space 130 can be any room, lab, or other facility that benefits from a relatively high number of air changes per hour, e.g., 1-10 air changes or more. For example, served space 130 can be an operating room, a computer server room, a cleanroom, and/or the like. In some embodiments, served space 130 is one of a plurality of served spaces (not shown) that are adjacent to each other, such as a group of operating rooms that are located along a corridor of a hospital and arranged in a single row. As such, components of air-handling system 100 cannot extend significantly beyond the footprint of served space 130 without occupying ceiling space reserved for an adjacent served space.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, air-handling system 100 includes an air distribution unit 140 that is fluidly coupled to horizontal air-handling unit 120 via supply-air ductwork 124. Air distribution unit 140 can be any technically feasible device or group of devices for distributing supply air 122 from supply-air ductwork 124 to served space 130, such as supply air diffusers of a ceiling-mounted supply-air duct system, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters 141, and the like. In some embodiments, air distribution unit 140 includes one or more additional features, such as utility connections, lighting, structural supports for an articulated boom, and/or the like. In some embodiments, air distribution unit 140 includes an air plenum (located above HEPA filters 141) that facilitates even distribution of supply air 122 across HEPA filters 141.

Air-handling system 100 further includes return-air ductwork 123 that fluidly couples one or more return-air grilles 125 in served space 130 to horizontal air-handling unit 120. As shown, horizontal air-handling unit 120 receives return air 121, which enters horizontal air-handling unit 120 in a first direction 101, and discharges supply air 122, which exits horizontal air-handling unit 120 in a second direction 102. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, first direction 101 differs from second direction 102 by 180 degrees. In other embodiments, first direction 101 differs from second direction 102 by less than 180 degrees and more than or equal to 90 degrees. Thus, in the various embodiments, airflow is redirected within horizontal air-handling unit 100, rather than by the routing of ductwork within the ceiling space of served space 130. As a result, the footprint of air-handling system 100 is significantly smaller than that of an equivalent conventional horizontal air-handling unit. For reference, a conventional horizontal air-handling unit 190 is depicted in FIG. 1 fluidly coupled to a second air distribution unit 150 that distributes air to served space 130. In contrast to air-handling unit 120, conventional horizontal air-handling unit 190 receives return air 191, which enters conventional horizontal air-handling unit 190 in a direction 193 via return air ductwork 195, and discharges supply air 192 in the same direction 193. Thus, air flows directly through conventional horizontal air-handling unit 190 from an inlet 196 of conventional horizontal air-handling unit 190 to an outlet 197 of conventional horizontal air-handling unit 190.

As shown, a footprint of conventional horizontal air-handling unit 190 and return-air ductwork 195 occupies a region 104 of ceiling space outside of the footprint of served space 130. Because region 104 is outside the footprint of served space 130, air-handling equipment disposed in region 104 can interfere with the placement of air-handling or other ceiling-installed equipment for adjacent served spaces, which can limit the number of served spaces included in a building.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual plan view of horizontal air-handling unit 120 and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of horizontal air-handling unit 120 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. For clarity, a top panel of horizontal air-handling unit 120 is omitted in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Horizontal air-handling unit 120 includes a housing 201 having a plurality of vertical walls 211-214, a centrifugal fan 220 that is disposed within housing 201, and an air temperature-conditioning component 230 that is disposed within housing 201.

Housing includes an air inlet 202 that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls 211-214 and an air outlet 203 that is also disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls 211-214. Air inlet 202 receives return air 121 into horizontal air-handling unit 120 from return ductwork 123 and air outlet 203 discharges supply air 122 from horizontal air-handling unit 120 into supply ductwork 124. As shown, return air 121 enters air inlet 202 in first direction 101 and supply air 122 exits air outlet 203 in second direction 102. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, air inlet 202 is disposed in vertical wall 213 and an air outlet 203 is also disposed in vertical wall 213. Consequently, first direction 101 differs from second direction 102 by 180 degrees. In other embodiments, first direction 101 can differ from second direction 102 by less than 180 degrees. For example, in some embodiments, air outlet 203 is disposed in vertical wall 212 instead of vertical wall 213, in which case first direction 101 differs from second direction 102 by 90 degrees. Thus, horizontal air-handling unit 120 is configured to receive return air 121 flowing in a first direction, redirect the airflow, and discharge supply air 122 in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

Centrifugal fan 220 is disposed within housing 201 and receives conditioned air 205 (which has passed through air temperature-conditioning component 230) via a fan inlet 221. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, centrifugal fan 220 is implemented as a backward-inclined centrifugal fan, sometimes referred to as a plenum fan. In such embodiments, centrifugal fan 220 is mounted in a high-pressure chamber 240 of horizontal air-handling unit 120 and pressurizes high-pressure chamber 240 during operation. Supply air 122 can be discharged with substantially equal efficiency from any wall or combination of walls of high-pressure chamber 240. Consequently, air outlet 203 can be disposed in any wall of high-pressure chamber 240 without significantly affecting the airflow performance of horizontal air-handling unit 120. As a result, conditioning air entering centrifugal fan 220 in a direction parallel with an axis of rotation 225 of centrifugal fan 220 can be redirected to exit horizontal air-handling unit 120 in a different direction by the positioning of air outlet 203 on a vertical wall of housing 201.

In embodiments in which centrifugal fan 220 is implemented as a backward-inclined centrifugal fan, centrifugal fan 220 receives conditioned air 205 from a low-pressure chamber 250 of horizontal air-handling unit 120, which is at some level of vacuum relative to ambient atmospheric pressure. Generally, high-pressure chamber 240 is fluidly separated from low-pressure chamber 250 by a center wall 252.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, centrifugal fan 220 is mounted via a frame 226 within high-pressure chamber 240 and is driven by a direct-drive motor 227. In some embodiments, direct-drive motor 227 is also mounted on frame 226 within high-pressure chamber 240. In alternative embodiments, centrifugal fan 220 is driven by a belt-drive system.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, centrifugal fan 220 is implemented as a backward-inclined, or plenum, fan that pressurizes a plenum, such as high-pressure chamber 240. In other embodiments, centrifugal fan 220 can be any other technically feasible fan that can receive conditioned air 205 and discharge conditioned air 205 in a different direction. For example, in some embodiments, centrifugal fan is implemented as a centrifugal blower that does not pressurize a high-pressure chamber of an air-handling unit. One such embodiment is described below in conjunction with FIGS. 4A and 4B, and another such embodiment is described below in conjunction with FIG. 5.

FIG. 4A is a conceptual plan view of a portion of a horizontal air-handling unit 400 with a centrifugal blower 420 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4B is a conceptual side view of the portion of horizontal air-handling unit 400 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, horizontal air-handling unit 400 includes a centrifugal blower 420 rather than a plenum fan.

Centrifugal blower 420 receives conditioned air 405 via a fan inlet 421, where conditioned air 405 has passed through an air temperature-conditioning component of air-handling unit 400 (not shown). Conditioned air 405 enters centrifugal fan 420 in a direction parallel with an axis of rotation 425 of centrifugal fan 420. As shown, centrifugal blower 420 discharges supply air 122 directly into supply ductwork 124. Thus, centrifugal blower 420 generates vacuum in a low-pressure chamber 450 of horizontal air-handling unit 420, but does not pressurize a chamber of horizontal air-handling unit 400. Centrifugal blower 420 can have forward-curved, backward-curved, or radial impeller blades.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual plan view of a horizontal air-handling unit 500 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. For clarity, a top panel of horizontal air-handling unit 500 is omitted in FIG. 5. Horizontal air-handling unit 500 is similar to horizontal air-handling unit 120 of FIG. 2, and includes housing 201 having a plurality of vertical walls 211-214 and an air temperature-conditioning component 230 that is disposed within housing 201. Unlike horizontal air-handling unit 120, horizontal air-handling unit 500 includes a double-inlet centrifugal blower 520 that is disposed within a low-pressure chamber 450 of housing 201. Double-inlet centrifugal blower 520 includes two fan inlets 521 that receive conditioned air 205.

As shown, in operation double-inlet centrifugal blower 520 causes the interior of housing 201 to be at a vacuum, and does not generate a high-pressure chamber. Instead, double-inlet centrifugal blower 520 directly discharges supply air 122 into supply ductwork 124. Similar to centrifugal fan 220 of FIG. 2, double-inlet centrifugal blower 520 can discharge supply air 122 with substantially equal efficiency from any wall of low-pressure chamber 550. Consequently, air outlet 203 can be disposed in any wall of low-pressure chamber 550 without significantly affecting the airflow performance of horizontal air-handling unit 500. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, return air 121 enters air inlet 202 in first direction 101 and supply air 122 exits air outlet 203 in second direction 102. Because air inlet 202 is disposed in vertical wall 213 and air outlet 203 is also disposed in vertical wall 213, first direction 101 differs from second direction 102 by 180 degrees. In other embodiments, double-inlet centrifugal blower 520 can be configured to discharge from a different wall of low-pressure chamber 550, and therefore direct supply air 122 in a different horizontal direction or a vertical direction from horizontal air-handling unit 500. Thus, horizontal air-handling unit 500 is configured to receive return air 121 flowing in a first direction, redirect the airflow, and discharge supply air 122 in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, air temperature-conditioning component 230 is disposed in air inlet 202 and in the path of return air 121. Therefore, return air 121 flows through air temperature-conditioning component 230 when entering housing 201. As a result, air temperature-conditioning component 230 can change a temperature of return air 121. In some embodiments, air temperature-conditioning component 230 includes a cooling coil, such as a chilled water coil or a refrigerant evaporator coil, and is configured to cool return air 121. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, air temperature-conditioning component 230 includes a heating coil, such as a heat exchanger or an electrical heating element, and is configured to heat return air 121. As shown, air temperature-conditioning component 230 is oriented vertically, so that horizontally ducted air can flow therethrough.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, air temperature-conditioning component 230 is disposed in air inlet 202, which has a significantly greater free area than air outlet 203. As a result, less pressure drop occurs across air temperature-conditioning component 230 than when air temperature-conditioning component 230 is located elsewhere in horizontal air-handling unit 120. Alternatively, in some embodiments, air temperature-conditioning component 230 is disposed within housing 201 rather than in air inlet 202. Alternatively, in some embodiments, 230 is disposed in air outlet 203 or in some other portion of housing 201 that is downstream of centrifugal fan 220. Thus, in some embodiments, centrifugal fan 220 can be positioned before air temperature-conditioning component 230 rather than after air temperature-conditioning component 230, as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In some embodiments, horizontal air-handling unit 120 includes hydronic and/or electrical control components that are disposed within housing 201. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, hydronic controls 271, hydronic sensors 272, and/or electrical controls 273 are disposed in a control cabinet 270 of horizontal air-handling unit 120. In some embodiments, control cabinet 270 is separated from other regions of horizontal air-handling unit 120 by an internal partition 275. Hydronic controls 271 and hydronic sensors 272 include one or more hydronic control devices that enable control of and communication with a water-based heating or cooling coil included in air temperature-conditioning component 230. For example, chilled water plumbing 276 may be included in horizontal air-handling unit 120 for receiving chilled water for temperature-conditioning component 230. Similarly, electrical controls 273 include one or more electronic control devices that enable control of and communication with an electrical heating or cooling device included in air temperature-conditioning component 230. Thus, hydronic controls 271, hydronic sensors 272, and electrical controls 273 are contained within housing 201 of horizontal air-handling unit 120, and are not externally mounted or installed separately after horizontal air-handling unit 120 is installed in a ceiling space.

Traditionally, hydronic control components and/or electrical control components for a ceiling-installed air-handling unit are external to the air-handling unit, and are installed after the air-handling unit has been mounted in the ceiling space. In practice, the locations required for such control components can be inadvertently occupied by other ceiling-installed utilities, such as electrical wiring conduits, sprinkler plumbing, and the like, resulting in installation delays and the reworking of newly installed utilities. According to various embodiments, the inclusion of hydronic controls 271, hydronic sensors 272, and/or electrical controls 273 in control cabinet 270 prevents such issues and therefore streamlines installation of horizontal air-handling unit 120.

In some embodiments, additional conditioned air is provided to a horizontal air-handling unit. In such embodiments, the additional conditioned air can provide humidity control to a served space or otherwise reduce latent heat in the served space. For example, in some embodiments, the additional conditioned air can be de-humidified air. One such embodiment is described below in conjunction with FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual plan view of a horizontal air-handling unit 600 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. For clarity, a top panel of horizontal air-handling unit 600 is omitted in FIG. 6. Horizontal air-handling unit 600 is similar to horizontal air-handling unit 120 of FIG. 2, and includes housing 201 having a plurality of vertical walls 211-214 and air temperature-conditioning component 230, which is disposed within housing 201. Unlike horizontal air-handling unit 120, horizontal air-handling unit 600 receives conditioned air 621, for example for humidity control of a served space. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, horizontal air-handling unit 600 receives conditioned air 621 via air inlet 202 in addition to return air 121. In such embodiments, a conditioned air duct 623 may be fluidly coupled to a mixing box 601 that is positioned, for example, at air inlet 202. Within mixing box 601 is a mixing region 602 in which return air 121 and conditioned air 621 are combined prior to entering air inlet 202. Alternatively, in some embodiments, conditioned air duct 621 can be coupled directly to housing 201, for example via a wall of low-pressure chamber 250. In such embodiments, mixing region 602 is located within low-pressure chamber 250.

In sum, the various embodiments shown and provided herein set forth an air-handling unit that can redirect supply air in a different direction than that of return air received by the air-handling unit. Thus, airflow direction is redirected within the air-handling unit, rather than by the routing of ductwork within the ceiling space.

At least one technical advantage of the disclosed design relative to the prior art is that the disclosed design enables high air changes to be provided to a served space without the need for return-air ductwork extending significantly beyond the footprint of the served space. A further advantage is that the air-handling unit is self-contained, with hydronic and/or electrical control systems disposed within the housing of the air-handling unit. Thus, the footprint required for installation of the air-handling unit within a ceiling space can be smaller than that required for conventional air-handling units. Furthermore, with the hydronic and/or electrical control systems disposed within the housing of the air-handling unit, other ceiling-mounted utilities are prevented from interfering with the installation of the air-handling unit by occupying areas of ceiling space required for such control systems. These technical advantages provide one or more technological advancements over prior art approaches.

1. In some embodiments, an air-handling apparatus includes: a housing having a plurality of vertical walls; an air inlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to receive first air into the air-handling apparatus while the first air moves in a first direction; an air outlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to discharge second air from the air-handling apparatus while the second air moves in a second direction, wherein the first direction differs from the second direction by at least 90 degrees; a centrifugal fan that is disposed within the housing and receives the first air and discharges the second air; and an air temperature-conditioning component that is disposed within the housing and in the path of one of the first air or the second air.

2. The air-handling apparatus of clause 1, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is disposed in a vertical plane.

3. The air-handling apparatus of clauses 1 or 2, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is disposed in the air inlet.

4. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-3, further comprising a low-pressure chamber that receives the first air.

5. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-4, wherein the air inlet is disposed in a vertical wall of the low-pressure chamber.

6. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-5, further comprising a high-pressure chamber that receives the second air from the fan.

7. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the air outlet is disposed in a vertical wall of the high-pressure chamber.

8. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-7, further comprising a partition wall within the housing that fluidly separates a low-pressure chamber of the air-handling apparatus from a high-pressure chamber of the air-handling apparatus.

9. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the centrifugal fan is mounted on a surface of the partition wall.

10. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-9, wherein the air inlet is disposed in a first vertical wall of the housing and the air outlet is disposed in the first vertical wall of the housing.

11. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-10, wherein the centrifugal fan comprises a fan inlet that receives the first air and a fan outlet that discharges the second air.

12. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-11, wherein the centrifugal fan rotates about an axis, and the first air enters the fan inlet in a third direction that is parallel to the axis.

13. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-12, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

14. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-13, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is configured to change a temperature of one of the first air or the second air.

15. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-14, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is configured to change the temperature by at least one of increasing the temperature or decreasing the temperature.

16. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-15, further comprising a control cabinet within the housing that includes at least one of a hydronic control device or an electrical control device.

17. The air-handling apparatus of any of clauses 1-16, further comprising a mixing box that is fluidly coupled to the air-handling apparatus and receives additional conditioned air.

18. In some embodiments, an air-change system includes: an air-handling apparatus that includes: a housing having a plurality of vertical walls; an air inlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to receive first air into the air-handling apparatus while the first air moves in a first direction; an air outlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to discharge second air from the air-handling apparatus while the second air moves in a second direction, wherein the first direction differs from the second direction by at least 90 degrees; a centrifugal fan that is disposed within the housing and receives the first air and discharges the second air; and an air temperature-conditioning component that is disposed within the housing and in the path of one of the first air or the second air; and a return air duct fluidly coupled to the air inlet; and a supply air duct fluidly coupled to the air outlet.

19. The air-change system of clause 18, wherein the supply air duct is fluidly coupled to one of a ceiling-mounted high-efficient particulate air (HEPA) filter and a ceiling-mounted supply-air duct system.

20. The air-change system of clauses 18 or 19, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is disposed in a vertical plane.

Any and all combinations of any of the claim elements recited in any of the claims and/or any elements described in this application, in any fashion, fall within the contemplated scope of the present invention and protection.

The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments.

While the preceding is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. An air-handling apparatus, comprising: a housing having a plurality of vertical walls;an air inlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to receive first air into the air-handling apparatus while the first air moves in a first direction;an air outlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to discharge second air from the air-handling apparatus while the second air moves in a second direction, wherein the first direction differs from the second direction by at least 90 degrees;a centrifugal fan that is disposed within the housing and receives the first air and discharges the second air; andan air temperature-conditioning component that is disposed within the housing and in the path of one of the first air or the second air.

2. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is disposed in a vertical plane.

3. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is disposed in the air inlet.

4. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a low-pressure chamber that receives the first air.

5. The air-handling apparatus of claim 4, wherein the air inlet is disposed in a vertical wall of the low-pressure chamber.

6. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a high-pressure chamber that receives the second air from the fan.

7. The air-handling apparatus of claim 6, wherein the air outlet is disposed in a vertical wall of the high-pressure chamber.

8. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a partition wall within the housing that fluidly separates a low-pressure chamber of the air-handling apparatus from a high-pressure chamber of the air-handling apparatus.

9. The air-handling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the centrifugal fan is mounted on a surface of the partition wall.

10. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air inlet is disposed in a first vertical wall of the housing and the air outlet is disposed in the first vertical wall of the housing.

11. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the centrifugal fan comprises a fan inlet that receives the first air and a fan outlet that discharges the second air.

12. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the centrifugal fan rotates about an axis, and the first air enters the fan inlet in a third direction that is parallel to the axis.

13. The air-handling apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

14. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is configured to change a temperature of one of the first air or the second air.

15. The air-handling apparatus of claim 14, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is configured to change the temperature by at least one of increasing the temperature or decreasing the temperature.

16. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control cabinet within the housing that includes at least one of a hydronic control device or an electrical control device.

17. The air-handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mixing box that is fluidly coupled to the air-handling apparatus and receives additional conditioned air.

18. An air-change system, comprising: an air-handling apparatus that includes: a housing having a plurality of vertical walls;an air inlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to receive first air into the air-handling apparatus while the first air moves in a first direction;an air outlet that is disposed in one of the plurality of vertical walls and is configured to discharge second air from the air-handling apparatus while the second air moves in a second direction, wherein the first direction differs from the second direction by at least 90 degrees;a centrifugal fan that is disposed within the housing and receives the first air and discharges the second air; andan air temperature-conditioning component that is disposed within the housing and in the path of one of the first air or the second air; anda return air duct fluidly coupled to the air inlet; anda supply air duct fluidly coupled to the air outlet.

19. The air-change system of claim 18, wherein the supply air duct is fluidly coupled to one of a ceiling-mounted high-efficient particulate air (HEPA) filter and a ceiling-mounted supply-air duct system.

20. The air-change system of claim 18, wherein the air temperature-conditioning component is disposed in a vertical plane.