The invention relates generally to a fan coil unit of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, and, more particularly, to an electric heater coil accessory configured for use with a fan coil unit.
In a conventional air conditioning system, the condenser of the refrigeration circuit is located exterior to a building. Typically, this system includes a condensing coil, a fan for circulating outdoor ambient air over the condensing coil, and may additionally have a compressor, reversing valves, and various controls. The air conditioning system further includes an indoor unit having an evaporator for transferring heat energy from the indoor air to be conditioned to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator and a fan for circulating the indoor air in a heat exchange relationship with the evaporator. This type of unit is referred to as a fan coil unit.
In conventional fan coil units, especially those used in warmer climates having a reduced heating demand, an auxiliary electric heat coil accessory may be mounted to the fan coil unit. By including an electric heat coil accessory, the air conditioning system can be adapted to provide both cool and warm air to a building. This electric heat coil accessory connects to the discharge end of the fan coil unit and therefore increases the overall height of the fan coil unit. Because many applications have strict size envelopes within which the fan coil unit must fit, inclusion of the additional electric heat coil accessory is not always possible. In addition, the added height of the accessory makes the fan coil unit more difficult to install.
According to another aspect of the invention, an electric heat coil assembly for use adjacent a heat exchanger assembly in a fan coil unit is provided including at least one electric heat coil. A mount plate supports the at least one electric heat coil such that the at least one electric heat coil extends from the mount plate. The mount plate includes an edge configured to connect to the heat exchanger assembly. At least one relay is coupled to the at least one electric heat coil. The at least one relay selectively applies power to the electric heat coil.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a fan coil unit is provided including a housing duct. A fan assembly circulates air through the housing duct. A heat exchanger assembly is arranged with the housing duct. The heat exchanger assembly is in a heat transfer relationship with the air circulating through the housing duct, At least one open space exists adjacent the heat exchanger assembly. An electric heat coil assembly is located within the at least one open space adjacent the heat exchanger assembly.
These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to FIGS, 1 and 2, heating and cooling systems include a ducted fan coil unit 20 having a fan assembly 40 and a heat exchanger assembly 30 disposed inside a housing duct 22. Depending on the desired unit characteristics, the fan assembly 40 may be positioned either downstream with respect to the coil assembly 30 (i.e. a “draw through” configuration), or upstream with respect to the coil assembly 30 (i.e. a “blow through” configuration) as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the fan assembly 40 is mounted near the inlet 24 of the unit 20. The fan assembly 40 includes a fan scroll 44 coordinated with a fan mounted to a fan shaft 42 and is configured to circulate air generally forwardly into the heat exchanger assembly 30. A combination fan deck and condensate pan 48 extends across the unit 20 located at the same height as the discharge end 46 of the fan scroll 44. The combination fan deck and condensate pan 48 collects condensate dripping from the surface of the heat exchanger assembly 30 and prevents air discharged from the fan assembly 40 from circulating back to the fan inlet 47. The heat exchanger assembly 30, in the illustrated embodiment, has a generally flat profile and is arranged at an angle with respect to the flow path of air through the housing duct 22. Alternative heat exchanger assemblies 30 are generally V-shaped and generally A-shaped as is known in the art (see
Referring now to
An electric heat coil assembly 60 according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
Referring now to
In one embodiment, at least one electric heat coil assembly 160 is mounted in one of the open areas 154, 156, 158 adjacent the A-coil 130. As illustrated, a first electric heat coil assembly 160 is mounted in the open area 154 adjacent the discharge surface 134 of the first portion 132 and a second electric heat coil 160′ is mounted in the open area 156 adjacent the discharge surface 140 of the second portion 138 of the heat exchanger assembly 130. The first electric heat coil assembly 160 and the second electric heat coil assembly 160′ may be substantially symmetrical to one another. Alternatively, the first electric heat coil assembly 160 and the second electric heat coil assembly 160′ may have different shapes, sizes, number and arrangements of electric heat coils 170.
The heat exchanger assembly 230 of the fan coil unit 220 illustrated in
At least one electric heat coil assembly 260 is mounted in one of the open areas 254, 256, 258 adjacent the V-coil 230. In one embodiment, at least one electric heat coil assembly 260 is positioned within the open area 258 between the first portion 232 and the second portion 238 of the heat exchanger assembly 230. As illustrated, a single electric heat coil assembly 260 may be configured to fit within open space 258 adjacent the discharge surfaces 234, 240 of the heat exchanger assembly 230. However, multiple electric heat coil assemblies 260 may be configured to fit within an open space, such as open space 258 for example. If multiple electric heat coil assemblies 260 are located within an open space, the electric heat coil assemblies 260 may be substantially uniform in size and shape. Alternatively, the multiple electric heat coil assemblies 260 within an open space may be distinct sizes and shapes that fit within the open space.
By including at least one electric heat coil assembly within the open spaces, of the housing duct, the overall height of the fan coil unit is reduced, such as by a distance of approximately eight to ten inches, This reduction in height allows for greater flexibility during installation of the fan coil unit.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims,
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/709,751, filed Oct. 4, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61709751 | Oct 2012 | US |