The invention relates generally to evaporative cooling systems and more particularly to evaporative cooling systems having housings that are transformable from a compact storage configuration to a larger operating configuration.
Evaporative cooling systems have been available for many years. These systems operate by directing water onto an evaporative cooling medium and directing air over the evaporative cooling medium. As the air flows by or through the evaporative cooling medium, the water in or on the medium evaporates. The evaporation of the water cools the air, which can then be directed into a desired area (e.g., within a dwelling).
Evaporative cooling systems may be used to cool residential or commercial structures. A typical residential evaporative cooling system has a rigid enclosure that is located on the roof of the home. A fan is positioned within the enclosure. The enclosure has one or more sides that are open, except that they are covered by evaporative cooling media such as fibrous pads. A water circulation system pumps water to the top of the pads, where the water is allowed to drip onto the pads and to saturate the pads. When the fan is turned on, air flows into the enclosure through the pads and then flows through a duct into the home. As the air flows through the pads, heat from the air is absorbed by the water, causing the water to evaporate. This cools (and increases the humidity) of the e air in the enclosure in comparison to the air outside the enclosure.
Because evaporative cooling systems are dependent upon the evaporation of water to cool the air, their effectiveness is dependent upon the humidity of the air in the area in which they are used. The more humid the air, the less effective they are at cooling the air. Evaporative cooling systems are, however, advantageous in that they are generally simpler in design and less expensive to install, operate, and maintain than refrigerated cooling systems. Evaporative cooling systems can also be designed to be mobile, and relatively large evaporative cooling systems can be used effectively in temporary or emergency situations, or in large or relatively open areas.
Traditional evaporative cooling systems may be very useful in a number of situations, but they have some drawbacks. One significant disadvantage, particularly with respect to systems that are intended to be transportable, is that they may require a relatively large amount of space during operation and storage. For instance, typical portable evaporative cooling systems have large, rigid shrouds that provide a large area for the cooling medium and funnel the cooled air from the cooling medium to the fan. While it is desirable for the cooling medium to cover more area in order to provide more effective cooling, the larger the cooling area is, the more difficult it is to store and/or transport the system.
It would therefore be desirable to provide evaporative cooling systems that are more easily stored and transported than conventional systems.
This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for evaporatively cooling air that solve one or more of the problems discussed above. One particular embodiment comprises an evaporative cooling system that has an enclosure which is alternately expandable and contractible. With the housing expanded, the system can be operated to cool air that flows through the system. When the system is not being operated, the housing can be contracted so that the system is more easily stored or transported. In this embodiment, the system includes a water reservoir that is contained within the enclosure. An air inlet enables external air to flow into the interior of the enclosure. An air outlet enables the air to flow out of the enclosure to the exterior of the enclosure. One or more evaporative media are positioned within the enclosure so that air can flow over them. A water distribution subsystem is also positioned within the enclosure to circulate water from the water reservoir to the evaporative media. The water distribution subsystem may include a pump that circulates water from the water reservoir through tubing within the enclosure to the evaporative media. A fan is coupled to the enclosure so that when the fan is operated, it causes air to flow into the enclosure through the air inlet, through the one or more evaporative media and out of the enclosure through the air outlet. As the air flowing over or through the evaporative media, the air is cooled by evaporation of water from the media.
When the enclosure is contracted, the enclosure occupies a first, reduced volume. This makes the system more compact to facilitate transportation and storage of the unit. When the enclosure is expanded, the enclosure occupies a second, greater volume. The evaporative media and the water distribution subsystem in this embodiment are connected to a collapsible support structure within the enclosure so that they are movable from a first, compact position when the enclosure is contracted to a second, operating position when the enclosure is expanded. The enclosure may have one or more substantially rigid shell portions that form a protected volume for the evaporative media and the water distribution subsystem when the enclosure is contracted. The shell portions may include upper and lower shell portions, where the water reservoir is formed in the lower shell portion. The reservoir formed in the lower portion may have a layer of thermal insulation that can be accessed to place ice in the reservoir. The ice may directly cool air that flows over it, and may also cool the water that is distributed to the evaporative media, thereby cooling the air that flows over and around the media. The system may have various additional features. For example, some embodiments may include an ozone generator which is configured to generate ozone in the water that is circulated through the system. The ozone generator may saturate the water with ozone and produce additional ozone that is combined with the air which flows through the enclosure. The ozonated water and/or air can then be circulated through the system to disinfect the housing and evaporative cooling media as well as the air and water themselves.
An alternative embodiment comprises a method for providing evaporative cooling. This method includes providing an evaporative cooler enclosure that is alternately expandable and contractible. This enclosure houses evaporative media and a water distribution subsystem. The enclosure is initially in a contracted position which is suitable for transportation or storage of the system. The various cooling system components that reside within the enclosure may be in compact storage positions. The enclosure is then moved to an expanded position, which causes the evaporative media and the water distribution subsystem to move from their compact storage positions to operating positions. With the system components in the expanded, operating positions, water is circulated through the water distribution subsystem to the evaporative media. Air is passed through the evaporative media within the enclosure, thereby cooling the air that is passed through the enclosure. The air may be disinfected by ozonation or other means as it is passed through the enclosure. This may be accomplished by generating ozone within the water in the system. The air may also be cooled by causing it to flow over ice in the reservoir, or by using ice to cool the water that is distributed to the evaporative cooling media. When the system is no longer needed, circulation of water through the water distribution subsystem and the one or more evaporative media can be discontinued and circulation of air through the enclosure can be stopped. The enclosure and the contained cooling components are then moved from the expanded position to the contracted position.
Numerous other embodiments are also possible.
Other objects and advantages of the invention may become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.
While the invention is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and the accompanying detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment which is described. This disclosure is instead intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, the drawings may not be to scale, and may exaggerate one or more components in order to facilitate an understanding of the various features described herein.
One or more embodiments of the invention are described below. It should be noted that these and any other embodiments described below are exemplary and are intended to be illustrative of the invention rather than limiting.
One exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises an evaporative cooling system that has an expandable housing. When the system is not in use, the housing is collapsed to a smaller size so that it is more easily stored or transported. When the system is in use, the housing is expanded to a larger size, opening or expanding air flow pathways through the housing and the evaporative cooling media that are mounted on or in the housing. A water distribution system is provided to deliver water to the evaporative cooling media. A fan is also provided to draw air through the evaporative cooling media.
Referring to
Alternative embodiments may use varying components. For example, in the embodiment above, the fan is driven by an electric motor. The fan’s motor may be powered by a battery, a generator or any other means. The fan may alternatively be driven by a combustion engine in other embodiments. The pump of the water distribution system is also driven by an electric motor in this embodiment. The pump motor may be powered by batteries, generators or other means. The water distribution system may alternatively be a non-recirculating system that distributes water from a source such as a garden hose or water storage unit, rather than pumping the water out of a reservoir which collects water that runs off from the evaporative cooling media. In a recirculating water distribution system, the reservoir may be a rigid structure, or it may be a flexible structure, such as a bladder.
Although not explicitly depicted in
Conventional evaporative cooling systems can be configured in various ways. One of the most common configurations is a residential rooftop installation. An exemplary system is depicted in
Another common configuration for a conventional evaporative cooling system is a portable unit. An exemplary portable evaporative cooling system is shown in
Referring to
In the embodiment of
The embodiment of
The water circulation system includes a pump 440 that draws water from the reservoir in the lower portion 411 of the housing and pumps this water through one or more tubes 442 to a manifold 443 that delivers the water to evaporative cooling media 430. The water may be sprayed, dripped, or otherwise delivered to the evaporative cooling media. The portion of the water that flows through the media and is not evaporated is collected in the reservoir and is then recirculated. In some alternative embodiments, passive mechanisms may be used to deliver the water to the evaporative cooling media. For example, a wicking mechanism (which uses capillary action to draw the water from the reservoir) may be used, or an inlet fan may create water droplets that are blown onto the evaporative cooling media. In one embodiment, the housing is configured so that, after passing through the evaporative cooling media, the speed of the cooled air is reduced to a level at which water droplets are allowed to fall out of the air before it exits the housing. This prevents the system from producing an undesirable mist, and it also enables the system to provide effective cooling for a longer period of time since more water is retained within the housing.
The media may be hinged or otherwise configured so that when the housing is in the collapsed position, the media are more closely positioned (e.g., stacked on top of each other) and require less space in the housing. In the embodiment of
It is not unusual for mold growth and bacterial growth to occur in moist environments such as evaporative cooling systems. The present system may therefore incorporate means to prevent mold growth. In one embodiment, an ozone generator 450 is positioned within the housing at the air inlet and/or in the water collection section of the system. When ozone is generated in the air, it flows through the housing and through the evaporative cooling media with the air as it is being cooled. In some embodiments, the water that is circulated through the distribution system and evaporative cooling media is ozonated. In both cases, the ozone in the air and/or the ozonated water is circulated through the system, thereby disinfecting the housing and evaporative cooling media. Other means to combat mold and bacteria may also be used.
The housing may have many different configurations. As described in connection with
While the housing depicted in
The upper portion 512 of the housing in this embodiment is made of a lightweight fabric (e.g., nylon). Upper housing 512 has the shape of a tree (e.g., a palm tree), including a trunk portion that is attached at its lower end to lower housing portion 511, and one or more branch/leaf portions that extend outward from the trunk portion. Several evaporative cooling media 540 are positioned within the trunk portion of the housing. A water distribution tube 522 extends from pump 521 to a water distribution manifold 523 that is positioned at the top of the evaporative cooling media.
When fan 530 is operated, it forces air from inlet 513 into housing 510. The air pressure inside the housing causes the flexible housing to inflate and take on the tree shape. The air that is forced into the housing flows upward through evaporative cooling media 540 and is cooled by evaporation of the water in/on the media. The air continues to flow upward through the trunk portion of the housing and into the branch/leaf portion(s). Air outlets (e.g., 514) are provided in the branch/leaf portions so that the cooled air is distributed to the area around the housing, particularly under the branch/leaf portion of the housing.
When the fan is not being operated, it no longer produces a positive pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the housing, so the upper fabric portion of the housing deflates. It should be noted that the evaporative cooling media 540 and the water distribution system (particularly the tubing and manifold portions) are movably mounted within housing 510 so that they move into a compact position when the upper portion of the housing deflates. This allows the overall volume of the evaporative cooling system to be reduced, making it easier to store and/or transport the system.
Another alternative embodiment is shown in
Components of the system such as the fan, air inlet, reservoir, water distribution system, and the like may, for example, be located in the bottom of one of the legs of the tent, similar to the location at the bottom of the trunk portion of the system of
In another alternative embodiment, multiple fans may be used, where at least one of the fans’ primary function is to inflate the structure, while at least one of the other fans is used to provide the cooling air to the structure. In yet another alternative embodiment, a conventional inflatable tent or similar structure can be converted to a cooling system by inserting an evaporative cooling element (e.g., evaporative cooling media and water distribution subsystem) between the fan and the inflatable tent structure of the conventional system.
Referring to
Referring to
While the embodiments described above distribute water onto evaporative media to provide cooling of the air that is passed through the systems, some alternative embodiments do not require evaporative media for this purpose. These alternative embodiments use an atomizer or mister to generate a very fine water mist. Because the water droplets of the mist are very fine, they do not fall quickly to the bottom of the enclosure, but are instead effectively suspended within the enclosure by the air that flows through the enclosure. The increased surface area of the very small droplets also allows the water to evaporate more quickly. Still further, since the evaporative media are not required, the system may be capable of collapsing into a smaller volume than embodiments that use evaporative media. Still further, the absence of evaporative media in the system reduces the amount of scale or mineral buildup in the system.
Referring to
At the top of enclosure 1002 are a set of atomizers or misters 1008. Atomizers 1008 may be ultrasonic atomizers, ultrafine spray misters, or any other suitable mechanism to generate the desired size of water droplets in the mist. Atomizers 1008 receive water from a water source and generate a fine mist of water droplets which are sprayed into the enclosure. While atomizers 1008 may be located at various different positions within enclosure 1002, it may be beneficial to position spray-type atomizers near the top of the enclosure, allowing gravity to draw the droplets downward. If, on the other hand, ultrasonic atomizers are used, it may be more convenient to position the atomizers at a lower position, as some of these atomizers require that an ultrasonic agitating element be positioned in a pool of water.
It is further generally beneficial to position inlet fan 1004, or more specifically the air inlet to the enclosure, near the bottom of enclosure 1002 with the air outlet near the top of the enclosure. This generates an upward component of the air flow through the enclosure, which tends to drive the water droplets upward, against the pull of gravity. The air flow’s effect of suspending the water droplets (or slowing the fall of the droplets through the enclosure) is dependent upon a number of different factors, such as the size of the water droplets, the rate of air flow through the enclosure and the speed of the air as it flows through the enclosure.
After the water droplets are generated by the atomizer, they fall through the enclosure against the flow of air. At least part of each droplet evaporates, cooling the air that is flowing through the enclosure. If the droplets are larger, the droplets may fall to the floor of the enclosure without completely evaporating. In this case, the water droplets that reach the floor of the enclosure may be collected (e.g., in a reservoir at the bottom of the enclosure) so that the water can be recirculated to the atomizer, where it is used to generate more mist which falls through the enclosure and cools the air flowing through the enclosure. It should also be noted that if the water is atomized at a rate that is too great for all of the droplets to evaporate, the droplets will fall to the floor of the enclosure, where the water will need to be collected and/or recirculated.
If the droplets are smaller, the droplets may completely evaporate before reaching the floor of the enclosure. In this case, it may not be necessary to provide any means for collecting and/or recirculating the water. By eliminating the need for water collection and/or recirculation means, the cost, complexity and size of the system may be reduced.
In some embodiments, the inlet fan generates high-speed air flow through the inlet to the enclosure and high-speed air flow at the outlet from the enclosure. The larger volume of the enclosure allows the air to flow more slowly upward from the lower portion of the enclosure to the upper portion of the enclosure. Since the air flows more slowly through the volume of the enclosure, the mist generated by the atomizers has more time to evaporate. The low-speed air flow also allows unevaporated droplets to fall out of the air, which enables the system to produce air at the outlet which is cooled, but which does not contain water droplets that can cause people using the system to feel sticky or uncomfortable.
In some embodiments, the enclosure has a portion that is alternately expandable and contractible, where when the first portion of the enclosure is contracted, the enclosure occupies a first volume, and when the first portion of the enclosure is expanded, the enclosure occupies a second volume that is greater than the first volume. The fan may be configured to force air into the enclosure to create a positive pressure differential between the interior of the enclosure and the exterior of the enclosure, thereby expanding the enclosure.
An alternative embodiment comprises a method for providing evaporative cooling, where an evaporative cooler enclosure is provided, air is drawn into the enclosure through an air inlet, a water mist is generated by an atomizer within the enclosure, and the air is passed through the enclosure, where it is cooled by evaporation of the mist, so that cooled air is provided from an air outlet of the enclosure.
It should be noted that the foregoing atomizer-based embodiments may include features that are disclosed in the previously described evaporative-media-based embodiments. For example, atomizer-based embodiments may use expandable/contractable enclosures, and may be coupled to inflatable structures such as those shown in
As noted above, the housings in embodiments of the present invention can alternately be in a compacted state or an expanded state. For the purposes of this disclosure, terms such as “expanded”, “higher volume”, “increased-volume”, and the like may be used interchangeably to describe the expanded state in which the system operates. The compacted state that the system may be in when it is not operating may be referred to using interchangeable terms including “compacted”, compact”, “reduced-volume”, “lower volume”, and the like.
The benefits and advantages which may be provided by the present invention have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. These benefits and advantages, and any elements or limitations that may cause them to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features of any or all of the claims. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to be interpreted as non-exclusively including the elements or limitations which follow those terms. Accordingly, a system, method, or other embodiment that comprises a set of elements is not limited to only those elements, and may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to the claimed embodiment.
While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it should be understood that the embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements to the embodiments described above are possible. It is contemplated that these variations, modifications, additions and improvements fall within the scope of the invention as detailed within the following claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims a benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 from, U.S. Pat. Application No. 17/079,670, filed Oct. 26, 2020, by Rex A Eiserer, which is a continuation of, and claims a benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 from, U.S. Pat. Application No. 16/132,110, filed Sep. 14, 2018, by Rex A. Eiserer, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,830,463, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 15/230,624, filed Aug. 8, 2016 by Rex A. Eiserer, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,113,758, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S. Provisional Pat. Application No. 62/256,641, filed Nov. 17, 2015, by Rex A. Eiserer, all of which are incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62256641 | Nov 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16132110 | Sep 2018 | US |
Child | 17079670 | US | |
Parent | 15230624 | Aug 2016 | US |
Child | 16132110 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 17079670 | Oct 2020 | US |
Child | 18182659 | US |