Heater Exchanger for an Air Conditioner Unit

Abstract

A heat exchanger for an air conditioner unit is provided. With a conventional single-package air conditioner unit, fresh air mixed with the return air is the outside air. This increases the load on the single-package air conditioner to maintain space conditions. In order to bring fresh air in, the indoor air has to “leak” out of the conditioned space. Thus, the energy spent to cool or heat the “leaking” air is lost, resulting in potential inefficiencies. To resolve these inefficiencies of conventional VTACs, a heat exchanger is provided between the indoor and outdoor sections of the VTAC. In this configuration, a fan may be used to move outdoor air through the heat exchanger to exhaust air while simultaneously using another fan to move indoor air across the heat exchanger to supply air. The air-to-air heat exchanger may use the energy trapped on one side of the heat exchanger to be released to the opposite side of the heat exchanger.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to air conditioners and/or heat pumps.

BACKGROUND

A single-package air conditioner is a unit that includes all of the components within a single housing. This contrasts with a split air conditioning system in which one unit is provided within a building and a second unit is provided outside of the building. Two specific types of single-package air conditioner units include VTAC units and PTAC units. A VTAC is a single-package unit that is vertically-oriented such that the “indoor” and “outdoor” portions of the unit are arranged on top of one another. Reference to “indoor” and “outdoor” portions of the unit may not necessarily mean that the two portions are located in the indoor and outdoor environments. Rather, the “indoor” portion may be exposed to indoor air and the “outdoor” portion may be exposed to outdoor air.

A PTAC unit is also a single-package unit, but is typically horizontally-oriented. The PTAC is a ductless, through-the-wall heating and cooling system that is often used in commercial buildings (e.g., hotel rooms), but may also be used in typical residential buildings as well.

While these types of units provide more compact footprints, fresh air is mixed with the return air within the units, which increases the load required to maintain space conditions. In order to bring fresh air in, the indoor air has to “leak” out into the conditioned space. That is, to maintain pressure within the unit, when additional air is brought into the unit, at least some of the existing air within the unit may need to exit or (“leak”) from the unit. Thus, the energy spent to cool or heat the “leaking” air is lost, resulting in potential inefficiencies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a single-package air conditioner, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first type of heat exchanger for a single-package air conditioner, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates operation of a wheel of the first type of heat exchanger of FIG. 2, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a single-package air conditioner including the first type of heat exchanger of FIG. 2, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4B is a side view of a single-package air conditioner including the first type of heat exchanger of FIG. 2, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second type of heat exchanger for a single-package air conditioner, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates operation of the second type of heat exchanger of FIG. 5, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a single-package air conditioner including the second type of heat exchanger of FIG. 5, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a side view of a single-package air conditioner including the second type of heat exchanger of FIG. 5, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third type of heat exchanger for a single-package air conditioner, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates operation of the third type of heat exchanger of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a single-package air conditioner including the third type of heat exchanger of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 10B is a side view of a single-package air conditioner including the third type of heat exchanger of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a single-package air conditioner, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a rear view of a single-package air conditioner including an added heat exchanger, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger of the single-package air conditioner of FIG. 11, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates operation of the heat exchanger of FIG. 13, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view of the single-package air conditioner of FIG. 12, showing the heat exchanger, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of the single-package air conditioner of FIG. 12, showing the heat exchanger, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a top-down view of the single-package air conditioner of FIG. 12, showing the heat exchanger, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a method, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict examples of the disclosed embodiments. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and shall not be deemed to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. The use of the same reference numerals indicates similar but not necessarily the same or identical components; different reference numerals may be used to identify similar components as well. Various embodiments may utilize elements or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology to describe a component or element may, depending on the context, encompass a plural number of such components or elements and vice versa.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to, among other things, a heat exchanger for an air conditioner unit. Particularly, described herein are improved single-package units (such as VTAC and/or PTAC units) that include an added heat exchanger that is used to leverage the work performed on the indoor air to temper the fresh air and reduce the room load on the unit. While reference is made to VTAC and PTAC units, these same improvements may be used in other types of air conditioner units. As further non-limiting examples, the improvements disclosed herein may also be used in vertically oriented packaged air conditioners such as the FRIEDRICH VERT-I-PAK (VPK), Variable Refrigerant Package Air Conditioner (VRP), Room air conditioner (RAC), central air conditioner (CAC), or any other single-packaged air conditioner. The improvements disclosed herein may also be used in any other air conditioners that have access to indoor conditioned space and outdoor air.

As used herein, the term “air conditioner” is intended to broadly capture all types of air conditioning technologies including traditional heat pump air conditioners, heat pump air conditioners with a reversing valve for both heating and cooling operations, heat pump air conditioners coupled with supplemental heating sources such as a heater kit or furnace, or any other such air conditioning system for providing cooling and/or heating to an indoor conditioned space.

The operation of a conventional VTAC unit is described, but a similar description may be used for any other single-packaged air conditioner such as a PTAC, VPK, VRP, RAC, or CAC. A damper door inside the unit is opened and the fresh air fan is turned on (in some embodiments, the damper may be optional). The fresh air fan causes outdoor air to be drawn across the fan and into the unit, through the damper, through an outdoor air filter, and mixed with the filtered return air. This mixed air is then drawn across an indoor coil within the unit where it is cooled and dehumidified or heated and then supplied back to the conditioned space (e.g., the room or other environment being heated or cooled by the unit). The fresh air mixed with the return air is the outside air. This increases the load on the unit to maintain space conditions. In order to bring fresh air in, the indoor air has to be forced out into the conditioned space to maintain the pressure within the unit. Thus, the energy spent to cool or heat the “leaking” air is lost, resulting in potential inefficiencies.

To resolve these inefficiencies of conventional VTACs, the improved units described herein include a heat exchanger that is provided between the indoor and outdoor sections of the VTAC. In this configuration, a fan may be used to move outdoor air through the heat exchanger to exhaust air while simultaneously using another fan to move indoor air across the heat exchanger to supply air. This air-to-air heat exchanger may use the energy trapped on one side of the heat exchanger to be released to the opposite side of the heat exchanger. Thus, there exists an airflow path from the outdoor section of the unit to the indoor section of the unit.

As used herein, the term “air-to-air heat exchanger” refers to structures designed to transfer energy or total enthalpy (which may include sensible energy (e.g., heat) and latent energy (e.g., moisture)), between two (or more) separated air flows, without mixing and without the use of an intermediate refrigerant fluid.

A number of different types of heat exchanger configurations may be provided within the VTAC to accomplish these improvements. A first example heat exchanger may include a wheel that is driven by a motor, for example. The motor drives the wheel using a belt to cause a rotation of the wheel. The wheel also includes a seal that divides the wheel into two distinct portions. A first fan and a second fan are provided to move air across the first and second portions of the wheel. In embodiments, the first fan and second fan (as well as any other fan described herein) may be centrifugal fans, however, any other type of fan may also be used. The first fan causes indoor air to move across the first portion of the wheel to exhaust from the VTAC. The second fan causes outdoor air to move across the second portion of the wheel to be provided as supply air into the VTAC. This first configuration is illustrated in FIGS. 2-4B.

A second example heat exchanger may include a cross-flow plate in which the airflow paths of the supply and exhaust air intersect. The cross-flow plate may include a main block with four porous surfaces (e.g., to allow airflow through the heat exchanger) and four vertical vertically-orientated walls extending outwards from the corners of the main block to provide separate regions for each of the surfaces of the main block. Two fans may also be provided to manage airflow through the second example heat exchanger as well. The first fan may move air from the indoor portion of the VTAC, and the indoor air may pass through a first surface of the main block and out of a second surface of the main block. Similarly, the second fan may move air from the outdoor portion of the VTAC, and the outdoor air may pass through a third surface of the main block and out of a fourth surface of the main block. This second configuration is illustrated in FIGS. 5-7B.

A third example heat exchanger may include a counter-flow plate in which the airflow paths of the supply and exhaust air run parallel to one another, in opposing directions. The third type of heat exchanger includes a first portion through which outdoor air flows and a second portion through which indoor air flows. To facilitate this airflow through the third type of heat exchanger, a first fan is provided to move outdoor air through the first portion and a second fan is provided to move indoor air through the second portion. This third configuration is illustrated in FIGS. 8-10B.

The use of the additional heat exchanger may also be applied to the PTAC, VPK, VRP, RAC, or CAC units as well. For example, as further illustrated in FIGS. 11-17, a heat exchanger may also be provided between the indoor portion and outdoor portion of the PTAC unit and may similarly provide energy transfer between the supply and exhaust air of the PTAC unit. In this manner, the heat exchanger provided in both the VRP and the PTAC unit may allow for energy from warm exhaust air to be leveraged (recovered) to increase the operating efficiency of the units.

Furthermore, any of the heat exchanger configurations described herein may also perform energy recovery in any other suitable manner as well. For example, in residential or commercial buildings that conventionally provide ventilation in bathrooms, some or all of the exhaust air from the ventilation may be re-directed through the additional heat exchanger rather than venting the exhaust air outside of the building (however, other locations may also be applicable). The airflow rate of the intake and exhaust may be generally the same. The actual delivery rate of the intake and exhaust may be varied by increasing or decreasing the fan speeds or adding or removing baffles. The rates may also be adjusted independently, if the desire is to have a positive or negative static pressure in a building.

Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 shows at least some of the components included within a single-package air conditioner, VTAC 100 in the example shown in FIG. 1. For example, shown are a fresh air fan 104, a damper door 106, a filter 108, and an indoor coil 110, which may be a heat exchanger that exists in current VTACs 1000 among other components. The VTAC 100 includes an indoor portion 130 and an outdoor portion 132. The fresh air fan 104, damper door 106, and filter 108 may be provided at an interface between the indoor portion 130 and the outdoor portion 132, such that outdoor air 120 may be drawn from the outdoor portion 132 into the indoor portion 130 by the fresh air fan 104. The indoor portion 130 and outdoor portion 132 are provided in a vertical arrangement with the indoor portion 130 being provided above the outdoor portion 132. However, this is not intended to be limiting and the indoor portion 130 may be provided underneath the outdoor portion 132.

As described above, the damper door 106 inside the VTAC 100 is opened and the fresh air fan 104 is activated. The fresh air fan 104 causes outdoor air 120 to be drawn through the fresh air fan 104 and into the unit, and through the damper door 106, through the filter 108, where it is mixed with the filtered return air 122. The resulting mixed air is then drawn across the indoor coil 110 within the VTAC 100 where it is cooled and dehumidified or heated and then supplied back to the conditioned space (e.g., the environment being heated or cooled by the unit) as cooled air 140. The fresh air mixed with the return air 122 is the outside air 120.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first type of heat exchanger 200 for a VTAC (for example, VTAC 100, VTAC 400, VTAC 700, VTAC 1000, and/or any other VTAC described herein or otherwise) that includes a wheel 201 that is driven by a motor 204. The motor 204 is connected to the wheel 201 through a belt 206. When the motor is driven 204, the shaft of the motor 204 rotates, which drives the belt 206 and causes the wheel 201 to rotate. The wheel 201 may also be driven using any other suitable mechanism. The wheel 201 is provided on an angled partition 208 that separates the indoor section of the VTAC 100. This is merely one example mechanism by which the wheel 201 (or any other wheel described herein) may be rotated and is not intended to be limiting.

The wheel 201 also includes a seal 214 that divides the wheel 201 into two distinct portions (a first portion 216 and a second portion 218). In one or more embodiments, the seal 214 may extend through the angled partition 208. In alternative embodiments, a separate seal (shown as seal 224 in FIG. 4B) may be provided on a bottom side of the angled partition 208 and may extend downwards.

A first fan 220 is provided to draw air across the first portion 216 of the wheel 201. The first fan 220 causes indoor air to move through aperture 224 across the first portion 216 of the wheel 201 to draw fresh air into the VTAC 100. The second fan 222 causes outdoor air to move through aperture 226 across the second portion 218 of the wheel 201 to be provided as exhaust air from the VTAC 100. Although the first fan 220 and second fan 222 are described as “pulling” air through the wheel 201, the first fan 220, second fan, 222, and/or any other fan described herein may be configured to either “pull” or “push” air through a heat exchanger, such as the first type of heat exchanger 200. That is, the aperture 224, aperture 226, and/or any other fan aperture may either serve as an inlet or an outlet for air. The first portion 216 and the second portion of the wheel 218 may be porous or may otherwise include one or more apertures to allow for airflow through the first portion 216 and the second portion 218.

The operation of the first fan 220 and the second fan 222 results in two distinct airstreams being formed across the first type of heat exchanger 200. The two distinct airstreams may be separated by the seal 214 such that the two airstreams are prevented from mixing. However, the seal 214 may allow for energy transfer to occur between the two airstreams. In embodiments, the seal 214 may include a material, such as a foil, polyester film, or other type of material that allows for thermal transfer between the two distinct airstreams. In this manner, energy transfer may occur between the two airstreams in the form of thermal transfer.

The operation of the wheel 201 is further illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a first scenario 300 in which the outdoor environment is characterized by warmer conditions (e.g., summer conditions). As the wheel 201 rotates, the warmer outdoor air is provided as supply air through the second portion of the wheel 201. Similarly, the cooler return air is exhausted out of the first portion of the wheel 201. FIG. 3 also shows a second scenario 310 in which the outdoor environment is characterized by cooler conditions (e.g., winter conditions). As the wheel 201 rotates, the cooler outdoor air is provided as supply air through the second portion of the wheel 201. Similarly, the warmer return air is exhausted out of the first portion of the wheel 201. In either scenario, providing the heat exchanger in the form of the wheel 201 allows for energy transfer between the supply air and the exhaust air.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate a VTAC 400 including the first type of heat exchanger 200 of FIG. 2. FIG. 4A shows that the heat exchanger 200 is provided between the indoor portion 402 and the outdoor portion 404 of the VTAC 400. In some instances, a separation (this separation and/or any other separation described herein may also be referred to herein as a “gap”) may be provided between the indoor portion 402 and the outdoor portion 404 such that the heat exchanger 200 may then be provided between the indoor portion 402 and the outdoor portion 404. As shown in FIG. 2, the wheel 201 of the heat exchanger 200 may be provided on an angled partition 208. In embodiments, the angled partition 208 may be affixed to a first surface 406 provided on the outdoor portion 402 of the VTAC 400 and may also be affixed to a second surface 408 provided on the indoor portion 402 of the VTAC 400 (however, the heat exchanger 200 may also be provided in the VTAC 400 in any other suitable manner). The seal 214 may extend upwards and/or downwards from the angled partition 208 to the first surface 406 and the second surface 408.

In operation, the first fan 220 may draw indoor air into the indoor portion 402 of the VTAC 400 through the aperture 224. This air may then be provided across the first portion 216 of the wheel 201. The second fan 222 may draw outdoor air received by the outdoor portion 404 of the VTAC 400 through the aperture 226 that is exposed to the outdoor portion 404. This air may then be provided across the second portion 218 of the wheel 201. The energy is transferred between the airstreams formed as air moves across the first portion 216 in one direction and the second portion 218 in the opposite direction. For example, as the air moves across the first portion 216 and the second portion 218, thermal energy or thermal energy and moisture may be transferred between the two airstreams.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second type of heat exchanger 500 for a VTAC (for example, VTAC 100, VTAC 400, VTAC 700, VTAC 1000, and/or any other VTAC described herein or otherwise). The second type of heat exchanger 500 may be a cross-flow plate, which, similar to the first type of heat exchanger 200, forms two separate airstreams within the second type of heat exchanger 500, between which thermal energy may be transferred.

The second type of heat exchanger 500 includes a main block 502 with one or more vertically-oriented walls (for example, wall 504, wall 506, wall 508, and wall 510) extending outwards from each corner of the main block 502. The four walls are configured to produce distinct airflow paths for the indoor air and the outdoor air. In contrast with the first type of heat exchanger 100, the second type of heat exchanger 500 is a fixed component and does not require the motor and belt. Further, it should be noted that although the second type of heat exchanger 500 is shown as being a particular shape, this is not intended to be limiting. For example, the main block 502 may also be cylindrical in shape or any other shape.

Similar to the first type of heat exchanger 100, two fans (for example, first fan 512 and second fan 514) are provided to move indoor and outdoor air through the second type of heat exchanger 500. Particularly, the first fan 512 may draw air from the indoor portion of the VTAC 700 (for example, through aperture 513) and the indoor air may pass through a first surface 503 of the main block 502 and out of a second surface 505 of the main block 502. Similarly, the second fan 514 may draw air from the outdoor portion of the VTAC 700 (for example, through aperture 515) and the outdoor air may pass through a third surface 507 of the main block 502 and out of a fourth surface 509 of the main block 502. To provide for airflow through the main block 502, the first surface 503, second surface 505, third surface 507, and fourth surface 509 may be porous or may otherwise include one or more apertures.

The cross-flow of the indoor air flowing through the first surface 503 and second surface 505 and the outdoor air flowing through the third surface 507 and fourth surface 509 may result in energy transfer between the two airflows (as shown in further detail in FIG. 6). That is, the main block 502 may include two distinct airstreams separated by a material, such as a foil, polyester film (such as biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate), or other type of material that allows for thermal transfer between the two distinct airstreams.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate a VTAC 700 including the second type of heat exchanger 500 of FIG. 5. FIG. 7A shows that the heat exchanger 500 is provided between the indoor portion 702 and the outdoor portion 704 of the VTAC 700. In some instances, a separation may be provided between the indoor portion 702 and the outdoor portion 704 such that the heat exchanger 500 may then be disposed between the indoor portion 702 and the outdoor portion 704. As shown in FIG. 5, the main block 502 of the second type of heat exchanger 500 may include walls (for example, wall 504, wall 506, wall 508, and wall 510) extending outwards from each corner of the main block 502. The walls may extend vertically from the first surface 706 and to the second surface 708 to provide distinct airflow paths for the indoor air and the outdoor air. A first fan 512 may be provided proximate to the first surface 503 of the second type of heat exchanger 500, and may also be provided in between the wall 508 and the wall 510. A second fan 514 may be provided proximate to the third surface 507 of the second type of heat exchanger 500, and may also be provided in between the wall 510 and the wall 504.

In operation, the first fan 512 may draw return air received by the indoor portion 702 of the VTAC 700 through the aperture 513 that is exposed to the indoor portion 702. This air may then be provided into the first surface 503 of the second type of heat exchanger 500, through the main block 502, and out through the second surface 505. The second fan 514 may draw outdoor air received by the indoor portion 702 of the VTAC 700 through the aperture 515 that is exposed to the outdoor portion 704. The fans may also be configured to “pull” air through the second type of heat exchanger or “push” air through the second type of heat exchanger in any other configuration. This air may then be provided into the third surface 507 of the second type of heat exchanger 500, through the main block 502, and out through the fourth surface 509. Thermal energy or thermal energy and moisture is transferred between the airstreams formed as air moves through the second type of heat exchanger 500.

FIG. 8 illustrates a third type of heat exchanger 800 for a VTAC (for example, VTAC 100, VTAC 400, VTAC 700, VTAC 1000, and/or any other air conditioner described herein or otherwise). The third type of heat exchanger 800 may be a counter-flow plate in which the airflow paths of the supply and exhaust air run parallel to one another. The third type of heat exchanger 800 includes a first portion 820 (shown in FIG. 9) through which outdoor air 808 flows and a second portion 822 (shown in FIG. 9) through which indoor air 809 flows. To facilitate this airflow through the third type of heat exchanger 800, a first fan 806 is provided to draw outdoor air 808 through the first portion 820 and a second fan 807 is provided to draw indoor air 809 through the second portion 822.

FIG. 9 illustrates operation of the third type of heat exchanger 800 of FIG. 8, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

The third type of heat exchanger 800 is shown as being provided between the outdoor portion 802 and indoor portion 804 of a VTAC 1000. Unlike the first VTACs including the first type of heat exchanger 300 and the second type of heat exchanger 500, the VTAC 1000 including the third type of heat exchanger 800 may not necessarily require a separation between the outdoor portion 802 and the indoor operation 804 to accommodate the third type of heat exchanger 800. For example, the third type of heat exchanger 800 is shown as being included within the outdoor portion 802 of the VTAC 1000. The third type of heat exchanger 800 may also be provided in the indoor portion 804 of the VTAC 1000 or may be provided at an interface between the outdoor portion 802 and indoor portion 804.

During operation, the first fan 806 draws outdoor air 808 from the outdoor portion 802 of the VTAC 1000 through the third type of heat exchanger 800 in a first direction and into the indoor portion 804 of the VTAC 1000 as supply air. Likewise, the second fan 807 draws indoor air 809 VTAC 1000 through the third type of heat exchanger 800 in a second direction and into the outdoor portion 802 of the VTAC 1000 as exhaust air. The first direction may be opposite to the second direction and the indoor air 809 may flow through the third type of heat exchanger 800 in parallel to the outdoor air 807. Thus, thermal energy or thermal energy and moisture may be transferred between the outdoor air 807 and the indoor air 809 within the third type of heat exchanger 800 as the outdoor air 807 and indoor air 809 flows through the third type of heat exchanger 800. For example, a wall may be provided within the third type of heat exchanger 800 that may include a material, such as a foil, polyester film (such as biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate), or other type of material that allows for thermal transfer between the two distinct airstreams. In embodiments, the outdoor air 807 and indoor air 809 flow in parallel through the third type of heat exchanger 800. However, this is not intended to be limiting and the airstreams formed through the third type of that exchanger 800 may not necessarily be in parallel.

Similar to the second type of heat exchanger 500, the third type of heat exchanger 800 may include two distinct airstreams separated by a material, such as a foil, polyester film (such as biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate), or other type of material that allows for thermal transfer between the two distinct airstreams.

FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate a VTAC 1000 including the third type of heat exchanger 800 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 illustrates PTAC 1100, which is another type of single-package unit that provides the indoor portion 1102 and outdoor portion 1104 in a horizontal configuration rather than the vertical configuration of the VTAC. PTAC units are often found within hotel and motel environments, as well as other environments that do not include ducted or central air conditioning.

PTAC units 1100 are self-contained units installed through a wall. The compressor system of the PTAC 1110 provides both heating and cooling capabilities. To provide cooling capabilities, the compressor of the PTAC unit 1100 pumps refrigerant to cool the coils which attracts heat and humidity which is then exhausted to the outside environment. To provide heating capabilities, the reverse process is performed. The refrigerant is used to heat the coils, and when air passes over the coils, PTAC unit 1100 unit pushes the heated air into the environment being heated.

FIG. 12 illustrates a PTAC 1200 including an added heat exchanger 1202. The heat exchanger 1202 may be provided in between an indoor portion 1204 and an outdoor portion 1206 of the PTAC 1200. The conventional PTAC unit 1100 may include a void 1205 in between the indoor portion 1206 and the outdoor portion 1204. Thus, the PTAC unit 1100 may not necessarily need to be modified to add the heat exchanger 1202. Similar to any of the heat exchangers provided in the VTAC, the heat exchanger 1202 provided in the PTAC 1200 may provide for energy transfer between supply and exhaust air within the PTAC 1200.

FIG. 13 shows the heat exchanger 1202 of the PTAC 1200 of FIG. 12. As shown in the figure, the heat exchanger 1202 provided in the PTAC unit 1200 may be similar to the third type of heat exchanger 800 provided in the VTAC. For example, the third type of heat exchanger 800 is shown as being included within the outdoor portion 802 of the VTAC 1000.

FIG. 14 illustrates operation of the heat exchanger of FIG. 13, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. During operation, a first fan draws outdoor air from the outdoor portion 802 of the PTAC 1200 through the heat exchanger 1202 in a first direction and into the indoor portion of the PTAC 1200 as supply air. Likewise, a second fan draws indoor air from the indoor portion of the PTAC 1200 through the heat exchanger 1202 in a second direction and into the outdoor portion of the PTAC 1200 as exhaust air. The first direction may be opposite to the second direction and the indoor air may flow through the third type of heat exchanger 1202 in parallel to the outdoor air. Thus, energy may be transferred between the outdoor air and the indoor air within the heat exchanger 1202.

Additional perspectives of the PTAC 1200 including the heat exchanger 1202 are shown in FIGS. 15-17. For example, FIG. 15 shows a rear perspective view of the PTAC 1200, FIG. 16 shows a front perspective view of the PTAC 1200, and FIG. 17 shows a top-down view of the PTAC 1200.

FIG. 18 is an example method 1800, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

At block 1802, the method 1800 may include activating a first fan associated with a heat exchanger of a single-package air conditioner unit, wherein the heat exchanger is provided between an indoor portion and an outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit, wherein the first fan draws indoor air from the indoor portion and through the heat exchanger to the outdoor portion.

At block 1804, the method 1800 may include activating a second fan associated with the heat exchanger, wherein the second fan draws outdoor air from the outdoor portion and through the heat exchanger to the indoor portion, wherein energy is exchanged between the indoor air and the outdoor air within the heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger may include any of the heat exchangers described herein, such as the first type of heat exchanger 200, the second type of heat exchanger 500, the third type of heat exchanger 800, the heat exchanger 1202, and/or any other heat exchanger.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processing capabilities described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by any other device or component. Further, while various illustrative implementations and architectures have been described in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous other modifications to the illustrative implementations and architectures described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to example embodiments. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be implemented by execution of computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some embodiments. Further, additional components and/or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of the block and/or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Claims

1. A single-package air conditioner unit comprising: an indoor portion configured to receive indoor air;an outdoor portion configured to receive outdoor air;an air-to-air heat exchanger disposed between the indoor portion and the outdoor portion;a first fan configured to draw the indoor air from the indoor portion and through the heat exchanger to the outdoor portion; anda second fan configured to draw the outdoor air from the outdoor portion and through the heat exchanger to the indoor portion, wherein energy is exchanged between the indoor air and the outdoor air within the heat exchanger.

2. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a wheel driven by a motor, wherein a seal is provided on the wheel to form a first airflow channel at a first portion of the wheel and a second airflow channel at a second portion of the wheel.

3. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 2, wherein the wheel is provided on a partition disposed within an area between the indoor portion and the outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit.

4. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 2, wherein a first fan is provided on a first side of the wheel and configured to draw outdoor air from the outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the first portion of the wheel.

5. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 3, wherein a second fan is provided on a second side of the wheel and configured to draw indoor air from the indoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the second portion of the wheel.

6. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a main body comprising at least one surface, and one or more vertically-oriented walls extending outwards from one or more corners of the main body, wherein the one or more vertically-oriented walls form a first airflow channel a second airflow channel between the at least one surface.

7. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 6, wherein the indoor portion and outdoor portion are separated by a gap, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed within the gap.

8. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 6, wherein the second fan is provided between a first wall and a second wall of the one or more vertically-oriented walls and configured to draw outdoor air from the outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the first surface of the heat exchanger.

9. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 8, wherein the first fan is provided between a third wall and a fourth wall of the one or more vertically-oriented walls and configured to draw indoor air from the indoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the third surface of the heat exchanger.

10. The single-package air conditioner unit of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a first portion configured to receive the indoor air and a second portion that is parallel with the first portion and configured to receive outdoor air.

11. A heat exchanger for a single-package air conditioner unit comprising: a first portion configured to receive indoor air from an indoor portion of a single-package air conditioner unit via a first fan and provide the indoor air to an outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit; anda second portion configured to receive outdoor air from an outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit via a second fan and provide the outdoor air to the indoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit,wherein the heat exchanger is disposed between the indoor portion and the outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit, and wherein energy is exchanged between the indoor air and the outdoor air within the heat exchanger.

12. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 11, further comprising a wheel driven by a motor, wherein a seal is provided on the wheel to form a first airflow channel at a first portion of the wheel and a second airflow channel at a second portion of the wheel.

13. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 12, wherein the wheel is provided on a partition disposed within an area between the indoor portion and the outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit.

14. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 12, wherein the first fan is provided on a first side of the wheel and configured to draw outdoor air from the outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the first portion of the wheel.

15. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 13, wherein the second fan is provided on a second side of the wheel and configured to draw indoor air from the indoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the second portion of the wheel.

16. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 11, further comprising a main body comprising at least one surface, and one or more vertically-oriented walls extending outwards from one or more corners of the main body, wherein the one or more vertically-oriented walls form a first airflow channel and a second airflow channel between the at least one surface.

17. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 16, wherein the indoor portion and outdoor portion are separated by a gap, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed within the gap.

18. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 16, wherein the first fan is provided between a first wall and a second wall of the one or more vertically-oriented walls and configured to draw outdoor air from the outdoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the first surface of the heat exchanger, wherein the second fan is provided between a third wall and a fourth wall of the one or more vertically-oriented walls and configured to draw indoor air from the indoor portion of the single-package air conditioner unit through the third surface of the heat exchanger.

19. The heat exchanger for the single-package air conditioner unit of claim 11, wherein the first portion is parallel with the second portion.

20. An air conditioner unit comprising: an indoor portion configured to receive indoor air;an outdoor portion configured to receive outdoor air;an air-to-air heat exchanger disposed between the indoor portion and the outdoor portion;a first fan configured to draw the indoor air from the indoor portion and through the heat exchanger to the outdoor portion; anda second fan configured to draw the outdoor air from the outdoor portion and through the heat exchanger to the indoor portion, wherein energy is exchanged between the indoor air and the outdoor air within the heat exchanger.