This application is a 35 U.S.C. §371 National Stage Application of PCT/EP2011/072329, filed on Dec. 9, 2011, which claims the benefit of priority to Serial No. DE 10 2011 000 525.0, filed on Feb. 4, 2011 in Germany, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The disclosure relates to a method for operating a ventilation system with a mixing chamber according to the type specified herein and to a method for operating a ventilation system according to the type specified herein.
A mixing chamber of a ventilation system is fed by at least two air-supplying ducts which can supply, for example, fresh air and/or recirculated air. A fan is connected downstream of the mixing chamber and generates a negative pressure in the mixing chamber. The mixed air is supplied via a duct removing air from the mixing chamber to the fan, where the air is mixed further and is finally conducted in the ventilation system to the space to be ventilated or the spaces to be ventilated, according to requirements. It is also known in this case to supply the mixing chamber with more than two ducts.
Each supplying duct has in each case a supply air flap which can have a plurality of flap leaves. In conjunction with this application, the supply air flap or the flap is the entire unit which has at least one flap leaf. In the case of large supplying ducts, a plurality of flap leaves can also be combined to form flap units. The flap leaves of a flap unit are intercoupled in respect of the drive thereof. Said intercoupled flap leaves form a unit which in each case take up the same opening positions. A plurality of flap units here form a supply air flap. To differentiate therefrom, flap leaves are structurally combined in a frame. These are not flap units within the meaning of the disclosure.
As a rule, a plurality of flap leaves are provided per supply air flap or a plurality of flap units are provided per supply air flap. The flap leaves here are intercoupled in such a manner that the flap leaves each take up an identical opening position. The position of adjacent flap leaves with respect to one another is normally opposed, i.e. the opening angles are identical, since said flap leaves are intercoupled via a shaft and/or via a gearing, but the orientation of the flaps and the flap direction differ.
The opening positions of the supply air flaps of the two ducts supplying air to the mixing chamber are dependent on each other. For example, there is an opening position in one air-supplying duct of 90% and, in the other air-supplying duct of 10%. An opening position in both air-supplying ducts of 100% is also possible.
In the case of different opening positions, it is the aim of the mixing chamber to mix the air supplied via the two ducts of the mixing chamber together. However, it has turned out that, despite the negative pressure generated in the mixing chamber by a fan connected downstream of the mixing chamber, what are referred to as stratifications occur even downstream of said fan, that is to say that there can be, for example, temperature differences in the air in the duct removing air from the mixing chamber of up to 10° C. and more. This also occurs in the direction of flow downstream of the fan, by means of which the air of the two ducts is also mixed once again. The same applies to the other physical characteristic values, such as moisture, pressure and density, but also to the air quality, such as, for example, the oxygen content, pollutant content and CO2 content.
It is known to solve this problem by means of fixed internals in the mixing chamber or in the duct leading away from the mixing chamber, as a rule what is referred to as the supply air duct, for example by means of perforated plates, deflecting plates, induction devices and the like. However, a problem of said fixed internals is that the resulting increased flow resistance is permanent irrespective of whether stratification can occur. Said internals permanently reduce the efficiency of the ventilation system. A stratification in the duct leading away will, however, occur only if the mixing chamber is supplied air with different physical characteristic values and/or air qualities, for example air having different temperatures.
The disclosure is based on the object of developing a method for operating a ventilation system with a mixing chamber according to the type specified herein in such a manner that the preconditions for better thorough mixing, but also for greater efficiency of the ventilation system are created while avoiding the abovementioned disadvantages.
This object is achieved by the features described herein.
The disclosure is based on the finding that the kinetic energy of the air supplied to the mixing chamber is used in order to ensure better thorough mixing of the air in the mixing chamber. If the need arises, the flap leaves or the flap units now guide the air supplied by one duct in the direction of the other duct. This then results in the air flows coming into contact and in improved thorough mixing. The flow resistance is increased. If the air, for example, has the same temperature and therefore thorough mixing is not desired, the flap leaves are oriented with the effect of reducing the flow resistance. The flow resistance is therefore changed according to requirements in such a manner that the flaps are adjusted with the effect of better thorough mixing or minimizing the flow resistance. This ensures an individual activation of the flap leaves or of the flap units, thus enabling the efficiency of the ventilation system to be increased in a simple manner.
For structural reasons, in the case of ventilation systems having large duct cross sections, flap leaves can also be combined in a frame, said flap leaves then likewise forming structural units. If, however, the flap leaves are not intercoupled in terms of drive in the unit, said flap leaves are not flap units within the meaning of this patent application. According to the disclosure, the flap leaves in a structural unit are individually activated and driven. If, by contrast, flap units each having intercoupled flap leaves are provided, the flap units are individually activated and driven.
In particular in the event of a different distribution of the supplied air between two air-supplying ducts, the supplied air having the lower proportion of supplied air has to be guided in the direction of the other supply air duct in order to ensure better thorough mixing.
According to a first aspect of the disclosure, the flap leaves and/or the flap units are therefore activated individually. For this purpose, the flap leaves or flap units each have a dedicated drive. An individual opening position of the respective flap leaves or of the flap units with the flap leaves is therefore made possible. This creates the conditions for changing the orientation of the flap leaves according to requirements, specifically under the aspect of better thorough mixing, optimization of the flow resistance and/or optimization of the noise production.
According to one embodiment of the method according to the disclosure, for the improved thorough mixing, the flap leaves or the units of flap leaves of the flap units are oriented in such a manner that the air supplied from one duct is guided in the direction of the other supplying duct. The feature “in the direction of the other supplying duct” is unambiguous in respect of supplying ducts arranged at an angle to one another. In respect of mutually opposite supplying ducts, said feature should be understood as meaning that, for the purpose of better thorough mixing, the flap leaves are oriented in a direction away from the removing duct. The air is therefore first of all directed away from the removing duct before the negative pressure forces the air into the removing duct.
The requirement for good thorough mixing above all arises in the case of different physical characteristic values of the air, such as temperature, pressure, density and moisture, and/or in the case of a different quality of the air, such as oxygen content, CO2 content and pollutant content, in the individual supplying ducts. To this extent, the thorough mixing is optimized by orientation of the flap leaves in these cases.
According to a further embodiment of the method according to the disclosure, in order to save on energy, the individual flap leaves and/or the units of flap leaves of the flap units are oriented in such a manner that the air supplied via the supplying ducts is guided in the direction of the removing duct.
The requirement for saving on energy above all arises in the case of approximately identical physical characteristic values of the air, such as temperature, pressure, density and moisture, and/or in the case of an approximately identical quality of the air, such as oxygen content, CO2 content and pollutant content, in the individual supplying ducts. Thorough mixing is then not required, since the physical characteristic values and/or the quality of the air from the supplying ducts are/is identical. In this respect, the saving on energy can then readily be optimized by orientation of the flap leaves.
In order to control the flap leaves in a corresponding manner for thorough mixing and/or for saving on energy, the physical characteristic values of the air in the supplying ducts and/or the quality of the air in the supplying ducts are/is preferably determined via sensors.
According to a further embodiment of the method according to the disclosure, depending on the quantity of air required from a supplying duct, only some of the flap leaves and/or of the flap units with the flap leaves thereof are opened, in particular at different opening angles. By this means, the thorough mixing, on the one hand, but also the saving on energy, on the other hand, can be optimized.
This effect can be improved even further, according to one embodiment of the method according to the disclosure, if, depending on the orientation of the opening angle of the flap leaves for guiding the air—saving on energy, thorough mixing—a prioritized activation of the individual flap leaves or flap units, in respect of the sequence of flap leaves or flap units to be opened first, of the flaps assigned to the respective supplying ducts is undertaken.
More than two supplying ducts can also be provided, the flap leaves or flap units then being correspondingly controlled. It is also possible for a plurality of removing ducts to be provided.
According to another aspect of the method for operating a ventilation system with a mixing chamber, air is supplied into said mixing chamber via a first supplying duct and via at least one further supplying duct. Air is removed from the mixing chamber via a removing duct. The supply of air—volume control—into the mixing chamber from the supplying ducts is controlled in each case via flaps each having at least one flap leaf. According to the disclosure, for the improved thorough mixing, the flap leaf is in each case oriented in such a manner that the air supplied in the one supplying duct is guided in the direction of the other supplying duct. To save on energy, the flap leaf is then oriented in such a manner that the supplied air is guided in the direction of the removing duct. Depending on the requirements—better thorough mixing or saving on energy—the flap leaves are therefore pivoted into different opening positions and orientations.
In particular, in the case of different physical characteristic values of the air, such as temperature, pressure, density and moisture, and/or in the case of a different quality of the air, such as oxygen content, CO2 content and pollutant content, in the individual supplying ducts, the thorough mixing is optimized by orientation of the flap leaves.
By contrast, in the case of approximately identical physical characteristic values of the air, such as temperature, pressure, density and moisture, and/or in the case of an approximately identical quality of the air, such as oxygen content, CO2 content and pollutant content, in the individual supplying ducts, the saving on energy can be optimized by orientation of the flap leaves. The orientation of the flap leaves and the requirement are therefore determined on the basis of identical or different physical characteristic values and/or air qualities. In addition or alternatively, the flap leaves can also be oriented in relation to optimizing the noise production in the mixing chamber.
Further advantages, features and use possibilities of the present disclosure emerge from the description below in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings.
The description, the claims and the drawings make use of the terms and associated reference numbers used in the list of reference numbers cited below. In the drawings:
In the exemplary embodiment according to
Fans can also be installed in the supplying ducts 12, 14, said fans pressing the supplied air into the mixing chamber 10 and out of the latter again into the removing duct 16.
By way of example, at great temperature differences in the air supplied in the first supply air duct 12 in relation to the second supply air duct 14, what are referred to as stratifications can occur in the duct 16 removing air from the mixing chamber, said stratifications still remaining even after passing the fan connected downstream of the mixing chamber 10. Stratifications of this type may have temperature differences of, for example, 10° C. and more, which is not desirable.
According to the disclosure, each flap leaf 22 or 24 is therefore individually driven and activated. This results in diverse use possibilities for optimizing the thorough mixing, but also for saving on energy in the ventilation system and therefore in possibilities of increasing the efficiency of the ventilation system.
In
The situation in
According to an embodiment (not illustrated here), a plurality of flap leaves 22, 24 can also be combined to form flap units. Flap units of this type are provided in particular in supplying ducts 12, 14 having large duct cross sections. In this case, a plurality of flap leaves 22, 24 of flap units can be intercoupled to one another. The resulting subunits are then activated individually and have a dedicated drive. The units can therefore move the flap leaves 22, 24 thereof in each case individually of the other units and, for this purpose, have the corresponding drives with gearings and/or servomotors. Otherwise, the units are correspondingly controlled, as has been illustrated with reference to
In the case of supplying ducts 12, 14 with a small diameter and only one flap leaf 22, 24, this is designed in such a manner that, for the thorough mixing situation, the flap leaf 22, 24 of the one supply air flap 18, 20 of the one supplying duct 12, 14 can be oriented in the direction of the other supplying duct 12, 14, and, for the energy saving situation, can be oriented in the direction of the removing duct 16. This enables the inventive disclosed concept to be readily simply converted also for ventilation systems with one flap leaf 22, 24.
In principle, the thorough mixing situation of the flap leaves 22, 24 or of the units of flap leaves 22, 24 depends on different physical characteristic values of the supplied air, such as temperature, pressure, density and moisture or on a different quality of the air, such as oxygen content, CO2 content and pollutant content in the individual supplying ducts 12, 14. If there are differences here, the system, and therefore the flap leaves 22, 24, can be correspondingly adjusted and oriented for optimized thorough mixing, as has been described above. If, however, the physical characteristic values or the air quality in the supplying ducts is intended to be identical or at least approximately identical, the flap leaves 22, 24 can be controlled with the effect of optimizing the energy of the ventilation system, i.e. with the effect of orienting the flap leaves 22, 24 with as little flow resistance as possible.
In order in each case to detect the individual situations, sensors (not illustrated here) which interact with a central computer unit are provided in the supplying ducts 12, 14. In the central computer unit, by comparing the determined physical characteristic values of the air or the characteristic values for the quality of the air, a decision is made as to how the flap leaves are oriented, i.e. the mixing ratio in which the air from the one supplying duct 12, 14 is mixed with the air from the other air-supplying duct 12, 14, but also whether there is a thorough mixing situation or an energy saving situation.
Depending on the quantity of air required from a supplying duct 12, 14, all or only some of the flap leaves 22, 24 are opened. As has been explained, for an opening of some of the flap leaves 22, 24, it is also possible for the flap leaves 22, 24 to have different opening angles.
Furthermore, the flap leaves 22, 24 are activated in a prioritized manner by the central computer unit in order to achieve optimized thorough mixing or optimized saving on energy. In this case, the individual flap leaves 22, 24 or flap units are activated in respect of the sequence of flap leaves 22, 24 or flap units to be opened first and to be opened last.
Irrespective of the air quality and the physical characteristic values, it is then also possible to control the flap leaves 22, 24 or the flap units with the effect of an optimized noise production. A control of this type is dependent on the air required, on the physical characteristic values, on the air quality, on the mixing requirement and on the energy saving requirement, and on the flow resistance occurring by means of the position of the flap leaves and also on the orientation of the flap leaves. Depending on the application, different orientations and flap positions of the respective supply air flaps are produced with the effect of optimizing the noise.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2011 000 525 | Feb 2011 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2011/072329 | 12/9/2011 | WO | 00 | 10/16/2013 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2012/103979 | 8/9/2012 | WO | A |
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Entry |
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International Search Report corresponding to PCT Application No. PCT/EP2011/072329, mailed Apr. 17, 2012 (German and English language document) (7 pages). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20140051345 A1 | Feb 2014 | US |