Patent Application
20180094429
The present disclosure relates generally to heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems.
A wide range of applications exist for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. For example, residential, light commercial, commercial, and industrial systems are used to control temperatures and air quality in residences and buildings. Such systems often are dedicated to either heating or cooling, although systems are common that perform both of these functions. Very generally, these systems operate by implementing a thermal cycle in which fluids are heated and cooled to provide the desired temperature in a controlled space, typically the inside of a residence or building. Similar systems are used for vehicle heating and cooling, and as well as for general refrigeration.
HVAC units, such as air handlers, heat pumps, and air conditioning units, are used to provide heated, cooled, and/or dehumidified air to conditioned environments. Additionally, HVAC units may include panels that may protect components of the HVAC unit and/or provide structural support for the HVAC units. For example, the panels may be part of a housing or cabinet that surrounds the internal components. In many HVAC units, foam and/or fiberglass insulation is included within the panels. For instance, the panels may typically include two walls, and the insulation may be positioned between the two walls.
The present disclosure relates to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit that includes a cabinet that defines an interior volume, and HVAC components are situated within the interior volume. The HVAC unit also includes a panel that forms part of the boundary, and the panel includes an aerogel material.
The present disclosure also relates to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) enclosure that includes a panel. The panel includes a first structural wall that includes a first surface. The panel also includes an insulative material coupled to the first surface of the first structural wall. The insulative material includes an aerogel.
The present disclosure further relates to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit that includes an enclosure. The enclosure includes an enclosure that includes a plurality of panels. The plurality of panels defines an interior volume, and each panel of the plurality of panels includes an aerogel material coupled to the respective panel. The HVAC unit also includes a condenser and an evaporator, both of which are disposed within the interior volume of the enclosure. The evaporator is coupled to the condenser and is configured to receive a refrigerant from the condenser. Additionally, the HVAC unit includes a fan disposed within the interior volume of the enclosure. The fan is configured to draw environmental air into the HVAC unit.
The present disclosure is directed to heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that include panels insulated with aerogel. More specifically, HVAC units in HVAC systems may include double-walled panels with aerogel disposed between the two walls of the panel or single-walled panels with aerogel coupled to the single wall of the panel. Using aerogel as insulation in the panels reduces the weight of the HVAC units, and in embodiments in which the panels are single-walled, there is an even greater reduction weight due to the panel only including a single wall instead of two walls.
Aerogel is a lightweight material typically derived from various types of gel. More specifically liquid in a gel may be replaced by gas to form aerogel. Many types of aerogel may be used for the applications discussed below. For example, aerogel may be a silica aerogel (i.e., derived from silica), a metal oxide aerogel (i.e., derived from a metal oxide), or carbon aerogel (i.e., derived from a carbon compound, such as an organic compound). Also, in addition to being lightweight, aerogel has a low density, but is strong and highly thermally insulative. Thus, a volume of aerogel smaller than the volume of fiberglass and foam insulation typically used in HVAC systems may be used to provide insulation to HVAC systems.
Turning now to the drawings,
The HVAC unit 12 is an air cooled device that implements a refrigeration cycle to provide conditioned air to the building 10. Specifically, the HVAC unit 12 may include one or more heat exchangers across which an air flow is passed to condition the air flow before the air flow is supplied to the building. In the illustrated embodiment, the HVAC unit 12 is a rooftop unit (RTU) that conditions a supply air stream, such as environmental air and/or a return air flow from the building 10. After the HVAC unit 12 conditions the air, the air is supplied to the building 10 via ductwork 14 extending throughout the building 10 from the HVAC unit 12. For example, the ductwork 14 may extend to various individual floors or other sections of the building 10. In certain embodiments, the HVAC unit 12 may be a heat pump that provides both heating and cooling to the building with one refrigeration circuit configured to operate in different modes. In other embodiments, the HVAC unit 12 may include one or more refrigeration circuits for cooling an air stream and a furnace for heating the air stream.
A control device 16, one type of which may be a thermostat, may be used to designate the temperature of the conditioned air. The control device 16 also may be used to control the flow of air through the ductwork 14. For example, the control device 16 may be used to regulate operation of one or more components of the HVAC unit 12 or other components, such as dampers and fans, within the building 10 that may control flow of air through and/or from the ductwork 14. In some embodiments, other devices may be included in the system, such as pressure and/or temperature transducers or switches that sense the temperatures and pressures of the supply air, return air, and so forth. Moreover, the control device 16 may include computer systems that are integrated with or separate from other building control or monitoring systems, and even systems that are remote from the building 10.
As shown in the illustrated embodiment of
The HVAC unit 12 includes heat exchangers 28 and 30 in fluid communication with one or more refrigeration circuits. Tubes within the heat exchangers 28 and 30 may circulate refrigerant (for example, R-410A, steam, or water) through the heat exchangers 28 and 30. The tubes may be of various types, such as multichannel tubes, conventional copper or aluminum tubing, and so forth. Together, the heat exchangers 28 and 30 may implement a thermal cycle in which the refrigerant undergoes phase changes and/or temperature changes as it flows through the heat exchangers 28 and 30 to produce heated and/or cooled air. For example, the heat exchanger 28 may function as a condenser where heat is released from the refrigerant to ambient air, and the heat exchanger 30 may function as an evaporator where the refrigerant absorbs heat to cool an air stream. In other embodiments, the HVAC unit 12 may operate in a heat pump mode where the roles of the heat exchangers 28 and 30 may be reversed. That is, the heat exchanger 28 may function as an evaporator and the heat exchanger 30 may function as a condenser. In further embodiments, the HVAC unit 12 may include a furnace for heating the air stream that is supplied to the building 10. While the illustrated embodiment of
The heat exchanger 30 is located within a compartment 31 that separates the heat exchanger 30 from the heat exchanger 28. Fans 32 draw air from the environment through the heat exchanger 28. Air may be heated and/or cooled as the air flows through the heat exchanger 28 before being released back to the environment surrounding the rooftop unit 12. A blower assembly 34, powered by a motor 36, draws air through the heat exchanger 30 to heat or cool the air. The heated or cooled air may be directed to the building 10 by the ductwork 14, which may be connected to the HVAC unit 12. Before flowing through the heat exchanger 30, the conditioned air flows through one or more filters 38 that may remove particulates and contaminants from the air. In certain embodiments, the filters 38 may be disposed on the air intake side of the heat exchanger 30 to prevent contaminants from contacting the heat exchanger 30.
The HVAC unit 12 also may include other equipment for implementing the thermal cycle. Compressors 42 increase the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant before the refrigerant enters the heat exchanger 28. The compressors 42 may be any suitable type of compressors, such as scroll compressors, rotary compressors, screw compressors, or reciprocating compressors. In some embodiments, the compressors 42 may include a pair of hermetic direct drive compressors arranged in a dual stage configuration 44. However, in other embodiments, any number of the compressors 42 may be provided to achieve various stages of heating and/or cooling. As may be appreciated, additional equipment and devices may be included in the HVAC unit 12, such as a solid-core filter drier, a drain pan, a disconnect switch, an economizer, pressure switches, phase monitors, and humidity sensors, among other things.
The HVAC unit 12 may receive power through a terminal block 46. For example, a high voltage power source may be connected to the terminal block 46 to power the equipment. The operation of the HVAC unit 12 may be governed or regulated by a control board 48. The control board 48 may include control circuitry connected to a thermostat, sensors, and alarms (one or more being referred to herein separately or collectively as the control device 16). The control circuitry may be configured to control operation of the equipment, provide alarms, and monitor safety switches. Wiring 49 may connect the control board 48 and the terminal block 46 to the equipment of the HVAC unit 12.
When the system shown in
The outdoor unit 58 draws environmental air through the heat exchanger 60 using a fan 64 and expels the air above the outdoor unit 58. When operating as an air conditioner, the air is heated by the heat exchanger 60 within the outdoor unit 58 and exits the unit at a temperature higher than it entered. The indoor unit 56 includes a blower or fan 66 that directs air through or across the indoor heat exchanger 62, where the air is cooled when the system is operating in air conditioning mode. Thereafter, the air is passed through ductwork 68 that directs the air to the residence 52. The overall system operates to maintain a desired temperature as set by a system controller. When the temperature sensed inside the residence 52 is higher than the set point on the thermostat (plus a small amount), the residential heating and cooling system 50 may become operative to refrigerate additional air for circulation through the residence 52. When the temperature reaches the set point (minus a small amount), the residential heating and cooling system 50 may stop the refrigeration cycle temporarily.
The residential heating and cooling system 50 may also operate as a heat pump. When operating as a heat pump, the roles of heat exchangers 60 and 62 are reversed. That is, the heat exchanger 60 of the outdoor unit 58 will serve as an evaporator to evaporate refrigerant and thereby cool air entering the outdoor unit 58 as the air passes over outdoor the heat exchanger 60. The indoor heat exchanger 62 will receive a stream of air blown over it and will heat the air by condensing the refrigerant.
In some embodiments, the indoor unit 56 may include a furnace system 70. For example, the indoor unit 56 may include the furnace system 70 when the residential heating and cooling system 50 is not configured to operate as a heat pump. The furnace system 70 may include a burner assembly and heat exchanger, among other components, inside the indoor unit 56. Fuel is provided to the burner assembly of the furnace 70 where it is mixed with air and combusted to form combustion products. The combustion products may pass through tubes or piping in a heat exchanger (that is, separate from heat exchanger 62), such that air directed by the blower 66 passes over the tubes or pipes and extracts heat from the combustion products. The heated air may then be routed from the furnace system 70 to the ductwork 68 for heating the residence 52.
In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 72 may use one or more of a variable speed drive (VSDs) 92, a motor 94, the compressor 74, the condenser 76, the expansion valve or device 78, and/or the evaporator 80. The motor 94 may drive the compressor 74 and may be powered by the variable speed drive (VSD) 92. The VSD 92 receives alternating current (AC) power having a particular fixed line voltage and fixed line frequency from an AC power source, and provides power having a variable voltage and frequency to the motor 94. In other embodiments, the motor 94 may be powered directly from an AC or direct current (DC) power source. The motor 94 may include any type of electric motor that can be powered by a VSD or directly from an AC or DC power source, such as a switched reluctance motor, an induction motor, an electronically commutated permanent magnet motor, or another suitable motor.
The compressor 74 compresses a refrigerant vapor and delivers the vapor to the condenser 76 through a discharge passage. In some embodiments, the compressor 74 may be a centrifugal compressor. The refrigerant vapor delivered by the compressor 74 to the condenser 76 may transfer heat to a fluid passing across the condenser 76, such as ambient or environmental air 96. The refrigerant vapor may condense to a refrigerant liquid in the condenser 76 as a result of thermal heat transfer with the environmental air 96. The liquid refrigerant from the condenser 76 may flow through the expansion device 78 to the evaporator 80.
The liquid refrigerant delivered to the evaporator 80 may absorb heat from another air stream, such as a supply air stream 98 provided to the building 10 or the residence 52. For example, the supply air stream 98 may include ambient or environmental air, return air from a building, or a combination of the two. The liquid refrigerant in the evaporator 80 may undergo a phase change from the liquid refrigerant to a refrigerant vapor. In this manner, the evaporator 38 may reduce the temperature of the supply air stream 98 via thermal heat transfer with the refrigerant. Thereafter, the vapor refrigerant exits the evaporator 80 and returns to the compressor 74 by a suction line to complete the cycle.
In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 72 may further include a reheat coil in addition to the evaporator 80. For example, the reheat coil may be positioned downstream of the evaporator relative to the supply air stream 98 and may reheat the supply air stream 98 when the supply air stream 98 is overcooled to remove humidity from the supply air stream 98 before the supply air stream 98 is directed to the building 10 or the residence 52.
It should be appreciated that any of the features described herein may be incorporated with the HVAC unit 12, the residential heating and cooling system 50, or other HVAC systems. Additionally, while the features disclosed herein are described in the context of embodiments that directly heat and cool a supply air stream provided to a building or other load, embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable to other HVAC systems as well. For example, the features described herein may be applied to mechanical cooling systems, free cooling systems, chiller systems, or other heat pump or refrigeration applications.
As discussed above, insulation may be included in panels of HVAC units (e.g., HVAC unit 12). As discussed below, the panels of the cabinet 24 of the HVAC unit 12 may include aerogel that insulates the interior of the HVAC unit 12 from areas outside of the HVAC unit 12. More specifically, HVAC units in HVAC systems may include double-walled panels with aerogel disposed between the two walls of the panel or single-walled panels with aerogel coupled to the single wall of the panel. Using aerogel as insulation in the panels reduces the weight of the HVAC units, and in embodiments in which the panels are single-walled, there is an even greater reduction weight due to the panel only including a single wall instead of two walls.
The aerogel may be coupled (e.g., via an adhesive) to the outer wall 125, the inner wall 126, or both the outer wall 125 and the inner wall 126. Additionally, or in the alternative, a mechanical fastener coupling the outer wall 125 and the inner wall 126 may be used to secure the aerogel in place. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the aerogel may be sandwiched between and/or completely encased within the outer wall 125 and the inner wall 126 in a manner such that the aerogel may not be held in place by an adhesive or the mechanical fastener that couples the outer wall 125 to the inner wall 126. It should also be noted that, as discussed below, in some embodiments, the cabinet 24 may include panels 124 that are single-walled yet still insulate the HVAC unit 12.
With the cabinet 24, panels 124, outer wall 125, and inner wall 126 in mind,
It should also be noted that the illustrated embodiment of the panel 124 may be thinner that typical double-walled panels that include forms of insulation other than aerogel. More specifically, a thickness 154 of the panel 124 may be less than a thickness of another panel that includes another type of insulation because aerogel can provide similar or superior insulative properties with a smaller amount of material than foam and fiberglass insulation. The reduction in the thickness 154 of the panel may also allow for the HVAC units to be smaller and more lightweight than HVAC units that include insulative materials other than aerogel.
It should also be noted that the illustrated embodiment of the panel 124 may be thinner than the embodiment of the panel illustrated in
Continuing with the drawings,
At block 202, the aerogel 150 may be waterproofed. As discussed above, aerogel 150 may be treated with a waterproofing agent or certain compounds to make the aerogel 150 waterproof. For instance, if the aerogel 150 is a silica-based aerogel, the aerogel may be treated with a compound, such as hexamethyldisilazane, that may remove polar, hydrophilic functional groups (e.g., hydroxyl groups) from the surfaces of the aerogel.
At block 204, the aerogel 150 may be coupled to a first wall of the panel 124 (e.g., outer wall 125) used in HVAC unit 12. As discussed above, the aerogel 150 may be coupled to the first wall via an adhesive. Moreover, as discussed below with respect to block 206, coupling of the first wall to a second wall may cause the aerogel 150 to become coupled to the first wall.
At block 206, the first wall of the panel may be coupled to a second wall of the panel (e.g., inner wall 126). As discussed above, the first and second walls may be coupled to one another via mechanical fasteners or welding. Additionally, the aerogel may be disposed between and/or encased by two walls of the panel. However, in other embodiments, the panel 124 may not include a second wall.
At block 208, the panel may be vacuum sealed. For example, in embodiments of the panel 124 in which the aerogel 150 is disposed between and/or encased by two walls of the panel 124, a vacuum sealing process may be applied to the panel 124 to remove any air or other matter from the panel 124.
While the discussion of the present disclosure relates to panels of the HVAC unit 12, which may be a rooftop HVAC unit, it should be noted that panels with aerogel 150 may be used in any other suitable HVAC unit. For example, panels with aerogel may be used in HVAC units that are position on the ground and/or HVAC units used with residential buildings, such as the HVAC unit 58 of
As discussed above, aerogel 150 may be used as an insulating material in panels 124 of HVAC units 12. Insulating the panels 124 with aerogel 150 reduces the weight of the HVAC units 12. Moreover, in embodiments in which the panels 124 are single-walled, there is an even greater reduction weight due to the panel 124 only including a single wall instead of two walls.
While only certain features and embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, many modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters (e.g., temperatures, pressures, etc.), mounting arrangements, use of materials, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in an effort to provide a concise description of the exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not have been described (i.e., those unrelated to the presently contemplated best mode of carrying out the present disclosure, or those unrelated to enabling the claimed embodiments). It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation specific decisions may be made. Such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure, without undue experimentation.
This application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/404,666, entitled “INSULATED PANELS USING AEROGEL,” filed Oct. 5, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62404666 | Oct 2016 | US |
