US 11,781,775 B2
Hybrid direct and indirect air cooling system
Ahmed Hamdi Abdel-Salam, Saskatoon (CA); Philip Paul LePoudre, Saskatoon (CA); and Manfred Gerber, Saskatoon (CA)
Assigned to Nortek Air Solutions Canada, Inc., Saskatoon (CA)
Appl. No. 16/645,342
Filed by Nortek Air Solutions Canada, Inc., Saskatoon (CA)
PCT Filed Sep. 7, 2018, PCT No. PCT/CA2018/051094
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 6, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/046956, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 14, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/556,250, filed on Sep. 8, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0284464 A1, Sep. 10, 2020
Int. Cl. F24F 11/81 (2018.01); F24F 5/00 (2006.01); F24F 11/65 (2018.01); F24F 11/83 (2018.01); F24F 13/06 (2006.01); F24F 13/10 (2006.01); F24F 13/30 (2006.01); F24F 11/58 (2018.01); F24F 13/28 (2006.01); H05K 7/20 (2006.01); F24F 110/22 (2018.01); F24F 110/12 (2018.01)
CPC F24F 11/81 (2018.01) [F24F 5/0035 (2013.01); F24F 11/65 (2018.01); F24F 11/83 (2018.01); F24F 13/06 (2013.01); F24F 13/10 (2013.01); F24F 13/30 (2013.01); F24F 11/58 (2018.01); F24F 13/28 (2013.01); F24F 2110/12 (2018.01); F24F 2110/22 (2018.01); H05K 7/20745 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system to condition air for an enclosed space, the system comprising:
a plenum for supplying air to the enclosed space, the plenum having an outdoor air inlet, a return air inlet, and a supply air outlet in fluid communication with the enclosed space, wherein the outdoor air inlet and the return air inlet selectively open and close such that an amount of outdoor air and an amount of return air supplied to the enclosed space varies and depends on an operating mode of the system;
a cooling unit comprising an evaporative cooler and located external to the plenum and the enclosed space, the cooling unit having a first cooling fluid circuit configured to selectively circulate a first cooling fluid to reduce a temperature of the first cooling fluid, the cooling unit configured to operate in a plurality of cooling modes;
a coil disposed inside the plenum and having a second cooling fluid circuit configured to selectively circulate a second cooling fluid through the coil to condition air passing through the coil, depending on the operating mode of the system, wherein the first cooling fluid exiting the cooling unit reduces a temperature of the second cooling fluid prior to circulating the second cooling fluid through the coil; and
a return air duct in fluid communication with the enclosed space, the return air duct configured to deliver return air from the enclosed space to at least one of the return air inlet and an exhaust air outlet, depending on the operating mode of the system, wherein:
the operating mode of the system comprises a direct mode, an indirect mode, and a mixed mode;
the operating mode of the system determines air flow through the system and operation of the cooling unit;
the plurality of cooling modes includes a dry mode and a wet mode;
the dry mode includes an economizer mode; and
the wet mode includes an adiabatic mode, an evaporative mode, and a super-evaporative mode.