Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ENERGY RECOVERY WHEEL ARRAY
PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.
Provisional
Application Serial No. 63/152,914, filed February 24, 2021, which is
incorporated by reference
herein. This application incorporates by reference the subject matter of a
copending application
by the Applicant on January 24, 2022 and entitled "Energy Recovery Wheel
Assembly."
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to energy recovery. More
particularly, but not
exclusively, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methods
for energy recovery
for gases and fluids (collectively "fluids").
SUMMARY
[0003] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an energy
recovery system for
exchanging heat energy between fluid flows may include an intake manifold
having one or more
intake flow openings and one or more outlet flow openings; an exhaust manifold
having one or
more exhaust flow openings and one or more inlet flow openings; and a wheel
wall arranged
between the intake and exhaust manifolds. The wheel wall may include a number
of energy
recovery wheels. Each energy recovery wheel may include a rotating wheel and a
seal system
dividing the rotating wheel into an intake side and an exhaust side. At least
one of the inlet flow
openings of each of the intake and exhaust manifolds may be arranged in
communication with
each other through the intake side of the rotating wheel of at least two
energy recovery wheels of
the wheel wall. At least one of the outlet flow openings of each of the intake
and exhaust manifolds
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may be arranged in communication with each other through the exhaust side of
the rotating wheel
of at least two energy recovery wheels of the wheel wall.
[0004] In some embodiments, the intake manifold may define one or more
intake plenums
each defining one of the intake flow openings for receiving intake flow. Each
intake plenum may
form a flow transition between the corresponding intake flow opening and the
intake side of at
least two energy recovery wheels of the energy recovery wall.
[0005] In some embodiments, the intake manifold may define one or more
exhaust
plenums each defining one of the outlet flow openings for exhausting exhaust
flow. Each exhaust
plenum may form a flow transition between the corresponding exhaust flow
opening and the
exhaust side of at least two energy recovery wheels of the energy recovery
wall.
[0006] In some embodiments, the exhaust manifold may define one or more
exhaust
plenums defining one of the exhaust flow openings for receiving exhaust flow.
Each exhaust
plenum may form a flow transition between the corresponding exhaust flow
opening and the
exhaust side of at least two energy recovery wheels of the energy recovery
wall.
[0007] In some embodiments, the exhaust manifold may define one or more
intake
plenums each defining one of the inlet flow openings for exhausting intake
flow. Each intake
plenum may form a flow transition between the corresponding intake flow
opening and the intake
side of at least two energy recovery wheels of the energy recovery wall. In
some embodiments,
the energy recovery wheels may be arranged in a stacked formation. The stacked
formation may
include at least two energy recovery wheels high.
[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an energy
recovery assembly
includes an intake manifold having a first intake flow opening, a second
intake flow opening, and
an outlet flow opening. The assembly further includes an exhaust manifold
having a first inlet flow
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opening, a second inlet flow opening, and an exhaust flow opening. The
assembly further includes
a wheel wall arranged between the intake and exhaust manifolds, the wheel wall
comprising a
plurality of energy recovery wheels.
[0009] In some embodiments, the first intake flow opening and the first
inlet flow opening
are formed in a first side portion of the assembly, the second intake flow
opening and the second
inlet flow opening are formed in a second side portion of the assembly, and
the outlet flow opening
and the exhaust flow opening are formed in a middle portion of the assembly
between the first and
second side portions.
[0010] In some embodiments, the first and second intake flow openings are
offset from the
first and second inlet flow openings. In some embodiments, the outlet flow
opening is offset from
the exhaust flow opening. In some embodiments, the first and second intake
flow openings are
offset from the first and second inlet flow openings.
[0011] In some embodiments, the first and second intake flow openings and
the first and
second inlet flow openings each have a first area, and the outlet flow opening
and the exhaust flow
opening each have a second area, and wherein the first area is less than the
second area. In some
embodiments, each of the first areas combined have a first cumulative area and
each of the second
areas combined have a second cumulative area, and wherein the first and second
cumulative areas
are about the same.
[0012] In some embodiments, intake manifold defines a first intake
plenum, a second
intake plenum separate from the first intake plenum, and an outlet plenum
separate from the first
and second intake plenums, and wherein the exhaust manifold defines a first
inlet plenum, a second
inlet plenum separate from the first inlet plenum, and an exhaust plenum
separate from the first
and second inlet plenums.
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[0013] In some embodiments, the first and second intake plenums each have
a first volume
and the first and second inlet plenums each have a second volume that is about
equal to the first
volume. In some embodiments, the outlet plenum has a third volume greater than
the first and
second volumes and the exhaust plenum has a fourth volume greater than the
first and second
volumes, and wherein the third volume is about equal to the fourth volume.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] In the appended drawings, where like reference numerals denote
like elements
throughout and in where:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a partly exploded perspective view of an energy recovery
assembly, in
accordance with a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment thereof;
[0016] FIG. 2 is another partly exploded perspective view of the energy
recovery assembly
of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the energy recovery wheel wall of
the energy recovery
assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0018] FIG. 4 is rear plan view of the energy recovery wheel wall of the
energy recovery
assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0019] FIG. 5 is an unexploded perspective view of the energy recovery
assembly of FIGS.
1-4; and
[0020] FIG. 6 is a partly exploded perspective view of an energy recovery
assembly, in
accordance with a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment thereof;
[0021] FIG. 7 is another partly exploded perspective view of the energy
recovery assembly
of FIG. 6;
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[0022] FIG. 8 is another partly exploded perspective view of the energy
recovery assembly
of FIG. 6;
[0023] FIG. 9 is a cross section taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8;
[0024] FIG. 10 is a cross section taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 8;
[0025] FIG. 11 is a cross section taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 8;
[0026] FIG. 12 is a plane view of an intake side of the energy recovery
assembly;
[0027] FIG. 13 is a plane view of an exhaust side of the energy recovery
assembly;
[0028] FIG. 14 is a partly exploded perspective view of an energy
recovery assembly, in
accordance with a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment thereof;
[0029] FIG. 15 is another partly exploded perspective view of the energy
recovery
assembly of FIG. 14;
[0030] FIG. 16 is a partly exploded perspective view of an energy
recovery assembly, in
accordance with a non-restrictive illustrative embodiment thereof;
[0031] FIG. 17 is another partly exploded perspective view of the energy
recovery
assembly of FIG. 16; and
[0032] FIG. 18 is another partly exploded perspective view of the energy
recovery
assembly of FIG. 16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] To better understand the present specification,
the following
definitions are provided.
[0034] The expression "energy recovery wheel" as used herein includes,
without
limitation, a rotary wheel, a thermal wheel, a sensible wheel, a heat wheel, a
desiccant wheel, a
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dehumidification wheel, a heat and/or moisture recovery wheel, a total energy
recovery wheel, a
enthalpy wheel, a regeneratable rotary dehumidification wheel, a rotary
enthalpy wheel, a rotating
wheel exchanger and the like.
[0035] Energy recovery wheels may be applied to increase efficiency in
fluid transfer, for
example, in fresh air exchange in HVAC systems for controlled import of fresh
outdoor air into an
indoor space. In applying energy recovery wheels to transfer energy from
between fluid flows, a
wheel medium can be divided by a seal along its circular face, for example,
into semi-circle
sections each in communication with a different fluid flow. The wheel medium
can allow passage
of fluid in thermal communication with the wheel medium. By rotating the
energy recovery wheel,
the wheel medium can move from engagement with one fluid flow to engagement
with the other
fluid flow, thereby transferring the energy gained from the one fluid flow to
the other fluid flow.
[0036] In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, an energy recovery
assembly 12 is shown
including a number of energy recovery wheels 14A-D arranged together to define
a wheel wall 10.
Each energy recovery wheel 14A-D of the energy recovery wheel wall 10 is
arranged to rotate
about their respective central axis 15A-D to transfer energy between fresh and
exhaust fluid flows.
The energy recovery assembly 12 comprises intake manifold 16 and exhaust
manifold 18 guiding
fluid flow through each of the energy recovery wheels 14 of the wheel wall 10.
[0037] The intake manifold 16 illustratively includes inlet flow openings
20 arranged to
receive inlet flow to the intake manifold 16, as indicated by arrows 22. Each
inlet flow opening
20 communicates inlet flow to a pair of energy recovery wheels 14 for energy
exchange, which
then passes on to the exhaust manifold 18 to pass inlet flow, for example, to
inside of an HVAC
system of a building. The intake manifold 16 illustratively includes an outlet
flow opening 24
arranged to pass outlet flow 36, for example, to outside of an HVAC system of
a building.
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[0038] The intake manifold 16 illustratively includes an intake plenum 26
defining each of
the intake openings 20. The intake plenum 26 defines a flow passage between
the intake flow
opening 20 and the designated energy recovery wheels 14A-D. For example, in
FIG. 1, the right-
hand intake plenum 26 of the intake manifold 16 communicates inlet flow
between the intake flow
opening 20 and the energy recovery wheels 14B and 14C, while the left-hand
intake plenum 26 of
the intake manifold 16 communicates inlet flow between the intake flow opening
20 and the energy
recovery wheels 14A and 14D. More specifically, each intake plenum 26
communicates flow
between the intake opening 20 and the intake side of the respective energy
recovery wheels
14A&D, 14B&C, as discussed in additional detail herein.
[0039] Each intake plenum 26 defines an intake-flow transition 28 between
the respective
intake opening 20 and the associated energy recovery wheels (e.g., the two
wheels 14 in the
illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1). Each intake-flow transition 28 may include
a sloped section
which transitions between a smaller cross-sectional area of the intake opening
20 and a larger
cross-sectional area for communication with each of the associated energy
recovery wheels
14A&D, 14B&C. The larger cross-sectional area increases interaction time of
the air entering the
intake plenum(s) 26 with the energy recovery wheels thereby increasing energy
transfer
efficiencies. In some embodiments, each intake-flow transition 28 may be
straight such that the
respective intake opening 20 is as large as the associated energy recovery
wheels as shown in
FIGS. 6-13.
[0040] The intake manifold 16 illustratively includes an outlet plenum 30
defining the
outlet opening 24. The outlet plenum 30 defines a flow passage between the
outlet flow opening
24 and the associated energy recovery wheels 14A-D, as indicated by arrow 36.
More specifically,
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the outlet plenum 30 communicates the outlet flow opening 24 with an exhaust
side of the energy
recovery wheels 14A-D, as discussed in additional detail herein.
[0041] The outlet plenum 30 defines an outlet-flow transition 32 between
the respective
outlet opening 24 and the energy recovery wheels 14A-D. The transition 32
includes a sloped
section which transitions between a smaller cross-sectional area of the outlet
opening 24 and a
larger cross-sectional area for communication with the exhaust side of each of
the respective
energy recovery wheels 14A-D, as discussed in additional detail herein. The
larger cross-sectional
area increases interaction time of the air entering the outlet plenum 30 with
the energy recovery
wheels thereby increasing energy transfer efficiencies. In some embodiments,
the transition 32
may be straight such that the respective outlet opening 24 is as large as the
associated energy
recovery wheels as shown in FIGS. 6-13. Each intake-flow transition 28 is
offset from each outlet-
flow transition 32 in at least one of a vertical direction and a horizontal
direction.
[0042] Referring now to FIG. 2, the exhaust manifold 18 illustratively
includes an exhaust
flow opening 34 arranged to receive air flow into the exhaust manifold 18, as
indicated by arrow
36. The exhaust flow opening 34 communicates air flow to the energy recovery
wheels 14A-D
for energy exchange, which then passes to the intake manifold 16 to pass
outlet flow, for example,
to outside of an HVAC system of a building. The exhaust manifold 18
illustratively includes inlet
flow openings 38 arranged to pass inlet flow (as indicated by arrows 22), for
example, to inside of
an HVAC system of a building. Each exhaust flow opening 34 may be offset from
each intake
flow opening 20. Each exhaust flow opening 34 may be offset from each outlet
flow opening 24.
Each inlet flow opening 38 may be offset from each intake flow opening 20.
Each inlet flow
opening may be offset from each exhaust flow opening 34.
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[0043] The exhaust manifold 18 illustratively includes an exhaust plenum
40 defining the
exhaust opening 34. The exhaust plenum 40 defines a flow passage between the
exhaust flow
opening 34 and the energy recovery wheels 14A-D. More specifically, the
exhaust plenum 40
communicates flow (as indicated by arrow 36) between the exhaust opening 34
and the exhaust
side of the respective energy recovery wheels 14A-D, as discussed in
additional detail herein.
[0044] The exhaust plenum 40 defines an exhaust-flow transition 42
between the exhaust
opening 34 and the energy recovery wheels 14. The transition 42 includes a
sloped section which
transitions between a smaller cross-sectional area of the exhaust opening 34
and a larger cross-
sectional area for communication with the exhaust side of each of the
respective energy recovery
wheels 14A-D. The larger cross-sectional area increases interaction time of
the air entering the
exhaust plenum 40 with the energy recovery wheels thereby increasing energy
transfer
efficiencies. Each intake-flow transition 28 is offset from each exhaust-flow
transition 42.
[0045] The exhaust manifold 18 illustratively includes a pair of inlet
plenums 44 defining
the inlet openings 38. Each inlet plenum 44 defines a flow passage between the
intake side of each
energy recovery wheel 14A&D, 14B&C and the inlet flow opening 38. For example,
in FIG. 2,
the left-hand inlet plenum 44 of the exhaust manifold 18 communicates inlet
flow (as indicated by
arrow 22) between the energy recovery wheels 14B, 14C and the inlet flow
opening 38, while the
right-hand inlet plenum 44 of the exhaust manifold 18 communicates inlet flow
between the energy
recovery wheels 14A, 14D and the intake flow opening 38.
[0046] Each inlet plenum 44 defines a inlet-flow transition 46 between
the associated
energy recovery wheels 14 and the inlet opening 38. Each transition 46
includes a sloped section
which transitions between the larger cross-sectional area for communication
with the respective
energy recovery wheels 14 and the smaller cross-sectional area of the inlet
opening 38. The larger
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cross-sectional area increases interaction time of the air entering the inlet
plenum(s) 44 with the
energy recovery wheels thereby increasing energy transfer efficiencies. Each
inlet-flow transition
46 is offset from each exhaust-flow transition 42 in at least one of a
vertical direction and a
horizontal direction.
[0047] Referring now to FIG. 3, viewing through the inlet manifold 16
towards the exhaust
manifold 18, portions of the energy recovery wheels 14 can be seen. For
example, through the
intake opening 20 on the right-hand side of FIG. 3, the intake side of the
energy recovery wheel
14C can be seen. Through the intake opening 20 on the left-hand side of FIG.
3, the intake side of
the energy recovery wheel 14D can be seen. Through the outlet opening 24 of
the intake manifold
16, the exhaust side of each of the energy recovery wheels 14A and 14B can be
seen.
[0048] Referring now to FIG. 4, viewing through the exhaust manifold 18
towards the
intake manifold 16, portions of the energy recovery wheels 14 can be seen. For
example, through
the exhaust opening 34, the exhaust side of each of the energy recovery wheels
14C and 14D can
be seen. Through the inlet opening 38 on the left-hand side of FIG. 4, the
intake side of the energy
recovery wheel 14B can be seen. Through the inlet opening 38 on the right-hand
side of FIG. 4,
the intake side of the energy recovery wheel 14A can be seen.
[0049] Referring now to FIG. 5, the energy recovery assembly 10 is shown
in an assembled
state such that the energy recovery wheel wall 12 is configured between the
intake manifold 16
and exhaust manifold 18. It can be appreciated that seals can be applied to
fluidly divide the intake
and exhaust sides of each energy recovery wheel 14. A frame 48 structurally
support the energy
recovery wheels 14 for individual rotation in the wheel wall 12.
[0050] In one example, the intake manifold 16 includes a first intake
flow opening 20, a
second intake flow opening 20, and an outlet flow opening 24. The exhaust
manifold 18 has a first
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inlet flow opening 38, a second inlet flow opening 38, and an exhaust flow
opening 34. The first
intake flow opening 20 and the first inlet flow opening 38 are formed in a
first side portion of the
assembly 10. The second intake flow opening 20 and the second inlet flow
opening 38 are formed
in a second side portion of the assembly 10 that is spaced apart from the
first side portion. The
outlet flow opening 24 and the exhaust flow opening 34 are formed in a middle
portion of the
assembly 10 between the first and second side portions.
[0051] In the example described above, the first and second intake flow
openings 20 and
the first and second inlet flow openings 38 each have a first area. The outlet
flow opening 24 and
the exhaust flow opening 34 each have a second area. The first area is less
than the second area.
Each of the first areas combined have a first cumulative area and each of the
second areas
combined have a second cumulative area. The first and second cumulative areas
are about the
same.
[0052] In the example described above, the intake manifold 16 defines a
first intake
plenum 26, a second intake plenum 26 separate from the first intake plenum 26,
and an outlet
plenum 30 separate from the first and second intake plenums 26. The exhaust
manifold 18 defines
a first inlet plenum 44, a second inlet plenum 44 separate from the first
inlet plenum 44, and an
exhaust plenum 40 separate from the first and second inlet plenums 44. The
first and second intake
plenums 26 each have a first volume and the first and second inlet plenums 44
each have a second
volume that is about equal to the first volume. The outlet plenum 30 has a
third volume greater
than the first and second volumes and the exhaust plenum 40 has a fourth
volume greater than the
first and second volumes. The third volume is about equal to the fourth volume
in some
embodiments. As used herein, the term about is use to indicate values that are
within 5% of each
other.
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[0053] The intake manifold 16 and the exhaust manifold 18 may further
include respective
divider panels 50, 52 as shown in FIG. 8. The divider panels 50, 52 are
arranged to lie between
intake flow openings 20 and outlet flow opening 24 and between exhaust flow
opening 34 and
inlet flow openings 38, respectively. The divider panels 50, 52 are configured
to provide a barrier
between these openings to block air being discharged from outlet flow opening
24 and inlet flow
openings 38 from flowing back into intake flow openings 20 and exhaust flow
opening 34,
respectively.
[0054] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the stacked arrangement of the energy
recovery wheels
14 in the energy recovery wheel wall 12 can provide improvements to energy
recovery. For
example, the energy recovery wheels 14 can be pre-mounted onto the frame 48 or
portions of the
frame 48 at the factory allowing modular installation which can reduce field
install time, cost, and
complexity, such as, compare with custom fit designs. Moreover, factory
installation can enhance
quality control and reduce freight costs.
[0055] The use of multiple energy recovery wheels 14 (e.g. four energy
recovery wheels
14 in the depicted embodiment) can provide particular advantageous over single
wheel
arrangements. For example, multiple smaller energy recovery wheels can reduce
the weight of
each individual wheel, thereby reducing deflection issues for elongated parts,
such as the rotational
shaft, which can reduce cross-leakage between flow paths, such as, by offering
tighter wheel
media-to-seal tolerances, lower manufacturing tolerances, and/or reducing the
cost, complexity,
and/or expense in individual parts replacement. Such advantages can lower the
operational costs
of the energy recover assembly 10. Additionally, the manifold space can serve
as the access area
required for all wheel designs.
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[0056]
Moreover, replacing a single large energy recovery wheel with the energy
recovery
assembly 10 provides more versatile control of the energy exchange media,
which can reduce or
eliminate the need for turn down requirements. In particular, when fresh air
requirements are
lowered a single energy recovery wheel assembly will typically be slowed down
and later sped up
when higher fresh air requirements return. This leads to inefficiencies in the
energy required to
turn the single energy recovery wheel. Dispersing the energy recovery
requirements of a single
energy recovery wheel to multiple energy recovery wheels 14, may allow for
operation of less than
all of the multiple energy recovery wheels 14 in order to meet lower fresh air
requirements, while
turning some number of the energy recovery wheels 14 at speeds providing
optimum efficiency.
For example, the energy recovery assembly 10 can be operated with one, two,
three or four of the
energy recovery wheels 14A-D turning and some or all of those turning wheels
can be turning at
a speed to achieve optimum efficiency. In one particular example, a single
energy recovery wheel
14 can be operated at optimal turning speed when the fresh air requirements
are 25% of the total
fresh air capabilities of the energy recover assembly 10. Similarly, two of
the energy recovery
wheels 14 can be operated at optimal turning speed when the fresh air
requirements are 50 % of
the total fresh air capabilities of the energy recover assembly 10. Likewise,
three of the energy
recovery wheels 14 can be operated at optimal turning speed when the fresh air
requirements are
75 % of the total fresh air capabilities of the energy recover assembly 10.
For fresh air
requirements not at 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%, only one energy recovery wheel need
be turned at
less than optimal turning speed while the remainder of the turning energy
recovery wheels can be
turned at optimal turning speed. Dampers (not depicted) may optionally be
provided in one or
both of the intake plenums 26 of the intake manifold 16 and/or the inlet
plenums of the exhaust
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manifold 18 to selectively reduce or prohibit flow to one or more of the
energy recovery wheels
14A-D when experiencing reduced turning or no turning.
[0057] In some embodiments, the energy recovery assembly 10 may be
rotated 90 degrees,
for example, from the orientation in FIGS. 3 and 4, such that energy recovery
wheels 14B, 14C
are on top of energy recovery wheels 14A, 14D, and intake side portions of
energy recovery wheels
14B &C and 14A&D, are arranged side-by-side as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. In
some
embodiments, the flows through the respective manifolds may be reversed such
that the inlet flows
become outlet flows, and outlet flows become inlet flows. In some embodiments,
the transitions
28, 32, 42, 46 may be omitted such that each of the openings 20, 24, 34, 28
have an equal height
(or width if oriented 90 degrees from the position shown in Figs. 16-18) as
shown in Figs. 16-18.
[0058] It should be noted that the various components and features
described above can be
combined in a variety of ways, so as to provide other non-illustrated
embodiments within the scope
of the disclosure. As such, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not
limited in its application
to the details of construction and parts illustrated in the accompanying
drawings and described
hereinabove. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being
practiced in various
ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used
herein is for the purpose
of description and not limitation. Although the present disclosure has been
described in the
foregoing description by way of illustrative embodiments thereof, these
embodiments can be
modified at will, without departing from the spirit, scope, and nature of the
subject disclosed.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-24
