Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
PASSIVE SPLIT HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM
FIELD
[0001] This disclosure generally relates to a split heat recovery system, and
more particularly to condenser module for a split heat recovery system.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Heat exchangers can be used in climate control systems to transfer heat
between warm and cool air streams. For example, a heat exchanger can be used
to
provide heat recovery between warm and cool air streams flowing through two
different
ducts (e.g., exhaust and supply) of the system. Split heat recovery systems
are used
where the two air streams are not in close proximity and therefore a single
side-by-side
heat exchanger cannot be positioned to encounter both air streams.
[0003] Passive heat exchangers such as heat pipe systems are not typically
controlled in a fine-tuned manner to adjust the amount of heat exchange
provided.
Rather, when a ventilation system is designed, the passive characteristics of
a heat pipe
system are chosen to provide the desired amount of heat exchange for a system.
[0004] Data centers are buildings used to house computer systems. Data
centers consume large amounts of power and as a result produce large amounts
of
heat. Referring to Fig. 1, heat recovery to cool a data center DC is
conventionally
accomplished by using a single side-by-side heat exchanger HE that
communicates
with both the closed loop air stream AS1 within the data center and the
separate outside
air stream A52. In order to have the outside air stream A52 and the closed
loop inside
air steam AS1 both pass the heat exchanger HE, either the outside air stream
must be
brought into the data center DC through ducts extending into the data center,
or the
closed loop air stream must be brought out of the data center through ducts
extending
out of the data center. The heat recovery system may also include additional
components such as filters F, fan arrays FA, and cooling coils CC to
facilitate heat
exchange. This type of heat recovery system produces installation
complications, as
special ductwork must be incorporated to facilitate the heat exchange process.
Alternatively, data center heat recovery is conventionally performed using
common air
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conditioning systems that use a compressor to compress coolant to be delivered
to a
condenser in combination with a pump for driving the heat exchange. Heat
recovery
systems of this type consume large amounts of energy.
SUMMARY
[0005] In one aspect, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between an inside
airstream flowing within an interior of a building structure and an outdoor
airstream
flowing outside of the interior of the building structure generally comprises
a heat pipe
system comprising a refrigerant. The heat pipe system including a first heat
pipe
assembly and a second heat pipe assembly fluidly connected to the first heat
pipe
assembly such that the refrigerant can flow through the heat pipe system
between the
first heat pipe assembly and the second heat pipe assembly. The first heat
pipe
assembly is installed within the interior of the building structure such that
heat is
transferrable between the first heat pipe assembly and the inside airstream
flowing
within the interior of the building structure. The second heat pipe assembly
is installed
outside of the interior of the building structure such that heat is
transferrable between
the second heat pipe assembly and the outside airstream flowing outside of the
interior
of the building structure. The heat pipe system is configured such that the
inside
airstream remains within the interior of the building structure and the
outside airstream
remains outside of the interior of the building structure.
[0006] In another aspect, a condenser module for exchanging heat between an
outdoor airstream flowing outside of an interior of a building structure
generally
comprises a housing configured to be mounted on a top of the building
structure. A
heat pipe assembly is disposed in the housing. The heat pipe assembly is
configured
for fluid connection to a heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the
building such
that a refrigerant can flow between the heat pipe assembly disposed in the
housing and
the heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building. The heat pipe
assembly
disposed in the housing is configured to transfer heat to the outside
airstream flowing
outside of the interior of the building structure when the heat pipe assembly
disposed in
the housing is fluidly connected to the heat pipe assembly disposed in the
interior of the
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building. The condenser module is free of any valves, compressors, or pumps
for
facilitating heat exchange.
[0007] In still another aspect, a condenser module for exchanging heat between
an outdoor airstream flowing outside of an interior of a building structure
generally
comprises a housing configured to be mounted on a top of the building
structure. A
heat pipe assembly is disposed in the housing. The heat pipe assembly is
configured
for fluid connection to a heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the
building such
that a refrigerant can flow between the heat pipe assembly disposed in the
housing and
the heat pipe assembly disposed in the interior of the building. The heat pipe
assembly
disposed in the housing is configured to transfer heat to the outside
airstream flowing
outside of the interior of the building structure when the heat pipe assembly
disposed in
the housing is fluidly connected to the heat pipe assembly disposed in the
interior of the
building. The heat pipe assembly comprises a top header, a bottom header, and
a
plurality of heat pipes extending vertically to provide fluid communication
between the
top header and the bottom header.
[0008] Other aspects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out
hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a prior art heat exchanger for
use in a
data center;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective of a heat exchanger of the current disclosure
for
use in a data center;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the heat exchanger of the current
disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a heat pipe system of the heat
exchanger;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective of a condenser module of the heat exchanger;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the condenser module;
[0015] FIG. 7 is an end view of the condenser module showing heat pipe coils
disposed within the condenser module;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a side view of the condenser module;
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[0017] FIG. 9 is a top view of the condenser module;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a perspective of a heat exchanger of another embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 11 is a perspective of a heat exchanger of another embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a condenser module of another
embodiment; and
[0021] FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of the condenser module of Fig. 12.
[0022] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 2-4, a heat exchanger is generally indicated at
reference number 10. The heat exchanger 10 comprises a heat pipe system 12
that is
generally configured to exchange heat between warm and cool air streams. As
will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art, the heat pipe system 12 generally
comprises one
or more thermally conductive tubes charged with refrigerant such that the heat
pipe
system is configured to transfer heat between warm and cool air streams by the
refrigerant cyclically changing phase from vapor to liquid and back to vapor.
In one
embodiment, the heat exchanger 10 is generally configured to provide heat
recovery
within a data center DC (Fig. 3). In the illustrated embodiment, the heat
exchanger 10
is configured to provide heat recovery between an outside airstream OS passing
outside of the data center DC, and an inside airstream IS flowing within the
data center.
In general, the outside air stream OS will comprise a relatively cool
airstream and the
inside airstream IS will comprise a relatively warm airstream. The heat
exchanger 10
has a split configuration whereby the airstreams OS, IS are not within ducts
that are
disposed side-by-side within a ventilation system. Rather, the outside
airstream OS
remains outside of the data center, and the inside airstream IS remains inside
of the
data center. Thus, the heat pipe system 12 is split so that the thermally
conductive
tubes are positioned to encounter the separated airstreams. This system allows
for
heat recovery to occur between the outside and inside airstreams without
having to
construct complicated ductwork to bring the outside airstream into the data
center DC,
or carry the inside airstream out of the data center to bring the two
airstreams together.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
It is envisioned that the heat exchanger 10 can be used with building
structures other
than data centers without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
[0024] Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the illustrated heat pipe system 12
comprises
an inside heat pipe subassembly 14 (broadly, a first heat pipe subassembly)
that is
configured to be installed inside the data center DC in thermal communication
with an
inside air stream IS (e.g., return air) flowing through an inside duct ID, and
an outside
heat pipe subassembly 16 (broadly, a second heat pipe subassembly) that is
configured
to be installed outside of the data center DC in thermal communication with an
outside
air stream OS flowing through a housing 18 disposed outside of the data
center. In the
illustrated embodiment, each of the heat pipe subassemblies 14, 16 includes a
heat
pipe portion that is configured to be installed inside the respective airflow
structure ID,
18. Thus, the heat pipe portions of the subassemblies 14, 16 are configured to
be in
direct thermal contact with the air streams OS, IS as the air streams flow
through the
airflow structures ID, 18 along the respective heat pipe portions. Heat pipe
portions of
the heat pipe subassemblies 14, 16 could also be installed in a climate
control system in
thermal communication with an air stream flowing through an airflow structure
in other
ways without departing from the scope of the invention. The inside duct ID may
also
include additional air moving and/or heat exchanging components such as fans
19 and
cooling coils 21.
[0025] Each of the heat pipe subassemblies 14, 16 comprises a top header 20, a
bottom header 22, and a plurality of heat pipes 24 that extend vertically
between the top
and bottom headers. The heat pipes 24 provide fluid communication between the
respective top header 20 and the respective bottom header 22. Other
configurations are
also possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Each of the
top and
bottom headers 20, 22 can comprise a manifold having a main passage that is
fluidly
coupled to each of the heat pipes 24. The top and bottom headers 20, 22 may be
located inside or outside of the respective airflow structures ID, 18. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the headers 20, 22 are located inside of the respective airflow
structures
ID, 18. In one or more embodiments, the top header 20 has a cross-sectional
dimension (i.e., height) of at least 3 inches (7.6 cm). In one or more
embodiments, the
cross-sectional dimension of the top header 20 is greater than 3 inches (7.6
cm). The
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
top header 20 could still have other dimensions without departing from the
scope of the
disclosure.
[0026] The vertical heat pipes 24 individually and collectively comprise heat
pipe
portions received in the respective airflow structure ID, 18. In one or more
embodiments, the vertical heat pipes 24 extend along an entirety of a height
of the
respective structure ID, 18 and are spaced apart along a width of the
respective duct.
Two or more heat pipe subassemblies can also be vertically stacked inside the
airflow
structure ID, 18 in some embodiments. In certain embodiments, the vertical
heat pipes
24 have a height that is greater than about 36 inches (about 91 cm), such as
greater
than about 40 inches (about 102 cm), greater than about 45 inches (about 114
cm),
greater than about 50 inches (about 127 cm), greater than about 55 inches
(about 140
cm), greater than about 60 inches (about 152.4 cm), greater than about 65
inches
(about 165 cm), greater than about 70 inches (about 178 cm), about 75 inches
(about
191 cm), etc. The heat pipes can also have other heights in one or more
embodiments.
In certain embodiments, each heat pipe 24 can have cross-sectional dimension
(i.e.,
diameter) of between about 1% inch (0.6 cm) and about % inch (1.9 cm). In one
or more
embodiments, each heat pipe 24 has a diameter of at least about 14 inches (0.6
inches).
In one or more embodiments, each heat pipe 24 has a diameter of about 1/2
inches (1.3
inches). Accordingly, the air streams IS, OS can flow through gaps between the
heat
pipes 24 as they flow through the respective airflow structures ID, 18.
Referring to FIG.
4, only a single row of vertical heat pipes 24 is shown in the illustrated
embodiment. In
other embodiments, however, a plurality of rows of heat pipes can be spaced
apart in
the direction of air flow through the respective airflow structure ID, 18. In
certain
embodiments, the vertical heat pipes in a plurality of rows of heat pipes can
be offset
from one another along the width of the duct. Additional rows of vertical heat
pipes can
be fluidly coupled to the same headers 20, 22 or to different headers (e.g.,
there can be
a dedicated header for each row of heat pipes or for a set of two or more rows
of heat
pipes). In one or more embodiments, heat transfer fins (not shown) extend
along the
width of each airflow structure ID, 18 at spaced apart locations along the
height of each
duct such that the respective airstream IS, OS can flow through the gaps
between the
fins. Suitably, each fin can comprise a thin strip of thermally conductive
material that is
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
thermally and physically connected to one or more vertical heat pipes 24 in
the
respective airflow structure ID, 18 to transfer heat between the respective
heat pipes
and the respective air stream IS, OS.
[0027] The heat pipe system 12 is charged with a refrigerant that is suitable
for
the temperature range of the climate control system in which the heat
exchanger 10 is
installed. Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, the inside heat pipe subassembly
14 is
fluidly connected to the outside heat pipe subassembly 16 such that the
refrigerant can
flow through the heat pipe system 12 between the heat pipe subassemblies. More
specifically, the illustrated heat pipe system 12 comprises a vapor conduit 30
that
provides fluid communication between the top headers 20 of the heat pipe
subassemblies 14, 16 and a liquid conduit 32 that provides fluid communication
between the bottom headers 22 of the heat pipe subassemblies. The heat pipe
system
12 thus defines a continuous refrigerant flow loop extending from the top
header 20 of
the inside heat pipe subassembly 14 in series through vapor conduit 30, the
top header
of the outside heat pipe subassembly 16, the heat pipes 24 of the outside heat
pipe
subassembly, the bottom header 22 of the outside heat pipe subassembly, the
liquid
conduit 32, the bottom header of the inside heat pipe subassembly, the heat
pipes of
the inside heat pipe subassembly, and back to the top header of the inside
subassembly. Although the continuous refrigerant flow loop was described as
proceeding in a clockwise direction through the passaging depicted in FIG. 4,
it will be
understood that the refrigerant can also flow in the opposite direction.
[0028]As will be explained in further detail below, the heat pipe system 12 is
configured so that the inside heat pipe subassembly 14 functions as an
evaporator
(e.g., an evaporator heat pipe subassembly) that is configured to evaporate
liquid
refrigerant while the outside heat pipe subassembly 16 functions as a
condenser (e.g., a
condenser heat pipe subassembly) that is configured to condense refrigerant
vapor. As
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the heat pipe system 12 is
configured to
transfer heat from the warmer of the air streams IS to the cooler of the air
streams OS
as the refrigerant in the heat pipe system 12 flows between the evaporator
heat pipe
subassembly 14 and the condenser heat pipe subassembly 16. In instances such
as
when the heat pipe system 12 is installed in a data center, heat from the warm
air
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
stream IS is absorbed by evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporator heat
pipe
subassembly 14, thereby cooling the warm air stream and warming the
refrigerant. The
warm, evaporated refrigerant flows through the top header 20 of the evaporator
heat
pipe subassembly 14 and through the vapor conduit 30 to the condenser heat
pipe
subassembly 16. In the condenser heat pipe subassembly 16, the cool air stream
OS
flows along the heat pipes 24 and condenses the warm refrigerant vapor.
Condensation
of the refrigerant transfers heat to the cool air stream OS, thereby warming
the air
stream and cooling the refrigerant. The cool, condensed refrigerant flows
along the
liquid conduit 32 back to the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14. This heat
recovery
cycle can, in certain embodiments, continue passively in a closed loop. This
occurs in
part because of the outside air being cooler than the inside air within the
data center.
[0029] In the illustrated embodiment, the evaporator subassembly 14 is located
below the condenser subassembly 16 so that at least a portion of the vapor
conduit 30
and the liquid conduit 32 must each extend generally vertically or inclined to
connect the
subassemblies. Accordingly, in the illustrated heat pipe system 12,
refrigerant flow
between the subassemblies is gravity-assisted (e.g., by orienting the liquid
conduit 32 to
slope toward the evaporator subassembly 14). In the illustrated embodiment,
the heat
pipe system 12 is free of any valves, pump, or compressors to drive the
refrigerant flow
through the heat pipe system. Thus, the heat pipe system 12 is entirely
passive. The
larger size of the top header 20 facilitates passive operation of the system
by preventing
pressure drop across the header which could otherwise occur with a
conventional
smaller header size. This also produces a more reliable heat pipe system as
there are
less components which may be subject to failure or malfunction over time.
However, a
pump could be used in certain embodiments without departing from the scope of
the
disclosure.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 5-9, a condenser module is generally indicated at
40.
The condenser module comprises housing 18 that is configured, in certain
embodiments, to sit on a rooftop of a building structure such as a data
center, and at
least one condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 for transferring heat from the
outside
airstreams OS to the inside airstream IS. The housing 18 is generally hollow
and
provides a frame for the condenser module 40 for mounting the condenser module
on
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
the building structure. In the illustrated embodiment, an outer portion 42 of
the housing
18 is formed generally in the shape of a rectangular prism. The outer portion
42 is open
along its sides to provide airflow access to an inner portion 44 of the
housing 18. The
inner portion 44 of the housing 18 is formed generally in the shape of an
upside down
triangular prism. A mesh cover 46 is disposed over opposite open sides of the
inner
portion 44 covering the open sides. The inner portion 44 houses the condenser
heat
pipe subassemblies 16 whereby the subassemblies are positioned generally at
the open
sides of the inner portion. The upside down triangular prism shape of the
inner portion
44 facilitates positioning the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 at an
angle which
reduces the overall height of the housing 18 and allows for less material to
be used in
making the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, the condenser heat pipe
subassemblies 16 are angled such that the bottom of each subassembly is
located
closer to a midline of the housing 18 than the top of the subassembly. This
generally
points the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 downward, which along with the
surrounding housing 18, helps to shield the subassemblies from the outside
elements.
The inner portion 44 of the housing 18 also mounts fans 48 on a top of the
housing.
The fans 48 are operable to draw the ambient outside air through the condenser
module
40 for heat exchange. For example, the fans 48 may be controlled by a
controller (not
shown) to regulate the amount of air that is drawn into the condenser module
40 to
control the amount of heat transfer that occurs. The fans 48 are received in
openings in
the top of the inner portion 44 of the housing 18. In the illustrated
embodiment, there
are two fans 48 mounted on the housing 18. However, any number of fans can be
used
and the location and arrangement of the fans can be other than shown without
departing from the scope of the disclosure. The mesh covers 46 provide
protection to
the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 while permitting the outside air to
be drawn
into the condenser module 40 and across the subassemblies. Holes 50 may be
provided in the outer portion 42 of the housing 18 to receive arms of a device
(not
shown) for lifting the condenser module 40.
[0031] Referring to Figs. 2,4, and 7, there are two condenser heat pipe
subassemblies 16 housed within the housing 18 of the condenser module 40. The
two
subassemblies 16 are arranged in parallel with each other so that the outside
air
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streams OS that contact both subassemblies 16 will each be at the ambient
outside
temperature. Therefore, heat exchange is maximized across both of the
subassemblies
16. In particular, the parallel arrangement provides increased performance
over an
arrangement which places condenser heat pipe subassemblies in series because
in a
series arrangement the outside airstream is tempered by the initial heat pipe
assembly
reducing the effectiveness of the subsequent heat pipe assemblies which will
receive a
progressively more and more tempered airstream. However, by placing the
condenser
heat pipe subassemblies 16 in parallel, neither of the subassemblies receives
tempered
air. Thus, the temperature difference is maximized which increases the heat
recovery
capability of the system. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two
subassemblies 16
in parallel. However, there could be any number of heat pipe subassemblies
arranged
in parallel in the housing 18 without departing from the scope of the
disclosure.
[0032] Referring to Fig. 2, a heat exchanger 10 is shown incorporating three
condenser modules 40 connected to evaporator heat pipe assemblies 14 disposed
within the interior of a building structure BS. In the illustrated embodiment,
there are
two condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 in each condenser module 40.
Therefore, a
first condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 in each condenser module 40 is
connected
by liquid and vapor conduits 32, 30 to a top evaporator heat pipe subassembly
14t, and
a second condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 is connected by liquid and vapor
conduits 32, 30 to a bottom evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14b. The top and
bottom evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14t, 14b are arranged in a stacked
configuration and may be disposed within a duct inside of the building
structure BS. In
the illustrated embodiment, each evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14t, 14b
includes
three heat pipe sections arranged in series within the duct. Each heat pipe
section is
connected to a respective condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 in one of the
condenser
modules 40. Therefore, each heat recovery circuit includes one condenser coil
and one
evaporator coil. It will be understood that the evaporator heat pipe
subassemblies 14
could have other configurations without departing from the scope of the
disclosure.
[0033] Referring to Fig. 10, a heat exchanger 10' is shown including two
condenser modules 40 connected to each other in series and connected to
evaporator
heat pipe assemblies 14 disposed within the interior of a building structure
BS. In the
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
illustrated embodiment, there are two condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 in
each
condenser module 40. Therefore, a first heat pipe subassembly 16 of a first
condenser
module 40A is connected to a first heat pipe subassembly of a second condenser
module 40B, and a second heat pipe subassembly 16 of the first condenser
module
40A is connected to a second heat pipe subassembly 16 of a the second
condenser
module 40B. Further, the first condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 of the
second
condenser module 40B is connected by liquid and vapor conduits 32, 30 to a top
evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14t, and the second condenser heat pipe
subassembly 16 of the second condenser module 40B is connected by liquid and
vapor
conduits to a bottom evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14b. The top and bottom
evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14t, 14b are arranged in a stacked
configuration
and may be disposed within a duct in the inside of the building structure BS.
In the
illustrated embodiment, each evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14t, 14b
includes three
heat pipe sections arranged in series within the duct. The heat pipe sections
of the top
evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14t are connected to the first condenser heat
pipe
subassembly 16 in the second condenser module 40B, and the heat pipe section
of the
bottom evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14b are connected to the second
condenser
heat pipe subassembly 16 in the second condenser module 40B. Each of the vapor
conduits 30 and liquid conduits 32 have three branch sections 56, 58,
respectively, that
connect the vapor and liquid conduits to the three heat pipe sections in the
evaporator
heat pipe subassemblies 14. Therefore, each heat recovery circuit includes one
condenser coil and three evaporator coils. To achieve the same overall heat
recovery
performance as a similar system where the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14
does
not have a stacked configuration (such as the arrangement shown in Fig. 11),
the coils
of the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 of this embodiment may be sized to
be
twice as long as the condenser coils used with the non-stacked evaporator coil
assembly. It will be understood that the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14
could
have other configurations without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
For
example, any number of heat pipe sections could be used in the evaporator heat
pipe
subassemblies 14 used in connection with the condenser modules 40 in this
embodiment. To this effect, if the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14
include only
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
one heat pipe section then the vapor and liquid conduits 30, 32 will not
include branch
sections. Similarly, if the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies 14 include two
or more
than three heat pipe sections then the vapor and liquid conduits 30, 32 will
have a
corresponding number of branch sections 56, 58 to properly connect the
condenser
heat pipe subassemblies 16 to the evaporator heat pipe subassemblies.
[0034] Referring to Fig. 11, a heat exchanger 10" is shown including one
condenser module 40 connected to an evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14
disposed
within the interior of a building structure BS. In the illustrated embodiment,
there are
two condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 in the condenser module 40. Each
condenser heat pipe subassembly 16 includes a vapor conduit 30 and a liquid
conduit
32. The vapor conduits 30 of the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 16 are
connected
to each other, and the liquid conduits 32 of the subassemblies are connected
to each
other so that a single vapor conduit section 60 and a single liquid conduit
section 62
extends between the condenser module 40 and the evaporator heat pipe
subassembly
14 in the building structure BS. In the illustrated embodiment, the single
vapor conduit
section 60 and single liquid conduit section 62 each branch into the three
separate
vapor and conduit sections 64, 66, respectively, for supplying fluid to the
three heat pipe
sections of the evaporator heat pipe subassembly 14. Therefore, the heat
recovery
circuit includes two condenser coil and three evaporator coils. It will be
understood that
there could be any number of evaporator heat pipe sections used in connection
with the
condenser module 40 in this embodiment. For example, if the evaporator heat
pipe
subassembly 14 included only one heat pipe section then the single vapor
conduit
section 60 and the single liquid conduit section 62 will connect directly to
the single heat
pipe section of the evaporator heat pipe subassembly.
[0035] Referring to Figs. 12 and 13, a condenser module of another
embodiment is generally indicated at 140. The condenser module 140 is similar
to the
condenser module 40 and thus like parts are given the same reference number
plus
100. The condenser module 140 operates in substantially the same manner as the
condenser module 40 of the first embodiment except as otherwise provided
herein. In
particular, the condenser module 140 includes a housing 118 configured to sit
on a
rooftop of a building structure such as a data center, and at least one
condenser heat
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Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
pipe subassembly 116 for transferring heat from an outside airstream to an
inside
airstream within the building structure. The housing 118 is generally hollow
and
provides a frame for the condenser module 140 for mounting the condenser
module on
the building structure. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 18 has a
generally
rectangular prism shape. However, the housing 118 could have any shape without
departing from the scope of the disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the
housing
118 has openings 143 along three sides to provide airflow access to an inner
portion
144 of the housing 118. Shutters 146 may be disposed over the openings 143 to
control the amount of airflow that enters the housing 118. The inner portion
144 of the
housing 118 houses the condenser heat pipe subassemblies 116 whereby the
subassemblies are positioned generally at the openings 143. In the illustrated
embodiment, there are three condenser heat pipe subassemblies 116 for each of
the
openings 143 and the subassemblies are oriented generally vertically within
the housing
118. The housing 118 also mounts fans 148 on a top of the housing. The fans
148 are
operable to draw the ambient outside air through the condenser module 140 for
heat
exchange. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two fans 148 mounted on the
housing 118. However, any number of fans can be used and the location and
arrangement of the fans can be other than shown without departing from the
scope of
the disclosure. The shutters 146 provide protection to the condenser heat pipe
subassemblies 116 while permitting the outside air to be drawn into the
condenser
module 40 and across the subassemblies.
[0036] When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred
embodiment (s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the" and "said" are intended
to mean that
there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising", "including" and
"having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional
elements
other than the listed elements.
[0037] In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the
invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.
[0038] As various changes could be made in the above products and methods
without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all
matter contained
in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a
limiting sense.
13
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-10
