DESHUMIDIFICATEUR PORTATIF ET METHODE D'EXPLOITATION

PORTABLE DEHUMIDIFIER AND METHOD OF OPERATION

Abrégé anglais

A dehumidification system includes a compressor, a primary evaporator, a
primary condenser, a secondary evaporator, a secondary condenser, a plurality
of posts,
and a drain pan. The secondary evaporator receives an inlet airflow and
outputs a first
airflow to the primary evaporator. The primary evaporator receives the first
airflow and
outputs a second airflow to the secondary condenser. The drain pan captures
water
removed from the first airflow by the primary evaporator. The secondary
condenser
receives the second airflow and outputs a third airflow to the primary
condenser. The
primary condenser receives the third airflow and outputs a fourth airflow. The
compressor receives a flow of refrigerant from the primary evaporator and
provides the
flow of refrigerant to the primary condenser.

Revendications

72
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A dehumidification system comprising:
a primary metering device;
a secondary metering device;
a secondary evaporator operable to:
receive a flow of refrigerant from the primary metering device;
and
receive an inlet airflow and output a first airflow, the first airflow
comprising cooler air than the inlet airflow, the first airflow generated
by transferring heat from the inlet airflow to the flow of refrigerant as
the inlet airflow passes through the secondary evaporator;
a primary evaporator operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the secondary metering
device; and
receive the first airflow and output a second airflow, the second
airflow comprising cooler air than the first airflow, the second airflow
generated by transferring heat from the first airflow to the flow of
refrigerant as the first airflow passes through the primary evaporator;
a drain pan disposed below the primary evaporator and operable to:
capture water removed from the first airflow by the primary
evaporator, wherein the drain pan comprises a primary drain port and an
overflow drain port, wherein the overflow drain port is located at a
greater height than the primary drain port;
a secondary condenser operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the secondary evaporator;
and
receive the second airflow and output a third airflow, the third
airflow comprising warmer air with a lower relative humidity than the
second airflow, the third airflow generated by transferring heat from the
flow of refrigerant to the third airflow as the second airflow passes
through the secondary condenser;
a compressor operable to:
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receive the flow of refrigerant from the primary evaporator and
provide the flow of refrigerant to a primary condenser, the flow of
refrigerant provided to the primary condenser comprising a higher
pressure than the flow of refrigerant received at the compressor; and
the primary condenser operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the compressor; and
transfer heat from the flow of refrigerant to a fourth airflow as
the fourth airflow contacts the primary condenser.
2. The dehumidification system of Claim 1, further comprising a base,
wherein the base comprises one or more leg sockets configured to contain
internal
cavities extending into the base, wherein there is an insert disposed within
each of the
one or more leg sockets.
3. The dehumidification system of Claim 2, further comprising an
insulation plate disposed beneath the base operable to prevent the transfer of
heat from
ambient air to the base.
4. The dehumidification system of Claim 1, further comprising a float
switch coupled to the overflow drain port and operable to:
detect a height of the captured water within the drain pan; and
send a transmission to a controller in response to a determination that the
detected height of the captured water is greater than or equal to a threshold
level.
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5. The dehumidification system of Claim 1, further comprising a sub-
cooling coil operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the primary condenser;
output the flow of refrigerant to the primary metering device; and
transfer heat from the flow of refrigerant to the third airflow as the the
third
airflow contacts the sub-cooling coil to output the fourth airflow, wherein
the fourth
airflow comprises warmer air than the third airflow.
6. The dehumidification system of Claim 5, wherein the sub-cooling coil
and the primary condenser are combined in a single coil unit.
7. The dehumidification system of Claim 1, wherein the compressor is
disposed on a base frame, wherein the base frame is coupled to a base support,
wherein
the dehumidification system further comprises a plurality of posts extending
from the
base support towards the base frame operable to prevent deflection of the base
frame in
relation to the base support, wherein there is a clearance distance between
the plurality
of posts and the base frame.
8. The dehumidification system of Claim 1, further comprising a fan
operable to:
provide positive pressure to the dehumidification system;
generate the the inlet airflow; and
direct the inlet airflow to the secondary evaporator.
9. The dehumidification system of Claim 1, wherein two or more members
selected from the group consisting of the secondary evaporator, the primary
evaporator,
and the secondary condenser are combined in a single coil pack.
10. The dehumidification system of Claim 1, wherein the dehumidification
system is operable to cause the refrigerant to evaporate twice and condense
twice in one
refrigeration.
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11. A dehumidification system comprising:
a secondary evaporator operable to receive an inlet airflow and output a
first airflow, the first airflow comprising cooler air than the inlet airflow;
a primary evaporator operable to receive the first airflow and output a
second airflow, the second airflow comprising cooler air than the first
airflow;
a drain pan disposed below the primary evaporator and operable to
capture water removed from the first airflow by the primary evaporator,
wherein
the drain pan comprises a primary drain port and an overflow drain port,
wherein the overflow drain port is located at a greater height than the
primary
drain port;
a secondary condenser operable to receive the second airflow and output
a third airflow, the third airflow comprising warmer and less humid air than
the
second airflow;
a compressor operable to receive a flow of refrigerant from the primary
evaporator and provide the flow of refrigerant to a primary condenser; and
the primary condenser operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the compressor; and
transfer heat from the flow of refrigerant to a fourth airflow as
the fourth airflow contacts the primary condenser.
12. The dehumidification system of Claim 11, further comprising a base,
wherein the base comprises one or more leg sockets configured to contain
internal
cavities extending into the base, wherein there is an insert disposed within
each of the
one or more leg sockets.
13. The dehumidification system of Claim 12, further comprising an
insulation plate disposed beneath the base operable to prevent the transfer of
heat from
ambient air to the base.
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14. The dehumidification system of Claim 11, further comprising a float
switch coupled to the overflow drain port and operable to:
detect a height of the captured water within the drain pan; and
send a transmission to a controller in response to a determination that the
detected height of the captured water is greater than or equal to a threshold
level.
15. The dehumidification system of Claim 11, further comprising a sub-
cooling coil operable to:
receive the flow of refrigerant from the primary condenser;
output the flow of refrigerant to the primary metering device; and
transfer heat from the flow of refrigerant to the third airflow as the the
third
airflow contacts the sub-cooling coil to output the fourth airflow, wherein
the fourth
airflow comprises warmer air than the third airflow.
16. The dehumidification system of Claim 15, wherein the sub-cooling coil
and the primary condenser are combined in a single coil unit.
17. The dehumidification system of Claim 11, wherein the compressor is
disposed on a base frame, wherein the base frame is coupled to a base support,
wherein
the base support comprises a plurality of posts extending from the base
support towards
the base frame operable to prevent deflection of the base frame in relation to
the base
support.
18. The dehumidification system of Claim 11, further comprising a fan
operable to:
provide positive pressure to the dehumidification system;
generate the the inlet airflow; and
direct the inlet airflow to the secondary evaporator.
19. The dehumidification system of Claim 11, wherein two or more
members selected from the group consisting of the secondary evaporator, the
primary
evaporator, and the secondary condenser are combined in a single coil pack.
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20. The
dehumidification system of Claim 11, wherein the dehumidification
system is operable to cause the refrigerant to evaporate twice and condense
twice in one
refrigeration.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

Description

1
PORTABLE DEHUMIDIFIER AND METHOD OF OPERATION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No.
17/197,639 filed March 10, 2021 by Weizhong Yu et al. and entitled -SPLIT
DEHUMIDIFICATION SYSTEM WITH SECONDARY EVAPORATOR AND
CONDENSER COILS", which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application
No.
16/234,052 filed December 27, 2018 by Steven S. Dingle et al. and entitled -
SPLIT
DEHUMIDIFICATION SYSTEM WITH SECONDARY EVAPORATOR AND
CONDENSER COILS", now U.S. Patent No. 10,955,148 issued March 23, 2021,
which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 15/460,772
filed March
16, 2017 by Dwaine Walter Tucker et al. and entitled -DEHUMIDIFIER WITH
SECONDARY EVAPORATOR AND CONDENSER COILS," now U.S. Patent No.
10,168,058 issued January 1, 2019, which are hereby incorporated by reference
as if
reproduced in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to dehumidification and more particularly to
a
dehumidifier with secondary evaporator and condenser coils.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In certain situations, it is desirable to reduce the humidity of air within a
structure. For example, in fire and flood restoration applications, it may be
desirable to
quickly remove water from areas of a damaged structure. To accomplish this,
one or
more portable dehumidifiers may be placed within the structure to direct dry
air toward
water-damaged areas. Current dehumidifiers, however, have proven inefficient
in
various respects.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, disadvantages and
problems associated with previous systems may be reduced or eliminated.
In certain embodiments, a dehumidification system comprises a
dehumidification unit comprising a primary metering device, a secondary
metering
device, and a secondary evaporator. The secondar evaporator operable to
receive a flow
of refrigerant from the primary metering device; and receive an inlet airflow
and output
a first airflow, the first airflow comprising cooler air than the inlet
airflow, the first
airflow generated by transferring heat from the inlet airflow to the flow of
refrigerant
as the inlet airflow passes through the secondary evaporator. The
dehumidification unit
further comprises a primary evaporator operable to receive the flow of
refrigerant from
the secondary metering device and receive the first airflow and output a
second airflow,
the second airflow comprising cooler air than the first airflow, the second
airflow
generated by transferring heat from the first airflow to the flow of
refrigerant as the first
airflow passes through the primary evaporator. The dehumidification unit
further
comprises a drain pan disposed below the primary evaporator and operable to
capture
water removed from the first airflow by the primary evaporator, wherein the
drain pan
comprises a primary drain port and an overflow drain port, and wherein the
overflow
drain port is located at a greater height than the primary drain port. The
dehumidification unit further comprises a secondary condenser operable to
receive the
flow of refrigerant from the secondary evaporator and to receive the second
airflow and
output a third airflow, the third airflow comprising warmer air with a lower
relative
humidity than the second airflow, the third airflow generated by transferring
heat from
the flow of refrigerant to the third airflow as the second airflow passes
through the
secondary condenser. The dehumidification unit further comprises a compressor
disposed on a base frame, wherein the base frame is coupled to a base support,
the
compressor operable to receive the flow of refrigerant from the primary
evaporator and
provide the flow of refrigerant to a primary condenser, the flow of
refrigerant provided
to the primary condenser comprising a higher pressure than the flow of
refrigerant
received at the compressor. The dehumidification unit further comprises a
plurality of
posts extending from the base support towards the base frame operable to
prevent
deflection of the base frame in relation to the base support, wherein there is
a clearance
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distance between the plurality of posts and the base frame. The
dehumidification unit
further comprises the primary condenser operable to receive the flow of
refrigerant
from the compressor and to transfer heat from the flow of refrigerant to a
fourth airflow
as the fourth airflow contacts the primary condenser.
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may provide one or more
technical advantages. For example, certain embodiments include two
evaporators, two
condensers, and two metering devices that utilize a closed refrigeration loop.
This
configuration causes part of the refrigerant within the system to evaporate
and condense
twice in one refrigeration cycle, thereby increasing the compressor capacity
over typical
systems without adding any additional power to the compressor. This, in turn,
increases
the overall efficiency of the system by providing more dehumidification per
kilowatt of
power used. The lower humidity of the output airflow may allow for increased
drying
potential, which may be beneficial in certain applications (e.g., fire and
flood
restoration).
Further embodiments include the drain pan, the plurality of posts, and the leg
sockets. This configuration provides for various uses with the drain pan in
different
scenarios. For example, the drain pan includes an overflow drain port that can
be used
to remove water from the drain pan if the primary drain port fails. A float
switch can
optionally be coupled to the overflow drain port to provide feedback to the
dehumidification system on the height of the water within the drain pan. The
plurality
of posts may mitigate damage to the compressor and any connecting components
coupled to the compressor while the dehumidification system is in transit. The
leg
sockets provide for a level, standoff height of the dehumidification system
from a
ground surface.
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may include some, all, or none
of the above advantages. One or more other technical advantages may be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art from the figures, descriptions, and
claims included
herein.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To provide a more complete understanding of the present invention and the
features and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following
description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates an example split system for reducing the humidity of air
within
a structure, according to certain embodiments;
FIG. 2 illustrates an example portable system for reducing the humidity of air
within a structure, according to certain embodiments;
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an example dehumidification system that may be used
by the systems of FIGS. 1 and 2 to reduce the humidity of air within a
structure,
according to certain embodiments;
FIG. 5 illustrates an example dehumidification method that may be used by the
systems of FIGS. 1 and 2 to reduce the humidity of air within a structure,
according to
certain embodiments;
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an example air conditioning and dehumidification
system, according to certain embodiments;
FIG. 7 illustrates an example condenser system for use in the system described
herein, according to certain embodiments;
FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C illustrate an example air conditioning and
dehumidification system, according to certain embodiments;
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate examples of single coil packs for use in the system
described herein, according to certain embodiments;
FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14 illustrate an example of a primary evaporator
comprising three circuits for use in the system described herein, according to
certain
embodiments;
FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate an example dehumidification system with a liquid
cooled condenser, according to certain embodiments;
FIGS. 16A, 16B, 16C, and 16D illustrate an example dehumidification system
with a modulating valve, according to certain embodiments;
FIG. 17 illustrates an example dehumidification system that may be used by the
system of FIGS. 1 and 2 to reduce the humidity of air within a structure,
according to
certain embodiments;
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FIG. 18 illustrates an example base and drain pan that may be used by the
system
of FIG. 17, according to certain embodiments;
FIG. 19 illustrates an example base support and plurality of posts that may be
used by the system of FIG. 17, according to certain embodiments;
FIG. 20 illustrates an example compressor that may be used by the system of
FIG. 19, according to certain embodiments; and
FIG. 21 illustrates an example insulation plate that may be used by the system
of FIG. 17, according to certain embodiments.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In certain situations, it is desirable to reduce the humidity of air within a
structure. For example, in fire and flood restoration applications, it may be
desirable to
remove water from a damaged structure by placing one or more portable
dehumidifiers
unit within the structure. As another example, in areas that experience
weather with
high humidity levels, or in buildings where low humidity levels are required
(e.g.,
libraries), it may be desirable to install a dehumidification unit within a
central air
conditioning system. Furthermore, it may be necessary to hold a desired
humidity level
in some commercial applications. Current dehumidifiers, however, have proven
inadequate or inefficient in various respects.
To address the inefficiencies and other issues with current dehumidification
systems, the disclosed embodiments provide a dehumidification system that
includes a
secondary evaporator and a secondary condenser, which causes part of the
refrigerant
within the multi-stage system to evaporate and condense twice in one
refrigeration
cycle. This increases the compressor capacity over typical systems without
adding any
additional power to the compressor. This, in turn, increases the overall
efficiency of the
system by providing more dehumidification per kilowatt of power used.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example dehumidification system 100 for supplying
dehumidified air 106 to a structure 102, according to certain embodiments.
Dehumidification system 100 includes an evaporator system 104 located within
structure 102. Structure 102 may include all or a portion of a building or
other suitable
enclosed space, such as an apai intent building, a hotel, an office space,
a commercial
building, or a private dwelling (e.g., a house). Evaporator system 104
receives inlet air
101 from within structure 102, reduces the moisture in received inlet air 101,
and
supplies dehumidified air 106 back to structure 102. Evaporator system 104 may
distribute dehumidified air 106 throughout structure 102 via air ducts, as
illustrated.
In general, dehumidification system 100 is a split system wherein evaporator
system 104 is coupled to a remote condenser system 108 that is located
external to
structure 102. Remote condenser system 108 may include a condenser unit 112
and a
compressor unit 114 that facilitate the functions of evaporator system 104 by
processing
a flow of refrigerant as part of a refrigeration cycle. The flow of
refrigerant may include
any suitable cooling material, such as R410a refrigerant. In certain
embodiments,
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compressor unit 114 may receive the flow of refrigerant vapor from evaporator
system
104 via a refrigerant line 116. Compressor unit 114 may pressurize the flow of
refrigerant, thereby increasing the temperature of the refrigerant. The speed
of the
compressor may be modulated to effectuate desired operating characteristics.
Condenser unit 112 may receive the pressurized flow of refrigerant vapor from
compressor unit 114 and cool the pressurized refrigerant by facilitating heat
transfer
from the flow of refrigerant to the ambient air exterior to structure 102. In
certain
embodiments, remote condenser system 108 may utilize a heat exchanger, such as
a
microchannel heat exchanger to remove heat from the flow of refrigerant.
Remote
condenser system 108 may include a fan that draws ambient air from outside
structure
102 for use in cooling the flow of refrigerant. In certain embodiments, the
speed of this
fan is modulated to effectuate desired operating characteristics. An
illustrative
embodiment of an example condenser system is shown, for example, in FIG. 7
(described in further detail below).
After being cooled and condensed to liquid by condenser unit 112, the flow of
refrigerant may travel by a refrigerant line 118 to evaporator system 104. In
certain
embodiments, the flow of refrigerant may be received by an expansion device
(described in further detail below) that reduces the pressure of the flow of
refrigerant,
thereby reducing the temperature of the flow of refrigerant. An evaporator
unit
(described in further detail below) of evaporator system 104 may receive the
flow of
refrigerant from the expansion device and use the flow of refrigerant to
dehumidify and
cool an incoming airflow. The flow of refrigerant may then flow back to remote
condenser system 108 and repeat this cycle.
In certain embodiments, evaporator system 104 may be installed in series with
an air mover. An air mover may include a fan that blows air from one location
to
another. An air mover may facilitate distribution of outgoing air from
evaporator system
104 to various parts of structure 102. An air mover and evaporator system 104
may
have separate return inlets from which air is drawn. In certain embodiments,
outgoing
air from evaporator system 104 may be mixed with air produced by another
component
(e.g., an air conditioner) and blown through air ducts by the air mover. In
other
embodiments, evaporator system 104 may perform both cooling and dehumidifying
and
thus may be used without a conventional air conditioner.
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Although a particular implementation of dehumidification system 100 is
illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates any
suitable
implementation of dehumidification system 100, according to particular needs.
Moreover, although various components of dehumidification system 100 have been
depicted as being located at particular positions, the present disclosure
contemplates
those components being positioned at any suitable location, according to
particular
needs.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example portable dehumidification system 200 for
reducing
the humidity of air within structure 102, according to certain embodiments of
the
present disclosure. Dehumidification system 200 may be positioned anywhere
within
structure 102 in order to direct dehumidified air 106 towards areas that
require
dehumidification (e.g., water-damaged areas). In general, dehumidification
system 200
receives inlet airflow 101, removes water from the inlet airflow 101, and
discharges
dehumidified air 106 air back into structure 102. In certain embodiments,
structure 102
includes a space that has suffered water damage (e.g., as a result of a flood
or fire). In
order to restore the water-damaged structure 102, one or more dehumidification
systems 200 may be strategically positioned within structure 102 in order to
quickly
reduce the humidity of the air within the structure 102 and thereby dry the
portions of
structure 102 that suffered water damage.
Although a particular implementation of portable dehumidification system 200
is illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates
any suitable
implementation of portable dehumidification system 200, according to
particular needs.
Moreover, although various components of portable dehumidification system 200
have
been depicted as being located at particular positions within structure 102,
the present
disclosure contemplates those components being positioned at any suitable
location,
according to particular needs.
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an example dehumidification system 300 that may be
used by dehumidification system 100 and portable dehumidification system 200
of
FIGS. 1 and 2 to reduce the humidity of air within structure 102.
Dehumidification
system 300 includes a primary evaporator 310, a primary condenser 330, a
secondary
evaporator 340, a secondary condenser 320, a compressor 360, a primary
metering
device 380, a secondary metering device 390, and a fan 370. In some
embodiments,
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dehumidification system 300 may additionally include a sub-cooling coil 350.
In certain
embodiments, sub-cooling coil 350 and primary condenser 330 are combined into
a
single coil. A flow of refrigerant 305 is circulated through dehumidification
system 300
as illustrated. In general, dehumidification system 300 receives inlet airflow
101,
removes water from inlet airflow 101, and discharges dehumidified air 106.
Water is
removed from inlet air 101 using a refrigeration cycle of flow of refrigerant
305. By
including secondary evaporator 340 and secondary condenser 320, however,
dehumidification system 300 causes at least part of the flow of refrigerant
305 to
evaporate and condense twice in a single refrigeration cycle. This increases
the
.. refrigeration capacity over typical systems without adding any additional
power to the
compressor, thereby increasing the overall dehumidification efficiency of the
system.
In general, dehumidification system 300 attempts to match the saturating
temperature of secondary evaporator 340 to the saturating temperature of
secondary
condenser 320. The saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 340 and
secondary
condenser 320 generally is controlled according to the equation: (temperature
of inlet
air 101 + temperature of second airflow 315)! 2. As the saturating temperature
of
secondary evaporator 340 is lower than inlet air 101, evaporation happens in
secondary
evaporator 340. As the saturating temperature of secondary condenser 320 is
higher
than second airflow 315, condensation happens in the secondary condenser 320.
The
amount of refrigerant 305 evaporating in secondary evaporator 340 is
substantially
equal to that condensing in secondary condenser 320.
Primary evaporator 310 receives flow of refrigerant 305 from secondary
metering device 390 and outputs flow of refrigerant 305 to compressor 360.
Primary
evaporator 310 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro channel, etc.).
Primary
evaporator 310 receives first airflow 345 from secondary evaporator 340 and
outputs
second airflow 315 to secondary condenser 320. Second airflow 315, in general,
is at a
cooler temperature than first airflow 345. To cool incoming first airflow 345,
primary
evaporator 310 transfers heat from first airflow 345 to flow of refrigerant
305, thereby
causing flow of refrigerant 305 to evaporate at least partially from liquid to
gas. This
transfer of heat from first airflow 345 to flow of refrigerant 305 also
removes water
from first airflow 345.
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Secondary condenser 320 receives flow of refrigerant 305 from secondary
evaporator 340 and outputs flow of refrigerant 305 to secondary metering
device 390.
Secondary condenser 320 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel, etc.).
Secondary condenser 320 receives second airflow 315 from primary evaporator
310
and outputs third airflow 325. Third airflow 325 is, in general, warmer and
drier (i.e.,
the dew point will be the same but relative humidity will be lower) than
second airflow
315. Secondary condenser 320 generates third airflow 325 by transferring heat
from
flow of refrigerant 305 to second airflow 315, thereby causing flow of
refrigerant 305
to condense at least partially from gas to liquid.
Primary condenser 330 receives flow of refrigerant 305 from compressor 360
and outputs flow of refrigerant 305 to either primary metering device 380 or
sub-
cooling coil 350. Primary condenser 330 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin
tube, micro
channel, etc.). Primary condenser 330 receives either third airflow 325 or
fourth airflow
355 and outputs dehumidified air 106. Dehumidified air 106 is, in general,
warmer and
drier (i.e., have a lower relative humidity) than third airflow 325 and fourth
airflow 355.
Primary condenser 330 generates dehumidified air 106 by transferring heat from
flow
of refrigerant 305, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 305 to condense at
least partially
from gas to liquid. In some embodiments, primary condenser 330 completely
condenses
flow of refrigerant 305 to a liquid (i.e., 100% liquid). In other embodiments,
primary
condenser 330 partially condenses flow of refrigerant 305 to a liquid (i.e.,
less than
100% liquid). In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, a portion of primary
condenser 330 receives a separate airflow in addition to airflow 101. For
example, the
right-most edge of primary condenser 330 of FIG. 4 extends beyond, or
overhangs, the
right-most edges of secondary evaporator 340, primary evaporator 310,
secondary
condenser 320, and sub-cooling coil 350. This overhanging portion of primary
condenser 330 may receive an additional separate airflow.
Secondary evaporator 340 receives flow of refrigerant 305 from primary
metering device 380 and outputs flow of refrigerant 305 to secondary condenser
320.
Secondary evaporator 340 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel, etc.).
Secondary evaporator 340 receives inlet air 101 and outputs first airflow 345
to primary
evaporator 310. First airflow 345, in general, is at a cooler temperature than
inlet air
101. To cool incoming inlet air 101, secondary evaporator 340 transfers heat
from inlet
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air 101 to flow of refrigerant 305, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 305 to
evaporate
at least partially from liquid to gas.
Sub-cooling coil 350, which is an optional component of dehumidification
system 300, sub-cools the liquid refrigerant 305 as it leaves primary
condenser 330.
This, in turn, supplies primary metering device 380 with a liquid refrigerant
that is up
to 30 degrees (or more) cooler than before it enters sub-cooling coil 350. For
example,
if flow of refrigerant 305 entering sub-cooling coil 350 is 340psig/105 F/60%
vapor,
flow of refrigerant 305 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor as it leaves sub-cooling
coil
350. The sub-cooled refrigerant 305 has a greater heat enthalpy factor as well
as a
greater density, which results in reduced cycle times and frequency of the
evaporation
cycle of flow of refrigerant 305. This results in greater efficiency and less
energy use
of dehumidification system 300. Embodiments of dehumidification system 300 may
or
may not include a sub-cooling coil 350. For example, embodiments of
dehumidification
system 300 utilized within portable dehumidification system 200 that have a
micro-
channel condenser 330 or 320 may include a sub-cooling coil 350, while
embodiments
of dehumidification system 300 that utilize another type of condenser 330 or
320 may
not include a sub-cooling coil 350. As another example, dehumidification
system 300
utilized within a split system such as dehumidification system 100 may not
include a
sub-cooling coil 350.
Compressor 360 pressurizes flow of refrigerant 305, thereby increasing the
temperature of refrigerant 305. For example, if flow of refrigerant 305
entering
compressor 360 is 128psig/52 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 305 may be
340psig/150 F/100% vapor as it leaves compressor 360. Compressor 360 receives
flow
of refrigerant 305 from primary evaporator 310 and supplies the pressurized
flow of
refrigerant 305 to primary condenser 330.
Fan 370 may include any suitable components operable to draw inlet air 101
into dehumidification system 300 and through secondary evaporator 340, primary
evaporator 310, secondary condenser 320, sub-cooling coil 350, and primary
condenser
330. Fan 370 may be any type of air mover (e.g., axial fan, forward inclined
impeller,
and backward inclined impeller, etc.). For example, fan 370 may be a backward
inclined
impeller positioned adjacent to primary condenser 330 as illustrated in FIG.
3. While
fan 370 is depicted in FIG. 3 as being located adjacent to primary condenser
330, it
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

13
should be understood that fan 370 may be located anywhere along the airflow
path of
dehumidification system 300. For example, fan 370 may be positioned in the
airflow
path of any one of airflows 101, 345, 315, 325, 355, or 106. Moreover,
dehumidification
system 300 may include one or more additional fans positioned within any one
or more
of these airflow paths.
Primary metering device 380 and secondary metering device 390 are any
appropriate type of metering/expansion device. In some embodiments, primary
metering device 380 is a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) and secondary
metering
device 390 is a fixed orifice device (or vice versa). In certain embodiments,
metering
devices 380 and 390 remove pressure from flow of refrigerant 305 to allow
expansion
or change of state from a liquid to a vapor in evaporators 310 and 340. The
high-
pressure liquid (or mostly liquid) refrigerant entering metering devices 380
and 390 is
at a higher temperature than the liquid refrigerant 305 leaving metering
devices 380 and
390. For example, if flow of refrigerant 305 entering primary metering device
380 is
340psig/80 F/0% vapor, flow of refrigerant 305 may be 196psig/68 F/5% vapor as
it
leaves primary metering device 380. As another example, if flow of refrigerant
305
entering secondary metering device 390 is 196psig/68 F/4% vapor, flow of
refrigerant
305 may be 128psig/44 F/14% vapor as it leaves secondary metering device 390.
Refrigerant 305 may be any suitable refrigerant such as R410a. In general,
dehumidification system 300 utilizes a closed refrigeration loop of
refrigerant 305 that
passes from compressor 360 through primary condenser 330, (optionally) sub-
cooling
coil 350, primary metering device 380, secondary evaporator 340, secondary
condenser
320, secondary metering device 390, and primary evaporator 310. Compressor 360
pressurizes flow of refrigerant 305, thereby increasing the temperature of
refrigerant
305. Primary and secondary condensers 330 and 320, which may include any
suitable
heat exchangers, cool the pressurized flow of refrigerant 305 by facilitating
heat transfer
from the flow of refrigerant 305 to the respective airflows passing through
them (i.e.,
fourth airflow 355 and second airflow 315). The cooled flow of refrigerant 305
leaving
primary and secondary condensers 330 and 320 may enter a respective expansion
device (i.e., primary metering device 380 and secondary metering device 390)
that is
operable to reduce the pressure of flow of refrigerant 305, thereby reducing
the
temperature of flow of refrigerant 305. Primary and secondary evaporators 310
and 340,
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

14
which may include any suitable heat exchanger, receive flow of refrigerant 305
from
secondary metering device 390 and primary metering device 380, respectively.
Primary
and secondary evaporators 310 and 340 facilitate the transfer of heat from the
respective
airflows passing through them (i.e., inlet air 101 and first airflow 345) to
flow of
refrigerant 305. Flow of refrigerant 305, after leaving primary evaporator
310, passes
back to compressor 360, and the cycle is repeated.
In certain embodiments, the above-described refrigeration loop may be
configured such that evaporators 310 and 340 operate in a flooded state. In
other words,
flow of refrigerant 305 may enter evaporators 310 and 340 in a liquid state,
and a
portion of flow of refrigerant 305 may still be in a liquid state as it exits
evaporators
310 and 340. Accordingly, the phase change of flow of refrigerant 305 (liquid
to vapor
as heat is transferred to flow of refrigerant 305) occurs across evaporators
310 and 340,
resulting in nearly constant pressure and temperature across the entire
evaporators 310
and 340 (and, as a result, increased cooling capacity).
In operation of example embodiments of dehumidification system 300, inlet air
101 may be drawn into dehumidification system 300 by fan 370. Inlet air 101
passes
though secondary evaporator 340 in which heat is transferred from inlet air
101 to the
cool flow of refrigerant 305 passing through secondary evaporator 340. As a
result,
inlet air 101 may be cooled. As an example, if inlet air 101 is 80 F/60%
humidity,
secondary evaporator 340 may output first airflow 345 at 70 F/84% humidity.
This
may cause flow of refrigerant 305 to partially vaporize within secondary
evaporator
340. For example, if flow of refrigerant 305 entering secondary evaporator 340
is
196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant 305 may be 196psig/68 F/38% vapor
as it
leaves secondary evaporator 340.
The cooled inlet air 101 leaves secondary evaporator 340 as first airflow 345
and enters primary evaporator 310. Like secondary evaporator 340, primary
evaporator
310 transfers heat from first airflow 345 to the cool flow of refrigerant 305
passing
through primary evaporator 310. As a result, first airflow 345 may be cooled
to or below
its dew point temperature, causing moisture in first airflow 345 to condense
(thereby
reducing the absolute humidity of first airflow 345). As an example, if first
airflow 345
is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 310 may output second airflow 315 at
54
F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 305 to partially or
completely
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

15
vaporize within primary evaporator 310. For example, if flow of refrigerant
305
entering primary evaporator 310 is 128psig/44 F/14% vapor, flow of refrigerant
305
may be 128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary evaporator 310. In certain
embodiments, the liquid condensate from first airflow 345 may be collected in
a drain
pan connected to a condensate reservoir, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
Additionally, the
condensate reservoir may include a condensate pump that moves collected
condensate,
either continually or at periodic intervals, out of dehumidification system
300 (e.g., via
a drain hose) to a suitable drainage or storage location.
The cooled first airflow 345 leaves primary evaporator 310 as second airflow
315 and enters secondary condenser 320. Secondary condenser 320 facilitates
heat
transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 305 passing through the secondary
condenser
320 to second airflow 315. This reheats second airflow 315, thereby decreasing
the
relative humidity of second airflow 315. As an example, if second airflow 315
is 54
F/98% humidity, secondary condenser 320 may output third airflow 325 at 65
F/68%
humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 305 to partially or completely
condense
within secondary condenser 320. For example, if flow of refrigerant 305
entering
secondary condenser 320 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of refrigerant 305 may
be
196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 320.
In some embodiments, the dehumidified second airflow 315 leaves secondary
condenser 320 as third airflow 325 and enters primary condenser 330. Primary
condenser 330 facilitates heat transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 305
passing
through the primary condenser 330 to third airflow 325. This further heats
third airflow
325, thereby further decreasing the relative humidity of third airflow 325. As
an
example, if third airflow 325 is 65 F/68% humidity, secondary condenser 320
may
output dehumidified air 106 at 102 F/19% humidity. This may cause flow of
refrigerant 305 to partially or completely condense within primary condenser
330. For
example, if flow of refrigerant 305 entering primary condenser 330 is
340psig/150 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 305 may be 340psig/105 F/60%
vapor
as it leaves primary condenser 330.
As described above, some embodiments of dehumidification system 300 may
include a sub-cooling coil 350 in the airflow between secondary condenser 320
and
primary condenser 330. Sub-cooling coil 350 facilitates heat transfer from the
hot flow
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

16
of refrigerant 305 passing through sub-cooling coil 350 to third airflow 325.
This
further heats third airflow 325, thereby further decreasing the relative
humidity of third
airflow 325. As an example, if third airflow 325 is 65 F/68% humidity, sub-
cooling
coil 350 may output fourth airflow 355 at 81 F/37% humidity. This may cause
flow
of refrigerant 305 to partially or completely condense within sub-cooling coil
350. For
example, if flow of refrigerant 305 entering sub-cooling coil 350 is
340psig/150 F/60%
vapor, flow of refrigerant 305 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor as it leaves sub-
cooling
coil 350.
Some embodiments of dehumidification system 300 may include a controller
that may include one or more computer systems at one or more locations. Each
computer system may include any appropriate input devices (such as a keypad,
touch
screen, mouse, or other device that can accept information), output devices,
mass
storage media, or other suitable components for receiving, processing,
storing, and
communicating data. Both the input devices and output devices may include
fixed or
removable storage media such as a magnetic computer disk, CD-ROM, or other
suitable
media to both receive input from and provide output to a user. Each computer
system
may include a personal computer, workstation, network computer, kiosk,
wireless data
port, personal data assistant (PDA), one or more processors within these or
other
devices, or any other suitable processing device. In short, the controller may
include
any suitable combination of software, firmware, and hardware.
The controller may additionally include one or more processing modules. Each
processing module may each include one or more microprocessors, controllers,
or any
other suitable computing devices or resources and may work, either alone or
with other
components of dehumidification system 300, to provide a portion or all of the
functionality described herein. The controller may additionally include (or be
communicatively coupled to via wireless or wireline communication) computer
memory. The memory may include any memory or database module and may take the
form of volatile or non-volatile memory, including, without limitation,
magnetic media,
optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable
media, or any other suitable local or remote memory component.
Although particular implementations of dehumidification system 300 are
illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates any
suitable
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

17
implementation of dehumidification system 300, according to particular needs.
Moreover, although various components of dehumidification system 300 have been
depicted as being located at particular positions and relative to one another,
the present
disclosure contemplates those components being positioned at any suitable
location,
according to particular needs.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example dehumidification method 500 that may be used by
dehumidification system 100 and portable dehumidification system 200 of FIGS.
1 and
2 to reduce the humidity of air within structure 102. Method 500 may begin in
step 510
where a secondary evaporator receives an inlet airflow and outputs a first
airflow. In
some embodiments, the secondary evaporator is secondary evaporator 340. In
some
embodiments, the inlet airflow is inlet air 101 and the first airflow is first
airflow 345.
In some embodiments, the secondary evaporator of step 510 receives a flow of
refrigerant from a primary metering device such as primary metering device 380
and
supplies the flow of refrigerant (in a changed state) to a secondary condenser
such as
secondary condenser 320. In some embodiments, the flow of refrigerant of
method 500
is flow of refrigerant 305 described above.
At step 520, a primary evaporator receives the first airflow of step 510 and
outputs a second airflow. In some embodiments, the primary evaporator is
primary
evaporator 310 and the second airflow is second airflow 315. In some
embodiments,
the primary evaporator of step 520 receives the flow of refrigerant from a
secondary
metering device such as secondary metering device 390 and supplies the flow of
refrigerant (in a changed state) to a compressor such as compressor 360.
At step 530, a secondary condenser receives the second airflow of step 520 and
outputs a third airflow. In some embodiments, the secondary condenser is
secondary
condenser 320 and the third airflow is third airflow 325. In some embodiments,
the
secondary condenser of step 530 receives a flow of refrigerant from the
secondary
evaporator of step 510 and supplies the flow of refrigerant (in a changed
state) to a
secondary metering device such as secondary metering device 390.
At step 540, a primary condenser receives the third airflow of step 530 and
outputs a dehumidified airflow. In some embodiments, the primary condenser is
primary condenser 330 and the dehumidified airflow is dehumidified air 106. In
some
embodiments, the primary condenser of step 540 receives a flow of refrigerant
from the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

18
compressor of step 520 and supplies the flow of refrigerant (in a changed
state) to the
primary metering device of step 510. In alternate embodiments, the primary
condenser
of step 540 supplies the flow of refrigerant (in a changed state) to a sub-
cooling coil
such as sub-cooling coil 350 which in turn supplies the flow of refrigerant
(in a changed
state) to the primary metering device of step 510.
At step 550, a compressor receives the flow of refrigerant from the primary
evaporator of step 520 and provides the flow of refrigerant (in a changed
state) to the
primary condenser of step 540. After step 550, method 500 may end.
Particular embodiments may repeat one or more steps of method 500 of FIG. 5,
where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates
particular steps of
the method of FIG. 5 as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure
contemplates any
suitable steps of the method of FIG. 5 occurring in any suitable order.
Moreover,
although this disclosure describes and illustrates an example dehumidification
method
for reducing the humidity of air within a structure including the particular
steps of the
.. method of FIG. 5, this disclosure contemplates any suitable method for
reducing the
humidity of air within a structure including any suitable steps, which may
include all,
some, or none of the steps of the method of FIG. 5, where appropriate.
Furthermore,
although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular components,
devices, or
systems carrying out particular steps of the method of FIG. 5, this disclosure
contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components, devices, or
systems
carrying out any suitable steps of the method of FIG. 5.
While the example method of FIG. 5 is described at times above with respect to
dehumidification system 300 of FIG. 3, it should be understood that the same
or similar
methods can be carried out using any of the dehumidification systems described
herein,
.. including dehumidification systems 600 and 800 of FIGS. 6A ¨ 6B and 8
(described
below). Moreover, it should be understood that, with respect to the example
method of
FIG. 5, reference to an evaporator or condenser can refer to an evaporator
portion or
condenser portion of a single coil pack operable to perform the functions of
these
components, for example, as described above with respect to examples of FIGS.
9 and
10.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an example air conditioning and dehumidification
system 600 that may be used in accordance with split dehumidification system
100 of
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

19
FIG. 1 to reduce the humidity of air within structure 102. Dehumidification
system 600
includes a dehumidification unit 602, which is generally indoors, and a
condenser
system 604 (e.g., condenser system 108 of FIG. 1). As illustrated in FIG. 6A,
dehumidification unit 602 includes a primary evaporator 610, a secondary
evaporator
640, a secondary condenser 620, a primary metering device 680, a secondary
metering
device 690, and a first fan 670, while condenser system 604 includes a primary
condenser 630, a compressor 660, an optional sub-cooling coil 650 and a second
fan
695. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6B, the compressor 660 may be
disposed
within the dehumidification unit 602 rather than disposed within the condenser
system
604.
With reference to both FIGS. 6A and 6B, a flow of refrigerant 605 is
circulated
through dehumidification system 600 as illustrated. In general,
dehumidification unit
602 receives inlet airflow 601, removes water from inlet airflow 601, and
discharges
dehumidified air 625 into a conditioned space. Water is removed from inlet air
601
using a refrigeration cycle of flow of refrigerant 605. The flow of
refrigerant 605
through system 600 of FIGS. 6A AND 6B proceeds in a similar manner to that of
the
flow of refrigerant 305 through dehumidification system 300 of FIG. 3.
However, the
path of airflow through system 600 is different than that through system 300,
as
described herein. By including secondary evaporator 640 and secondary
condenser 620,
however, dehumidification system 600 causes at least part of the flow of
refrigerant 605
to evaporate and condense twice in a single refrigeration cycle. This
increases
refrigerating capacity over typical systems without requiring any additional
power to
the compressor, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the system.
The split configuration of system 600, which includes dehumidification unit
602
.. and condenser system 604, allows heat from the cooling and dehumidification
process
to be rejected outdoors or to an unconditioned space (e.g., external to a
space being
dehumidified). This allows dehumidification system 600 to have a similar
footprint to
that of typical central air conditioning systems or heat pumps. In general,
the
temperature of third airflow 625 output to the conditioned space from system
600 is
significantly decreased compared to that of airflow 106 output from system 300
of FIG.
3. Thus, the configuration of system 600 allows dehumidified air to be
provided to the
conditioned space at a decreased temperature. Accordingly, system 600 may
perform
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

20
functions of both a dehumidifier (dehumidifying air) and a central air
conditioner
(cooling air).
In general, dehumidification system 600 attempts to match the saturating
temperature of secondary evaporator 640 to the saturating temperature of
secondary
condenser 620. The saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 640 and
secondary
condenser 620 generally is controlled according to the equation: (temperature
of inlet
air 601 + temperature of second airflow 615) / 2. As the saturating
temperature of
secondary evaporator 640 is lower than inlet air 601, evaporation happens in
secondary
evaporator 640. As the saturating temperature of secondary condenser 620 is
higher
than second airflow 615, condensation happens in secondary condenser 620. The
amount of refrigerant 605 evaporating in secondary evaporator 640 is
substantially
equal to that condensing in secondary condenser 620.
Primary evaporator 610 receives flow of refrigerant 605 from secondary
metering device 690 and outputs flow of refrigerant 605 to compressor 660.
Primary
evaporator 610 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro channel, etc.).
Primary
evaporator 610 receives first airflow 645 from secondary evaporator 640 and
outputs
second airflow 615 to secondary condenser 620. Second airflow 615, in general,
is at a
cooler temperature than first airflow 645. To cool incoming first airflow 645,
primary
evaporator 610 transfers heat from first airflow 645 to flow of refrigerant
605, thereby
causing flow of refrigerant 605 to evaporate at least partially from liquid to
gas. This
transfer of heat from first airflow 645 to flow of refrigerant 605 also
removes water
from first airflow 645.
Secondary condenser 620 receives flow of refrigerant 605 from secondary
evaporator 640 and outputs flow of refrigerant 605 to secondary metering
device 690.
Secondary condenser 620 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel, etc.).
Secondary condenser 620 receives second airflow 615 from primary evaporator
610
and outputs third airflow 625. Third airflow 625 is, in general, warmer and
drier (i.e.,
the dew point will be the same but relative humidity will be lower) than
second airflow
615. Secondary condenser 620 generates third airflow 625 by transferring heat
from
flow of refrigerant 605 to second airflow 615, thereby causing flow of
refrigerant 605
to condense at least partially from gas to liquid. As described above, third
airflow 625
is output into the conditioned space. In other embodiments (e.g., as shown in
FIGS. 8A
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

21
and 8B), third airflow 625 may first pass through and/or over sub-cooling coil
650
before being output into the conditioned space at a further decreased relative
humidity.
As shown in FIG. 6A, refrigerant 605 flows outdoors or to an unconditioned
space to compressor 660 of condenser system 604. Alternatively, the
refrigerant 605
may continue to flow to the compressor 660 within the dehumidification unit
602 prior
to flowing outdoors or to an unconditioned space, as seen in FIG. 6B. In both
FIGS. 6A
and 6B, compressor 660 pressurizes flow of refrigerant 605, thereby increasing
the
temperature of refrigerant 605. For example, if flow of refrigerant 605
entering
compressor 660 is 128psig/52 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 605 may be
340psig/150 F/100% vapor as it leaves compressor 660. Compressor 660 receives
flow
of refrigerant 605 from primary evaporator 610 and supplies the pressurized
flow of
refrigerant 605 to primary condenser 630.
Primary condenser 630 receives flow of refrigerant 605 from compressor 660
and outputs flow of refrigerant 605 to sub-cooling coil 650. Primary condenser
630 may
be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro channel, etc.). Primary condenser
630 and sub-
cooling coil 650 receive first outdoor airflow 606 and output second outdoor
airflow
608. Second outdoor airflow 608 is, in general, warmer (i.e., have a lower
relative
humidity) than first outdoor airflow 606. Primary condenser 630 transfers heat
from
flow of refrigerant 605, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 605 to condense
at least
partially from gas to liquid. In some embodiments, primary condenser 630
completely
condenses flow of refrigerant 605 to a liquid (i.e., 100% liquid). In other
embodiments,
primary condenser 630 partially condenses flow of refrigerant 605 to a liquid
(i.e., less
than 100% liquid).
Sub-cooling coil 650, which is an optional component of dehumidification
system 600, sub-cools the liquid refrigerant 605 as it leaves primary
condenser 630.
This, in turn, supplies primary metering device 680 with a liquid refrigerant
that is 30
degrees (or more) cooler than before it enters sub-cooling coil 650. For
example, if flow
of refrigerant 605 entering sub-cooling coil 650 is 340psig/105 F/60% vapor,
flow of
refrigerant 605 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor as it leaves sub-cooling coil
650. The
sub-cooled refrigerant 605 has a greater heat enthalpy factor as well as a
greater density,
which improves energy transfer between airflow and evaporator resulting in the
removal of further latent heat from refrigerant 605. This further results in
greater
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

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efficiency and less energy use of dehumidification system 600. Embodiments of
dehumidification system 600 may or may not include a sub-cooling coil 650.
In certain embodiments, sub-cooling coil 650 and primary condenser 630 are
combined into a single coil. Such a single coil includes appropriate
circuiting for flow
of airflows 606 and 608 and refrigerant 605. An illustrative example of a
condenser
system 604 comprising a single coil condenser and sub-cooling coil is shown in
FIG.
7. The single unit coil comprises interior tubes 710 corresponding to the
condenser and
exterior tubes 705 corresponding to the sub-cooling coil. Refrigerant may be
directed
through the interior tubes 710 before flowing through exterior tubes 705. In
the
illustrative example shown in FIG. 7, airflow is drawn through the single unit
coil by
fan 695 and expelled upwards. It should be understood, however, that condenser
systems of other embodiments can include a condenser, compressor, optional sub-
cooling coil, and fan with other configurations known in the art.
Secondary evaporator 640 receives flow of refrigerant 605 from primary
metering device 680 and outputs flow of refrigerant 605 to secondary condenser
620.
Secondary evaporator 640 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel, etc.).
Secondary evaporator 640 receives inlet air 601 and outputs first airflow 645
to primary
evaporator 610. First airflow 645, in general, is at a cooler temperature than
inlet air
601. To cool incoming inlet air 601, secondary evaporator 640 transfers heat
from inlet
air 601 to flow of refrigerant 605, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 605 to
evaporate
at least partially from liquid to gas.
Fan 670 may include any suitable components operable to draw inlet air 601
into dehumidification unit 602 and through secondary evaporator 640, primary
evaporator 610, and secondary condenser 620. Fan 670 may be any type of air
mover
(e.g., axial fan, forward inclined impeller, and backward inclined impeller,
etc.). For
example, fan 670 may be a backward inclined impeller positioned adjacent to
secondary
condenser 620.
While fan 670 is depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B as being located adjacent to
condenser 620, it should be understood that fan 670 may be located anywhere
along the
airflow path of dehumidification unit 602. For example, fan 670 may be
positioned in
the airflow path of any one of airflows 601, 645, 615, or 625. Moreover,
dehumidification unit 602 may include one or more additional fans positioned
within
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

23
any one or more of these airflow paths. Similarly, while fan 695 of condenser
system
604 is depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B as being located above primary condenser
630, it
should be understood that fan 695 may be located anywhere (e.g., above, below,
beside)
with respect to condenser 630 and sub-cooling coil 650, so long fan 695 is
appropriately
positioned and configured to facilitate flow of airflow 606 towards primary
condenser
630 and sub-cooling coil 650.
The rate of airflow generated by fan 670 may be different than that generated
by fan 695. For example, the flow rate of airflow 606 generated by fan 695 may
be
higher than the flow rate of airflow 601 generated by fan 670. This difference
in flow
rates may provide several advantages for the dehumidification systems
described
herein. For example, a large airflow generated by fan 695 may provide for
improved
heat transfer at the sub-cooling coil 650 and primary condenser 630 of the
condenser
system 604. In general, the rate of airflow generated by second fan 695 is
between about
2-times to 5-times that of the rate of airflow generated by first fan 670. For
example,
the rate of airflow generated by first fan 670 may be from about 200 to 400
cubic feet
per minute (cfm). For example, the rate of airflow generated by second fan 695
may be
from about 900 to 1200 cubic feet per minute (cfm).
Primary metering device 680 and secondary metering device 690 are any
appropriate type of metering/expansion device. In some embodiments, primary
metering device 680 is a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) and secondary
metering
device 690 is a fixed orifice device (or vice versa). In certain embodiments,
metering
devices 680 and 690 remove pressure from flow of refrigerant 605 to allow
expansion
or change of state from a liquid to a vapor in evaporators 610 and 640. The
high-
pressure liquid (or mostly liquid) refrigerant entering metering devices 680
and 690 is
at a higher temperature than the liquid refrigerant 605 leaving metering
devices 680 and
690. For example, if flow of refrigerant 605 entering primary metering device
680 is
340psig/80 F/0% vapor, flow of refrigerant 605 may be 196psig/68 F/5% vapor as
it
leaves primary metering device 680. As another example, if flow of refrigerant
605
entering secondary metering device 690 is 196psig/68 F/4% vapor, flow of
refrigerant
605 may be 128psig/44 F/14% vapor as it leaves secondary metering device 690.
In certain embodiments, secondary metering device 690 is operated in a
substantially open state (referred to herein as a -fully open" state) such
that the pressure
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

24
of refrigerant 605 entering metering device 690 is substantially the same as
the pressure
of refrigerant 605 exiting metering device 605. For example, the pressure of
refrigerant
605 may be 80%, 90%, 95%, 99%, or up to 100% of the pressure of refrigerant
605
entering metering device 690. With the secondary metering device 690 operated
in a
-fully open" state, primary metering device 680 is the primary source of
pressure drop
in dehumidification system 600. In this configuration, airflow 615 is not
substantially
heated when it passes through secondary condenser 620, and the secondary
evaporator
640, primary evaporator 610, and secondary condenser 620 effectively act as a
single
evaporator. Although, less water may be removed from airflow 601 when the
secondary
metering device 690 is operated in a -fully open" state, airflow 606 will be
output to
the conditioned space at a lower temperature than when secondary metering
device 690
is not in a -fully open" state. This configuration corresponds to a relatively
high
sensible heat ratio (SHR) operating mode such that dehumidification system 600
may
produce a cool airflow 625 with properties similar to those of an airflow
produced by a
central air conditioner. If the rate of airflow 601 is increased to a
threshold value (e.g.,
by increasing the speed of fan 670 or one or more other fans of
dehumidification system
600), dehumidification system 600 may perform sensible cooling without
removing
water from airflow 601.
Refrigerant 605 may be any suitable refrigerant such as R410a. In general,
dehumidification system 600 utilizes a closed refrigeration loop of
refrigerant 605 that
passes from compressor 660 through primary condenser 630, (optionally) sub-
cooling
coil 650, primary metering device 680, secondary evaporator 640, secondary
condenser
620, secondary metering device 690, and primary evaporator 610. Compressor 660
pressurizes flow of refrigerant 605, thereby increasing the temperature of
refrigerant
605. Primary and secondary condensers 630 and 620, which may include any
suitable
heat exchangers, cool the pressurized flow of refrigerant 605 by facilitating
heat transfer
from the flow of refrigerant 605 to the respective airflows passing through
them (i.e.,
first outdoor airflow 606 and second airflow 615). The cooled flow of
refrigerant 605
leaving primary and secondary condensers 630 and 620 may enter a respective
expansion device (i.e., primary metering device 680 and secondary metering
device
690) that is operable to reduce the pressure of flow of refrigerant 605,
thereby reducing
the temperature of flow of refrigerant 605. Primary and secondary evaporators
610 and
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

25
640, which may include any suitable heat exchanger, receive flow of
refrigerant 605
from secondary metering device 690 and primary metering device 680,
respectively.
Primary and secondary evaporators 610 and 640 facilitate the transfer of heat
from the
respective airflows passing through them (i.e., inlet air 601 and first
airflow 645) to
flow of refrigerant 605. Flow of refrigerant 605, after leaving primary
evaporator 610,
passes back to compressor 660, and the cycle is repeated.
In certain embodiments, the above-described refrigeration loop may be
configured such that evaporators 610 and 640 operate in a flooded state. In
other words,
flow of refrigerant 605 may enter evaporators 610 and 640 in a liquid state,
and a
portion of flow of refrigerant 605 may still be in a liquid state as it exits
evaporators
610 and 640. Accordingly, the phase change of flow of refrigerant 605 (liquid
to vapor
as heat is transferred to flow of refrigerant 605) occurs across evaporators
610 and 640,
resulting in nearly constant pressure and temperature across the entire
evaporators 610
and 640 (and, as a result, increased cooling capacity).
In operation of example embodiments of dehumidification system 600, inlet air
601 may be drawn into dehumidification system 600 by fan 670. Inlet air 601
passes
though secondary evaporator 640 in which heat is transferred from inlet air
601 to the
cool flow of refrigerant 605 passing through secondary evaporator 640. As a
result,
inlet air 601 may be cooled. As an example, if inlet air 601 is 80 F/60%
humidity,
secondary evaporator 640 may output first airflow 645 at 70 F/84% humidity.
This
may cause flow of refrigerant 605 to partially vaporize within secondary
evaporator
640. For example, if flow of refrigerant 605 entering secondary evaporator 640
is
196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant 605 may be 196psig/68 F/38% vapor
as it
leaves secondary evaporator 640.
The cooled inlet air 601 leaves secondary evaporator 640 as first airflow 645
and enters primary evaporator 610. Like secondary evaporator 640, primary
evaporator
610 transfers heat from first airflow 645 to the cool flow of refrigerant 605
passing
through primary evaporator 610. As a result, first airflow 645 may be cooled
to or below
its dew point temperature, causing moisture in first airflow 645 to condense
(thereby
reducing the absolute humidity of first airflow 645). As an example, if first
airflow 645
is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 610 may output second airflow 615 at
54
F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 605 to partially or
completely
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

26
vaporize within primary evaporator 610. For example, if flow of refrigerant
605
entering primary evaporator 610 is 128psig/44 F/14% vapor, flow of refrigerant
605
may be 128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary evaporator 610. In certain
embodiments, the liquid condensate from first airflow 645 may be collected in
a drain
pan connected to a condensate reservoir, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
Additionally, the
condensate reservoir may include a condensate pump that moves collected
condensate,
either continually or at periodic intervals, out of dehumidification system
600 (e.g., via
a drain hose) to a suitable drainage or storage location.
The cooled first airflow 645 leaves primary evaporator 610 as second airflow
615 and enters secondary condenser 620. Secondary condenser 620 facilitates
heat
transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 605 passing through the secondary
condenser
620 to second airflow 615. This reheats second airflow 615, thereby decreasing
the
relative humidity of second airflow 615. As an example, if second airflow 615
is 54
F/98% humidity, secondary condenser 620 may output dehumidified airflow 625 at
65
F/68% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 605 to partially or
completely
condense within secondary condenser 620. For example, if flow of refrigerant
605
entering secondary condenser 620 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of
refrigerant 605
may be 196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 620. In some
embodiments, second airflow 615 leaves secondary condenser 620 as dehumidified
airflow 625 and is output to a conditioned space.
Primary condenser 630 facilitates heat transfer from the hot flow of
refrigerant
605 passing through the primary condenser 630 to a first outdoor airflow 606.
This
heats outdoor airflow 606, which is output to the unconditioned space (e.g.,
outdoors)
as second outdoor airflow 608. As an example, if first outdoor airflow 606 is
65 F/68%
humidity, primary condenser 630 may output second outdoor airflow 608 at 102
F/19% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 605 to partially or
completely
condense within primary condenser 630. For example, if flow of refrigerant 605
entering primary condenser 630 is 340psig/150 F/100% vapor, flow of
refrigerant 605
may be 340psig/105 F/60% vapor as it leaves primary condenser 630.
As described above, some embodiments of dehumidification system 600 may
include a sub-cooling coil 650 in the airflow between an inlet of the
condenser system
604 and primary condenser 630. Sub-cooling coil 650 facilitates heat transfer
from the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

27
hot flow of refrigerant 605 passing through sub-cooling coil 650 to first
outdoor airflow
606. This heats first outdoor airflow 606, thereby increasing the temperature
of first
outdoor airflow 606. As an example, if first outdoor airflow 606 is 65 F/68%
humidity,
sub-cooling coil 650 may output an airflow at 81 F/37% humidity. This may
cause
flow of refrigerant 605 to partially or completely condense within sub-cooling
coil 650.
For example, if flow of refrigerant 605 entering sub-cooling coil 650 is
340psig/150 F/60% vapor, flow of refrigerant 605 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor
as
it leaves sub-cooling coil 650.
In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B, sub-cooling coil 650 is within
condenser system 604. This configuration minimizes the temperature of third
airflow
625, which is output into the conditioned space. An alternative embodiment is
shown
as dehumidification system 800 of FIGS. 8A and 8B in which dehumidification
unit
802 includes sub-cooling coil 650. In these embodiments, airflow 625 first
passes
through sub-cooling coil 650 before being output to the conditioned space as
airflow
855 via fan 670. As described herein, fan 670 can alternatively be located
anywhere
along the path of airflow in dehumidification unit 802, and one or more
additional fans
can be included in dehumidification unit 802.
Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory, the configuration of
dehumidification system 800 is believed to be more energy efficient under
common
operating conditions than that of dehumidification system 600 of FIGS. 6A ¨
6B. For
example, if the temperature of third airflow 625 is less than the outdoor
temperature
(i.e., the temperature of airflow 606), then refrigerant 605 will be more
effectively
cooled, or sub-cooled, with sub-cooling coil 650 placed in the
dehumidification unit
802. Such operating conditions may be common, for example, in locations with
warm
climates and/or during summer months. As illustrated in FIG. 8B, indoor
dehumidification unit 802 also includes compressor 660, which may, for
example, be
located near secondary evaporator 640, primary evaporator 610, and/or
secondary
condenser 620. In certain embodiments, the dehumidification unit 802 may
comprise
the compressor 660, but the dehumidification system 800 may lack the optional
sub-
cooling coil 650, as illustrated in FIG. 8C. The dehumidification system 800
of FIG.
8C may not require the sub-cooling coil 650 if, for example, the primary
condenser 630
is operable to facilitate heat transfer from the flow of refrigerant 605 to a
first outdoor
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

28
airflow 606 in order to effectively condense the refrigerant prior to the flow
of
refrigerant entering a primary metering device 680.
In operation of example embodiments of dehumidification system 800, as
illustrated in each of FIGS. 8A ¨ 8C, inlet air 601 may be drawn into
dehumidification
system 800 by fan 670. Inlet air 601 passes though secondary evaporator 640 in
which
heat is transferred from inlet air 601 to the cool flow of refrigerant 605
passing through
secondary evaporator 640. As a result, inlet air 601 may be cooled. As an
example, if
inlet air 601 is 80 F/60% humidity, secondary evaporator 640 may output first
airflow
645 at 70 F/84% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 605 to partially
vaporize
within secondary evaporator 640. For example, if flow of refrigerant 605
entering
secondary evaporator 640 is 196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant 605 may
be
196psig/68 F/38% vapor as it leaves secondary evaporator 640.
The cooled inlet air 601 leaves secondary evaporator 640 as first airflow 645
and enters primary evaporator 610. Like secondary evaporator 640, primary
evaporator
610 transfers heat from first airflow 645 to the cool flow of refrigerant 605
passing
through primary evaporator 610. As a result, first airflow 645 may be cooled
to or below
its dew point temperature, causing moisture in first airflow 645 to condense
(thereby
reducing the absolute humidity of first airflow 645). As an example, if first
airflow 645
is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 610 may output second airflow 615 at
54
F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 605 to partially or
completely
vaporize within primary evaporator 610. For example, if flow of refrigerant
605
entering primary evaporator 610 is 128psig/44 F/14% vapor, flow of refrigerant
605
may be 128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary evaporator 610. In certain
embodiments, the liquid condensate from first airflow 645 may be collected in
a drain
pan connected to a condensate reservoir, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
Additionally, the
condensate reservoir may include a condensate pump that moves collected
condensate,
either continually or at periodic intervals, out of dehumidification system
800 (e.g., via
a drain hose) to a suitable drainage or storage location.
The cooled first airflow 645 leaves primary evaporator 610 as second airflow
615 and enters secondary condenser 620. Secondary condenser 620 facilitates
heat
transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 605 passing through the secondary
condenser
620 to second airflow 615. This reheats second airflow 615, thereby decreasing
the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

29
relative humidity of second airflow 615. As an example, if second airflow 615
is 54
F/98% humidity, secondary condenser 620 may output dehumidified airflow 625 at
65
F/68% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 605 to partially or
completely
condense within secondary condenser 620. For example, if flow of refrigerant
605
entering secondary condenser 620 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of
refrigerant 605
may be 196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 620. In some
embodiments, second airflow 615 leaves secondary condenser 620 as dehumidified
airflow 625 and is output to a conditioned space.
In both FIGS. 8A and 8B, dehumidified airflow 625 enters sub-cooling coil 650,
which facilitates heat transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 605 passing
through sub-
cooling coil 650 to dehumidified airflow 625. This heats dehumidified airflow
625,
thereby further decreasing the humidity of dehumidified airflow 625. As an
example,
if dehumidified airflow 625 is 65 F/68% humidity, sub-cooling coil 650 may
output
an airflow 855 at 81 F/37% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 605
to
partially or completely condense within sub-cooling coil 650. For example, if
flow of
refrigerant 605 entering sub-cooling coil 650 is 340psig/150 F/60% vapor, flow
of
refrigerant 605 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor as it leaves sub-cooling coil
650.
With reference back to each of FIGS. 8A ¨ 8C, primary condenser 630
facilitates heat transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 605 passing through
the primary
condenser 630 to a first outdoor airflow 606. This heats outdoor airflow 606,
which is
output to the unconditioned space as second outdoor airflow 608. As an
example, if first
outdoor airflow 606 is 65 F/68% humidity, primary condenser 630 may output
second
outdoor airflow 608 at 102 F/19% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant
605
to partially or completely condense within primary condenser 630. For example,
if flow
of refrigerant 605 entering primary condenser 630 is 340psig/150 F/100% vapor,
flow
of refrigerant 605 may be 340psig/105 F/60% vapor as it leaves primary
condenser
630.
Some embodiments of dehumidification systems 600 and 800 of FIGS. 6A ¨ 6B
and 8A ¨ 8C may include a controller that may include one or more computer
systems
at one or more locations. Each computer system may include any appropriate
input
devices (such as a keypad, touch screen, mouse, or other device that can
accept
information), output devices, mass storage media, or other suitable components
for
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

30
receiving, processing, storing, and communicating data. Both the input devices
and
output devices may include fixed or removable storage media such as a magnetic
computer disk, CD-ROM, or other suitable media to both receive input from and
provide output to a user. Each computer system may include a personal
computer,
workstation, network computer, kiosk, wireless data port, personal data
assistant
(PDA), one or more processors within these or other devices, or any other
suitable
processing device. In short, the controller may include any suitable
combination of
software, firmware, and hardware.
The controller may additionally include one or more processing modules. Each
processing module may each include one or more microprocessors, controllers,
or any
other suitable computing devices or resources and may work, either alone or
with other
components of dehumidification systems 600 and 800, to provide a portion or
all of the
functionality described herein. The controller may additionally include (or be
communicatively coupled to via wireless or wireline communication) computer
memory. The memory may include any memory or database module and may take the
form of volatile or non-volatile memory, including, without limitation,
magnetic media,
optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable
media, or any other suitable local or remote memory component.
Although particular implementations of dehumidification systems 600 and 800
are illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates
any suitable
implementation of dehumidification systems 600 and 800, according to
particular
needs. Moreover, although various components of dehumidification systems 600
and
800 have been depicted as being located at particular positions and relative
to one
another, the present disclosure contemplates those components being positioned
at any
suitable location, according to particular needs.
In certain embodiments, the secondary evaporator (340, 640), primary
evaporator (310, 610), and secondary condenser (320, 620) of FIGS. 3, 6A ¨ 6B,
or 8A
¨ 8C are combined in a single coil pack. The single coil pack may include
portions (e.g.,
separate refrigerant circuits) to accommodate the respective functions of
secondary
evaporator, primary evaporator, and secondary condenser, described above. An
illustrative example of such a single coil pack is shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9
shows a single
coil pack 900 which includes a plurality of coils (represented by circles in
FIG. 9). Coil
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

31
pack 900 includes a secondary evaporator portion 940, primary evaporator
portion 910,
and secondary condenser portion 920. The coil pack may include and/or be
fluidly
connectable to metering devices 980 and 990 as shown in the exemplary case of
FIG.
9. In certain embodiments, metering devices 980 and 990 correspond to primary
metering device 380 and secondary metering device 390 of FIG. 3.
In general, metering devices 980 and 990 may be any appropriate type of
metering/expansion device. In some embodiments, metering device 980 is a
thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) and secondary metering device 990 is a
fixed
orifice device (or vice versa). In general, metering devices 980 and 990
remove pressure
from flow of refrigerant 905 to allow expansion or change of state from a
liquid to a
vapor in evaporator portions 910 and 940. The high-pressure liquid (or mostly
liquid)
refrigerant 905 entering metering devices 980 and 990 is at a higher
temperature than
the liquid refrigerant 905 leaving metering devices 980 and 990. For example,
if flow
of refrigerant 905 entering metering device 980 is 340psig/80 F/0% vapor, flow
of
refrigerant 905 may be 196psig/68 F/5% vapor as it leaves primary metering
device
980. As another example, if flow of refrigerant 905 entering secondary
metering device
990 is 196psig/68 F/4% vapor, flow of refrigerant 905 may be 128psig/44 F/14%
vapor
as it leaves secondary metering device 990. Refrigerant 905 may be any
suitable
refrigerant, as described above with respect to refrigerant 305 of FIG. 3.
In operation of example embodiments of the single coil pack 900, inlet airflow
901 passes though secondary evaporator portion 940 in which heat is
transferred from
inlet air 901 to the cool flow of refrigerant 905 passing through secondary
evaporator
portion 940. As a result, inlet air 901 may be cooled. As an example, if inlet
air 901 is
80 F/60% humidity, secondary evaporator portion 940 may output first airflow
at 70
F/84% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 905 to partially vaporize
within
secondary evaporator portion 940. For example, if flow of refrigerant 905
entering
secondary evaporator portion 940 is 196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant
905
may be 196psig/68 F/38% vapor as it leaves secondary evaporator portion 940.
The cooled inlet air 901 proceeds through coil pack 900, reaching primary
evaporator portion 910. Like secondary evaporator portion 940, primary
evaporator
portion 910 transfers heat from airflow 901 to the cool flow of refrigerant
905 passing
through primary evaporator portion 910. As a result, airflow 901 may be cooled
to or
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

32
below its dew point temperature, causing moisture in airflow 901 to condense
(thereby
reducing the absolute humidity of airflow 901). As an example, if airflow 901
is 70
F/84% humidity, primary evaporator portion 910 may cool airflow 901 to 54
F/98%
humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 905 to partially or completely
vaporize
within primary evaporator portion 910. For example, if flow of refrigerant 905
entering
primary evaporator portion 910 is 128psig/44 F/14% vapor, flow of refrigerant
905
may be 128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary evaporator portion 910. In
certain embodiments, the liquid condensate from airflow through primary
evaporator
portion 910 may be collected in a drain pan connected to a condensate
reservoir (e.g.,
as illustrated in FIG. 4 and described herein). Additionally, the condensate
reservoir
may include a condensate pump that moves collected condensate, either
continually or
at periodic intervals, out of coil pack 900 (e.g., via a drain hose) to a
suitable drainage
or storage location.
The cooled airflow 901 leaving primary evaporator portion 910 enters
secondary condenser portion 920. Secondary condenser portion 920 facilitates
heat
transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 905 passing through the secondary
condenser
portion 920 to airflow 901. This reheats airflow 901, thereby decreasing its
relative
humidity. As an example, if airflow 901 is 54 F/98% humidity, secondary
condenser
portion 920 may output an outlet airflow 925 at 65 F/68% humidity. This may
cause
flow of refrigerant 905 to partially or completely condense within secondary
condenser
portion 920. For example, if flow of refrigerant 905 entering secondary
condenser
portion 920 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of refrigerant 905 may be
196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser portion 920. Outlet
airflow
925 may, for example, enter primary condenser portion 330 or sub-cooling coil
350 of
FIG. 3.
Although a particular implementation of coil pack 900 is illustrated and
primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates any suitable
implementation
of coil pack 900, according to particular needs. Moreover, although various
components
of coil pack 900 have been depicted as being located at particular positions,
the present
disclosure contemplates those components being positioned at any suitable
location,
according to particular needs.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

33
In certain embodiments, secondary evaporator (340, 640) and secondary
condenser (320, 620) of FIGS. 3, 6A ¨ 6B, or 8A ¨ 8C are combined in a single
coil
pack such that the single coil pack includes portions (e.g., separate
refrigerant circuits)
to accommodate the respective functions of the secondary evaporator and
secondary
condenser. An illustrative example of such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 10.
FIG.
shows a single coil pack 1000 which includes a secondary evaporator portion
1040
and secondary condenser portion 1020. As shown in the illustrative example of
FIG.
10, a primary evaporator 1010 is located between the secondary evaporator
portion
1040 and secondary condenser portion 1020 of the single coil pack 1000. In
this
10 exemplary embodiment, the single coil pack 1000 is shown as a V"-shaped
coil.
However, alternate embodiments may be used as long as flow airflow 1001 passes
sequentially through secondary evaporator portion 1040, primary evaporator
1010, and
secondary condenser portion 1020. In general, single coil pack 1000 can
include the
same or a different coil type compared to that of primary evaporator 1010. For
example,
single coil pack 1000 may include a microchannel coil type, while primary
evaporator
1010 may include a fin tube coil type. This may provide further flexibility
for
optimizing a dehumidification system in which single coil pack 1000 and
primary
evaporator 1010 are used.
In operation of example embodiments of the single coil pack 1000, inlet air
1001
passes though secondary evaporator portion 1040 in which heat is transferred
from inlet
air 1001 to the cool flow of refrigerant passing through secondary evaporator
portion
1040. As a result, inlet air 1001 may be cooled. As an example, if inlet air
1001 is 80
F/60% humidity, secondary evaporator portion 1040 may output airflow at 70
F/84%
humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant to partially vaporize within
secondary
evaporator portion 1040. For example, if flow of refrigerant entering
secondary
evaporator 1040 is 196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1005 may be
196psig/68 F/38% vapor as it leaves secondary evaporator portion 1040.
The cooled inlet air 1001 leaves secondary evaporator portion 1040 and enters
primary evaporator 1010. Like secondary evaporator portion 1040, primary
evaporator
1010 transfers heat from airflow 1001 to the cool flow of refrigerant passing
through
primary evaporator 1010. As a result, airflow 1001 may be cooled to or below
its dew
point temperature, causing moisture in airflow 1001 to condense (thereby
reducing the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

34
absolute humidity of airflow 1001). As an example, if airflow 1001 entering
primary
evaporator 1010 is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 1010 may output
airflow
at 54 F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant to partially or
completely
vaporize within primary evaporator 1010. For example, if flow of refrigerant
entering
primary evaporator 1010 is 128psig/44 F/14% vapor, flow of refrigerant may be
128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary evaporator 1010. In certain
embodiments, the liquid condensate from airflow 1010 may be collected in a
drain pan
connected to a condensate reservoir, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Additionally,
the
condensate reservoir may include a condensate pump that moves collected
condensate,
either continually or at periodic intervals, out of primary evaporator 1010,
and the
associated dehumidification system (e.g., via a drain hose) to a suitable
drainage or
storage location.
The cooled airflow 1001 leaves primary evaporator 1010 and enters secondary
condenser portion 1020. Secondary condenser portion 1020 facilitates heat
transfer
from the hot flow of refrigerant passing through the secondary condenser 1020
to
airflow 1001. This reheats airflow1001, thereby decreasing its relative
humidity. As an
example, if airflow 1001 entering secondary condenser portion 1020 is 54
F/98%
humidity, secondary condenser 1020 may output airflow 1025 at 65 F/68%
humidity.
This may cause flow of refrigerant to partially or completely condense within
secondary
condenser 1020. For example, if flow of refrigerant entering secondary
condenser
portion 1020 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of refrigerant may be 196psig/68
F/4%
vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 1020. Outlet airflow 925 may, for
example,
enter primary condenser 330 or sub-cooling cooling 350 of FIG. 3.
Although a particular implementation of coil pack 1000 is illustrated and
primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates any suitable
implementation
of coil pack 1000, according to particular needs. Moreover, although various
components of coil pack 1000 have been depicted as being located at particular
positions, the present disclosure contemplates those components being
positioned at
any suitable location, according to particular needs.
In certain embodiments, one or both of the secondary evaporator (340, 640) and
primary evaporator (310, 610) of FIGS. 3, 6A ¨ 6B, or 8A ¨ 8C are subdivided
into two
or more circuits. In such embodiments, each circuit of the subdivided
evaporator(s) is
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

35
fed refrigerant by a corresponding metering device. The metering devices may
include
passive metering devices, active metering devices, or combinations thereof.
For
example, metering device 380 (or 690) may be an active thermostatic expansion
valve
(TXV) and secondary metering device 390 (or 690) may be a passive fixed
orifice
device (or vice versa). The metering devices may be configured to feed
refrigerant to
each circuit within the evaporators at a desired mass flow rate. Metering
devices for
feeding refrigerant to each circuit of the subdivided evaporator(s) may be
used in
combination with metering devices 380 and 390 or may replace one or both of
metering
devices 380 and 390.
FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14 show an illustrative example of a portion 1100 of a
dehumidification system in which the primary evaporator 1110 comprises three
circuits
for flow of refrigerant, according to certain embodiments. Portion 1100
includes a
primary metering device 1180, secondary metering devices 1190a-c, a secondary
evaporator 1140, a primary evaporator 1110, and a secondary condenser 1120.
Primary
evaporator 1110 includes three circuits for receiving flow of refrigerant from
secondary
metering devices 1190a-c. In the example of FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14, each of
secondary metering devices 1190a-c is a passive metering device (i.e., with an
orifice
of a fixed inner diameter and length). It should, however be understood that
one or more
(up to all) of the secondary metering devices 1190a-c may be active metering
devices
.. (e.g., thermostatic expansion valves).
In operation of example embodiments of portion 1100 of a dehumidification
system, flow of cooled (or sub-cooled) refrigerant is received at inlet 1102,
for example,
from sub-cooling coil 350 or primary condenser 330 of dehumidification system
300 of
FIG. 3. Primary metering device 1180 determines the flow rate of refrigerant
into
secondary evaporator 1140. While FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14 are shown to have a
single
primary metering device 1180, other embodiments can include multiple primary
metering devices in parallel (e.g., if the secondary evaporator 1140 comprises
two or
more circuits for flow of refrigerant).
As the cooled refrigerant passes through secondary evaporator 1140, heat is
exchanged between the refrigerant and airflow passing through secondary
evaporator
1140, cooling the inlet air. As an example, if inlet air is 80 F/60%
humidity, secondary
evaporator 1140 may output airflow at 70 F/84% humidity. This may cause flow
of
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

36
refrigerant to partially vaporize within secondary evaporator 1140. For
example, if flow
of refrigerant entering secondary evaporator 1140 is 196psig/68 F/5% vapor,
flow of
refrigerant may be 196psig/68 F/38% vapor as it leaves secondary evaporator
1140.
Secondary condenser 1120 receives warmed refrigerant from secondary
evaporator 1140 via tube 1106. Secondary condenser 1120 facilitates heat
transfer from
the hot flow of refrigerant passing through the secondary condenser 1120 to
the airflow.
This reheats the airflow, thereby decreasing its relative humidity. As an
example, if the
airflow is 54 F/98% humidity, secondary condenser 1120 may output an airflow
at 65
F/68% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant to partially or completely
condense
within secondary condenser 1120. For example, if flow of refrigerant entering
secondary condenser 1120 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of refrigerant may be
196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 1120.
The cooled refrigerant exits the secondary condenser at 1108 and is received
by
metering devices 1190a-c, which distributes the flow of refrigerant into the
three
circuits of primary evaporator 1110. FIG. 14 shows a view which includes the
circuiting
of primary evaporator 1110. Airflow passing through primary evaporator 1110
may be
cooled to or below its dew point temperature, causing moisture in the airflow
to
condense (thereby reducing the absolute humidity of the air). As an example,
if the
airflow is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 1110 may output airflow at
54
F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant to partially or completely
vaporize
within primary evaporator 1110.
Each of secondary metering devices 1190a, 1190b, and 1190c is configured to
provide flow of refrigerant to each circuit of primary evaporator 1110 at a
desired flow
rate. For example, the flow rate provided to each circuit may be optimized to
improve
performance of the primary evaporator 1110. For example, under certain
operating
conditions, it may be beneficial to prevent the entire flow of refrigerant
from passing
through the entire evaporator, as occurs in a traditional evaporator coil.
Refrigerant
flowing through such an evaporator might undergo a change from liquid to gas
phase
before exiting the coil, resulting in poor performance in the potion of the
evaporator
that only contacts gaseous refrigerant. To significantly reduce or eliminate
this problem,
the present disclosure provides for refrigerant flow at a desired flow rate
through each
circuit. The desired flow rate may be predetermined (e.g., based on known
design
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

37
criteria and/or operating conditions) and/or variable (e.g., manually and/or
automatically adjustable in real time) during operation. The flow rate may be
configured such that the flow of refrigerant exits its respective circuit just
after
transitioning to a gas. For example, the rate of airflow near the edges of an
evaporator
may be less than near the center of the evaporator. Therefore, a lower rate of
refrigerant
flow may be supplied by secondary metering devices 1190a-c to the circuits
corresponding to the edge of primary evaporator 1110.
While the example of FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14 include a primary evaporator
that is subdivided into two or more circuits. In other embodiments, secondary
evaporator 1110 may also, or alternatively, be subdivided into two or more
circuits. It
should also be appreciated that the circuiting exemplified by FIGS. 11, 12,
13, and 14
can also be achieved in single coil packs such as those shown in FIGS. 9 and
10.
Although a particular implementation of portion 1100 of a dehumidification
system is illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure
contemplates any
suitable implementation of portion 1100 of a dehumidification system,
according to
particular needs. Moreover, although various components of portion 1100 of a
dehumidification system have been depicted as being located at particular
positions, the
present disclosure contemplates those components being positioned at any
suitable
location, according to particular needs.
FIGS. 15A ¨ 15B illustrate an example dehumidification system 1500 that may
be used in accordance with dehumidification system 300 of FIG. 3 to reduce the
humidity of air within a structure. Dehumidification system 1500 includes a
dehumidification unit 1502, which is generally indoors, and a heat exchanger
1504 or
an external source 1506 configured to contain a volume of a fluid operable to
be used
by the dehumidification system 1500 to cool a separate fluid flow within the
dehumidification unit 1502. FIG. 15A illustrates the dehumidification system
1500
comprising the heat exchanger 1504, and FIG. 15B illustrates the
dehumidification
system comprising the external source 1506. With reference to both FIGS. 15A ¨
15B,
dehumidification unit 1502 includes a primary evaporator 1508, a primary
condenser
1510, a secondary evaporator 1512, a secondary condenser 1514, a compressor
1516, a
primary metering device 1518, a secondary metering device 1520, and a fan
1522.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

38
With continued reference to both FIGS. 15A ¨ 15B, a flow of refrigerant 1524
is circulated through dehumidification unit 1502 as illustrated. In general,
dehumidification unit 1502 receives an inlet airflow 1526, removes water from
inlet
airflow 1526, and discharges dehumidified air 1528. Water is removed from
inlet air
1526 using a refrigeration cycle of flow of refrigerant 1524. By including
secondary
evaporator 1512 and secondary condenser 1514, however, dehumidification system
1500 causes at least part of the flow of refrigerant 1524 to evaporate and
condense twice
in a single refrigeration cycle. This increases the refrigeration capacity
over typical
systems without adding any additional power to the compressor, thereby
increasing the
overall dehumidification efficiency of the system.
In general, dehumidification system 1500 attempts to match the saturating
temperature of secondary evaporator 1512 to the saturating temperature of
secondary
condenser 1514. The saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 1512 and
secondary condenser 1514 generally is controlled according to the equation:
(temperature of inlet air 1526 + temperature of a second airflow 1530) / 2. As
the
saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 1512 is lower than inlet air
1526,
evaporation happens in secondary evaporator 1512. As the saturating
temperature of
secondary condenser 1514 is higher than second airflow 1530, condensation
happens
in the secondary condenser 1514. The amount of refrigerant 1524 evaporating in
secondary evaporator 1512 is substantially equal to that condensing in
secondary
condenser 1514.
Primary evaporator 1508 receives flow of refrigerant 1524 from secondary
metering device 1520 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1524 to compressor 1516.
Primary
evaporator 1508 may be any suitable type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel, etc.).
Primary evaporator 1508 receives a first airflow 1532 from secondary
evaporator 1512
and outputs second airflow 1530 to secondary condenser 514. Second airflow
1530, in
general, is at a cooler temperature than first airflow 1532. To cool incoming
first airflow
1532, primary evaporator 1508 transfers heat from first airflow 1532 to flow
of
refrigerant 1524, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 1524 to evaporate at
least partially
from liquid to gas. This transfer of heat from first airflow 1532 to flow of
refrigerant
1524 also removes water from first airflow 1532.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

39
Secondary condenser 1514 receives flow of refrigerant 1524 from secondary
evaporator 1512 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1524 to secondary metering
device
1520. Secondary condenser 1514 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel,
etc.). Secondary condenser 1514 receives second airflow 1530 from primary
evaporator
1508 and outputs dehumidified airflow 1528. Dehumidified airflow 1528 is, in
general,
warmer and drier (i.e., the dew point will be the same but relative humidity
will be
lower) than second airflow 1530. Secondary condenser 1514 generates
dehumidified
airflow 1528 by transferring heat from flow of refrigerant 1524 to second
airflow 1530,
thereby causing flow of refrigerant 1524 to condense at least partially from
gas to liquid.
Primary condenser 1510 receives flow of refrigerant 1524 from compressor
1516 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1524 to primary metering device 1518.
Primary
condenser 1510 may be any type of liquid-cooled heat exchanger operable to
transfer
heat from the flow of refrigerant 1524 to the flow of a fluid 1534. In
embodiments, the
fluid 1534 may be any suitable fluid, such as water or a mixture of water and
glycol.
Primary condenser 1510 receives both the flow of fluid 1534 and the flow of
refrigerant
1524 during operation of dehumidification system 1500, wherein the primary
condenser
1510 is operable to transfer heat from the flow of refrigerant 1524, thereby
causing flow
of refrigerant 1524 to condense at least partially from gas to liquid. In some
embodiments, primary condenser 1510 completely condenses flow of refrigerant
1524
to a liquid (i.e., 100% liquid). In other embodiments, primary condenser 1510
partially
condenses flow of refrigerant 1524 to a liquid (i.e., less than 100% liquid).
As illustrated, the dehumidification system 1500 may further comprise a first
water pump 1536. The first water pump 1536 may be disposed internal or
external to
the dehumidification unit 1502. The first water pump 1536 may be any suitable
device
operable to provide for the flow of fluid 1534. As depicted in FIG. 15A, the
first water
pump 1536 may be disposed at any suitable position in relation to the primary
condenser
1510 and the heat exchanger 1504 operable to cycle the flow of fluid 1534
between the
heat exchanger 1504 and the primary condenser 1510. As depicted in FIG. 15B,
the
first water pump 1536 may be disposed at any suitable position in relation to
the primary
condenser 1510 and the external source 1506 operable to cycle the flow of
fluid 1534
between the external source 1506 and the primary condenser 1510.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

40
With reference to FIG. 15A, heat exchanger 1504 may receive the flow of fluid
1534 from primary condenser 1510 at a first temperature and output flow of
fluid 1534
to primary condenser 1510 at a second temperature after transferring heat away
from
the flow of fluid 1534, wherein the second temperature is lower than the first
temperature. Heat exchanger 1504 may be any suitable type of heat exchanger,
such as,
for example, a cooling tower or a dry cooler. Heat exchanger 1504 receives the
flow of
fluid 1534 and a first outdoor airflow 1540, wherein heat is transferred
between the
flow of fluid 1534 and the first outdoor airflow 1540. Heat exchanger 1504 may
further
output the flow of fluid 1534 and a second outdoor airflow 1542, wherein the
flow of
fluid 1534 leaving the heat exchanger 1504 is at a lower temperature than the
flow of
fluid 1534 received by the heat exchanger 1504, and the second outdoor airflow
1542
is at a greater temperature than the first outdoor airflow 1540.
In embodiments wherein the heat exchanger 1504 is a cooling tower, the heat
exchanger 1504 may be operable to dispense the flow of fluid 1534 within its
internal
structure, wherein the fluid 1534 directly contacts the first outdoor airflow
1540 as the
fluid 1534 flows through the heat exchanger 1504 and transfers heat to the
first outdoor
airflow 1540. At least a portion of the fluid 1534 may evaporate and exit to
the
atmosphere as the heat transfers from the fluid 1534 to the first outdoor
airflow 1540,
and the heat exchanger 1504 may collect a remaining portion of the fluid 1534
after
transferring heat to the first outdoor airflow 1540, wherein the remaining
portion of the
fluid 1534 is at a lower temperature. In embodiments wherein the heat
exchanger 1504
is a dry cooler, the heat exchanger 1504 may be operable to induce the first
outdoor
airflow 1540 to flow through the heat exchanger 1504 where heat transfers
indirectly
between the first outdoor airflow 1540 and the flow of fluid 1534. In these
embodiments, heat transfer would not result in loss of a portion of the fluid
1534
through evaporation to the atmosphere.
With reference now to FIG. 15B, external source 1506 may receive the flow of
fluid 1534 from the primary condenser 1510 and output flow of fluid 1534 to
the
primary condenser 1510 via first water pump 1536. External source 1506 may be
configured to contain and/or store a volume of fluid 1534 to be used by
primary
condenser 1510 to lower the temperature of the flow of refrigerant 1524 in the
dehumidification unit 1502. The external source 1506 may be configured to
receive the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

41
flow of fluid 1534 from primary condenser 1510 at a first temperature and
output flow
of fluid 1534 to primary condenser 1510 at a second temperature after
transferring heat
away from the flow of fluid 1534, wherein the second temperature is lower than
the
first temperature. Without limitations, the external source 1506 may be any
suitable
number and combination of a ground reservoir, a natatorium, and an outdoor
body of
water, among others. In embodiments wherein the external source 1506 is a
ground
reservoir, the external source 1506 may implement an open or closed ground
water
system, wherein the conduit providing for the flow of fluid 1534 within the
ground
reservoir may be disposed substantially parallel to a horizontal plane of the
ground
.. surface, substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the ground
surface, or
combinations thereof.
With reference to both FIGS. 15A ¨ 15B, secondary evaporator 1512 receives
flow of refrigerant 1524 from primary metering device 1518 and outputs flow of
refrigerant 1524 to secondary condenser 1514. Secondary evaporator 1512 may be
any
type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro channel, etc.). Secondary evaporator 1512
receives
inlet air 1526 and outputs first airflow 1532 to primary evaporator 1508.
First airflow
1532, in general, is at a cooler temperature than inlet air 1526. To cool
incoming inlet
air 1526, secondary evaporator 1512 transfers heat from inlet air 1526 to flow
of
refrigerant 1524, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 1524 to evaporate at
least partially
from liquid to gas.
Compressor 1516 pressurizes flow of refrigerant 1524, thereby increasing the
temperature of refrigerant 1524. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1524
entering
compressor 1516 is 128psig/52 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1524 may be
340psig/150 F/100% vapor as it leaves compressor 1516. Compressor 1516
receives
flow of refrigerant 1524 from primary evaporator 1508 and supplies the
pressurized
flow of refrigerant 1524 to primary condenser 1510.
Fan 1522 may include any suitable components operable to draw inlet air 1526
into dehumidification unit 1502 and through secondary evaporator 1512, primary
evaporator 1508, and secondary condenser 1514. Fan 1522 may be any type of air
.. mover (e.g., axial fan, forward inclined impeller, and backward inclined
impeller, etc.).
For example, fan 1522 may be a backward inclined impeller positioned adjacent
to
secondary condenser 1514. While fan 1522 is depicted as being located adjacent
to
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

42
secondary condenser 1514, it should be understood that fan 1522 may be located
anywhere along the airflow path of dehumidification unit 1502. For example,
fan 1522
may be positioned in the airflow path of any one of airflows 1526, 1532, 1530,
or 1528.
Moreover, dehumidification unit 1502 may include one or more additional fans
positioned within any one or more of these airflow paths.
Primary metering device 1518 and secondary metering device 1520 are any
appropriate type of metering/expansion device. In some embodiments, primary
metering device 1518 is a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) and secondary
metering
device 1520 is a fixed orifice device (or vice versa). In certain embodiments,
metering
devices 1518 and 1520 remove pressure from flow of refrigerant 1524 to allow
expansion or change of state from a liquid to a vapor in evaporators 1512 and
1508.
The high-pressure liquid (or mostly liquid) refrigerant 1524 entering metering
devices
1518 and 1520 is at a higher temperature than the liquid refrigerant 1524
leaving
metering devices 1518 and 1520. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1524
entering
primary metering device 1518 is 340psig/80 F/0% vapor, flow of refrigerant
1524 may
be 196psig/68 F/5% vapor as it leaves primary metering device 1518. As another
example, if flow of refrigerant 1524 entering secondary metering device 1520
is
196psig/68 F/4% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1524 may be 128psig/44 F/14% vapor
as
it leaves secondary metering device 1520.
Refrigerant 1524 may be any suitable refrigerant such as R410a. In general,
dehumidification system 1500 utilizes a closed refrigeration loop of
refrigerant 1524
that passes from compressor 1516 through primary condenser 1510, primary
metering
device 1518, secondary evaporator 1512, secondary condenser 1514, secondary
metering device 1520, and primary evaporator 1508. Compressor 1516 pressurizes
flow
of refrigerant 1524, thereby increasing the temperature of refrigerant 1524.
Primary
condenser 1510, which may include any suitable water-cooled heat exchanger,
cools
the pressurized flow of refrigerant 1524 by facilitating heat transfer from
the flow of
refrigerant 1524 to the flow of fluid provided by the external source 1506
passing
through it (i.e., flow of fluid 1534). Secondary condenser, which may include
any
suitable air-cooled heat exchanger, cools the pressurized flow of refrigerant
1524 by
facilitating heat transfer from the flow of refrigerant 1524 to the respective
airflow
passing through it (i.e., second airflow 1530).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

43
The cooled flow of refrigerant 1524 leaving primary and secondary condensers
1510 and 1514 may enter a respective expansion device (i.e., primary metering
device
1518 and secondary metering device 1520) that is operable to reduce the
pressure of
flow of refrigerant 1524, thereby reducing the temperature of flow of
refrigerant 1524.
Primary and secondary evaporators 1508 and 1512, which may include any
suitable
heat exchanger, receive flow of refrigerant 1524 from secondary metering
device 1520
and primary metering device 1518, respectively. Primary and secondary
evaporators
1508 and 1512 facilitate the transfer of heat from the respective airflows
passing
through them (i.e., inlet air 1526 and first airflow 1532) to flow of
refrigerant 1524.
Flow of refrigerant 1524, after leaving primary evaporator 1508, passes back
to
compressor 1516, and the cycle is repeated.
In certain embodiments, the above-described refrigeration loop may be
configured such that evaporators 1508 and 1512 operate in a flooded state. In
other
words, flow of refrigerant 1524 may enter evaporators 1508 and 1512 in a
liquid state,
and a portion of flow of refrigerant 1524 may still be in a liquid state as it
exits
evaporators 1508 and 1512. Accordingly, the phase change of flow of
refrigerant 1524
(liquid to vapor as heat is transferred to flow of refrigerant 1524) occurs
across
evaporators 1508 and 1512, resulting in nearly constant pressure and
temperature across
the entire evaporators 1508 and 1512 (and, as a result, increased cooling
capacity).
In operation of example embodiments of dehumidification system 1500, inlet
air 1526 may be drawn into dehumidification unit 1502 by fan 1522. Inlet air
1526
passes though secondary evaporator 1512 in which heat is transferred from
inlet air
1526 the cool flow of refrigerant 1524 passing through secondary evaporator
1512. As
a result, inlet air 1526 may be cooled. As an example, if inlet air 1526 is 80
F/60%
humidity, secondary evaporator 1512 may output first airflow 1532 at 70 F/84%
humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 1524 to partially vaporize within
secondary evaporator 1512. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1524 entering
secondary
evaporator 1512 is 196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1524 may be
196psig/68 F/38% vapor as it leaves secondary evaporator 1512.
The cooled inlet air 1526 leaves secondary evaporator 1512 as first airflow
1532
and enters primary evaporator 1508. Like secondary evaporator 1512, primary
evaporator 1508 transfers heat from first airflow 1532 to the cool flow of
refrigerant
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

44
1524 passing through primary evaporator 1508. As a result, first airflow 1532
may be
cooled to or below its dew point temperature, causing moisture in first
airflow 1532 to
condense (thereby reducing the absolute humidity of first airflow 1532). As an
example,
if first airflow 1532 is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 1508 may
output
second airflow 1530 at 54 F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant
1524
to partially or completely vaporize within primary evaporator 1508. For
example, if
flow of refrigerant 1524 entering primary evaporator 1508 is 128psig/44 F/14%
vapor,
flow of refrigerant 1524 may be 128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary
evaporator 1508.
The cooled first airflow 1532 leaves primary evaporator 1508 as second airflow
1530 and enters secondary condenser 1514. Secondary condenser 1514 facilitates
heat
transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 1524 passing through the secondary
condenser
1514 to second airflow 1530. This reheats second airflow 1530, thereby
decreasing the
relative humidity of second airflow 1530. As an example, if second airflow
1530 is 54
F/98% humidity, secondary condenser 1514 may output dehumidified airflow 1528
at
65 F/68% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 1524 to partially or
completely
condense within secondary condenser 1514. For example, if flow of refrigerant
1524
entering secondary condenser 1514 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of
refrigerant
1524 may be 196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 1514.
Some embodiments of dehumidification system 1500 may include a controller
that may include one or more computer systems at one or more locations. Each
computer system may include any appropriate input devices (such as a keypad,
touch
screen, mouse, or other device that can accept information), output devices,
mass
storage media, or other suitable components for receiving, processing,
storing, and
communicating data. Both the input devices and output devices may include
fixed or
removable storage media such as a magnetic computer disk, CD-ROM, or other
suitable
media to both receive input from and provide output to a user. Each computer
system
may include a personal computer, workstation, network computer, kiosk,
wireless data
port, personal data assistant (PDA), one or more processors within these or
other
devices, or any other suitable processing device. In short, the controller may
include
any suitable combination of software, firmware, and hardware.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

45
The controller may additionally include one or more processing modules. Each
processing module may each include one or more microprocessors, controllers,
or any
other suitable computing devices or resources and may work, either alone or
with other
components of dehumidification system 1500, to provide a portion or all of the
functionality described herein. The controller may additionally include (or be
communicatively coupled to via wireless or wireline communication) computer
memory. The memory may include any memory or database module and may take the
form of volatile or non-volatile memory, including, without limitation,
magnetic media,
optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable
media, or any other suitable local or remote memory component.
Although particular implementations of dehumidification system 1500 are
illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates any
suitable
implementation of dehumidification system 1500, according to particular needs.
Moreover, although various components of dehumidification system 1500 have
been
depicted as being located at particular positions and relative to one another,
the present
disclosure contemplates those components being positioned at any suitable
location,
according to particular needs.
FIGS. 16A, 16B, 16C, and 16D illustrate an example dehumidification system
1600 with a modulating valve 1602 that may be used in accordance with split
dehumidification system 600 of FIGS. 6A ¨ 6B to reduce humidity of an airflow.
Dehumidification system 1600 includes the modulating valve 1602, a primary
evaporator 1604, a primary condenser 1606, a secondary evaporator 1608, a
secondary
condenser 1610, a compressor 1612, a primary metering device 1614, a secondary
metering device 1616, a fan 1618, and an alternate condenser 1620. In some
embodiments, dehumidification system 1600 may additionally include an optional
sub-
cooling coil 1622. As illustrated in FIGS. 16A ¨ 16B, the alternate condenser
1620 may
be disposed in an external condenser unit 1624. With reference to FIG. 16A,
the
optional sub-cooling coil 1622 may be disposed in the external condenser unit
1624
with the alternate condenser 1620, wherein the sub-cooling coil 1622 and the
alternate
condenser 1620 may be combined into a single coil. With reference to FIG. 16B,
the
optional sub-cooling coil 1622 may be disposed adjacent to the primary
condenser
1606, wherein sub-cooling coil 1620 and primary condenser 1606 may be combined
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

46
into a single coil. FIGS. 16C ¨ 16D illustrate an embodiment of
dehumidification
system 1600 wherein both optional sub-cooling coil 1622 and alternate
condenser 1620
are not in the external condenser unit 1624 and where alternate condenser 1620
is
liquid-cooled.
With reference to each of FIGS. 16A-16D, a flow of refrigerant 1626 is
circulated through dehumidification system 1600 as illustrated. In general,
dehumidification system 1600 receives inlet airflow 1628, removes water from
inlet
airflow 1628, and discharges dehumidified air 1630. Water is removed from
inlet air
1628 using a refrigeration cycle of flow of refrigerant 1626. By including
secondary
evaporator 1608 and secondary condenser 1610, however, dehumidification system
1600 causes at least part of the flow of refrigerant 1626 to evaporate and
condense twice
in a single refrigeration cycle. This increases the refrigeration capacity
over typical
systems without adding any additional power to the compressor, thereby
increasing the
overall dehumidification efficiency of the system.
In general, dehumidification system 1600 attempts to match the saturating
temperature of secondary evaporator 1608 to the saturating temperature of
secondary
condenser 1610. The saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 1608 and
secondary condenser 1610 generally is controlled according to the equation:
(temperature of inlet air 1628 + temperature of a second airflow 1632) / 2. As
the
saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 1608 is lower than inlet air
1628,
evaporation happens in secondary evaporator 1608. As the saturating
temperature of
secondary condenser 1610 is higher than second airflow 1632, condensation
happens
in the secondary condenser 1610. The amount of refrigerant 1626 evaporating in
secondary evaporator 1608 is substantially equal to that condensing in
secondary
condenser 1610.
Primary evaporator 1604 receives flow of refrigerant 1626 from secondary
metering device 1616 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1626 to compressor 1612.
Primary
evaporator 1604 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro channel, etc.).
Primary
evaporator 1604 receives a first airflow 1634 from secondary evaporator 1608
and
outputs second airflow 1632 to secondary condenser 1610. Second airflow 1632,
in
general, is at a cooler temperature than first airflow 1634. To cool incoming
first airflow
1634, primary evaporator 1604 transfers heat from first airflow 1634 to flow
of
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

47
refrigerant 1626, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 1626 to evaporate at
least partially
from liquid to gas. This transfer of heat from first airflow 1634 to flow of
refrigerant
1626 also removes water from first airflow 1634.
Secondary condenser 1610 receives flow of refrigerant 1626 from secondary
evaporator 1608 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1626 to secondary metering
device
1616. Secondary condenser 1610 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel,
etc.). Secondary condenser 1610 receives second airflow 1632 from primary
evaporator
1604 and outputs a third airflow 1636. Third airflow 1636 is, in general,
warmer and
drier (i.e., the dew point will be the same but relative humidity will be
lower) than
second airflow 1632. Secondary condenser 1610 generates third airflow 1632 by
transferring heat from flow of refrigerant 1626 to second airflow 1632,
thereby causing
flow of refrigerant 1626 to condense at least partially from gas to liquid.
Primary condenser 1606 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro channel,
etc.). Primary condenser 1606 is operable to receive flow of refrigerant 1626
from
.. modulating valve 1602 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1626 to either
primary metering
device 1614 or sub-cooling coil 1622. As shown in FIG. 16A, primary condenser
1606
outputs flow of refrigerant 1626 to primary metering device 1614. In these
embodiments, primary condenser 1606 receives third airflow 1636 and outputs
dehumidified air 1630. But with reference to FIGS. 16B - 16D, primary
condenser 1606
outputs flow of refrigerant 1626 to the optional sub-cooling coil 1622 before
the flow
of refrigerant 1626 flows to primary metering device 1614. In these
embodiments,
primary condenser 1606 receives a fourth airflow 1638 generated by the sub-
cooling
col 1622 and outputs dehumidified air 1630. With reference to each of FIGS.
16A ¨
16D, dehumidified air 1630 is, in general, warmer and drier (i.e., have a
lower relative
humidity) than either third airflow 1636 or fourth airflow 1638. Primary
condenser
1606 generates dehumidified air 1630 by transferring heat away from flow of
refrigerant 1626, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 1626 to condense at
least partially
from gas to liquid. In some embodiments, primary condenser 1606 completely
condenses flow of refrigerant 1626 to a liquid (i.e., 100% liquid). In other
embodiments,
primary condenser 1606 partially condenses flow of refrigerant 1626 to a
liquid (i.e.,
less than 100% liquid.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

48
Secondary evaporator 1608 receives flow of refrigerant 1626 from primary
metering device 1614 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1626 to secondary
condenser
1610. Secondary evaporator 1608 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel,
etc.). Secondary evaporator 1608 receives inlet air 1628 and outputs first
airflow 1634
to primary evaporator 1604. First airflow 1634, in general, is at a cooler
temperature
than inlet air 1628. To cool incoming inlet air 1628, secondary evaporator
1608
transfers heat from inlet air 1608 to flow of refrigerant 1626, thereby
causing flow of
refrigerant 1626 to evaporate at least partially from liquid to gas.
Sub-cooling coil 1622, which is an optional component of dehumidification
system 1600, sub-cools the liquid refrigerant 1626 as it leaves the primary
condenser
1606, the alternate condenser 1620, or combinations thereof. In embodiments
wherein
the sub-cooling coil 1622 is disposed within the external condenser unit 1624,
the sub-
cooling coil 1622 may receive refrigerant 1626 as it leaves the alternate
condenser 1620,
as seen in FIG. 16A. In embodiments wherein the sub-cooling coil 1622 is
disposed
adjacent to the primary condenser 1606, the sub-cooling coil 1622 may receive
refrigerant 1626 as it leaves the primary condenser 1606 and/or the alternate
condenser
1620, as seen in FIGS. 16B ¨ 16D. With reference to each of FIGS. 16A ¨ 16D,
this, in
turn, supplies primary metering device 1614 with a liquid refrigerant that is
up to 30
degrees (or more) cooler than before it enters sub-cooling coil 1622. For
example, if
flow of refrigerant 1626 entering sub-cooling coil 1622 is 340psig/105 F/60%
vapor,
flow of refrigerant 1626 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor as it leaves sub-cooling
coil
1622. The sub-cooled refrigerant 1626 has a greater heat enthalpy factor as
well as a
greater density, which results in reduced cycle times and frequency of the
evaporation
cycle of flow of refrigerant 1626. This results in greater efficiency and less
energy use
of dehumidification system 1600.
Compressor 1612 pressurizes flow of refrigerant 1626, thereby increasing the
temperature of refrigerant 1626. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1626
entering
compressor 1612 is 128psig/52 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1626 may be
340psig/150 F/100% vapor as it leaves compressor 1612. Compressor 1612
receives
flow of refrigerant 1626 from primary evaporator 1604 and supplies the
pressurized
flow of refrigerant 1626 to modulating valve 1602.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

49
Modulating valve 1602 is operable to receive the pressurized flow of
refrigerant
1626 from compressor 1612 and to direct the flow of refrigerant to primary
condenser
1606, to alternate condenser 1620, or to both. In embodiments, the modulating
valve
1602 may operate based, at least in part, on a pre-determined temperature set
point for
the dehumidified airflow 1630 and on an actual temperature of the dehumidified
airflow
1630 output by dehumidification system 1600. Dehumidification system 1600 may
utilize modulating valve 1602 to direct heat to be rejected from the flow of
refrigerant
1626 away from the primary condenser 1606 and towards the alternate condenser
1620.
Depending on a feedback loop comprising of the pre-determined temperature set
point
and the actual temperature of the dehumidified airflow 1630, modulating valve
1602
may be configured to partially open and/or close to direct at least a portion
of the flow
of refrigerant 1626 to the alternate condenser 1620 and direct a remaining
portion of
the flow of refrigerant 1626 to the primary condenser 1606.
During operation of dehumidification system 1600, the modulating valve 1602
may direct the flow of refrigerant 1626 to primary condenser 1606 if the
temperature
of the dehumidified airflow 1630 output by the primary condenser 1606 does not
exceed
the pre-determined temperature set point monitored by the dehumidification
system
1600. If the temperature of the dehumidified airflow 1630 is greater than the
pre-
determined temperature set point, the modulating valve 1602 may be actuated to
direct
at least a portion of the flow of refrigerant 1626 to the alternate condenser
1620 and
direct a remaining portion of the flow of refrigerant to the primary condenser
1606. As
the dehumidification system 1600 operates, reduction in the volume of flow of
refrigerant 1626 to primary condenser 1606 may reduce the available heat to be
rejected
into the dehumidified airflow 1630. With the reduced flow of refrigerant 1626
passing
through primary condenser 1606 (for example, the remaining portion of the flow
of
refrigerant), the rate of heat transfer to the dehumidified airflow 1630 may
subsequently
be reduced, thereby producing a reduction in the temperature change of an
incoming
airflow and the output dehumidified airflow 1630. Once the temperature of the
dehumidified airflow 1630 is lower than the pre-determined temperature set
point, the
modulating valve 1602 may be actuated to direct the at least a portion of the
flow of
refrigerant 1626 back to the primary condenser 1606. Any remaining refrigerant
1626
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

50
that had been directed to alternate condenser 1620 may combine with the flow
of
refrigerant 1626 further downstream.
With reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B, alternate condenser 1620 may be
disposed in the external condenser unit 1624 and may be any type of coil
(e.g., fin tube,
micro channel, etc.) operable to receive flow of refrigerant 1626 from
modulating valve
1602 and output flow of refrigerant 1626 at a lower temperature. Alternate
condenser
1620 transfers heat from flow of refrigerant 1626, thereby causing flow of
refrigerant
1626 to condense at least partially from gas to liquid. In some embodiments,
alternate
condenser 1620 completely condenses flow of refrigerant 1626 to a liquid
(i.e., 100%
.. liquid). In other embodiments, alternate condenser 1620 partially condenses
flow of
refrigerant 1626 to a liquid (i.e., less than 100% liquid). As seen in FIG.
16A, the flow
of refrigerant 1626 may be output to sub-cooling coil 1622 disposed adjacent
to
alternate condenser 1620 within the external condenser unit 1624. Alternate
condenser
1620 and sub-cooling coil 1622 may receive a first outdoor airflow 1640 and
output a
.. second outdoor airflow 1642. Second outdoor airflow 1642 is, in general,
warmer (i.e.,
have a lower relative humidity) than first outdoor airflow 1640. In other
embodiments,
as shown in FIG. 16B, the first outdoor airflow 1640 may be received by the
alternate
condenser 1620 without previously flowing through sub-cooling coil 1622. In
FIG.
16B, the external condenser unit 1624 may include the alternate condenser 1620
and a
fan 1644 and may not include the sub-cooling coil 1622, wherein fan 1644 may
be
configured to facilitate flow of first outdoor airflow 1640 towards alternate
condenser
1620.
With refence now to FIGS. 16C ¨ 16D, alternate condenser 1620 may be any
type of liquid-cooled heat exchanger operable to transfer heat from the flow
of
refrigerant 1626 to the flow of a fluid 1646, wherein the alternate condenser
1620
receives flow of refrigerant 1626 from modulating valve 1602 and outputs flow
of
refrigerant 1626 to sub-cooling coil 1622. In embodiments, the fluid 1646 may
be any
suitable fluid, such as water or a mixture of water and glycol. Alternate
condenser 1620
receives both the flow of fluid 1646 and the flow of refrigerant 1626 during
operation
of dehumidification system 1600, wherein the alternate condenser 1620 is
operable to
transfer heat from the flow of refrigerant 1626, thereby causing flow of
refrigerant 1626
to condense at least partially from gas to liquid. In some embodiments,
alternate
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

51
condenser 1620 completely condenses flow of refrigerant 1626 to a liquid
(i.e., 100%
liquid). In other embodiments, alternate condenser 1620 partially condenses
flow of
refrigerant 1626 to a liquid (i.e., less than 100% liquid).
As illustrated in FIGS. 16C ¨ 16D, the dehumidification system 1600 may
further comprise a first water pump 1648. The first water pump 1648 may be
disposed
external to the alternate condenser 1620. The first water pump may be any
suitable
device operable to provide for the flow of fluid 1646. As depicted in FIG.
16C, the first
water pump 1648 may be disposed at any suitable location between the alternate
condenser 1620 and a heat exchanger 1654 operable to cycle the flow of fluid
1646
between the heat exchanger 1654 and the alternate condenser 1620. As depicted
in FIG.
16D, the first water pump 1648 may be disposed at any suitable location
between the
alternate condenser 1620 and an external source 1652 operable to cycle the
flow of fluid
1646 between the external source 1652 and the alternate condenser 1620.
With reference to FIG. 16C, heat exchanger 1654 may receive the flow of fluid
1646 from alternate condenser 1620 and output flow of fluid 1646 after
transferring
heat away from the flow of fluid 1646. Heat exchanger 1654 may be any suitable
type
of heat exchanger, such as a cooling tower or a dry cooler. Heat exchanger
1654
receives the flow of fluid 1646 and a first outdoor airflow 1656, wherein heat
is
transferred between the flow of fluid 1646 and the first outdoor airflow 1656.
Heat
exchanger 1654 may further output the flow of fluid 1646 and a second outdoor
airflow
1658, wherein the flow of fluid 1646 leaving the heat exchanger 1654 is at a
lower
temperature than the flow of fluid 1646 received by the heat exchanger 1654,
and the
second outdoor airflow 1658 is at a greater temperature than the first outdoor
airflow
1654.
In embodiments wherein the heat exchanger 1654 is a cooling tower, the heat
exchanger 1654 may be operable to dispense the flow of fluid 1646 within its
internal
structure, wherein the fluid 1646 directly contacts the first outdoor airflow
1656 as the
fluid 1646 flows through the heat exchanger 1654 and transfers heat to the
first outdoor
airflow 1656. At least a portion of the fluid 1646 may evaporate and exit to
the
atmosphere as the heat transfers from the fluid 1646 to the first outdoor
airflow 1656,
and the heat exchanger 1654 may collect a remaining portion of the fluid 1646
after
transferring heat to the first outdoor airflow 1656, wherein the remaining
portion of the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

52
fluid 1646 is at a lower temperature. In embodiments wherein the heat
exchanger 1654
is a dry cooler, the heat exchanger 1654 may be operable to induce the first
outdoor
airflow 1656 to flow through the heat exchanger 1654 where heat transfers
indirectly
between the first outdoor airflow 1656 and the flow of fluid 1646. In these
embodiments, heat transfer would not result in loss of a portion of the fluid
1646
through evaporation to the atmosphere.
With reference to FIG. 16D, external source 1652 may receive the flow of fluid
1646 and output flow of fluid 1646 to the alternate condenser 1620 via first
water pump
1648. External source 1652 may be configured to contain and/or store a volume
of fluid
1646 to be used by alternate condenser 1620 to lower the temperature of the
flow of
refrigerant 1626 in the dehumidification system 1600. Without limitations, the
external
source 1652 may be selected from a group consisting of a ground reservoir, a
natatorium, an outdoor body of water, and any combinations thereof. In
embodiments
wherein the external source 1652 is a ground reservoir, the external source
1652 may
implement an open or closed ground water system, wherein the conduit providing
for
the flow of fluid 1646 within the ground reservoir may be disposed
substantially parallel
to a horizontal plane of the ground surface, substantially perpendicular to
the horizontal
plane of the ground surface, or combinations thereof.
In embodiments wherein the external source 1652 is a natatorium, the external
source 1652 may be within a multi-loop system operable to contain and cool the
flow
of fluid 1646 before the alternate condenser 1620 uses the flow of fluid 1646
to lower
the temperature of the flow of refrigerant 1626. The external source 1652 may
be
configured to receive the flow of fluid 1646 from alternate condenser 1620 at
a first
temperature and output flow of fluid 1646 to alternate condenser 1620 at a
second
temperature after transferring heat away from the flow of fluid 1646, wherein
the
second temperature is lower than the first temperature. External source 1652
receives
the flow of fluid 1646 and may receive a flow of a secondary fluid (not
shown), wherein
heat is transferred between the flow of fluid 1646 and the flow of secondary
fluid.
External source 1652 may then output the flow of fluid 1646 and the flow of
secondary
fluid, wherein the flow of fluid 1646 leaving the external source 1652 is at a
lower
temperature than the flow of fluid 1646 received by the external source 1652,
and
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

53
wherein the flow of secondary fluid leaving the external source 1652 is at a
greater
temperature than the flow of secondary fluid received by the external source
1652.
The flow of secondary fluid may then be directed to a tertiary condenser (not
shown). The tertiary condenser receives the flow of secondary fluid from
external
source 1652 and outputs flow of secondary fluid back to the external source
1652 at a
lower temperature. The tertiary condenser may be any type of air-cooled or
liquid-
cooled heat exchanger operable to transfer heat away from the flow of
secondary fluid.
In embodiments, a second pump (not shown) may be at any suitable position in
relation
to the external source 1652 and the tertiary condenser operable to cycle the
flow of
.. secondary fluid between the external source 1652 and the tertiary
condenser, wheren
the second pump may be any suitable device operable to provide for the flow of
secondary fluid.
Referring back to each of FIGS. 16A ¨ 16D, fan 1618 may include any suitable
components operable to draw inlet air 1628 into dehumidification system 1600
and
through secondary evaporator 1608, primary evaporator 1604, secondary
condenser
1610, sub-cooling coil 1622, and primary condenser 1606. Fan 1618 may be any
type
of air mover (e.g., axial fan, forward inclined impeller, and backward
inclined impeller,
etc.). For example, fan 1618 may be a backward inclined impeller positioned
adjacent
to primary condenser 1606 as illustrated in FIGS. 16A ¨ 16D. While fan 1618 is
depicted in FIGS. 16A ¨ 16D as being located adjacent to primary condenser
1606, it
should be understood that fan 1618 may be located anywhere along the airflow
path of
dehumidification system 1600. For example, fan 1618 may be positioned in the
airflow
path of any one of airflows 1628, 1634, 1632, 1636, 1638, or 1630. Moreover,
dehumidification system 1600 may include one or more additional fans
positioned
within any one or more of these airflow paths. Similarly, with reference to
FIGS. 16A
¨ 16B, while a fan 1644 of external condenser unit 1624 is depicted as being
located
above alternate condenser 1620, it should be understood that fan 1644 may be
located
anywhere (e.g., above, below, beside) with respect to alternate condenser 1620
and
optional sub-cooling coil 1622, so long as fan 1644 is appropriately
positioned and
configured to facilitate flow of first outdoor airflow 1640 towards alternate
condenser
1620.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

54
Primary metering device 1614 and secondary metering device 1616 are any
appropriate type of metering/expansion device. In some embodiments, primary
metering device 1614 is a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) and secondary
metering
device 1616 is a fixed orifice device (or vice versa). In certain embodiments,
metering
devices 1614 and 1616 remove pressure from flow of refrigerant 1626 to allow
expansion or change of state from a liquid to a vapor in evaporators 1604 and
1608.
The high-pressure liquid (or mostly liquid) refrigerant entering metering
devices 1614
and 1616 is at a higher temperature than the liquid refrigerant 1626 leaving
metering
devices 1614 and 1616. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1626 entering
primary
metering device 1614 is 340psig/80 F/0% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1626 may be
196psig/68 F/5% vapor as it leaves primary metering device 1614. As another
example,
if flow of refrigerant 1626 entering secondary metering device 1616 is
196psig/68 F/4% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1626 may be 128psig/44 F/14% vapor
as
it leaves secondary metering device 1616.
Refrigerant 1626 may be any suitable refrigerant such as R410a. In general,
dehumidification system 1600 utilizes a closed refrigeration loop of
refrigerant 1626
that passes from compressor 1612 through modulating valve 1602, primary
condenser
1612 and/or alternate condenser 1620, (optionally) sub-cooling coil 1622,
primary
metering device 1614, secondary evaporator 1608, secondary condenser 1610,
secondary metering device 1616, and primary evaporator 1604. Compressor 1612
pressurizes flow of refrigerant 1626, thereby increasing the temperature of
refrigerant
1626. Primary and secondary condensers 1606 and 1610, which may include any
suitable heat exchangers, cool the pressurized flow of refrigerant 1626 by
facilitating
heat transfer from the flow of refrigerant 1626 to the respective airflows
passing
through them (i.e., third or fourth airflow 1636, 1638 and second airflow
1632). Further,
alternate condenser 1620, which may include any suitable heat exchanger, cools
the
pressurized flow of refrigerant 1626 by facilitating heat transfer from the
flow of
refrigerant 1626 to either the airflow passing through it (i.e., first outdoor
airflow 1640
as illustrated in FIGS. 16A ¨ 16B) or to the flow of fluid provided by the
external source
1652 passing through it (i.e., flow of fluid 1646 as illustrated in FIGS. 16C
¨ 16D). The
cooled flow of refrigerant 1626 leaving primary and/or alternate condensers
1606 and
1620 may enter primary metering device 1614, which is operable to reduce the
pressure
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

55
of flow of refrigerant 1626, thereby reducing the temperature of flow of
refrigerant
1626. The cooled flow of refrigerant 1626 leaving secondary condenser 1610 may
enter
secondary metering device 1616, which is operable to reduce the pressure of
flow of
refrigerant 1626, thereby reducing the temperature of flow of refrigerant
1626. Primary
and secondary evaporators 1604 and 1608, which may include any suitable heat
exchanger, receive flow of refrigerant 1626 from secondary metering device
1616 and
primary metering device 1614, respectively. Primary and secondary evaporators
1604
and 1608 facilitate the transfer of heat from the respective airflows passing
through
them (i.e., inlet air 1628 and first airflow 1634) to flow of refrigerant
1626. Flow of
refrigerant 1626, after leaving primary evaporator 1604, passes back to
compressor
1612, and the cycle is repeated.
In certain embodiments, the above-described refrigeration loop may be
configured such that evaporators 1604 and 1608 operate in a flooded state. In
other
words, flow of refrigerant 1626 may enter evaporators 1604 and 1608 in a
liquid state,
and a portion of flow of refrigerant 1626 may still be in a liquid state as it
exits
evaporators 1604 and 1608. Accordingly, the phase change of flow of
refrigerant 1626
(liquid to vapor as heat is transferred to flow of refrigerant 1626) occurs
across
evaporators 1604 and 1608, resulting in nearly constant pressure and
temperature across
the entire evaporators 1604 and 1608 (and, as a result, increased cooling
capacity).
In operation of example embodiments of dehumidification system 1600, inlet
air 1628 may be drawn into dehumidification system 1600 by fan 1618. Inlet air
1628
passes though secondary evaporator 1608 in which heat is transferred from
inlet air
1628 to the cool flow of refrigerant 1626 passing through secondary evaporator
1608.
As a result, inlet air 1628 may be cooled. As an example, if inlet air 1628 is
80 F/60%
humidity, secondary evaporator 1608 may output first airflow 1634 at 70 F/84%
humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 1626 to partially vaporize within
secondary evaporator 1608. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1626 entering
secondary
evaporator 1608 is 196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1626 may be
196psig/68 F/38% vapor as it leaves secondary evaporator 1608.
The cooled inlet air 1628 leaves secondary evaporator 1608 as first airflow
1634
and enters primary evaporator 1604. Like secondary evaporator 1608, primary
evaporator 1604 transfers heat from first airflow 1634 to the cool flow of
refrigerant
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

56
1626 passing through primary evaporator 1604. As a result, first airflow 1634
may be
cooled to or below its dew point temperature, causing moisture in first
airflow 1634 to
condense (thereby reducing the absolute humidity of first airflow 1634). As an
example,
if first airflow 1634 is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 1604 may
output
second airflow 1632 at 54 F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant
1626
to partially or completely vaporize within primary evaporator 1604. For
example, if
flow of refrigerant 1626 entering primary evaporator 1604 is 128psig/44 F/14%
vapor,
flow of refrigerant 1626 may be 128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary
evaporator 1604.
The cooled first airflow 1634 leaves primary evaporator 1604 as second airflow
1632 and enters secondary condenser 1610. Secondary condenser 1610 facilitates
heat
transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 1626 passing through the secondary
condenser
1610 to second airflow 1632. This reheats second airflow 1632, thereby
decreasing the
relative humidity of second airflow 1632. As an example, if second airflow
1632 is 54
F/98% humidity, secondary condenser 1610 may output third airflow 1636 at 65
F/68% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 1626 to partially or
completely
condense within secondary condenser 1610. For example, if flow of refrigerant
1626
entering secondary condenser 1610 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of
refrigerant
1626 may be 196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 1610.
In some embodiments, the dehumidified second airflow 1632 leaves secondary
condenser 1610 as third airflow 1636 and enters primary condenser 1606, as
illustrated
in FIG. 16A. Primary condenser 1606 facilitates heat transfer from the hot
flow of
refrigerant 1626 passing through the primary condenser 1606 to third airflow
1636.
This further heats third airflow 1636, thereby further decreasing the relative
humidity
of third airflow 1636. As an example, if third airflow 1636 is 65 F/68%
humidity,
primary condenser 1606 may output dehumidified air 1630 at 102 F/19%
humidity.
This may cause flow of refrigerant 1626 to partially or completely condense
within
primary condenser 1606. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1626 entering
primary
condenser 1606 is 340psig/150 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1626 may be
.. 340psig/105 F/60% vapor as it leaves primary condenser 1606.
As described above, some embodiments of dehumidification system 1600 may
include a sub-cooling coil 1622 in the airflow between secondary condenser
1610 and
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

57
primary condenser 1606, as best seen in FIGS. 16B ¨ 16D. Sub-cooling coil 1622
facilitates heat transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 1626 passing
through sub-
cooling coil 1622 to third airflow 1636. This further heats third airflow
1636, thereby
further decreasing the relative humidity of third airflow 1636. As an example,
if third
airflow 1636 is 65 F/68% humidity, sub-cooling coil 1622 may output fourth
airflow
1638 at 81 F/37% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 1626 to
partially or
completely condense within sub-cooling coil 1622. For example, if flow of
refrigerant
1626 entering sub-cooling coil 1622 is 340psig/150 F/60% vapor, flow of
refrigerant
1626 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor as it leaves sub-cooling coil 1622. In these
embodiments, the fourth airflow 1638 may then undergo heat transfer in primary
condenser 1606 to produce dehumidified airflow 1630.
Some embodiments of dehumidification system 1600 may include a controller
that may include one or more computer systems at one or more locations. Each
computer system may include any appropriate input devices (such as a keypad,
touch
screen, mouse, or other device that can accept information), output devices,
mass
storage media, or other suitable components for receiving, processing,
storing, and
communicating data. Both the input devices and output devices may include
fixed or
removable storage media such as a magnetic computer disk, CD-ROM, or other
suitable
media to both receive input from and provide output to a user. Each computer
system
may include a personal computer, workstation, network computer, kiosk,
wireless data
port, personal data assistant (PDA), one or more processors within these or
other
devices, or any other suitable processing device. In short, the controller may
include
any suitable combination of software, firmware, and hardware.
The controller may additionally include one or more processing modules. Each
processing module may each include one or more microprocessors, controllers,
or any
other suitable computing devices or resources and may work, either alone or
with other
components of dehumidification system 1600, to provide a portion or all of the
functionality described herein. The controller may additionally include (or be
communicatively coupled to via wireless or wireline communication) computer
memory. The memory may include any memory or database module and may take the
form of volatile or non-volatile memory, including, without limitation,
magnetic media,
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

58
optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable
media, or any other suitable local or remote memory component.
Although particular implementations of dehumidification system 1600 are
illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates any
suitable
implementation of dehumidification system 1600, according to particular needs.
Moreover, although various components of dehumidification system 1600 have
been
depicted as being located at particular positions and relative to one another,
the present
disclosure contemplates those components being positioned at any suitable
location,
according to particular needs.
Herein, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium or media may
include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs)
(such, as for
example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific ICs
(ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical discs,
optical
disc drives (ODDs), magneto-optical discs, magneto-optical drives, floppy
diskettes,
floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM-
drives,
SECURE DIGITAL cards or drives, any other suitable computer-readable non-
transitory storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these,
where
appropriate. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium may be
volatile, non-
volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate.
FIG. 17 illustrates an example dehumidification system 1700 that may be used
to reduce the humidity of air within structure 102 (referring to FIG. 1).
Dehumidification system 1700 includes a primary evaporator 1702, a primary
condenser 1704, a secondary evaporator 1706, a secondary condenser 1708, a
compressor 1710, a primary metering device 1712, a secondary metering device
1714,
and a fan 1716. In some embodiments, dehumidification system 1700 may
additionally
include a sub-cooling coil 1718. In certain embodiments, sub-cooling coil 1718
and
primary condenser 1704 are combined into a single coil. A flow of refrigerant
1720 is
circulated through dehumidification system 1700, as illustrated. In general,
dehumidification system 1700 receives inlet airflow 1722, removes water from a
first
airflow 1726, and discharges dehumidified air 1724. Water is removed from
first
airflow 1726 using a refrigeration cycle of flow of refrigerant 1720. By
including
secondary evaporator 1706 and secondary condenser 1708, however,
dehumidification
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

59
system 1700 causes at least part of the flow of refrigerant 1720 to evaporate
and
condense twice in a single refrigeration cycle. This increases the
refrigeration capacity
over typical systems without adding any additional power to the compressor
1710,
thereby increasing the overall dehumidification efficiency of the system.
In general, dehumidification system 1700 attempts to match the saturating
temperature of secondary evaporator 1706 to the saturating temperature of
secondary
condenser 1708. The saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 1706 and
secondary condenser 1708 generally is controlled according to the equation:
(temperature of inlet air 1722 + temperature of a second airflow 1728) / 2. As
the
.. saturating temperature of secondary evaporator 1706 is lower than inlet air
1722,
evaporation happens in secondary evaporator 1706. As the saturating
temperature of
secondary condenser 1708 is higher than second airflow 1728, condensation
happens
in the secondary condenser 1708. The amount of refrigerant 1720 evaporating in
secondary evaporator 1706 is substantially equal to that condensing in
secondary
condenser 1708.
Primary evaporator 1702 receives flow of refrigerant 1720 from secondary
metering device 1714 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1720 to compressor 1710.
Primary
evaporator 1702 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro channel, etc.).
Primary
evaporator 1702 receives first airflow 1726 from secondary evaporator 1706 and
outputs second airflow 1728 to secondary condenser 1708. Second airflow 1728,
in
general, is at a cooler temperature than first airflow 1726. To cool incoming
first airflow
1726, primary evaporator 1702 transfers heat from first airflow 1726 to flow
of
refrigerant 1720, thereby causing flow of refrigerant 1720 to evaporate at
least partially
from liquid to gas. This transfer of heat from first airflow 1726 to flow of
refrigerant
1720 also removes water from first airflow 1726 to be collected in a drain pan
(for
example, drain pan 1802 in FIG. 18).
Secondary condenser 1708 receives flow of refrigerant 1720 from secondary
evaporator 1706 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1720 to secondary metering
device
1714. Secondary condenser 1708 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel,
etc.). Secondary condenser 1708 receives second airflow 1728 from primary
evaporator
1702 and outputs a third airflow 1730. Third airflow 1730 is, in general,
warmer and
drier (i.e., the dew point will be the same but relative humidity will be
lower) than
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

60
second airflow 1728. Secondary condenser 1708 generates third airflow 1730 by
transferring heat from flow of refrigerant 1720 to second airflow 1728,
thereby causing
flow of refrigerant 1720 to condense at least partially from gas to liquid.
Primary condenser 1704 receives flow of refrigerant 1720 from compressor
1710 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1720 to either primary metering device
1712 or
sub-cooling coil 1718. Primary condenser 1704 may be any type of coil (e.g.,
fin tube,
micro channel, etc.). Primary condenser 1704 receives either third airflow
1730 or a
fourth airflow 1732 and outputs dehumidified air 1724. Dehumidified air 1724
is, in
general, warmer and drier (i.e., have a lower relative humidity) than third
airflow 1730
and fourth airflow 1732. Primary condenser 1704 generates dehumidified air
1724 by
transferring heat from flow of refrigerant 1720, thereby causing flow of
refrigerant 1720
to condense at least partially from gas to liquid. In some embodiments,
primary
condenser 1704 completely condenses flow of refrigerant 1720 to a liquid
(i.e., 100%
liquid). In other embodiments, primary condenser 1704 partially condenses flow
of
refrigerant 1720 to a liquid (i.e., less than 100% liquid).
Secondary evaporator 1706 receives flow of refrigerant 1720 from primary
metering device 1712 and outputs flow of refrigerant 1720 to secondary
condenser
1708. Secondary evaporator 1706 may be any type of coil (e.g., fin tube, micro
channel,
etc.). Secondary evaporator 1706 receives inlet air 1722 and outputs first
airflow 1726
.. to primary evaporator 1702. First airflow 1726, in general, is at a cooler
temperature
than inlet air 1722. To cool incoming inlet air 1722, secondary evaporator
1706
transfers heat from inlet air 1722 to flow of refrigerant 1720, thereby
causing flow of
refrigerant 1720 to evaporate at least partially from liquid to gas.
Sub-cooling coil 1718, which is an optional component of dehumidification
system 1700, sub-cools the liquid refrigerant 1720 as it leaves primary
condenser 1704.
This, in turn, supplies primary metering device 1712 with a liquid refrigerant
that is up
to 30 degrees (or more) cooler than before it enters sub-cooling coil 1718.
For example,
if flow of refrigerant 1720 entering sub-cooling coil 1718 is 340psig/105
F/60% vapor,
flow of refrigerant 1720 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor as it leaves sub-cooling
coil
1718. The sub-cooled refrigerant 1720 has a greater heat enthalpy factor as
well as a
greater density, which results in reduced cycle times and frequency of the
evaporation
cycle of flow of refrigerant 1720. This results in greater efficiency and less
energy use
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

61
of dehumidification system 1700. Embodiments of dehumidification system 1700
may
or may not include a sub-cooling coil 1718. For example, embodiments of
dehumidification system 1700 utilized as portable dehumidification system 200
(referring to FIG. 2) that have a micro-channel condenser 1704 or 1708 may
include a
sub-cooling coil 1718, while embodiments of dehumidification system 1700 that
utilize
another type of condenser 1704 or 1708 may not include a sub-cooling coil
1718. As
another example, dehumidification system 1700 utilized within a split system
such as
dehumidification system 100 (referring to FIG. 1) may not include a sub-
cooling coil
1718.
Compressor 1710 pressurizes flow of refrigerant 1720, thereby increasing the
temperature of refrigerant 1720. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1720
entering
compressor 360 is 128psig/52 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1720 may be
340psig/150 F/100% vapor as it leaves compressor 1710. Compressor 1710
receives
flow of refrigerant 1720 from primary evaporator 1702 and supplies the
pressurized
flow of refrigerant 1720 to primary condenser 1704.
Fan 1716 may include any suitable components operable to draw inlet air 1722
into dehumidification system 1700 and through secondary evaporator 1706,
primary
evaporator 1702, secondary condenser 1708, sub-cooling coil 1718, and primary
condenser 1704. Fan 1716 may be any type of air mover (e.g., axial fan,
forward
inclined impeller, and backward inclined impeller, etc.). For example, fan
1716 may be
positioned upstream of the secondary evaporator 1706 as illustrated in FIG.
17. Fan
1716 may be located to provide a positively pressurized dehumidification
system 1700.
In embodiments, positive pressure may reduce the risk of condensate overflow
as the
positive pressure may force water out of a drain pan (for example, drain pan
1802 in
FIG. 18). While fan 1716 is depicted in FIG. 17 as being located upstream of
the
secondary evaporator 1706, it should be understood that fan 1716 may be
located
anywhere along the airflow path of dehumidification system 1700. For example,
fan
1716 may be positioned in the airflow path of any one of airflows 1722, 1726,
1728,
1730, 1732, or 1724. Moreover, dehumidification system 1700 may include one or
more additional fans positioned within any one or more of these airflow paths.
Primary metering device 1712 and secondary metering device 1714 are any
appropriate type of metering/expansion device. In some embodiments, primary
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

62
metering device 1712 is a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) and secondary
metering
device 1714 is a fixed orifice device (or vice versa). In certain embodiments,
metering
devices 1712 and 1714 remove pressure from flow of refrigerant 1720 to allow
expansion or change of state from a liquid to a vapor in evaporators 1702 and
1706.
The high-pressure liquid (or mostly liquid) refrigerant entering metering
devices 1712
and 1714 is at a higher temperature than the liquid refrigerant 1720 leaving
metering
devices 1712 and 1714. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1720 entering
primary
metering device 1712 is 340psig/80 F/0% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1720 may be
196psig/68 F/5% vapor as it leaves primary metering device 1712. As another
example,
if flow of refrigerant 1720 entering secondary metering device 1714 is
196psig/68 F/4% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1720 may be 128psig/44 F/14% vapor
as
it leaves secondary metering device 1714.
Refrigerant 1720 may be any suitable refrigerant such as R410a. In general,
dehumidification system 1700 utilizes a closed refrigeration loop of
refrigerant 1720
that passes from compressor 1710 through primary condenser 1704, (optionally)
sub-
cooling coil 1718, primary metering device 1712, secondary evaporator 1706,
secondary condenser 1708, secondary metering device 1714, and primary
evaporator
1702. Compressor 1710 pressurizes flow of refrigerant 1720, thereby increasing
the
temperature of refrigerant 1720. Primary and secondary condensers 1704 and
1708,
which may include any suitable heat exchangers, cool the pressurized flow of
refrigerant 1720 by facilitating heat transfer from the flow of refrigerant
1720 to the
respective airflows passing through them (i.e., fourth airflow 1732 and second
airflow
1728). The cooled flow of refrigerant 1720 leaving primary and secondary
condensers
1704 and 1708 may enter a respective expansion device (i.e., primary metering
device
1712 and secondary metering device 1714) that is operable to reduce the
pressure of
flow of refrigerant 1720, thereby reducing the temperature of flow of
refrigerant 1720.
Primary and secondary evaporators 1702 and 1706, which may include any
suitable
heat exchanger, receive flow of refrigerant 1720 from secondary metering
device 1714
and primary metering device 1712, respectively. Primary and secondary
evaporators
1702 and 1706 facilitate the transfer of heat from the respective airflows
passing
through them (i.e., inlet air 1722 and first airflow 1726) to flow of
refrigerant 1720.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

63
Flow of refrigerant 1720, after leaving primary evaporator 1702, passes back
to
compressor 1710, and the cycle is repeated.
In certain embodiments, the above-described refrigeration loop may be
configured such that evaporators 1702 and 1706 operate in a flooded state. In
other
words, flow of refrigerant 1720 may enter evaporators 1702 and 1706 in a
liquid state,
and a portion of flow of refrigerant 1720 may still be in a liquid state as it
exits
evaporators 1702 and 1706. Accordingly, the phase change of flow of
refrigerant 1720
(liquid to vapor as heat is transferred to flow of refrigerant 1720) occurs
across
evaporators 1702 and 1706, resulting in nearly constant pressure and
temperature across
the entire evaporators 1702 and 1706 (and, as a result, increased cooling
capacity).
In operation of example embodiments of dehumidification system 1700, inlet
air 1722 may be drawn into dehumidification system 1700 by fan 1716. Inlet air
1722
passes though secondary evaporator 1706 in which heat is transferred from
inlet air
1722 to the cool flow of refrigerant 1720 passing through secondary evaporator
1706.
As a result, inlet air 1722 may be cooled. As an example, if inlet air 1722 is
80 F/60%
humidity, secondary evaporator 1706 may output first airflow 1726 at 70 F/84%
humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 1720 to partially vaporize within
secondary evaporator 1706. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1720 entering
secondary
evaporator 1706 is 196psig/68 F/5% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1720 may be
196psig/68 F/38% vapor as it leaves secondary evaporator 1706.
The cooled inlet air 1722 leaves secondary evaporator 1706 as first airflow
1726
and enters primary evaporator 1702. Like secondary evaporator 1706, primary
evaporator 1702 transfers heat from first airflow 1726 to the cool flow of
refrigerant
1720 passing through primary evaporator 1702. As a result, first airflow 1726
may be
cooled to or below its dew point temperature, causing moisture in first
airflow 1726 to
condense (thereby reducing the absolute humidity of first airflow 1726). As an
example,
if first airflow 1726 is 70 F/84% humidity, primary evaporator 1702 may
output
second airflow 1728 at 54 F/98% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant
1720
to partially or completely vaporize within primary evaporator 1702. For
example, if
flow of refrigerant 1720 entering primary evaporator 1702 is 128psig/44 F/14%
vapor,
flow of refrigerant 1720 may be 128psig/52 F/100% vapor as it leaves primary
evaporator 1702. In certain embodiments, the liquid condensate from first
airflow 1726
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

64
may be collected in a drain pan (for example, drain pan 1802 in FIG. 18).
Additionally,
the drain pan may include a condensate pump that moves collected condensate,
either
continually or at periodic intervals, out of dehumidification system 1700
(e.g., via a
drain hose) to a suitable drainage or storage location.
The cooled first airflow 1726 leaves primary evaporator 1702 as second airflow
1728 and enters secondary condenser 1708. Secondary condenser 1708 facilitates
heat
transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 1720 passing through the secondary
condenser
1708 to second airflow 1728. This reheats second airflow 1728, thereby
decreasing the
relative humidity of second airflow 1728. As an example, if second airflow
1728 is 54
F/98% humidity, secondary condenser 1708 may output third airflow 1730 at 65
F/68% humidity. This may cause flow of refrigerant 1720 to partially or
completely
condense within secondary condenser 1708. For example, if flow of refrigerant
1720
entering secondary condenser 1708 is 196psig/68 F/38% vapor, flow of
refrigerant
1720 may be 196psig/68 F/4% vapor as it leaves secondary condenser 1708.
In some embodiments, the dehumidified second airflow 1728 leaves secondary
condenser 1708 as third airflow 1730 and enters primary condenser 1704.
Primary
condenser 1704 facilitates heat transfer from the hot flow of refrigerant 1720
passing
through the primary condenser 1704 to third airflow 1730. This further heats
third
airflow 1730, thereby further decreasing the relative humidity of third
airflow 1730. As
an example, if third airflow 1730 is 65 F/68% humidity, primary condenser
1704 may
output dehumidified air 1724 at 102 F/19% humidity. This may cause flow of
refrigerant 1720 to partially or completely condense within primary condenser
1704.
For example, if flow of refrigerant 1720 entering primary condenser 1704 is
340psig/150 F/100% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1720 may be 340psig/105 F/60%
vapor
as it leaves primary condenser 1704.
As described above, some embodiments of dehumidification system 1700 may
include a sub-cooling coil 1718 in the airflow between secondary condenser
1708 and
primary condenser 1704. Sub-cooling coil 1718 facilitates heat transfer from
the hot
flow of refrigerant 1720 passing through sub-cooling coil 1718 to third
airflow 1730.
This further heats third airflow 1730, thereby further decreasing the relative
humidity
of third airflow 1730. As an example, if third airflow 1730 is 65 F/68%
humidity, sub-
cooling coil 1718 may output fourth airflow 1732 at 81 F/37% humidity. This
may
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

65
cause flow of refrigerant 1720 to partially or completely condense within sub-
cooling
coil 1718. For example, if flow of refrigerant 1720 entering sub-cooling coil
1718 is
340psig/150 F/60% vapor, flow of refrigerant 1720 may be 340psig/80 F/0% vapor
as
it leaves sub-cooling coil 1718.
Some embodiments of dehumidification system 1700 may include a controller
that may include one or more computer systems at one or more locations. Each
computer system may include any appropriate input devices (such as a keypad,
touch
screen, mouse, or other device that can accept information), output devices,
mass
storage media, or other suitable components for receiving, processing,
storing, and
communicating data. Both the input devices and output devices may include
fixed or
removable storage media such as a magnetic computer disk, CD-ROM, or other
suitable
media to both receive input from and provide output to a user. Each computer
system
may include a personal computer, workstation, network computer, kiosk,
wireless data
port, personal data assistant (PDA), one or more processors within these or
other
devices, or any other suitable processing device. In short, the controller may
include
any suitable combination of software, firmware, and hardware.
The controller may additionally include one or more processing modules. Each
processing module may each include one or more microprocessors, controllers,
or any
other suitable computing devices or resources and may work, either alone or
with other
components of dehumidification system 1700, to provide a portion or all of the
functionality described herein. The controller may additionally include (or be
communicatively coupled to via wireless or wireline communication) computer
memory. The memory may include any memory or database module and may take the
form of volatile or non-volatile memory, including, without limitation,
magnetic media,
optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable
media, or any other suitable local or remote memory component.
During operations, display lights may be actuated to produce a light
associated
with a particular button or mode of operation. The display lights may be
incorporated
into a suitable display screen or may be disposed adjacent to an associated
button. In
certain embodiments, the controller may be configured to actuate the display
lights to
turn off while the dehumidification system continues to operate. This may be
beneifical
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

66
to the surrounding environment, wherein the surrounding environment is light-
sensitive.
Although particular implementations of dehumidification system 1700 are
illustrated and primarily described, the present disclosure contemplates any
suitable
implementation of dehumidification system 1700, according to particular needs.
Moreover, although various components of dehumidification system 1700 have
been
depicted as being located at particular positions and relative to one another,
the present
disclosure contemplates those components being positioned at any suitable
location,
according to particular needs.
FIG. 18 illustrates an example base 1800 and a drain pan 1802 used by the
dehumidification system 1700 of FIG. 17. As illustrated, dehumidification
system 1700
may further comprise the base 1800, the drain pan 1802, a float switch 1804,
and a
plurality of leg sockets 1806. Each of the components of the dehumidifaction
system
1700 may be disposed on the base 1800. The base 1800 may be configured to
provide
structural support to the components of the dehumidification system 1700. The
base
1800 may be any suitable size, height, shape, and any combination thereof. In
the
illustrated embodiments, the base 1800 may generally have a rectangular shape,
but the
base 1800 is not limited to such a shape. The base 1800 may comprise any
suitable
materials, including, but not limited to, metals, nonmetals, polymers,
rubbers,
composites, ceramics, and any combination thereof. As illustrated, the the
drain pan
1802 may be disposed on the base 1800 underneath the primary evaporator 1702.
The drain pan 1802 may be configured to capture and collect water removed
from the first airflow 1726 as the first airflow 1726 interacts with the
primary
evaporator 1702. The drain pan 1802 may comprise a primary drain port 1808 and
an
overflow drain port 1810. The primary drain port 1808 may be configured to
remove
the collected water from the drain pan 1802, wherein the primary drain port
1808 may
be coupled to any suitable piping or conduit to provide for the collected
water to flow
out through the primary drain port 1808.
As illustrated, the overflow drain port 1810 may be disposed at a greater
height
than the primary drain port 1808 in the drain pan 1802. The overflow drain
port 1810
may be configured to provide for the removal of the collected water from the
drain pan
1802 when the level of the collected water in the drain pan 1802 continues to
rise above
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67
the primary drain port 1808, when there is a restriction, such as a blockage,
in the
primary drain port 1808, and any combination thereof. The implementation of
the
overflow drain port 1810 may reduce the need of a secondary drain pan. In
certain
embodiments, the overflow drain port 1810 may be coupled to any suitable
piping or
conduit to provide for the collected water to flow out through the overflow
drain port
1810. In other embodiments, the float switch 1804 may be coupled to the
overflow
drain port 1810.
The float switch 1804 may be configured to measure a height of the collected
water within the drain pan 1802. The dehumidification system 1700 may be
configured
to turn off and stop operating in response to receiving a signal from the
float switch
1804 indicating that the height of the collected water has reached a
designated value.
For example, the float switch 1804 may be actuated and produce a signal once
the height
of the collected water reaches one inch. Once the height of the collected
water is at least
one inch, a circuit is completed within the float switch 1804, and the float
switch 1804
may produce a signal. In embodiments, the dehumidification system 1700 may
receive
the produced signal and stop operations as the produced signal may be
associated with
a status of the drain pan 1802 being overflowed with the collected water
produced by
the primary evaporator 1702.
With reference back to the base 1800 of the dehumidification system 1700,
there
may be a pluraliy of leg sockets 1806 disposed throughout the base 1800. The
plurality
of leg sockets 1806 may be configured to receive a supporting structure (not
shown),
and the dehumidification system 1700 may utilize the supporting structures to
maintain
a distance or position above a ground surface. In order to maintain the
dehumidification
system 1700 parallel to the ground surface, wherein the base 1800 is
horizontal in
reference to the ground surface, each of the supporting structures may be at
least
partially inserted into separate leg sockets 1806 for a predetermined
distance. As
illustrated, each one of the plurality of leg sockets 1806 may comprise an
internal cavity
1814 and an insert 1812. Each insert 1812 may be disposed within each internal
cavity
1814, wherein each insert 1812 comprises the same dimensions. The supporting
structures may be inserted into each internal cavity 1814 so as to abut each
insert 1812
disposed within that internal cavity 1814, wherein the presence of the insert
1812 in
each internal cavity 1814 may provide for equivalent distances of inserting
the
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68
supporting structure into each internal cavity 1814. For example, if each
supporting
structure is inserted into the internal cavity 1814 with the insert 1812, the
distance of
each supporting structure partially inserted into each leg socket may be
equivalent. In
other embodiments wherein an insert 1812 is not used, there may be variances
in the
distance of each supporting structure's partial insertion. As disclosed, the
plurality of
leg sockets 1806 may be operable to maintain a minimum height above a surface
to
allow the drain pan 1802 enough height to adequately drain. As the supporting
structures are inserted into the plurality of leg sockets 1806, an end of each
of the
supporting structures may abut the insert 1812 at approximately the same
distance from
the base 1800. In embodiments, each supporting structure may have an
equivalent
height. As each end of the supporting structures abuts the inert 1814 at an
approximately
horizontal plane, the base 1800 may be offet from a ground surface by a
distance related
to the height of the supporting structures and may be parallel to the ground
surface.
FIG. 19 illustrates an example base support 1900 and a plurality of posts 1902
used by the dehumidification system 1700 of FIG. 17. As illustrated, the base
support
1900 may be disposed on the base 1800 of the dehumidification system 1700. The
base
support 1900 may be configured to receive and secure the compressor 1710
(referring
to FIG. 17). The base support 1900 may be any suitable size, height, shape,
and any
combination thereof. In the illustrated embodiments, the base support 1900 may
generally have a triangular shape, but the base support 1900 is not limited to
such a
shape. The base support 1900 may comprise any suitable materials, including,
but not
limited to, metals, nonmetals, polymers, rubbers, composites, ceramics, and
any
combination thereof. As illustrated, there may be one or more studs 1904
disposed on
the base support 1900. While the present embodiment shows the one or more
studs
1904 disposed at the corners of the base support 1900, the location of the one
or more
studs 1904 is not limited to that position. The one or more studs 1904 may be
disposed
at any suitable location on the base support 1900. The one or more studs 1904
may be
configured to provide fastening means to couple the compressor 1710 to the
base
support 1900.
The plurality of posts 1902 may be disposed on the base support 1900 as well
and may extend from the base support 1900. The plurality of posts 1902 may be
configured to improve structural stability of the compressor 1710 against
vibrations. In
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69
certain embodiments, the plurality of posts 1902 may be unifointly dispersed
along the
base support 1900. In other embodiments, the plurality of posts 1902 may be
disposed
along the base support 1900 in a pattern or at varying distances from each
other. Each
one of the plurality of posts 1902 may comprise the same dimensions. The
plurality of
posts 1902 may comprise a height that is less than the height of the one or
more studs
1904.
FIG. 20 illustrates the compressor 1710 used by the dehumidification system
1700 of FIG. 17 and coupled to the base support 1900. The compressor 1710 may
be
disposed on a base frame 2000. The base frame 2000 may be any suitable size,
height,
shape, and any combination thereof and may comprise any suitable materials.
The base
frame 2000 may be configured to couple the compressor 1710 to the base support
1900
via the one or more studs 1904. In embodiments, the base frame 2000 may
generally
have a similar shape as that of the base support 1900. For example, both the
base support
1900 and the base frame 2000 may have a triangular shape. As illustrated, the
one or
more studs 1904 may be inserted through the base frame 2000. Once the one or
more
studs 1904 have been inserted through the base frame 2000, suitable fasteners
may be
utilized to securely fasten or couple the base frame 2000 to the base support
1900. In
this embodiment, the plurality of posts 1902 may be disposed underneath the
base frame
2000. There may be a distance between each of the plurality of posts 1902 and
the base
frame 2000.
In embodiments wherein the dehumidification system 1700 is transported,
vibrations may cause the compressor 1710, while secured to the base support
1900, to
deflect from a horizontal plane with reference to the base frame 2000.
Depending on
the magnitude of the vibrations, the deflections of the compressor 1710 may
cause the
compressor 1710 to uncouple from the base support 1900, may cause damage to
other
connected components that are connected to the compressor 1710 (for example,
conduit
or piping), and any combination thereof. The plurality of posts 1902 may
mitigate these
effects from the vibrations by preventing further deflection of the base frame
2000. The
distance between the plurality of posts 1902 and the base frame 2000 may be
related to
the allowable tolerance of a deflection in the base frame 2000. For example,
as the
distance between the plurality of posts 1902 and the base frame 2000
decreases, the
angle at which the base frame 2000 may deflect from a horizontal plane may
decrease.
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70
As the base frame 2000 begins to deflect, the base frame 2000 may abut against
at least
one of the plurality of posts 1902, thereby preventing further deflection.
FIG. 21 illustrates an example insulation plate 2100 used by the
dehumidification system 1700 of FIG. 17. As illustrated, the insulation plate
2100 may
be coupled to the base 1800 of the dehumidification system 1700. The
insulation plate
2100 may be any suitable size, height, shape, and any combination thereof. The
insulation plate 2100 may comprise any suitable materials, including, but not
limited
to, metals, nonmetals, polymers, rubbers, composites, ceramics, and any
combination
thereof. The insulation plate 2100 may be vertically aligned with the drain
pan 1802.
The insulation plate 2100 may be configured to insulate ambient air underneath
the base
1800. The insulated ambient air may provide a layer of insulation for a
temperature
gradient between the base 1800 and the surrounding ambient air. Without the
layer of
insulation, heat may be transferred from the ambient air to the base 1800,
wherein this
heat transfer may release water from the ambient air onto a surface of the
base 1800.
The presence of water on the surface of the base 1800 may damage the base
1800, and
implementing the insulation plate 2100 may prevent water from being deposited
onto
the base 1800.
Herein, -or" is inclusive and not exclusive, unless expressly indicated
otherwise
or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, -A or B" means A. B, or
both,"
unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context.
Moreover,
-and" is both joint and several, unless expressly indicated otherwise or
indicated
otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, -A and B" means -A and B, jointly or
severally," unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by
context.
The scope of this disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,
variations,
alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments described or
illustrated
herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. The
scope of
this disclosure is not limited to the example embodiments described or
illustrated
herein. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates
respective
embodiments herein as including particular components, elements, feature,
functions,
operations, or steps, any of these embodiments may include any combination or
permutation of any of the components, elements, features, functions,
operations, or
steps described or illustrated anywhere herein that a person having ordinary
skill in the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

71
art would comprehend. Furthermore, reference in the appended claims to an
apparatus
or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged
to,
capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a
particular
function encompasses that apparatus, system, component, whether or not it or
that
particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that
apparatus,
system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled,
operable,
or operative. Additionally, although this disclosure describes or illustrates
particular
embodiments as providing particular advantages, particular embodiments may
provide
none, some, or all of these advantages.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-05-13

Dessin représentatif