Fedders Corporation

Srikant Ram Rao

Shailesh V Potnis

Robert L Laurent, Jr

Robert Baumann

Kevin Gurley

Phillip T McKittrick

A liquid desiccant air conditioner includes an absorption air conditioner and a liquid desiccant dehumidifier. The dehumidifier includes a liquid desiccant absorber for absorbing moisture contained in ambient air entering the dehumidifier, a boiler for boiling dilute liquid desiccant from the absorber to evaporate moisture and reconstitute the dilute liquid desiccant into concentrated liquid desiccant. A first heat exchanger receives dilute liquid desiccant from the absorber and is operative to heat the dilute liquid desiccant prior to passage to a condenser that receives steam from the boiler and sensibly heats the dilute liquid desiccant therein without direct contact with air, thereby eliminating desiccant carryover from the condenser. A second heat exchanger is operable to transfer heat from concentrated liquid desiccant received from the boiler to preheated dilute liquid desiccant received from the condenser prior to entry into the boiler. The second heat exchanger also recovers waste heat from the boiler. A pump draws concentrated liquid desiccant through the heat exchangers into the absorber. A portion of the steam from the boiler is used to regenerate refrigerant in the absorption air conditioner.

Liquid desiccant air conditioner

A liquid desiccant dehumidifier includes a liquid desiccant absorber arranged to receive concentrated liquid desiccant and absorb moisture contained in ambient air passed through the absorber thereby diluting the liquid desiccant. A first heat exchanger is operative to heat dilute liquid desiccant received from the desiccant absorber prior to passage to a boiler that evaporates moisture from the diluted liquid desiccant to create steam and reconstitute the desiccant into a concentrated liquid desiccant. Dilute liquid desiccant from the first heat exchanger first passes to a condenser that receives steam from the boiler and sensibly heats the dilute liquid desiccant to a higher second temperature without direct exposure to steam or air. A second heat exchanger communicates with the condenser, the boiler and the first heat exchanger and is operative to further heat diluted liquid desiccant received from the condenser to a higher third temperature prior to entry into the boiler by recovering waste heat from the boiler. A pump draws concentrated liquid desiccant from the boiler through the heat exchangers and passes it to the absorber.

Portable liquid desiccant dehumidifier

Energy recovery unit

A housing has a first side and a second side. A first opening is disposed in the first side. A second opening and a third opening are disposed in the second side. An enthalpy wheel has a first side facing surface and an opposite second side facing surface. The enthalpy wheel is rotatably mounted within the housing. Approximately half of the second side facing surface of the enthalpy wheel is in fluid communication with the second opening. Approximately the remaining half of the second side facing surface is in fluid communication with the third opening. Substantially the entire first side facing surface is in fluid communication with the first opening. A first fan is mounted within the housing adjacent to the second opening. A second fan is mounted within the housing adjacent to the third opening. A partition is disposed in the housing between a predetermined location on the second side of the housing between the second opening and the third opening and extends to the enthalpy wheel to define, in part, a first air flow path and a second air flow path within the housing. The first air flow path extends between the second opening through the enthalpy wheel to the first opening. The second air flow path extends between the first opening through the enthalpy wheel to the third opening. In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of air flow through the first air flow path to air flow through the second air flow path ranges from about 65% to about 85%.

Growing community of inventors

Newtown, PA, United States of America

Srikant Ram Rao