Trane International Inc.

American Standard International Inc.

American Standard Inc.

Other

Lennox Industries Inc.

Stephen Stewart Hancock

Kevin B Mercer

Jonathan David Douglas

Wayne N Kraft

Thomas Gort

Leslie Zinger

Mark David Woodruff

Jay Ernest Field

David E Bronaugh

Scott Anthony Salvage

Benton A Harris, Jr

Richard E Cawley

Mark O Bergman

An indoor unit for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air is disclosed. In an embodiment, the indoor unit includes a first coil assembly and a second coil assembly. When operating in a cooling mode or a heating mode, the first coil and second coil are in parallel fluid communication. When in a dehumidifying mode, the first coil and second coil are in serial fluid communication, which enables the first coil to function as a condenser and the second coil to function as an evaporator. The disclosed indoor unit provides negligible or no change in sensible heat while providing dehumidification.

Multi-functional HVAC indoor unit

A system and related methods for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air is disclosed. In an embodiment, the system includes an indoor unit having a first coil assembly and a second coil assembly. When the system is operating in a cooling mode or a heating mode, the first coil and second coil are in parallel fluid communication. When the system is in a dehumidifying mode, the first coil and second coil are in serial fluid communication, which enables the first coil to function as a condenser and the second coil to function as an evaporator. In an embodiment, the system includes an outdoor unit, such as a heat pump or an air conditioning condensing unit. The outdoor unit includes a heat exchanger fan responsive to dehumidifying mode by reducing fan speed, or deactivating the fan entirely. The disclosed system provides negligible or no change in sensible heat while providing dehumidification.

Multi-functional heat pump apparatus

This disclosure relates to flame shapers for use in gas burners, gas burner systems, and methods for operating gas burner systems. Flame shaper embodiments include an opening having an unobstructed center, and turning vanes that extend from the perimeter of the opening towards its center. The turning vanes are configured to induce swirling in an ignited flame. Burner systems include an ignition source, the flame shaper, and a heat exchanger. In method embodiments, a flame is formed by igniting fuel and air, the flame is directed through the flame shaper, and the flame is then directed into a heat exchanger.

Wing vaned flame shaper

A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a blower assembly having a blower housing configured to operate with various sized impellers. The blower housing includes a cutoff that is selectively radially adjustable to locate a leading edge of the cutoff in a position relative to one of the various sized impellers to maintain a proper clearance between the leading edge of the cutoff and one of the various sized impellers in order to efficiently separate blower discharge airflow from incoming airflow collected in the blower housing and prevent recirculation of the blower discharge airflow through the blower housing.

Blower housing with two position cutoff

A heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a blower assembly having a blower housing, a motor disposed at least partially within the blower housing, and an impeller comprising a plurality of blades disposed about the impeller that is connected to the motor by a shaft. The blower assembly includes a labyrinth seal that provides a tortuous leakage airflow path between the blower housing and the impeller to substantially reduce the amount of air that escapes from the blower housing between the blower housing and the impeller to provide an increased blower efficiency as compared to traditional blower assemblies.

Blower housing labyrinth seal

A microchannel heat exchanger has an upper portion connected in fluid communication with a header, a lower portion connected in fluid communication with the header at a location that is vertically lower on the header than the upper portion, and a sight glass on the header. The sight glass can be horizontally aligned with a top of the second portion. The sight glass can be served as a visual aid when charging the microchannel heat exchanger with a refrigerant at a predetermined level. When an indicator indicates that refrigerant is mixed vapor and liquid, refrigerant can be added into the microchannel heat exchanger. When the indicator indicates that the refrigerant is liquid, the charging process can be stopped.

Manifold sightglass for charging microchannel system

A method of constructing an air handling unit includes forming an air handling enclosure, mounting a blower in the air handling enclosure, mounting a heat exchanger in the air handling enclosure downstream of the blower, and mounting at least one heating element in the air handing enclosure downstream of the blower. A method of operating an HVAC system includes disposing a heat exchanger downstream of a blower within an enclosure, providing an airflow through the enclosure, and orienting a plurality of fins on the heat exchanger to stabilize the airflow exiting the heat exchanger prior to the airflow contacting an electrically-powered resistive heating element.

Methods for operating and constructing a blow through air handler

Systems and methods are disclosed that may include providing an auxiliary power source in an HVAC system, establishing a stable, uninterrupted power source to at least one system controller, starting a first component of the HVAC system prior to starting a second component of the HVAC system. The total power requirement necessary to simultaneously start the first component and the second component may generally exceed the power output capacity of the auxiliary power source.

Reduced power heat pump starting procedure

A phase change compressor cover may include a first layer configured to provide sound attenuation from undesirable noise produced as a result of operating a compressor and/or thermal isolation of the compressor and a second layer comprising a cavity filled with a phase change material that is configured to absorb heat discharged as a result of operating the compressor and subsequently discharge the absorbed heat onto the compressor in response to discontinuing operation of the compressor to keep the compressor warm and prevent refrigerant migration to the compressor. The phase change compressor cover may be used to substantially envelope the compressor in a heat pump heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system.

Phase change compressor cover

A blower assembly of an HVAC system may include an electrically-conductive plating applied to an inner surface of a blower housing, a first electrode attached to the electrically-conductive plating at an inner wall of the blower housing via an electrically-conductive RTV silicone, and a second electrode attached to the electrically-conductive plating at an outer wall of the blower housing via an electrically-conductive RTV silicone. The first electrode may pass a current through the electrically-conductive plating of the blower housing to the second electrode that may act as an ohmic heater and provide a thermal energy discharge which may exchange heat with an airflow flowing through the blower housing as a result of operating the blower assembly.

Method of attaching electrodes to plated thermoset plastic heated blower housing

Systems and methods are disclosed that may include recovering heat from a generator to defrost the heat exchanger by passing a heat transfer fluid from the generator through a recovery heat exchanger that is configured to promote heat transfer between the heat transfer fluid and a refrigerant flowing therethrough, reducing a restriction of the refrigerant, reducing an airflow through the heat exchanger, and delivering the heated refrigerant to the heat exchanger. Systems and methods may also include recovering heat from an exhaust of the generator to deter the formation of frozen condensate on the outdoor heat exchanger by diverting at least a portion of a hot exhaust fluid discharged by the generator onto the outdoor heat exchanger.

Micro-combined heat and power heat pump defrost procedure

Systems and methods may include a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system having a heat exchanger and an expansion device disposed upstream and in fluid communication with the heat exchanger. The expansion device includes a pressure recovery portion. The expansion device may also include an isentropic expansion device and/or a substantially isentropic expansion device.

Isentropic expansion device

A method of operating a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system includes operating a device to produce at least one of electricity and rejected heat and at least one of (1) powering a component of the HVAC system using the electricity produced by the electricity generating device and (2) heating the refrigerant of the HVAC system using at least a portion of the rejected heat.

Combined heat and power heat pump

An exhaust heat reclaim system may include a diverter valve selectively connected in fluid communication to an exhaust vent tube and an exhaust delivery tube and configured to selectively divert hot exhaust fluid discharged from an exhaust of a power generation device to at least one of the exhaust vent tube and the exhaust delivery tube. The exhaust heat reclaim system may be a component of an HVAC system and be configured to discharge hot exhaust fluid onto a heat exchanger of the HVAC system, where the heat exchanger may be configured to promote heat transfer between the hot exhaust fluid and a refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger of the HVAC system.

Heat pump with exhaust heat reclaim

An air handling unit includes an enclosure, a heat exchanger having a first section and a second section, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed within the enclosure, and at least one heating element substantially co-located with the heat exchanger within the enclosure. The at least one heating element is at least partially located between the first section of the heat exchanger and the second section of the heat exchanger.

Growing community of inventors

Flint, TX, United States of America

Stephen Stewart Hancock