Gas Developments Corporation

Institute of Gas Technology

William F Rush

Jaroslav Wurm

Raymond J Dufour

Sanford A Weil

Robert A Macriss

James Emerson Huebler

Christopher John Ziolkowski

An apparatus and process for heating a regeneration stream in a thermal regenerative desiccant system having a process stream and a regeneration stream in which a desiccant component rotates through both the process and regeneration streams. The regeneration stream providing the heat required for regeneration of the desiccant is separately heated by each of a plurality of adjacent regeneration stream segments being independently heated. When desired to reduce the total heat provided the regeneration stream, the heat is first reduced only in a first of the regeneration segments contacting the desiccant component as it rotates from the process stream to the regeneration stream. The heat supplied to the first segment is further reduced until it is completely discontinued. Then when still less heat is required for regeneration, heat is reduced to a second adjacent regeneration stream radial segment until it is completely discontinued. Heat reduction may be continued sequentially across adjacent radial segments to meet the heat requirements for regeneration.

Heat input for thermal regenerative desiccant systems

A pipe worm comprises radially inflatable toroids spaced along an axially inflatable tubular body. The worm inches through piping through sequential inflation and deflation of the toroids and tubular body. The worm includes a fluid supply source, pipe maintenance instrumentation and automatic, semiautomatic or manual controls which are remote, on-board or trailered, as desired. The worm is inexpensive, reliable, capable of turning 90 degree corners, and further uniquely advantageous.

Pneumatic pipe inspection device

Efficiency of an open-cycle air conditioning apparatus and method for heating and cooling is improved and the economy of external power is increased both with respect to cost and energy consumption by providing a combination of a primary heater and a secondary heater for heating the regeneration stream for regenerating the desiccant means in the air conditioning apparatus. The thermal source for the primary heater may utilize waste heat or solar energy which is transferred to a solid phase thermal storage means by a gaseous phase heat exchange medium. The thermal energy may be transferred from the thermal storage means to the regeneration stream of the open-cycle air conditioning apparatus either directly by passing the air stream over the solid phase thermal storage means or indirectly by passing liquid in an enclosed system through the solid phase thermal storage means and the regeneration stream.

Air conditioning apparatus and method

A solid adsorption air conditioning apparatus for cooling and heating which is compact in size and particularly adapted to low capacity and which may be at least partially solar powered and air cooled. The apparatus utilizes water vapor as refrigerant working within a hermetically sealed module. The hermetically sealed module has opposing thermally conductive walls which are internally coated with water vapor adsorbent material and thermally insulated from each other. The water vapor working fluid is desorbed from the adsorbent on the interior of a first side by heating while removing heat from the opposing second side causing the working fluid to adsorb in a condenser function at the second side and then applying heat to the second side while removing heat from the first side causing the working fluid to desorb from the second side and adsorb at the first side functioning as an adsorber while the second side is functioning as an evaporator and recycling said thermal condition sequence to provide desired conditioning to an air conditioned space.

Solid adsorption air conditioning apparatus

A process and apparatus for drying air by a continuous atmospheric pressure and low pressure drop system wherein the adsorbent body is a wheel of thin sheets or layers of fibrous material containing about 10 to 90% by weight of a finely divided crystalline molecular sieve material. The process and apparatus is especially useful for drying air for confined areas down to and less than 0.001 lbs. of moisture per pound of air.

Desiccant apparatus and method

A solid adsorption air conditioning apparatus and process for cooling and heating which is compact in size and particularly adapted to low capacity and which may be at least partially solar powered and air cooled. The apparatus and process utilizes water vapor as refrigerant working within a hermetically sealed module. The hermetically sealed module has opposing thermally conductive walls which are internally coated with water vapor adsorbent material and thermally insulated from each other. The water vapor working fluid is desorbed from the adsorbent on the interior of a first side by heating while removing heat from the opposing second side causing the working fluid to adsorb in a condenser function at the second side and then applying heat to the second side while removing heat from the first side causing the working fluid to desorb from the second side and adsorb at the first side functioning as an adsorber while the second side is functioning as an evaporator and recycling said thermal condition sequence to provide desired conditioning to an air conditioned space.

Solid adsorption air conditioning apparatus and method

A process for open-cycle air conditioning which affords economy of external power both with respect to cost and energy consumption by providing a low-temperature heater and a high-temperature heater for regenerating the sensible heat exchanger and desiccant when the apparatus is used for cooling and the enthalpy exchanger when the apparatus is used for heating. The power source for the low-temperature heater can utilize solar energy, waste boiler heat, waste process heat, nuclear reactor heat and the like. The power source for the high-temperature heater can be an open flame burner or other conventional heater.

Air conditioning process

A process for air cleaning by the removal of water and one or more undesirable gases such as NO.sub.x, SO.sub.x and CO.sub.2 by a continuous atmospheric pressure and low pressure drop system wherein the adsorbent body is a wheel of thin sheets or layers of fibrous material containing about 10 to 90% by weight of a finely divided crystalline molecular sieve material. The process is especially useful for the removal of NO.sub.2 from confined areas.

Air cleaning adsorption process

Improved metallic heat exchange apparatus particularly useful in a wheel-like form as a sensible heat exchange wheel in an environmental control apparatus. The heat exchange apparatus is constructed of multiple layers of metallic 'honeycomb', with the apertures of the honeycomb layers axially parallel and offset with respect to each other. The multiple layers provide thermal discontinuities so that the face to face temperature gradient of the heat exchanger is continuous. The heat exchange apparatus of this invention is fireproof, a serious deficiency in prior art wax-coated sensible heat exchange wheels used in environmental control apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Arlington Heights, IL, United States of America

William F Rush