Ventilation – Having inlet airway – Including structure for mixing plural air streams together
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2001-09-18
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Having inlet airway
Including structure for mixing plural air streams together
C137S864000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290595
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is the 35 USC 371 national stage of international application PCT/FR98/02005 filed on Sep. 18, 1998, which designated the United States of America.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements to devices intended for ensuring temperature regulation of a plurality of premises with the aid of a single incidental air flow at given pressure and temperature, it also concerns a device for controlling the flow parameters of a pulsed air flow in a premises.
2. Background of the Invention
It is known that one of the essential difficulties in the domain of air conditioning is that of delivering to a series of premises, of which the calorie needs are very different from one another, from a single supply furnishing air at a determined pressure and temperature, the quantities of air and the calories
egative calories which are necessary for each of these premises.
In this type of installation, it is usual to adjust the quantity of calories
egative calories which is distributed to a specific premises by controlling the air flow rate which is supplied thereto. The difficulty comes from the fact that it is possible to vary this air flow rate only in very narrow proportions as, on the one hand, one is obliged in any case to maintain in the premises a minimum air flow rate, called hygienic flow rate, and, on the other hand, in particular for reasons of comfort of the premises, this air flow rate cannot be increased beyond a reasonable value without causing discomfort for the users.
One solution consists in calling upon so-called induction supply means, in which there is blown via a convergent central duct a certain air flow, called primary air, coming from the power plant which entrains by induction a secondary air flow which is extracted from the premises, and it is the resulting flow, namely the one constituted by the primary air flow and the secondary air flow, which is blown into the premises. It is thus possible, by reason of the resulting thermal equilibrium of the mixture of these two air flows, to call upon primary air whose extreme temperatures (minimum or maximum) are respectively lower or higher than those acceptable in the premises.
Applicant has observed that, if the flow rate of the primary air is varied, the corresponding variation of the air blown into the premises is not proportional to this variation but is below it. For example, when the primary air flow rate is reduced, the quantity of air blown into the premises is reduced in a lesser proportion. It has thus been ascertained that, in one embodiment, for a primary air flow rate passing from 115 m
3
/hr. to 26 m
3
/hr. (or a ratio of 4.4), the flow rate of blown air passed from 340 m
3
/hr. to 230 m
3
/hr. (or a ratio of 1.5). Under these conditions, since the calories
egative calories which are supplied to a premises are brought thereto by the primary air, it is thus possible to reduce the quantity of calories
egative calories brought to this premsies while maintaining therein the air flow which is necessary for the comfort of its occupants. Conversely, it is also possible to increase the quantity of calories
egative calories supplied to the premises without blowing therein an air flow such that it would cause discomfort to its occupants by reason of the considerable differences in temperature between the blown air and the air of the premises.
It has been proposed, in particular in Patent EP-A-0531508, to arrange upstream of a convergent element used in an air-conditioning installation employing induction means, air flow rate control means which are constituted by a register system comprising a flap with which the primary duct is more or less obturated as a function of the flow rate which it is desired therefor. The flow rate control means of this type present the drawbacks, on the one hand, of considerably disturbing the quality of the flow and thus of reducing the efficiency of the device and, on the other hand, of generating a very considerable noise. Now, it is known that one of the essential qualities of an air-conditioning installation is precisely to be able to restore in a premises a given air flow at a given temperature, with a sound level which is as low as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has for an object to propose improvements to air-conditioning systems, whether or not they call upon induction means, making it possible to adjust the flow rate of the primary air without provoking serious disturbances on the one hand at the level of the flow of the air flux and, on the other hand, at the level of the noise generated by the installation.
The present invention thus has for its object a device regulating the temperature of premises by means of an air flow blown therein, comprising an upstream duct communicating with means supplying pressurized air, ending in a convergent element emerging into a downstream duct communicating with the premises, characterized in that a substantially rotating solid, capable of being positioned along the longitudinal axis of the convergent element, is arranged at least partially upstream of the outlet thereof, so as to define between the outer surface of the substantially rotating solid and the inner wall of the convergent element a ring-shaped channel the size of which depends on the position of said solid relative to said wall.
The convergent element will preferably be of circular cross-section. The cross-section of the convergent element may also be of polygonal shape, and the substantially rotating solid may have a cross-section of the same shape in order to provide between these two elements a stream of air of substantially constant thickness.
However, according to the invention, the cross-sections of the convergent element and of the substantially rotating element may equally well be of different shapes so as to provide therebetween a minimum outlet section.
In an embodiment of the invention, the maximum outer diameter of said substantially rotating solid is slightly larger than that of the downstream orifice of the convergent element.
This solid may be constituted in particular by a sphere or, preferably, by a cone or conical frustum of which the upstream part is of rounded, and even semi-spherical shape.
The solid may be maintained inside the convergent element by a rod axial thereto. This rod may be threaded so as to be screwed in a fixed ring forming a nut, which enables it to be positioned axially with respect to the convergent element. Maintenance in position may be ensured by a counter-nut. Interestingly, the ring forming nut may be maintained by a device diffusing the air streams, the latter itself being able to be constituted by a heat exchanger making it possible to adjust the temperature of the air delivered by the convergent element.
The substantially rotating solid may also be adjustably mounted inside the convergent element. Such an embodiment makes it possible, when this is desirable, to modify during operation the axial position of the substantially rotating solid. It is thus possible, without dismantling the installation, to vary the air flow rate in considerable proportions, possibly going as far as total obturation of the outlet orifice, which then enables non-used premises not to be treated (heated or cooled).
The present device is in particular adapted to function jointly with induction means and, to that end, the downstream duct will comprise, downstream of the convergent element, means for communication with a suction orifice arranged in the premises.
The present device is also interesting in an installation in which the ratio of the cross-section of the outlet orifice of the convergent element with respect to the cross-section of the downstream duct is included between 0.06 and 0.50, the downstream duct being closed from the outside in its upstream part, so that it gives rise to a peripheral air flow designated in the present Patent by “internal induction”.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1319526 (1919-10-01), Hauser
patent: 2579507 (1951-12-01), MacCracken
patent: 305
Boles Derek S.
Joyce Harold
SPIREC (Societe Anonyme)
Young & Thompson
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