CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/092,666, filed on August 28, 2008, and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/142,831, filed on January 6, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a device for cooling condenser coils of an air conditioner system, where the condenser coils are located along with a compressor within a suitable housing. Cooling is made efficient by providing a manifold located adjacent to the housing for controllably carrying water and dispensing it through a set of nozzles, which create a mist of water droplets adjacent to side walls of the housing.

BACKGROUND

[0003] An air conditioning unit, whether residential or commercial, typically includes a cabinet located exterior to a building to be cooled, and is connected to the building's central heating and air conditioner system. The cabinet serves as a condenser, and includes a housing enclosing a compressor operated as a pump and heat exchanging or condenser coils. A heat absorbing fluid is directed through the coils, and expansion and contraction of the fluid serve to remove heat from the building's interior, which heat is discharged into ambient air exterior to the building through the coils. A fan is typically included in the cabinet to move air across the coils in order to improve heat transfer.

[0004] Attempts have been made to increase the efficiency of an air conditioner system by dispensing a water mist adjacent to condenser coils. Such a mist can promote faster heat exchange from the coils to ambient air. Water on the coils can cool the coils and a heat absorbing fluid contained therein, thereby resulting in a fluid pressure reduction. This fluid pressure reduction can lead to a reduction in back pressure experienced by a compressor and a reduction in energy consumption by the compressor, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the air conditioner system. This, in turn, can result in a lowering of the temperature at an evaporator coil inside a building, thereby yielding further efficiency gains. [0005] Although the delivery of a water mist can improve the efficiency of an air conditioner system, previous devices incorporating such functionality have suffered from certain deficiencies that have impeded their widespread adoption. Some of the previous devices include complicated mechanisms such as pumps, specialized valves, evaporative filters or other media, and specialized nozzle arrangements. Such mechanisms and their constant operation can increase costs and maintenance requirements to undesirable levels. Also, use of evaporative media to bring down ambient air to wet bulb temperatures can result in scaling and biological growth. While simplified devices have been proposed, these simplified devices can be unreliable. For example, simple, relatively inexpensive nozzle arrangements have been proposed, but these arrangements can sometimes produce large water droplets that are deposited on condenser coils, which can lead to scaling, bacterial growth, corrosion, extensive maintenance, and costly repairs. It would be desirable to provide a reliable device that avoids or reduces the deposition of large water droplets on condenser coils, thereby avoiding or reducing scaling, biological growth, and corrosion.

[0006] It is against this background that a need arose to develop the cooling devices and related systems and methods described herein.

SUMMARY

[0007] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to a device for cooling condenser coils of an air conditioner system, such as one that is air-cooled. The system includes a condenser that includes a compressor and the coils located within a housing. The housing includes side walls joined at a seam to a top, and also includes a fan for expelling air from within the housing and causing air to be drawn through the side walls past heat exchanging fins located adjacent to the coils. The device includes a manifold that is located adjacent to the seam for controllably carrying water and dispensing it through a set of nozzles, which create a mist of water droplets adjacent to the side walls. The device also includes a preheater for heating water introduced into the manifold. The configuration of the device allows effective separation of smaller water droplets from larger water droplets by gravitational force, and allows the smaller water droplets to be drawn into the condenser. The device also includes a coding mechanism for selecting lengths of tubes extending between a loop portion of the manifold and the nozzles, according to particular climatic conditions. The device further includes a set of sensors for controlling the dispensing of water through the nozzles, and the manifold is connected to the housing via an adjustable mechanism.

[0008] Other aspects and embodiments of the invention are also contemplated. The foregoing summary and the following detailed description are not meant to restrict the invention to any particular embodiment but are merely meant to describe some embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a better understanding of the nature and objects of some embodiments of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers denote like components, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a cooling device installed on an air conditioner cabinet located outside of a residence or a commercial building, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a preheater for heating water carried and dispensed by a cooling device, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates a coding mechanism for selecting lengths of tubes based upon anticipated climactic conditions, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a set of sensors for controlling the dispensing of water and a windscreen mechanism for reducing a wind sweeping effect, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Definitions

[0014] The following definitions apply to some of the aspects described with respect to some embodiments of the invention. These definitions may likewise be expanded upon herein.

[0015] As used herein, the singular terms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an object can include multiple objects unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. [0016] As used herein, the term "set" refers to a collection of one or more objects. Thus, for example, a set of objects can include a single object or multiple objects. Objects that are part of a set also can be referred to as members of the set. Objects that are part of a set can be the same or different. In some instances, objects that are part of a set can share one or more common characteristics.

[0017] As used herein, the terms "connect," "connected," and "connection" refer to an operational coupling or linking. Connected objects can be directly coupled to one another or can be indirectly coupled to one another, such as via another set of objects.

[0018] As used herein, the term "adjacent" refers to being near or adjoining. Adjacent objects can be spaced apart from one another or can be in actual or direct contact with one another. In some instances, adjacent objects can be connected to one another or can be formed integrally with one another.

[0019] As used herein, the terms "substantially" and "substantial" refer to a considerable degree or extent. When used in conjunction with an event or circumstance, the terms can refer to instances in which the event or circumstance occurs precisely as well as instances in which the event or circumstance occurs to a close approximation, such as accounting for typical tolerance levels or variability of the embodiments described herein.

[0020] As used herein, the terms "optional" and "optionally" mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur and that the description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances in which it does not.

[0021] As used herein, the term "size" refers to a characteristic dimension of an object. Thus, for example, a size of an object that is a spherical can refer to a diameter of the object. In the case of an object that is non-spherical, a size of the object can refer to an average of various orthogonal dimensions of the object. Thus, for example, a size of an object that is a spheroidal can refer to an average of a major axis and a minor axis of the object. When referring to a set of objects as having a specific size, it is contemplated that the objects can have a distribution of sizes around the specific size. Thus, as used herein, a size of a set of objects can refer to a typical size of a distribution of sizes, such as an average size, a median size, or a peak size.

[0022] Attention first turns to FIG. 1, which illustrates a cooling device 10 installed on an air conditioner cabinet 9 located outside of a residence or a commercial building, according to an embodiment of the invention. The cabinet 9 serves as a condenser, and includes a housing 1 enclosing a compressor 52 and condenser coils 53, which are illustrated with dashed lines. The housing 1 is provided with side walls 11 that are connected to a top 12 at a seam 13. A fan 51 is also included within the housing 1 for expelling air through an opening 50 in the top 12. In doing so, air is drawn through the side walls 11 for cooling the condenser coils 53 located within the housing 1.

[0023] Still referring to FIG. 1, the cooling device 10 includes a manifold 14 that is wrapped adjacent to the seam 13 and is fed municipal water through a conduit 17, such as a tube or a water line that is connected to a conventional water outlet. Water passing through the manifold 14 is fed through a set of tubes 15 for dispensing the water through a set of nozzles 16, which create a mist of water droplets adjacent to the side walls 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzles 16 are connected to respective ends of the tubes 15, which, in turn, are connected to a loop portion 2 of the manifold 14 via T-shaped joints 3. However, it is contemplated that the manifold 14 can be implemented in a number of other ways, such as with the tubes 15 directly connected to the loop portion 2 or formed integrally with the loop portion 2.

[0024] The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is improved in a number of ways over previous devices, and one of these improvements can be appreciated in conjunction with FIG. 2, which illustrates a preheater 20 implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In order to reduce the need for or completely eliminate the need for a high pressure pump, water entering through one end 21 of the conduit 17 is heated within a heating portion 23, which absorbs thermal energy from ambient radiation to raise the temperature of the water once it is introduced to the manifold 14 through another end 22. Alternatively, or in conjunction, the preheater 20 can optionally include a mechanism to absorb thermal energy from a heat absorbing fluid or a hot refrigerant circulating in the condenser coils 53 as a heat source to heat the water. In such manner, the hot refrigerant, which carries heat from inside the residence or the commercial building, can be tapped as a heat source to heat the water, without requiring the inclusion of another heat source. Portion 23 can be implemented in a number of ways, such as including a blackened or dark straight tube or, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a blackened or dark coiled tube that is mounted on a blackened or dark plate 24. Alternatively, or in conjunction, heat from a heat absorbing fluid or a hot refrigerant within the compressor 52 also can be tapped as a heat source to heat the water by using a heat transfer jacket or a heat transfer plate mechanism. Such a mechanism can be implemented in a similar manner as a water heating jacket or a hot plate, but with cooling and heating substances swapped, and this mechanism can be positioned at a thermally efficient and convenient place adjacent to the compressor 52.

[0025] For certain implementations, an effective area of the preheater 20 to collect solar thermal energy is such as to provide between about 100 Watts ("W") to about 400 W of heating power for each gallon of water misting per hour (or for each 1.05 milliliter of water misting per second), which can elevate water temperature from at or below about 60 ⁰ F as received from a conventional water outlet up to about 211 ⁰ F, with a nominal temperature of about 125 ⁰ F. Desirable resulting water temperatures can be in the range of about 122 ⁰ F to about 140 ⁰ F or about 120 ⁰ F to about 140 ⁰ F. Heating the water can reduce the dynamic viscosity of the water passing through the portion 23 from about l.lxlO ^"3 Pascal-seconds ("Pa.s") at about 60 ⁰ F to about 0.53* 10 ^~3 Pa.s at about 125 ⁰ F, or less if the water temperature is higher than 125 ⁰ F. In such manner, the viscosity of the water can be reduced by at least a factor of about 2, such as at least a factor of about 2.1, at least a factor of about 2.2, or at least a factor of about 2.3, and up to a factor of about 3 or more. Table 1 and Table 2 below set forth examples of resulting water temperatures and viscosities in accordance with various thermal energy inputs.

Table 1

Table 2

[0026] Referring back to FIG. 1, the resulting preheated water with reduced viscosity and at a typical household tap water pressure (e.g., about 40 psi to about 80 psi) can be highly mobile and can be accelerated through the nozzles 16, where it is dispersed into fine droplets through micro-orifices normally configured to operate at pressures above about 100 psi and having sizes in the range of about 0.01 millimeter ("mm") to about 1 mm, such as from about 0.1 mm to about 0.5 mm or from about 0.1 mm to about 0.3 mm. The dispersed water is a cross between a fog or a very fine mist, which would normally involve a high pressure pump to achieve, and a mist. This fog or mist is drawn into the side walls 11 to cool cooling fins adjacent to the condenser coils 53.

[0027] Still referring to FIG. 1, the manifold 14 and the orientations of the tubes 15 and the nozzles 16 are advantageously configured to serve as a sieve to allow smaller water droplets to be substantially separated from larger ones by gravity, and to allow the smaller water droplets to be drawn into the cabinet 9. An optimal orientation of the tubes 15 can be pointing upwards and away from the ground for some implementations, and can be pointing downwards and towards the ground for other implementations. For certain implementations, the orientation of the tubes 15 is such that their angles α relative to a horizontal plane are in the range of about -25 degrees to about 70 degrees, such as from about -20 degrees to about 20 degrees, from about 20 degrees to about 60 degrees, or from about 30 degrees to about 50 degrees, where positive values denote an upward orientation, and negative values denote a downward orientation.

[0028] Ambient temperature and ambient humidity can affect the rate at which water droplets dispensed from the nozzles 16 evaporate and are reduced in size. Also, a sweep rate can be affected by the velocity of water droplets dispensed from the nozzles 16 and a suction created by the fan 51 within the cabinet 9. Given these factors, another improvement of the illustrated embodiment is to select or optimize lengths of the tubes 15 so as to regulate sizes of water droplets that reach the cooling fins and the condenser coils 53, if at all, for various climatic conditions. In particular, the illustrated embodiment allows a user to "fine tune" the lengths of the tubes 15, or, in other words, to set appropriate distances of the nozzles 16 from the condenser coils 53 to be cooled. Establishing the appropriate distances can maximize the cooling effectiveness of low micron-sized droplets of water by allowing the droplets to be swept through and evaporated in close proximity to the cooling fins adjacent to the condenser coils 53, with little or no scaling of the cooling fins. Insufficient water dispersion can result in inefficient cooling and low energy savings. However, excessive water droplets beyond a certain size can result in water residue on the cooling coils, thereby causing scaling and possibly corrosion. For certain implementations, appropriate distances of the nozzles 16 from the side walls 11 (as measured along a horizontal plane) are in the range of about 0.3 feet to about 3.5 feet, such as from about 0.3 feet to about 3 feet or from about 0.3 feet to about 2.5 feet, and appropriate sizes of water droplets to be drawn into or near the cabinet 9 are in the range of about 1 micrometer ("μm") to about 300 μm, such as from about 1 μm to about 100 μm, from about 1 μm to about 50 μm, or from about 1 μm to about 20 μm. In such manner, larger water droplets can be substantially separated by gravity, and the larger water droplets can fall and become dissipated or spread out on the ground. In such manner, a surface area of the larger water droplets can be increased, and the larger water droplets can more readily evaporate and cool the surrounding air, thereby contributing to cooling efficiency while safeguarding the condenser coils 53 from scaling and corrosion.

[0029] Specific climactic conditions can affect an optimal distance or an optimal range of distances between the nozzles 16 and the condenser coils 53. In accordance with this dependence, another improvement can be appreciated in conjunction with FIG. 3, which illustrates a coding mechanism for selecting distances based upon anticipated climactic conditions, according to an embodiment of the invention. In particular, a user can be provided with a menu card 37 broken down by climatic or geographical regions. For example, a first region with lower temperatures and higher humidity, such as Boston, can exhibit a prolonged evaporation process, relative to a second region with higher temperatures and lower humidity, such as Phoenix. In the first region, a larger distance or a larger range of distances can be provided between the nozzles 16 and the condenser coils 53 to compensate for the prolonged evaporation process. In the second region, a shorter distance or a shorter range of distances can be provided between the nozzles 16 and the condenser coils 53 according to the shortened evaporation process. Climatic regions can be specified in a number of ways, such as according to the Bergeron classification, the Kόppen classification, or the Thornthwaite classification.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 3, the tubes 15 can be marked with suitable indicia, such as using color-coded markings 31, 32, and 33, and can be sized at different lengths according to various regions as provided in the menu card 37. In such manner, the user can select appropriate ones of the tubes 15 to allow the nozzles 16 to be optimally spaced from the condenser coils 53. Alternatively, or in conjunction, the tubes 15 can be single sized to a length according to the marking 33 for use in Boston, and, during assembly or installation, the tubes 15 are then cut to a length according to the marking 32 for use in Northern California (where humidity is lower) and cut to a length according to the marking 31 for use in Phoenix (where humidity is lower and temperatures are elevated).

[0031] Another set of improvements can be appreciated with reference to FIG. 4, which illustrates a set of sensors 45 and 46 for controlling the dispensing of water, according to an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 4, an air conditioner system includes a cabinet 40, which is provided with side walls 41 and a top 42. The top 42 has an opening 43 for exhausting air in the general direction of arrows 44. The cabinet 40 serves as a condenser, and encloses a compressor and condenser coils (not illustrated) within the sides walls 41 and the top 42.

[0032] One mechanism to determine heat exchanger effectiveness is to measure the ambient temperature. High ambient temperatures can reduce the heat exchanging capacity of the cabinet 40 with its surrounding air, and an elevated temperature of the compressor can be an indication that the compressor is overworked. For certain implementations, a cooling fog or mist can be effective at ambient temperatures at or above about 85 ⁰ F. To account for these variables and to ensure that a cooling fog or mist is dispensed when appropriate, a controller 47 controls the introduction of water, and is activated when the air conditioner system is operating and when the ambient temperature is at least a predetermined set point or a threshold value, such as in the range of about 85 ⁰ F to about 90 ⁰ F. In such manner, the controller 47 can avoid the adverse effect of starving a refrigerant expansion loop and running the air conditioner system inefficiently, while consuming water needlessly and possibly scaling cooling fins. The controller 47 can be implemented in a number of ways, such as mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electronic, or a combination thereof.

[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 47 operates in conjunction with and is connected to the sensors 45 and 46. The controller 47 and the sensors 45 and 46 are powered by a solar collector 60, which can be a solar panel including a set of photovoltaic cells, although it is contemplated that other power sources also can be used. The sensor 45 serves to detect operation of the air conditioner system and the compressor within the cabinet 40, and includes a pressure sensitive plate or a flapper switch that is placed adjacent to the opening 43 to detect fan discharge. Unless fan discharge is detected, the controller 47 is not activated, and, regardless of ambient conditions, no cooling fog or mist is dispensed adjacent to the cabinet 40. Once operation of the compressor is acknowledged by detecting fan discharge, the sensor 46 serves to detect the ambient temperature and to determine if the ambient temperature is sufficiently elevated to justify dispensing a cooling fog or mist. The sensor 46 can be implemented in a number of ways, and, for example, can include a thermocouple or another type of temperature sensor. If both of the sensors 45 and 46 have suitable indications, a valve within, or connected to, the controller 47 is activated accordingly, and a cooling fog or mist is dispensed adjacent to the cabinet 40. Alternatively, or in conjunction, a water temperature sensor can be optionally included to detect the temperature of water that passes through a preheater, such as previously described with reference to FIG. 2. Unless the water temperature is at least a predetermined set point or a threshold value, such as in the range of about 120 ⁰ F to about 125 ⁰ F, no cooling fog or mist is dispensed adjacent to the cabinet 40. The threshold water temperature can be suitably adjusted according to various climatic conditions, and, for example, can be lowered for a climatic region with elevated temperatures.

[0034] FIG. 4 also illustrates a windscreen mechanism 61 for reducing an influence of wind and its sweeping effect on dispensed water droplets, according to an embodiment of the invention. In particular, the windscreen mechanism 61 serves to avoid or reduce instances in which wind alters a direction of dispensed water droplets away from an optimal orientation, carries smaller water droplets away from the cabinet 40, or carries larger water droplets near or into the cabinet 40. The windscreen mechanism 61 can be implemented in a number of ways, such as a lattice, a netting, or other types of windscreen materials, and can extend along at least a subset of the side walls 41 of the cabinet 40.

[0035] Finally, referring back to FIG. 1, yet a further improvement relates to an adjustable mechanism 4 that allows the cooling device 10 to be readily mounted on air conditioner cabinets of various sizes. In particular, the manifold 14 is maintained adjacent to the seam 13 between the side walls 11 and the top 12 by the adjustable mechanism 4, which secures the manifold 14 to appropriate guide rails. The adjustable mechanism 4 can be implemented in a number of ways, and, for example, can include an adjustable lanyard line including an elastic band.

[0036] While the invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, method, or process to the objective, spirit and scope of the invention. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto. In particular, while the methods disclosed herein have been described with reference to particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these operations may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the operations are not limitations of the invention.