U.S. patent application number 10/962270 was filed with the patent office on 2006-02-16 for method and apparatus for air conditioning.
This patent application is currently assigned to Alexandre Gontcharov. Invention is credited to Alexandre Gontcharov, Valentina Gontcharova.
Application Number | 20060032241 10/962270 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33557694 |
Filed Date | 2006-02-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060032241 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gontcharov; Alexandre ; et
al. |
February 16, 2006 |
Method and apparatus for air conditioning
Abstract
The invention proposes a method and apparatus for the air
conditioning and can be used for the buildings, individual homes,
offices and production facilities wherein purified oxygen and
nitrogen or mixture of these gases are injected into the air
passage of the air conditioning system from the storage units that
are connected to the air passages through the regulating valves and
linked electronically to the control board and oxygen analyzer with
the provision to regulate oxygen content during the day from 20-21%
up to 100%.
Inventors: |
Gontcharov; Alexandre;
(Saint Laurent, CA) ; Gontcharova; Valentina;
(Saint Laurent, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Dr. Alexandre Gontcharov
398 Ouimet, Apt. 317
Saint Laurent
QC
H4L 5M9
CA
|
Assignee: |
Alexandre Gontcharov
Valentina Gontcharova
|
Family ID: |
33557694 |
Appl. No.: |
10/962270 |
Filed: |
October 12, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/78 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 2110/76 20180101;
F24F 8/60 20210101; Y02B 30/70 20130101; F24F 11/33 20180101; F24F
3/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/078 |
International
Class: |
F24F 3/16 20060101
F24F003/16; F25D 17/04 20060101 F25D017/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 10, 2004 |
CA |
2472752 |
Claims
1. A method of air conditioning in homes and buildings that are
equipped preferably with the air conditioning system, which
comprises the step of injecting of purified oxygen and nitrogen or
mixture of these gases into the air passages of the air
conditioning system.
2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, which comprises the step of
injecting of purified oxygen and nitrogen or mixture of these gases
directly into indoor space of individual homes or compartments.
3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, which comprises the step of
increasing the oxygen content in mixture of injected gases from
20-21% at the beginning of a day up to 21.1-25% by the end of a day
or business shift, with the provision to increase oxygen content up
to 100% in the case of special needs.
4. A method, as claimed in claim 1, in which the airflow of
purified gases in the airflow of the air conditioning system is
regulated in the range of 2 to 25% of airflow of the air
conditioning system, with the provision to increase the airflow of
purified gases up to 100% of airflow of the air conditioning system
in the case of special needs.
5. A method, as claimed in claim 1 which comprises the step of
increasing of nitrogen content in the mixture injected into the air
passages of the air conditioning system from 1 to 100% in the case
of fire alarm, after evacuation of the personnel.
6. An air conditioning apparatus that includes the air conditioner,
air passages, control board and air inlets to execute the method as
claimed in claim 1, comprises the oxygen and nitrogen storage units
that are connected to the air passages through the regulating
valves and linked electronically to the control board and oxygen
analyzer.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the prior filed
Canadian Application No. 2,472,752 of Sep. 10, 2004.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to the air conditioning and can be
used for the refreshment of indoor air in buildings, individual
homes, offices and production facilities.
[0003] Various air conditioning systems have been widely used to
regulate the temperature and create comfortable conditions inside
homes and buildings. However, air conditioning systems have caused
so called "Sick Building Syndrome" which has resulted due to the
accumulation of harmful impurities in indoor air. The symptoms
attributed to this syndrome include headache, nausea, shortness of
breath, sinus congestion, and eye-nose-throat irritation.
[0004] Filters and dehumidifiers have been used to remove airborne
dust particles and moisture in order to clean the air in individual
systems, refer the U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,359, and stationary systems,
refer to the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,502,975 and 6,589,323. However, the
cleaning of indoor air does not result in the same quality, as it
would be by replacing it with the outdoor one. The refreshment of
indoor air can be done by employing the ventilation system to bring
outdoor air inside. However, this method can further deteriorate
the quality of indoor air in the case of heavy smog. Doctors often
advise people with heart and breathing problems, who live in large
cities, that are affected by smog, such as Toronto and Hamilton in
Canada, New York and Buffalo in the USA, Mexico City, Deli in India
and Rome in Italy to stay indoors during hot summer days.
[0005] To prevent the contamination of indoor air with polluted
outdoor one, the latter one is used mostly for the heat exchange,
as per inventions described by the Canadian Patents 2321243 and
1248807. An atmosphere control apparatus, as per Canadian Patent
1281795, employs two separate chambers with a large storage
capacity. Cool and warm air, supplied by an air conditioner, is
stored in the first and second chambers respectively. In order to
create the required temperature, cool or warm air is selectively
blown outward into the compartment. This method has limited
applications and also does not have provision to refresh indoor air
because the air conditioner produces warm and cold air for these
compartments.
[0006] A significant health improvement was obtained through the
enrichment of air with purified oxygen, which is delivered through
the hoses and masks to the head--facial area of hospital patients
or other recipients; refer to the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,991,616 and
4,681,099. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,175 describes the distribution
method of the mixture of air with up to 95% oxygen to the aircraft
crewmembers. The most advanced air-oxygen breathing mixtures and
method of their optimization and delivery are described in the U.S.
Pat. No. 6,131,569 and PCT/DE97/00324. The above-mentioned
invention is based on the regulation of oxygen content in the air
depending on the recipient's measured physical condition and
performance. However, most of these methods and systems were
created to deliver the oxygen--air respiratory mixtures through the
head--facial area, directly to the face or mouth of the recipients.
They can't be used for the air refreshment inside the buildings and
homes and to deliver fresh or enriched with oxygen air
simultaneously to all the recipients, such as employees or family
members.
[0007] The invention per the U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,558 provides
systems and methods of supplying oxygen-enriched air to an enclosed
space or compartment. The systems and methods may distill oxygen
from ambient air by a molecular sieve pressure cycle mechanism,
such as a pressure swing absorption, may generate oxygen from water
using electricity or may use oxygen enriched air produced by
membrane filtration. The invention helps people improve their
wellness, productivity and comfort, improve performance of mental
and/or physical tasks, increase their alertness, quality of life
and pleasure, reduce their drowsiness, and aid in curing and
preventing disease by increasing the percentage of oxygen in the
enclosed space to a beneficial and safe level. However, this method
does not fully refresh the indoor air. Air is a mixture of 21%
oxygen (O.sub.2) and 78% nitrogen (N.sub.2). Only oxygen is
consumed during breathing by individuals. However, the nitrogen
content in the air is 3.7 times greater than oxygen. Therefore,
nitrogen accumulates 3.7 times more airborne contaminants in indoor
air.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In order to refresh air and eliminate the root cause of the
"Sick Building Syndrome" purified oxygen and nitrogen or mixture of
these gases should be injected into the air passages of the air
conditioning system. Then, the air conditioning system would
distribute refreshed air to all the recipients simultaneously.
[0009] The injection of purified oxygen is vital for the normal
functioning of our bodies. However, the injection of purified
nitrogen in combination with oxygen is 3.7 times more effective to
obtain refreshing effect than the injection of just oxygen.
Purified compressed or liquid oxygen and nitrogen can be used for
refreshment of indoor air. Furthermore, the injection of liquid
nitrogen and oxygen would reduce the consumption of electric energy
by the air conditioning system as they have low temperature.
[0010] Further development of the proposed method is increasing
oxygen content in the air conditioning system. It's well known that
by the end of a business day most people gain fatigue and feel
stressed. As a result, health and productivity are negatively
affected. Fresh air is essential in such situations. In accordance
with the proposed method, the oxygen content can be increased from
20-21% at the beginning of a business day up to 21.1-25% by the end
of a day, with the provision to increase oxygen content up to 100%
in the case of special needs.
[0011] Any amount of purified oxygen and nitrogen will improve the
quality of the indoor air. In order to feel significant refreshing
effect and improvement in the indoor air, the percentage of the
oxygen and nitrogen should be determined relatively to the airflow
of the air conditioning system. As per proposed method, this amount
should make up between 2 to 25% of the airflow produced by the air
conditioning system. For example, if the recommended productivity
of the air conditioning system is 15 to 20 cubic feet per minute
(cfm.) per person, oxygen and nitrogen mixture should be 0.3 to 5
cfm per person. In the case of special needs, the percentage can be
increased up to 100%, but it is not economical.
[0012] The implementation of the proposed method can also
significantly reduce the spread of fire if nitrogen content in the
air conditioning system is increased up to 100% in the case of fire
alarm, after the personnel evacuation.
[0013] The apparatus for the proposed method consists of the
regular air conditioner, air passages, control board and air
inlets, comprises storage units for oxygen and nitrogen, that are
connected to the air passages through regulating valves and
electronically connected to the oxygen analyzer and control
board.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0014] The invention is illustrated by way of example and not
limited in the attached figure of the air conditioning apparatus
for the building with four floors.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED INVENTION AND EMBODIMENT
[0015] In the figure, that illustrates the preferred embodiment,
each floor is marked (1) through (4); and the air conditioner (5)
is connected to each floor by the air passage (6). Each floor is
equipped with the air inlet (7) for the fresh air. Also each floor,
as well as individual compartment on the floor, can be equipped
with the exhaust ventilation (8) that is placed in the area that
generates most significant amount of contaminants such as kitchen
in the house, printing area in the office or welding or painting
area in the production shop. The main air passage (6) is connected
to the compressed or liquid oxygen (11) and nitrogen (12) storage
units through the regulating valves (14) and (15) respectively. The
oxygen analyzer (10) is placed in the main air passage (6) and is
electronically connected to the control board (13). The control
board (13) is connected electronically to the regulating valves
(14) and (15), air conditioner (5), oxygen analyzers (9) and
(10).
[0016] The purified oxygen and nitrogen in the ratio 1:3.7 are
injected into the main air passage (6) to maintain the normal
concentration of oxygen (21%) and nitrogen (78%) in the indoor air.
Purified mixture of oxygen and nitrogen create the effect of fresh
outdoor air inside the building and eliminate the root cause of the
"Sick Building Syndrome". Furthermore, purified oxygen and nitrogen
dilute contaminants inside the building and purge them away through
the exhaust ventilation (8) and natural imperfections such as
leakage through windows and doors. To obtain the significant
improvement of the indoor air, purified oxygen and nitrogen or
oxygen-nitrogen mixture should make up 2 to 25% of the airflow
produced by the air conditioning system.
[0017] To reduce the fatigue and deterioration of our physical
conditions during workday, the oxygen content in the indoor air can
be increased from 20-21% in the beginning to 21.1-25% by the end of
a workday using the control board (13). The proportional change of
oxygen-nitrogen injection, if the mixture is used or the increase
in oxygen can be used to change the oxygen content in the air. The
concentration of oxygen is controlled by the oxygen analyzer (10)
and is regulated automatically by the control board (13) through
valves (14) and (15). If the proposed method is used in the
hospital, the concentration of oxygen can be increased up to 100%
in the case of emergency and would allow the delivery of enriched
air to all the recipients simultaneously.
[0018] Another advantage of the proposed method and apparatus is
that in the case of fire alarm, the concentration of nitrogen can
be increased up to 100% after the evacuation of all personnel to
stop the spread of fire.
* * * * *