U.S. patent application number 11/192058 was filed with the patent office on 2006-05-18 for water condenser.
Invention is credited to Jonathan Gale Ritchey.
Application Number | 20060101838 11/192058 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36406150 |
Filed Date | 2006-05-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060101838 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ritchey; Jonathan Gale |
May 18, 2006 |
Water condenser
Abstract
A water condenser includes a fan which draws a primary airflow
through an upstream refrigerant evaporator, through an air-to-air
heat exchanger and in one embodiment also an air-to-water heat
exchanger uses cold water collected as condensate from the
evaporator, the airflow to the evaporator being pre-cooled by
passing through the air-to-air heat exchanger and the air-to-water
heat exchanger prior to entry into the evaporator wherein the
airflow is further cooled to below its dew point so as to condense
moisture onto the evaporator for gravity collection. The evaporator
is cooled by a closed refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant
condenser for the closed refrigerant circuit may employ the fan
drawing the airflow through the evaporator or a separate fan, both
of which drawing an auxiliary airflow separate from the airflow
through the evaporator through a manifold whereby both the
auxiliary airflow and the airflow through the evaporator, or just
the auxiliary airflow are guided through the condenser and
corresponding fan.
Inventors: |
Ritchey; Jonathan Gale;
(Vernon, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ANTONY C. EDWARDS
SUITE 200 - 270 HIGHWAY 33 WEST
KELOWNA
BC
V1X 1X7
CA
|
Family ID: |
36406150 |
Appl. No.: |
11/192058 |
Filed: |
July 29, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60632077 |
Nov 16, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/285 ; 62/428;
62/93 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01D 5/0072 20130101;
B01D 5/0039 20130101; F24F 1/0007 20130101; Y02A 20/109 20180101;
Y02A 20/00 20180101; C02F 2305/10 20130101; C02F 1/32 20130101;
F24F 13/222 20130101; C02F 1/725 20130101; E03B 3/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/285 ;
062/093; 062/428 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/06 20060101
F25D017/06; F25D 21/14 20060101 F25D021/14 |
Claims
1. A water condenser comprising: a housing having a first air
intake for entry of a first airflow, said first air intake mounted
to an air-to-air heat exchanger having a pre-refrigeration set of
air conduits cooperating in fluid communication with said first air
intake; for intake of said first airflow into said
pre-refrigeration set of air conduits, said heat exchanger having a
post-refrigeration set of air conduits arranged relative to the
pre-refrigeration set of air conduits for beat transfer between
said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits and said
post-refrigeration set of air conduits, a refrigeration unit
cooperating with said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits for
passage of said first airflow from a downstream end of the
pre-refrigeration set of air conduits into an upstream end of said
refrigeration unit, wherein said refrigeration unit includes
refrigerated surfaces over which said first airflow passes as it
flows from said upstream end of the refrigeration unit to a
downstream end of said refrigeration unit, said first airflow
cooled in said refrigeration unit below a dew point of said first
airflow so as to condense moisture from said first airflow onto
said refrigerated surfaces for gravity-assisted collection of the
first moisture into a moisture collector mounted under said
refrigeration unit, an air-to-water heat exchanger cooperating with
said air-to-air heat exchanger for cooling said first airflow
wherein said first airflow is passed through said air-to-water heat
exchanger and said first moisture from said moisture collector is
simultaneously passed through said air-to-water heat exchanger so
that said first moisture, cools said first airflow, said downstream
end of said refrigeration unit cooperating with, for passage of
said first airflow into, an upstream end of said post-refrigeration
set of air conduits, said first airflow exhausting from a
downstream end of said post-refrigeration set of air conduits,
wherein said first airflow in said post-refrigeration set of air
conduits pre-cools said first airflow in said pre-refrigeration set
of air conduits, control means for controlling the temperature of
said first airflow in said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits so
that it remains above a dew point temperature of said first airflow
when in said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits and for
controlling the temperature of said first airflow in said
refrigeration unit so that it drops below a dew point temperature
of said first airflow when in said refrigeration unit without
freezing, an airflow mover urging said first airflow into said
first air intake, along said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits,
through said refrigeration unit, and along said post-refrigeration
set of air conduits.
2. The device of claim 1 further comprising an air plenum having
upstream and downstream ends, said upstream end of said air plenum
cooperating with said downstream end of said post-refrigeration set
of air conduits so that said first airflow flows into said air
plenum at said upstream end of said plenum, said plenum having an
auxiliary air intake into said plenum, for intake of an ambient
second airflow into said plenum, said downstream end of said plenum
cooperating in fluid communication with a refrigerant condenser in
a refrigeration circuit including said first and second airflows
exhausting from a downstream end of said refrigerant condenser,
wherein said airflow mover urges said first and second airflows
through said plenum and said refrigerant condenser.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein said refrigeration unit is a
refrigerant evaporator.
4. The device of claim 2 further comprising a selectively actuable
airflow metering valve mounted in cooperation with said auxiliary
air intake for selectively controlling the volume and flow rate of
said second airflow passing into said plenum.
5. The device of claim 4 further comprising an automated actuator
cooperating with said metering valve for automated actuation of
said metering valve between open and closed positions of said valve
according to at least one environmental condition indicative of
moisture content in said first airflow.
6. The device of claim 5 wherein said automated actuator is a
bi-metal actuator and wherein said at least one environmental
condition includes ambient air temperature external to said
housing.
7. The device of claim 5 wherein said automated actuator includes a
processor cooperating with at least one sensor, said at least one
sensor for sensing said at least one environmental condition and
communicating environmental data corresponding to said at least one
environmental condition from said at least one sensor to said
processor.
8. The device of claim 3 further comprising a processor cooperating
with at least one sensor, said at least one sensor for sensing said
at least one environmental condition and communicating
environmental data corresponding to said at least one environmental
condition from said at least one sensor to said processor, wherein
at least one environmental condition of said at least one
environmental condition is chosen from the group consisting of:
ambient air temperature, first airflow temperature of said first
airflow, humidity, barometric air pressure, air density, airflow
velocity, air mass flow rate, temperature of said refrigerated
surface.
9. The device of claim 8 wherein said at least one sensor senses
said at least one environmental condition in or in proximity to
said first airflow.
10. The device of claim 9 wherein said first airflow temperature
environmental condition includes air temperatures in said
pre-refrigeration and post-refrigeration sets of air conduits.
11. The device of claim 9 wherein said first airflow temperature
environmental condition includes air temperature in said
refrigeration unit.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein said at least one sensor senses
said at least one environmental condition in said heat exchanger,
and wherein said processor regulates said first airflow in said
first refrigeration unit so that said air temperature in said
refrigeration unit is below said dew point of said first airflow,
but above freezing.
13. The device of claim 11 wherein said processor calculates said
dew point for said first airflow based on said at least one
environmental condition sensed by said at least one sensor.
14. The device of claim 11 wherein said airflow mover is
selectively controllable and wherein said processor regulates said
first airflow so as to minimize said air temperature of said first
airflow from dropping below said dew point for said first airflow
while in said heat exchanger to minimize condensation within said
heat exchanger.
15. The device of claim 9 wherein said airflow mover is at least
one fan in a flow path containing said first airflow.
16. The device of claim 15 wherein said at least one fan includes a
fan downstream of said heat exchanger.
17. The device of claim 15 further comprising at least one air
filter in said flow path.
18. The device of claim 17 further comprising a water filter for
filtering water harvested from said refrigeration unit.
19. The device of claim 17 wherein said at least one air filter
includes an ultra-violet radiation lamp mounted in proximity to so
as to cooperate with said flow path.
20. The device of claim 17 wherein said water filter includes an
ultra-violet radiation lamp mounted in proximity to so as to
cooperate with said moisture collector.
21. The device of claim 17 wherein said at least one air filter and
said water filter include a common ultra-violet radiation lamp
mounted in proximity to so as to cooperate with said flow path and
said moisture collector.
22. The device of claim 1 wherein said refrigeration unit includes
a plate condenser having at least one plate.
23. The device of claim 22 wherein said at least one plate is a
plurality of plates.
24. The device of claim 23 wherein said plurality of plates are
mounted in substantially parallel spaced apart array.
25. The device of claim 2 where, in upstream-to-downstream order,
said refrigeration unit is adjacent said heat exchanger, said heat
exchanger is adjacent said plenum, said plenum is adjacent said
refrigerant condenser, and said refrigerant condenser is adjacent
said airflow mover.
26. The device of claim 25 wherein said refrigeration unit, said
heat exchanger, said plenum, said refrigerant condenser, and said
airflow mover elements are inter-leaved in closely adjacent
array.
27. The device of claim 2 wherein said first airflow has a
corresponding first mass flow rate, and wherein said second airflow
has a corresponding second mass flow rate, and wherein a combined
airflow of said first and second airflows is the sum of
corresponding first and second mass flow rates so that a combined
mass flow rate of said combined airflow is greater than said first
mass flow rate.
28. The device of claim 1 wherein said air-to-water heat exchanger
is upstream of said air-to-air heat exchanger along said first
airflow.
29. The device of claim 1 wherein said air-water heat exchanger is
downstream of said air-to-air heat exchanger along said first
airflow.
30. The device of claim 1 wherein elements including said housing,
said first air intake, said air-to-air heat exchanger, said sets of
air conduits, said refrigeration unit, said moisture collector,
said air-to-water heat exchanger, moisture conduits, or said
airflow mover include titanium dioxide as a constituent
component.
31. The device of claim 30 wherein said titanium dioxide is a
coating on at least internal surfaces of said elements.
32. The device of claim 30 further comprising at least one source
of radiation is mounted within said housing so as to irradiate
internal surfaces of at least one of said elements.
33. The device of claim 32 wherein said at least one source of
radiation is a source of ultra-violet radiation.
34. The device of claim 32 wherein said source of radiation is
mounted between said heat exchanger and said evaporator.
35. The device of claim 34 further comprising a reflector mounted
adjacent said source of radiation to reflect radiation onto
internal surfaces of said heat exchanger and said evaporator.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60/632,077 filed Nov. 16, 2004 entitled
Portable Potable Water Condenser.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to the field of water condensers
generally, and in particular to a water condenser providing for
optimized controlled cooling of an ambient airflow to its dew point
temperature so as to condense moisture from the ambient air to
provide potable water.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] At any given moment the earth's atmosphere contains 326
million cubic miles of water and of this, 97% is saltwater and only
3% is fresh water. Of the 3% that is fresh water, 70% is frozen in
Antarctica and of the remaining 30% only 0.7% is found in liquid
form. Atmospheric air contains 0.16% of this 0.7% or 4,000 cubic
miles of water which is 8 times the amount of water found in all
the rivers of the world.
[0004] 0.16% of that 0.7% is found in the atmosphere
[0005] 0.8% of that 0.7% is found in soil moisture
[0006] 1.4% of that 0.7% is found in lakes
[0007] 97.5% of that 0.7% is found in groundwater
[0008] Nature maintains this ratio by accelerating or retarding the
rates of evaporation and condensation, irrespective of the
activities of man. It is the sole source and means of regenerating
wholesome water for all forms of life on earth.
[0009] In addition, most of the world's fresh water sources are
contaminated. A total of 1.2 billion people in the world lack
access to safe drinking water and 2.9 billion people do not have
access to proper sanitation systems (World Health Organization). As
a result, about 3.4 million people, mostly children, die each year
from water-related illnesses. According to the United Nations, 31
countries in the world are currently facing water stress and over
one billion people lack access to clean water. Half of humanity
lacks basic sanitation services and water-borne pathogens kill 25
million people every year. Every 8 seconds, a child dies from
drinking contaminated water. Furthermore, unless we dramatically
change our ways, by 2025, close to two-thirds of the world's
population will be living with severe freshwater shortages.
[0010] There is a huge global need for cost effective and scalable
sources of potable water. Current technologies require too much
energy to operate efficiently and the resultant cost of treated
water puts these technologies out-of-reach for the majority in
need. Desalination plants exist in rich nations such as the United
States and Saudi Arabia but are not feasible everywhere. The lack
of infrastructure in developing nations makes large plants with
high-volume production impractical, as there is no way to transport
the water efficiently.
[0011] There is a need for small scalable water extraction plants
that will meet the needs of individuals, communities and
industries. This invention can responded to that need by developing
an extraction unit that functions off-the-grid to make clean pure
water, anywhere where the need exists.
[0012] The present invention is a device that extracts moisture
vapor from atmospheric air for use as a fresh water source. The
device may utilize the sun as the primary energy source thereby
eliminating the need for costly fuels, hydro or battery power
sources. The water collection device of the present invention
provides flexibility over prior devices, allowing for productive
installations in most regions of the world. As the water collection
device's preferred power source is solar energy, the amount of
available power for the device increases as installations of the
device get closer to the equator where it is hotter year round.
[0013] The invention is designed to allow one small water cooler
sized unit to provide cooking and drinking water for a family,
simply by harvesting the water vapor from humid air. Private
individuals, industries and communities could control their own
water supply through the use of the device's technology. It is
practical for many uses in domestic, commercial or military
applications and offers ease of use and clean water of a highest
quality anywhere, anytime. The modular design of these devices
allow for increased capacity, simply by adding more modules.
[0014] In addition to domestic use larger units based upon the same
basic technology will be appropriate for many other applications
where larger water supplies are required. The 12 Volt compressor of
the cooling system may be replaced with a larger 110 Volt
compressor with appropriately sized components such as the
evaporator and the condenser and the unit will be capable of
condensing much larger quantities of water when electrical power is
more readily available.
[0015] The devices solar water condenser technology may be applied
to a variety of uses from residential to recreational and from
commercial and agricultural to military and life saving in extreme
water deprived regions of the world.
[0016] This invention may be used for obtaining pure drinking
water, for cooking purposes or for other household uses such as
cleaning or bathing. The system may also be used on boats or in
vacation areas, on camping trips, trekking and places where
drinking water delivery systems are not developed. The unit may be
used to produce fresh water for bottling purposes or for larger
commercial applications such as restaurants, offices, schools,
hotel lobbies, cruise ships, hospitals and other public buildings.
The system may also be used in playing fields and sports
arenas.
[0017] Additionally, the technology may be used to augment the
supply of water being used to irrigate selected crops using micro
or drip irrigation systems. These systems deliver the right amount
of water at the right time, directly to the roots of plants. As
well, the technology may be used to for bottled water production or
virtually any other application where water is needed.
[0018] The proposed technology provides an opportunity to end much
suffering. The death and misery that flow from unsafe water is
overwhelming. More than 5,000 children die daily from diseases
caused by consuming water and food contaminated with bacteria,
according to a recent study released by UNICEF, the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP).
[0019] Currently, 1.2 billion people have no access to safe
drinking water and that number is increasing steadily with
forecasts of a potential 2.3 billion or one-third of the earth's
population without access to safe water by 2025 (World Health
Organization's statistics from World Commission on Water for the
21st Century). These at-risk children and their families are not
restricted to rural areas in undeveloped nations. "Millions of poor
urban dwellers have been left without water supply and sanitation
in the rapidly growing cities of the developing world. The poor are
often forced to pay exorbitant prices for untreated water, much of
it deadly," reports William Cosgrove, director of World Water
Vision, Paris. Our device can relieve much of this suffering.
[0020] A rapid increase in water demand, particularly for
industrial and household use, is being driven by population growth
and socioeconomic development. If this growth trend continues,
consumption of water by the industrial sector will be double by
2025 (WMO).
[0021] Urban population growth will increase demand for household
water, but poorly planned water and sanitation services will lead
to a breakdown in services for hundreds of millions of people. Many
households will remain unconnected to piped water.
[0022] The present invention offers a practical and affordable
solution to many of the world's water supply problems.
[0023] It should be noted that while much of the prior art is
simply extracting what it can from the air based upon a simplistic
and uncontrolled process, some water will be extracted but with
little concern for efficiency. This lack of efficiency can be
explained by understanding the different types of heat that are
used in the process of extracting water from air.
[0024] The heat that is used to bring air down to dew point is
"specific heat". The heat used to bring the temperature of air
below dew point is "latent heat" and represents a dynamic in the
condensation process. The optimal condensation process uses as
little "latent heat" as is possible.
[0025] For reference, specific heat means: [0026] 1. The ratio of
the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass
of a substance by one unit of temperature to the amount of heat
required to raise the temperature of a similar mass of a reference
material, usually water, by the same amount. [0027] 2. The amount
of heat, measured in calories, required to raise the temperature of
one gram of a substance by one Celsius degree.
[0028] Latent heat means:
[0029] The quantity of beat absorbed or released by a substance
undergoing a change of state, such as ice changing to water or
water to steam, at constant temperature and pressure. This is also
called heat of transformation.
[0030] In the optimal condensation process if too much air is drawn
through the system the system cannot take enough of the total
volume of air to a temperature below dew point and will therefore
result in poor performance from the system.
[0031] If not enough air is drawn through the device the air
temperature will drop to below dew point but as there is less air
moving through the system, there is respectively less water
available to be drawn from that air. There are as well other issues
that arise when too little air is moved through the system such as
freezing and wasted energy in the overuse of "latent" beat.
[0032] Therefore there is an optimal quantity of air that will
travel through the system based upon a number of variables and that
optimal quantity of air will change as the other variables change.
It is therefore necessary to have a system that is monitored and
reacts to the changes in temperature and humidity so as to ensure
ongoing optimal operation is achieved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0033] The water condenser according to the present invention is a
device that may use various input source energy supplies to create
a condensation process that extracts potable water from atmospheric
air.
[0034] In one embodiment the water condenser is portable and the
refrigeration cycle may be driven by a 12 Volt compressor that
allows for an efficient condensation process for creating a potable
water supply. The input source energy for the compressor may be
supplied from many sources such as a wind turbine, batteries, or a
photovoltaic panel. Additionally the design may be fitted with
transformers to accommodate other power supplies such as 110 Volt
or 220 Volt systems when such electrical power is available, or the
device may be sized or scaled up so as to accommodate such
electrical power sources directly. For example, the device might
use a 110 Volt compressor and simply have the device's other
components scaled-up to accommodate the larger compressor.
[0035] Rather than filtering water with conventional systems such
as reverse osmosis or carbon filtration, the device filters the
atmospheric air then provides a condensation process that lowers
the temperature of that air to below dew point of the airflow. The
air is then exposed to an adequate sized, cooled surface area upon
which to condense, and the water is harvested as gravity pulls the
water into a storage compartment.
[0036] The disclosed invention creates a high quality water supply
through a process of filtering air rather than water. The device
may be fitted with a screen to keep out larger contaminates.
Downstream of the screen may be a pre-filter. The pre-filter may be
removable for cleaning. Downstream of the pre-filter may be a high
quality filter such as a HEPA filter to ensure the airflow is pure
and depleted of contaminates that might impede upon the quality of
water that is created by the condensation process downstream of the
air filtration.
[0037] Rather than using a capillary tube metering mechanism for
feeding refrigerant fluid into the refrigerant evaporator, such as
is normally used for smaller refrigeration systems, the device
according to the present invention may be fitted with an automatic
suction valve so as to allow for the device to adapt to varying
loads created by different environments. One object is that the
condensation process is to provide efficient processing of
atmospheric, that is ambient air. Thus the intake airflow
downstream of the air filtration may be pre-cooled, prior to
entering a refrigerant evaporator used to condense moisture out of
the intake airflow, by passing the intake airflow through an
air-to-air beat exchanger, itself cooled by cooled air leaving the
evaporator. That is, the incoming airflow is cooled before it
enters the refrigerant evaporator section by passing it in close
proximity in the heat exchanger to the cooled air that is leaving
the refrigerant evaporator. Air-to-air heat exchangers may be
constructed to be very efficient, reaching 80% efficiency and
therefore reducing the temperature of the incoming airflow towards
the dew point of the airflow prior to entering the refrigerant
evaporator reduces the temperature differential or temperature drop
that must obtained by passing the air over cooled surfaces in the
refrigerant evaporator to obtain the dew point temperature, and
thus may have a significant impact upon the efficiency of the
condensation process and thus the efficiency of the device. For
example the device may thus be optimized to increase the airflow
rate and still be able to reduce the airflow temperature to the dew
point, or will be able to handle very hot inflow temperatures and
still reduce the dew point temperature a reasonable airflow volume
over time so as to harvest a useful amount of moisture. Sensors
provide temperature, for example ambient, inlet temperatures,
refrigerant evaporator inlet and refrigerant evaporator outlet
temperatures, humidity, and fan speed or other air flow rate
indicators to the processor to optimize and balance those variables
to maximize harvested moisture volume. Embodiments of the present
invention may thus include varying the flow of air through the
system such that the device has a prescribed amount of air passing
through the refrigerant evaporator and a different flow of air
passing through the refrigerant condenser of the corresponding
refrigerant circuit, allowing for optimized function.
[0038] In addition to the benefits described above our water
condenser unit may add additional value in further processing. The
harvested water may be further processed so as to increase the
value of the water, for example by adding back inorganic minerals
missing or only present in small amounts in the water so as to
accommodate the perceived value of these minerals to the consumer.
The process may also add organic minerals back into the water which
are of benefit to the human body, rather than simply adding back
inorganic minerals that the human body may not be able to properly
assimilate.
[0039] There are numerous means by which to put back minerals and
trace elements into the harvested water. For example, a small
compartment with a hinged door allowing it to be easily accessed
may be provided between a drip plate at the bottom of the
refrigerant evaporator and a downstream water storage container so
as to have all harvested water pass through this chamber. A
provided mineral puck may inserted into this chamber by a user so
that as harvested water drips over the mineral puck the puck
dissolves thereby adding desired elements to the harvested water.
The user thereby controls re-mineralization of the harvested water.
Additional health remedies may also be added to the harvested water
such as colloidal silver, water oxygenation additives, negatively
ionized hydrogen ions or other health enhancing products.
[0040] In summary, the water condenser according to the present
invention may be characterized in one aspect as including at least
two cooling stages or first cooling a primary or first air flow
flowing through the upstream or first stage of the two stages using
an air-to-air heat exchanger, and feeding the primary airflow once
cooled in the heat exchanger of one first stage in a refrigerant
evaporator wherein the primary airflow is further cooled in the
refrigerant evaporator to its dew point so as to condense moisture
in the primary airflow onto cooled surfaces of the refrigerant
evaporator, whereupon the primary airflow, upon exiting the
refrigerant evaporator of the second stage, enters the air-to-air
heat exchanger of the first stage to cool the incoming primary
airflow, thereby reducing the temperature differential between the
temperature of the incoming primary airflow entering the first
stage and the dew point temperature of the primary airflow in the
second stage. A secondary or auxiliary airflow, which in one
embodiment may be mixed or joined (collectively referred to herein
as being mixed) with the primary airflow, downstream of the first
and second stages so as to increase the volume of airflow entering
a refrigerant condenser in the refrigerant circuit corresponding to
the refrigerant evaporator of the second stage. Thus if the primary
or first airflow has a corresponding first mass flow rate, and the
secondary or auxiliary airflow has a corresponding second mass flow
rate, then the mass flow rate of the combined airflow entering the
refrigerant condenser is the sum of the first and second mass flow
rates, that is greater than the first mass flow rate in the two
cooling stages. The two cooling stages may be contained in one or
separate housings so long as the primary airflow is in fluid
communication between the two stages. One housing includes a first
air intake for entry of the primary airflow. The first air intake
is mounted to the air-to-air heat exchanger.
[0041] The air-to-air heat exchanger has a pre-refrigeration set of
air conduits cooperating at their upstream end in fluid
communication with the first air intake. The first air intake thus
provides for intake of the primary airflow into the
pre-refrigeration set of air conduits. The air-to-air heat
exchanger also has a post-refrigeration set of conduits arranged
relative to the pre-refrigeration set of air conduits for heat
transfer between the pre-refrigeration set of air conduits and the
post-refrigeration set of air conduits.
[0042] A first refrigeration or cooling unit (hereinafter
collectively a refrigeration unit) such as the refrigerant
evaporator cooperates with the pre-refrigeration set of air
conduits for passage of the primary airflow from a downstream end
of the pre-refrigeration set of conduits into an upstream end of
the first refrigeration unit. The first refrigeration unit includes
first refrigerated or cooled (herein collectively or alternatively
referred to as refrigerated) surfaces, for example one or more
cooled plates, over which the primary airflow passes as it flows
from the upstream end of the first refrigeration unit to the
downstream end of the first refrigeration unit.
[0043] The already pre-cooled primary airflow is further cooled in
the first refrigeration unit below a dew point of the primary
airflow so as to commence condensation of moisture in the primary
airflow onto the refrigerated surfaces for gravity-assisted
collection of the moisture into a moisture collector, for example a
drip late or pan mounted under or in a lower part of the housing.
The downstream end of the first refrigeration unit cooperates with,
for passage of the primary airflow into, an upstream end of the
post-refrigeration set of air conduits, for example to then enter
the air-to-air heat exchanger so as to pre-cool the primary airflow
before the primary airflow engages the first refrigeration unit.
Because of pre-cooling by the heat exchanger, condensate may be
collected with minimal power requirements. A second air-to-air heat
exchanger may further increase system performance. Collectively the
pre-refrigeration and post-refrigeration sets of air conduits form
the first cooling stage, and collectively the plate or plates of
the refrigerant evaporator form the second cooling stage.
[0044] An air-to-water heat exchanger may be provided cooperating
with the air-to-air heat exchanger for cooling the primary airflow
wherein the primary airflow is passed through the air-to-water heat
exchanger and the cold moisture from the moisture collector is
simultaneously passed through the air-to-water heat exchanger so
that the moisture cools the first airflow. The air-to-water heat
exchanger may be either upstream or downstream of the air-to-air
heat exchanger along the primary airflow.
[0045] In one embodiment a manifold or air plenum having opposite
upstream and downstream ends cooperates in fluid communication with
the downstream end of the post-refrigeration set of conduits. That
is, the upstream end of the air plenum cooperates with the
downstream end of the post-refrigeration set of conduits so that
the primary airflow flows into the air plenum at the upstream end
of the plenum. The plenum has a secondary or auxiliary air intake
into the plenum for mixing of the auxiliary airflow with, or
addition of the auxiliary airflow in parallel to, the primary
airflow in the plenum so as to provide the combined mass flow rate
into the refrigerant condenser, to extract heat from the
refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit to re-condense the
refrigerant for delivery under pressure to the refrigerant
evaporator in the second cooling stage, the refrigerant pressurized
between the refrigerant evaporator and condenser by a refrigerant
compressor (herein referred to as the compressor). Thus the
downstream end of the plenum cooperates in fluid communication with
the refrigerant condenser. An airflow primer mover such as a fan or
blower (herein collectively a fan) urges the primary airflow
through the two cooling stages. In embodiments wherein both the
primary and auxiliary airflows are directed into the refrigerant
condenser (herein also referred to as the combined airflow
embodiment), a single airflow prime mover, such as a fan on the
refrigerant condenser may be employed, otherwise, where only the
auxiliary airflow flows through the refrigerant condenser, separate
airflow prime movers are provided for the primary and auxiliary
airflows.
[0046] In the combined airflow embodiment, a selectively actuable
airflow metering valve such as a selectively actuable damper may be
mounted in cooperation with the auxiliary air intake for
selectively controlling the volume and flow rate of the auxiliary
airflow passing into the plenum. An automated actuator may
cooperate with the metering valve for automated actuation of the
metering valve between open and closed positions of the valve
according to at least one environmental condition indicative of at
least moisture content in the primary and/or auxiliary airflows
(herein "and/or" collectively referred to by the bolean operator
"or"). For example, the automated actuator may be a temperature
sensitive bi-metal actuator or an actuator controlled by a
programmable logic controller (PLC); for example the automated
actuator may include a processor cooperating with at least one
sensor, the at least one sensor for sensing the at least one
environmental condition and communicating environmental data
corresponding to the at least one environmental condition from the
at least one sensor to the processor or PLC. The at least one
environmental condition may be chosen from the group consisting of
air temperature, humidity, barometric air pressure, air density,
air mass flow rate. The air temperature conditioner may include the
temperature of the ambient air at the primary airflow intake, and
the temperature of the primary airflows entering and leaving the
second cooling stage.
[0047] The processor regulates the first and/or second airflows,
for example regulates the amount of cooling in the refrigeration
unit, so that the air temperature in the first refrigeration unit
is at or below the dew point of the primary airflow, but above
freezing. The processor may calculate the dew point for the primary
airflow based on the at least one environmental condition sensed by
the at least one sensor.
[0048] The airflow prime mover may be selectively controllable and
the processor may regulate the primary, auxiliary or combined
airflow so as to minimize the air temperature of the primary
airflow from dropping too far below the dew point for the primary
airflow to minimize condensation within the heat exchanger, and so
as to optimize or maximize the volume of moisture condensation in
the refrigeration unit.
[0049] At least one filter may be mounted in cooperation with the
water condenser housing. For example, at least one air filter such
as a HEPA filter may be mounted in the flow path of the first
airflow. A water filter may be provided for filtering water in the
moisture collector. The air filters may include an ultra-violet
radiation lamp mounted in proximity to, so as to cooperate with,
the primary airflow path or the moisture collector. For example the
air filter and the water filter may include a common ultra-violet
radiation lamp mounted in proximity to so as to cooperate with both
the primary airflow path and the moisture collector.
[0050] In upstream-to-downstream order, the first refrigeration
unit may be adjacent the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger may be
adjacent the plenum, the plenum may be adjacent the refrigerant
condenser, and the refrigerant condenser may be adjacent the
airflow prime mover. These elements may be inter-leaved in closely
adjacent array.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0051] FIG. 1 is, in perspective view, one embodiment of the water
condenser according to the present invention.
[0052] FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.
[0053] FIG. 2a is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2.
[0054] FIG. 2b is a sectional view along line 2b-2b in FIG. 2.
[0055] FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG. 1.
[0056] FIG. 3a is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3.
[0057] FIG. 3b is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3a.
[0058] FIG. 3c is, in perspective view, the internal air conduits
of the upstream side of manifold of the water condenser of FIG.
1.
[0059] FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 in FIG. 1.
[0060] FIG. 5 is the view of FIG. 3 in an alternative embodiment
wherein the airflow manifold feeding the refrigerant condenser is
partitioned between the primary and auxiliary airflows.
[0061] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the pre-cooling and
condenser cycle and closed loop refrigerant circuit according to
the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0062] FIG. 6a is the view of FIG. 6 showing an air-to-water heat
exchanger downstream of the air-to-air heat exchanger.
[0063] FIG. 6b is the view of FIG. 6 showing an air-to-water heat
exchanger upstream of the air-to-air heat exchanger.
[0064] FIG. 7 is, in partially cut away front right side
perspective view, an alternative embodiment of the present
invention wherein two separate fans draw the primary and auxiliary
airflows through the evaporator and condenser respectively.
[0065] FIG. 8 is, in partially cut away front left side perspective
view, the embodiment of FIG. 7.
[0066] FIG. 9 is, in partially cut away rear perspective view, the
embodiment of FIG. 7.
[0067] FIG. 10 is a partially cut away rear perspective view of the
embodiment of FIG. 9.
[0068] FIG. 10a is a sectional view along line 10a-10a in FIG.
10.
[0069] FIG. 11 is, in partially cut away perspective view a further
alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the primary
airflow passes through an air-to-water heat exchanger.
[0070] FIG. 12 is a graph of Temperature vs. Time showing the
interrelation of Evaporator Temperature, Processed Air Temperature,
Relative Humidity (RH)%, Dew Point Temperature, and Environmental
Temperature in the device of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0071] Applicant's U.S. provisional patent application No.
60/632,077 is incorporated herein by reference to the extent that
it does not conflict with this disclosure.
[0072] With reference to the drawings wherein similar characters of
reference denote corresponding parts in each view, in one preferred
embodiment of the present invention, a fan 12 draws a primary
airflow along an upstream flow path A through an upstream
refrigerant evaporator 14, through an air-to-air heat exchanger 16,
and in an alternative embodiment also through an air-to-water heat
exchanger using cold water collected as condensate from evaporator
14 (better described below), cooperating with an air intake 18 of
upstream flow path A, then through a manifold 20 where ambient air
is drawn in as auxiliary airflow in direction B through auxiliary
air intake 22. The primary airflow enters manifold 20 in direction
C upon leaving heat exchanger 16. The primary and auxiliary
airflows, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, mix in manifold 20 then flow
in direction D through a downstream refrigerant condenser 24 and
finally flow through fan 12 so as to be exhausted and heated
exhaust in direction E.
[0073] The primary airflow is pre-cooled in the air-to-air heat
exchanger, and also in the air-to-water heat exchanger in the
alternative embodiment. Humidity in the ambient air drawn in as the
primary airflow through intake 18 is condensed in refrigerant
evaporator 14. Water droplets which condense are gravity fed in
direction F into a collection plate, pan or trough 26 for outflow
through spout 26a. The addition of ambient air drawn in as the
auxiliary airflow in direction B into manifold 20 provides the
higher volumetric airflow rate needed to efficiently operate
refrigerant condenser 24.
[0074] In operation, the primary airflow is drawn in through the
upstream air intake 18 of evaporator 14 in direction A and passes
between the hollow air-to-air heat exchanger plates 30. Depending
on the embodiment of the present invention, an air-to-water heat
exchanger 90 may cooperate with air-to-air heat exchanger 16 and
there may be one, two, three or more plates 30 in heat exchanger
16. Plates 30 are preferably parallel and are spaced apart to form
flow channels therebetween, and between the outermost plates 30a
and the walls 32a of the housing 32 of the heat exchanger. Within
evaporator 14, in the two evaporator plate embodiments illustrated,
plates 34 are refrigerated by the evaporation of refrigerant
flowing into cooling coils 34a. Plates 34 are optimally cooled to a
temperature which will cool the primary airflow to just below its
dew point such as seen plotted from experimental data in FIG. 12 so
as to condense water vapour in the primary airflow onto the
surfaces of the plates and coils without causing the water vapour
to form ice. For example, the primary airflow exiting evaporator 14
in direction H, so as to enter heat exchanger 16, may be cooled to
40.degree. Fahrenheit.
[0075] Once the primary airflow has passed between plates 30, and
between plates 30a and the walls 32a of housing 32 (collectively,
generically the pre-refrigeration set of air conduits), the primary
airflow is turned one hundred eighty degrees in direction I by and
within an end cap manifold 36 which extends the length of the upper
ends of plates 30.
[0076] Plates 30 themselves are rigidly supported in parallel
spaced apart array sandwiched by and between planar end plates 38.
The end plates have an array of apertures 38a therethrough. The
apertures align with the open ends of sealed conduits 30b through
the plates, as best seen in FIGS. 3, 3a and 3b, so that, once the
airflow has turned one hundred eighty degrees in direction H
through upstream side manifold 40, the airflow then passes in
direction J through apertures 38a and along the length, of conduits
30b (the post-refrigeration set of air conduits) so as to exit from
the corresponding apertures 38a downstream in the opposite end
plate 38'. In particular, side manifold 40 in the illustrated
embodiment of FIG. 3c, which is not intended to be limiting,
segregates airflow in direction H into three flows H.sub.1, H.sub.2
and H.sub.3 so as to enter into corresponding conduits 30b,
themselves arranged in three banks 30b.sub.1, 30b.sub.2 and
30b.sub.3 arranged vertically one on top of the other as seen in
FIG. 2. Fences 40b divide airflows H.sub.1, H.sub.2 and H.sub.3
from one another and align the airflows with their corresponding
bank of sealed conduits 30b, so that airflows H.sub.1, H.sub.2 and
H.sub.3 are aligned for flow into, respectively, conduit banks
30b.sub.1, 30b.sub.2 and 30b.sub.3. Fences 40b also align with
plates 34 so as to partially segregate the infeed to airflows
H.sub.1, H.sub.2 and H.sub.3 to come from, respectively, between
the outside plate 34 and the outside wall 14a, between the inside
and outside plates 34, and between the inside plate 34 and the
inside wall 14b. A lower cap 40a seals the end of pan 26 and
channels moisture collected from side manifold 40 into pan 26,
better seen in FIG. 2b. Air-to-air heat transfer in direction K
occurs through the solid walls of plates 30 so that the primary
airflow in conduits 30b cools the primary airflow between the
plates.
[0077] Upon leaving the apertures 38a' in end plates 38', the
airflow is again turned approximately one hundred eighty degrees in
direction C by and within downstream side manifold 42 which extends
the height of end plate 38'. Side manifold 42 directs airflow into
manifold 20 through a port 44 leading into the upstream end of
manifold 20. An ambient air intake 22 feeds ambient air in
direction B into manifold 20 so as to, in one combined airflow
embodiment, mix with the airflow from heat exchanger 16 with
ambient air from auxiliary air intake 22. The flow rate of the
auxiliary airflow through intake 22 is selectively regulated by
actuation of damper 20a (shown in FIG. 3 in its closed position in
dotted outline and in its open position in solid outline). The
mixed airflow is then drawn in direction D into refrigerant
condenser 24 so as to pass between the louvers 24a or coils or the
like. Condenser 24 condenses refrigerant flowing in lines 46a
(illustrated diagrammatically in dotted outline in FIG. 4) once
compressed by compressor 46. The combined airflow then enters the
in-line fan 12 and exhausts from the fan in direction E.
[0078] Atmospheric air enters intake 18 in direction A through
screen 50, passing through pre-filter 52, then through a high
quality filter, such as HEPA filter 54. Air flow leaving condenser
24 may pass through another filter 56. Filter 56 inhibits
contaminates from entering the fan and thus keeps contaminants from
getting into evaporator 14. Once the primary airflow has been
processed through the two cooling stages of, respectively, heat
exchanger 16 and refrigerant evaporator 14, the primary airflow may
not be sufficiently cool to assist in the refrigerant cooling in
refrigerant condenser 24. Thus the primary airflow may be exhausted
entirely from the system without flowing through condenser 24
without significantly affecting performance or where the primary
airflow is somewhat cool, it may be used to assist in cooling
condenser 24. If the air that has passed through the evaporator 14
and heat exchanger 16 is exhausted upstream of condenser 24, the
condenser 24 will draw its own air stream, that is the auxiliary
airflow, directly from the ambient air outside the system. The use
of the two air streams, primary and auxiliary has advantages in
allowing a significant increase in airflow through the condenser
versus the evaporator.
[0079] A controller 48 may do multiple tasks and the system may
require multiple controllers if it is not beneficial or practical
to build them all into the same unit. The controller 48 may be
designed to accommodate a varying power input such as would be the
case if the unit was hooked up directly to a photovoltaic panel.
Controller 48 may also ensure that the refrigeration system
pressures are maintained.
[0080] There are two pressures involved in a refrigeration system
such as is employed in this design. These are the suction pressure
(low side) and the discharge pressure (high side). For optimal
performance the low side or suction pressure may be approximately
30 psi. The high side or discharge pressure is much harder to
control and may be within the 120 psi to 200 psi range for optimal
performance. With a normal refrigeration system the high side
pressure is much easier to control using conventional refrigeration
controls, and poses little concern. With a system such as this,
that is under constant changing load with large fluctuations in
both temperature and humidity, the pressures are prone to change
and can quickly move outside of the optimal range. This can cause
damage to the system as if the discharge pressure gets to high
(over 250 psi) it may be very hard on the system and can cause
internal damage to the valves in the compressor, the insulation on
the electrical wiring, and may even cause the formation of waxes,
as well as decreasing the overall efficiency of the system. These
pressures may be controlled to some degree by controlling the
pressures within the system and through controlling the flow of
refrigerant. The high side or discharge may be controlled by
regulating the quantity and temperature of the air that passes
through the condenser. If the discharge pressure is too low (below
120 psi) the cooling system becomes compromised and functions below
its capability. In this case the controller is designed to turn the
fan off and allow the pressure to rise. If the pressure gets too
high the controller will turn the fan on and the pressure will
drop. This is a simple and inexpensive way to control the system
discharge pressure.
[0081] Controller 48 may also find the optimal airflow rate through
the condenser so as to moderate the discharge (also called
backpressure) to an acceptable range (150 psi may be optimal). In
this design the fan is kept at the optimal speed rather than
turning off and on, so as to ensure proper system pressures and
optimal operation of the refrigeration system.
[0082] In ensuring that an ideal operation of the device is
maintained, different systems may be employed. They are as
follows.
[0083] The ideal location within the system will be determined for
where the internal airflow should be reaching its dew point. This
location might be between the heat exchanger and the evaporator
plates (first pass). A controller with sensors monitors
environmental conditions and calculates internally what the dew
point is. Sensors are placed within the system such as mentioned
above, that allow the controller to monitor the sensors, thereby
determining where the temperature is with respect to dew point.
Thus, if optimal system function is to create dew point at this
sensor the controller will slow down or speed up the fan in a
continual effort to optimize the system. In another embodiment a
pressure differential gauge may be used to offer feedback to the
controller assisting in its function to optimize the airflow. The
present system is designed to keep the airflow just below dew point
and to track, dew point continuously as conditions change. As seen
in the test data set of FIG. 12, the dew point is continuously
tracked by the processed air temperature ensuring optimal
operation.
[0084] In an alternative embodiment as seen in FIGS. 7-10 and 10a
the primary and auxiliary airflows are entirely separate. Whereas
in the previously describe embodiment, the primary airflow after
passing through the air-to-air heat exchanger wherein the lowered
temperature of the primary airflow leaving the refrigerant
evaporator is used to pre-cool the incoming primary airflow rather
than be wasted, and the primary airflow then flowing into the
manifold wherein it is mixed with the auxiliary airflow so as to
provide the increased mass flow volume for the refrigerant
condenser, in this embodiment, control of the primary airflow is
provided by a separate fan for increased accuracy of control of the
primary airflow through the two cooling stages namely the heat
exchanger and refrigerant evaporator.
[0085] Thus as may be seen in the illustrations, fan 60 draws
auxiliary airflow through refrigerant condenser 62 in direction M
via intake 64. As before, the refrigerant condenser is in the same
refrigeration circuit as the refrigerant evaporator, that is, is in
the same refrigeration circuit as the second cooling stage. As
before, an air-to-air heat exchanger provides the first cooling
stage. Thus the primary airflow, as before, enters the heat
exchanger prior to entry into the refrigerant evaporator. In
particular, primary airflow enters air-to-air heat exchanger 66 in
direction N through a lower intake 68 having passed through air
filters as previously described (not shown). The primary airflow
passes through hollow conduits 66a across the width of the heat
exchanger, exiting conduit 66a in direction P so as to be turned
one hundred eighty degrees in end manifold 70. The primary airflow
then flows between refrigerant evaporator plates 72 in direction Q
wherein the primary airflow is cooled below it's dew point without
freezing. Moisture thus condenses out of the primary airflow onto
plates 72 and is harvested through a spout 74 into a collection pan
or the like (not shown).
[0086] The primary airflow exits from the refrigerant evaporator
through slot 76 and travels in direction R downwards between
conduits 66a so as to exit heat exchanger 66 in direction S through
slot 78. The primary airflow is then drawn through fan housing 80
and fan 82 so as to exit as exhaust from fan 82 in direction T.
[0087] The de-linking of the primary and auxiliary airflows so as
to require separate fans, respectively fans 82 and 60, provide for
condenser 62 functioning at a greater capacity without affecting
optimization of the balance of the cooling between the first and
second cooling stages of, respectively, the heat exchanger 66 and
the evaporator plates 72. Thus the lower volume fan 82 may be
controlled by a processor (not shown) to determine the current
environmental conditions affecting optimization of cooling and
condensation for example by varying the power supplied to fan 82 to
thereby control the velocity and mass flow rate of the primary
airflow through the two cooling stages. Thus the primary airflow
may be drawn through the cooling stages at a velocity which is not
so high as to affect the maximum condensation of moisture, and not
too low so as to waste energy in cooling the primary airflow too
far below the dew point. Thus by monitoring environmental
conditions, for example the humidity and temperature, the fan speed
of fan 82 may be selectively controlled to optimize production of
condensation regardless of ambient environmental conditions. Thus
in a very humid environment, fan 82 will be powered to draw a
higher mass flow rate of the primary airflow through the two
cooling stages, whereas in lower humidity conditions the primary
airflow will require more time to optimize the condensation and
thus slower fan speeds may be used to provide for optimized
condensate production.
[0088] In the further embodiment of FIG. 5 a partition 100
partitions manifold 20 so that the primary and secondary airflows
do not mix. For example, partition 100 may bisect the intake into
refrigerant condenser 24. Otherwise, partition 100 may be mounted
relative to the intake into refrigerant condenser 24 so as to
provided for a greater volume of auxiliary airflow in direction D'
flowing through condenser 24. The air speed velocity and mass flow
rate of the primary airflow through the two cooling stages of the
heat exchanger and refrigerant evaporator respectively, may be, for
example, controlled by selectively positioning the position of
partition 100 relative to condenser 24 or otherwise by, in
conjunction with, the use of airflow dampers or other selectively
controllable airflow valves.
[0089] The appropriate processing of ambient air provides for
optimal operation of the condenser unit. While conventional
condensers may simply drive high volumes of air through a cooling
system (typically just an evaporator without a heat exchanger),
these systems have not accommodated a system designed for power
efficiency as is in the present invention which employs techniques
to extract the maximum quantity of water with the least power
requirements. This may be accomplished in a number of ways, as
follows.
[0090] Environmental conditions are monitored by the system and at
an appropriate point in the system, such as between the heat
exchanger and the evaporator (first pass) the temperature relative
to dew point is monitored. If the air at this point is too far
above dew point the fan that draws air through this section of the
unit may decrease its speed thus slowing the air and allowing more
time for the air to cool prior to reaching the evaporator plates.
If the air at this point is below dew point then the system may
increase the fan speed and continue to optimize the airflow stream.
Other conditions throughout the device may be monitored as well and
this information may be used by controller 48 to further tune the
device. Humidity levels leaving the system may be used as a means
to determine exactly how much water has been extracted from the air
and with this information, the system may modify its configuration
thus ensuring optimal performance.
[0091] In the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 6b, 11 and 11a,
air-to-water heat exchanger 90 is mounted upstream of the
air-to-air heat exchanger along the primary airflow. Water
collected in moisture collector 26 is directed for example by
conduit 26a into water reservoir 90a from which the water may be
collected for end use. The water in reservoir 90a is chilled,
having just been condensed into and recovered from the evaporate
plates. Thus the primary airflow passing through air conduits 90b
in direction A' is cooled by the water cooling the conduits 90b
before the primary airflow enters the air-to-air heat exchanger for
further pre-cooling as described above. This further improves the
efficiency of the condenser as it takes advantage of the cold
temperature of the collected water.
[0092] In one embodiment, various parts and components of the unit
may be either constructed with Titanium Dioxide or my simply be
coated with Titanium Dioxide. Using this material to construct
various parts for the device, or using this material as a coating
on these parts, will ensure that these components are kept clean
and free of contaminates and that the water source created by the
device is kept free of unwanted contaminates. Virtually any of the
internal components may be made of this inexpensive and abundant
material. In addition, either all the material that composes the
storage container or just the inner lining may be made of this
material as a means to ensure that that water source is kept clean
and free of unwanted contaminates.
[0093] This material may be used as an antimicrobial coating as the
Photocatalytic activity of titania results in a thin coating of the
material exhibiting self cleaning and disinfecting properties under
exposure to ultra-violet (UV) radiation. These properties make the
material ideal for application in the construction of our water
condensation system helping to keep air and water sources clean and
free of contaminates while as well offering the benefits of self
repair should a surface be scratched or compromised.
[0094] Titanium dioxide, also known as titania, is the naturally
occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula TiO2. Approved by the
food testing laboratory of the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), Titanium Dioxide is considered a safe
substance and harmless to humans.
[0095] Scientific studies on photocatalysis have proven this unique
but abundant substance to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral and
fungicidal making it ideal for self cleaning surfaces and may be
used for deodorizing, air purification, water treatment, and water
purification.
[0096] As Titanium dioxide is a semiconductor and is chemically
activated by light energy, appropriate lighting sources may be
added at various strategic points throughout the device to ensure
that the air and water sources are kept clean and free of unwanted
substances. Some of the most beneficial places throughout the
system that might use this TiO2 exposed to UV radiation are the
heat exchanger, evaporator plates, and the storage container,
however virtually all surfaces that come in contact with either the
air or the water source may be constructed with Titanium Dioxide.
One strategic place for the lighting source might be between the
heat exchanger and the evaporator plates using reflective material
to ensure that the light radiates through both theses sections of
the device made, or coated with TiO2.
[0097] As a pure titanium dioxide coating is relatively clear, this
substance may be used for the inner lining of tubing that carries
the water from the evaporator plates to the storage container and
may become part of the UV purification system. This material has an
extremely high index of refraction with an optical dispersion
higher than diamond so in order to enhance its desired effects,
coiled tubing that surrounds the light source, may be encased in a
reflective material so as to ensure that light is given an adequate
opportunity to come in contact with the surface of the material and
thus create the desired effect.
[0098] In applications where this UV and Titanium purification
system is used inside of a storage container of some sort, an
opening may be situated at the bottom of the reflective encasement
such that light will escape to offer these same desire effects to
occur within the storage container. Alternatively, a separate light
may be used within the storage container assuming it is not
practical for various applications to use only one light to serve
this purpose.
[0099] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light
of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are
possible in the practice of this invention without departing from
the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the
invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance
defined by the following claims.
* * * * *