U.S. patent application number 12/294842 was filed with the patent office on 2011-09-29 for method device and system for heating/cooling and ventilating a premises.
This patent application is currently assigned to ALDES AERAULIQUE. Invention is credited to Serge Buseyne, Damien Labaume.
Application Number | 20110237175 12/294842 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37199073 |
Filed Date | 2011-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110237175 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Buseyne; Serge ; et
al. |
September 29, 2011 |
METHOD DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR HEATING/COOLING AND VENTILATING A
PREMISES
Abstract
The device (8) comprises a casing (10) defining an inner chamber
(11) and having an inlet orifice (14) for fresh ventilation air
(12), an inlet orifice (15) for recycled air (16), and blowing
orifices (19) for blowing out air contained in the inner chamber,
which are intended each to be connected to a reception room of the
premises. Units (25) for heat-treating the air are each combined
with a blowing orifice and are controlled independently of one
another according to the setpoint temperature of the corresponding
reception room. The method consists in feeding recycled air into
the inner chamber only if that is necessary to achieve the setpoint
temperature in a reception room, and in heat-treating the fresh
ventilation air, and if appropriate the recycled air, independently
room by room.
Inventors: |
Buseyne; Serge; (Toulouse,
FR) ; Labaume; Damien; (Preserville, FR) |
Assignee: |
ALDES AERAULIQUE
Venissieux
FR
|
Family ID: |
37199073 |
Appl. No.: |
12/294842 |
Filed: |
March 26, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
March 26, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR07/00518 |
371 Date: |
June 21, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
454/254 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02B 30/56 20130101;
F24F 2007/002 20130101; F24F 13/0236 20130101; F24F 12/006
20130101; Y02B 30/563 20130101; F24F 2011/0002 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
454/254 |
International
Class: |
F24F 7/00 20060101
F24F007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 28, 2006 |
FR |
06/02679 |
Claims
1. A method for heating/cooling and ventilating a premises
comprising a plurality of occupiable rooms and a plurality of
functional rooms, in which method: new ventilation air and recycled
air is conveyed into an interior chamber defined by a box section
situated inside the premises; the air contained in said interior
chamber is thermally treated according to the set-point temperature
in at least one occupiable room; the air contained in said interior
chamber is blown into each of the occupiable rooms that are to be
supplied with air; the stale air is removed from the functional
rooms; wherein: for each occupiable room that is to be supplied
with air, the new ventilation air intended to be blown into a given
occupiable room is thermally treated on the basis of the set-point
temperature of said occupiable room and independently of the
thermal treatment applied to the air intended to be blown into some
other occupiable room; and only if such a measure is needed in
order to attain the set-point temperature in at least one
occupiable room is recycled air conveyed to said interior chamber
where it is mixed with the new ventilation air and undergoes the
same thermal treatment.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rate of flow of
new ventilation air conveyed into an occupiable room is
substantially constant and independent of the set-point temperature
in said room.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rate of flow of
new ventilation air conveyed into an occupiable room is controlled
to at least one parameter measured in the premises and
corresponding to the ventilation requirement thereof.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein recycled air is
conveyed into the interior chamber when, once thermally treated new
ventilation air has been blown into at least one occupiable room
for a predetermined length of time, the temperature in said
occupiable room still differs appreciably from the set-point
temperature.
5. A system for heating/cooling and ventilating a premises
comprising a plurality of occupiable rooms and a plurality of
functional rooms, the system comprising a heating/cooling and
ventilation device comprising a box structure defining an interior
chamber, the box structure comprising: at least one intake for new
ventilation air and one intake for recycled air opening into said
interior chamber; blowing outlets for blowing out the air contained
in the interior chamber, these being intended each to be connected
to an occupiable room that is to be supplied with air; a plurality
of units for thermally treating the air, these each being
associated with an air blowing outlet and intended to be controlled
independently of one another on the basis of the set-point
temperature of the corresponding occupiable room; the
heating/cooling and ventilation device further comprising a blower
designed to allow recycled air to enter the interior chamber via
the intake for recycled air, wherein the system comprises a central
control unit capable of controlling the start-up and rotational
speed of the recycling blower on the basis of the difference
between the actual temperature and the set-point temperature in at
least one occupiable room if the set-point temperature cannot be
attained by thermally treating the new ventilation air alone.
6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein each blowing outlet
has a cross section tailored to the desired rate of flow of air in
the corresponding occupiable room.
7. The system as claimed in 5, wherein it comprises a non-return
valve designed to prevent air contained in the interior chamber
from leaving via the intake for recycled air.
8. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein it further comprises a
ventilation module comprising an inlet for new ventilation air from
outside the premises, an outlet for new ventilation air which is
connected to the intake for new ventilation air of the device, a
stale-air inlet connected to each of the functional rooms from
which air is to be extracted, and an outlet for letting stale air
out to outside the premises.
9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the ventilation module
is a double-flow CMV module.
10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein it further comprises
means of agitating the air in at least one occupiable room.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and to a system
for heating/cooling and ventilating a premises.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF RELATED ART
[0002] The invention applies to any premises, whether it be a
dwelling (individual or communal) or tertiary premises. A premises
such as this typically comprises a plurality of occupiable rooms
(for example dining room, drawing room and bedrooms in the case of
a home) and a plurality of functional rooms (kitchen, bathroom,
toilet).
[0003] Given the current progress in the building industry, the
heating requirements are tending to be greatly reduced. This is
because improvements to various materials (insulation, glazing,
thermal bridges, etc.) have allowed a substantial reduction in heat
loss from buildings. Now, unit heating--which involves using air as
a vector to cover all loses--is becoming an attractive alternative
for fulfilling all the heating needs of a home. What is more, one
of the advantages of using air as the vector is that it can be used
to provide cooling during the summer months.
[0004] The air distributed to the premises comprises new air, from
outside and intended for ventilation, and recycled air, from inside
the premises. The air is distributed through a centralized
blower--heater unit assembly which is commonly said to be
"ductable". The recycled air is generally taken from the ducting in
the premises in order then to be heated or cooled before being
blown into the occupiable rooms. The production of heat at the
heater unit may be either of an electrical type (using a resistive
heating element) or of the hot water type (from a boiler or the
like), or of the thermodynamic type (employing direct
expansion).
[0005] The presence of a blower for recycling the air is
practically mandatory in order to ensure that the premises are
satisfactorily heated or cooled. This is because the thermal
treatment (heating or cooling) of the new air alone is not
generally capable, while remaining at appropriate blowing
temperature levels, of covering all requirements.
[0006] In premises that are heated and/or cooled by unit heater
systems, particular attention must be paid to the management of the
new ventilation air. This is because the supply of new air needed
to guarantee good air quality is often difficult to manage because
the new air requirements and the heating or cooling requirements
are generally mutually contradictory.
[0007] A number of current systems for reconciling the requirement
for new air and the requirement for heating or cooling are given
hereinafter.
[0008] The most conventional system is to use two independent
systems, one for ventilation and one for heating. the ventilation,
which is performed with a conventional system and disassociated
from the operation of the heating system, is afforded by a system
of the single-flow (air inlets and extraction unit) CMV (controlled
mechanical ventilation) type. However, in the case of interior
units for the thermal treatment of air, combining this with
single-flow ventilation may generate aerodynamic disturbances in
respect of the air inlets. This is because as the "ductable" device
is started up, a significant amount of recycled air is introduced
into a room. Because of the pressure drop that the air experiences
as it passes through the circulation system, the pressure in the
room rises and the air intakes may become air outlets thus
increasing heat losses from the air and reducing the air quality.
This solution is therefore inadequate from a technical
standpoint.
[0009] To avoid this problem, use may be made of a ventilation
system of the double-flow CMV type. With a system such as this,
there is no direct air intake from the outside. What happens is
that air is blown through independent ducts and blowing outlets
into the occupiable room, the air being extracted from the
functional rooms. However, insofar as the ductable units also use a
blowing network in order to carry the heating or cooling air,
fitting it alongside a double-flow ventilation system prevents
serious installation problems.
[0010] Another system aimed at solving the aforementioned
installation problem is to attempt to perform hygienic ventilation
(conveying of new air from the outside) in the same network. This
then avoids the problem of bulk associated with a double blowing
network and with the presence of two blowing terminals per room.
Some air-conditioning installations with units of the ductable type
are produced with a new air duct upstream of the machine. If the
temperature in each room is controlled by varying the rate of flow
of blown air (using, for example, a motorized damper), it then
becomes impossible to guarantee the rates of flow of new
ventilation air per room: and the ventilation provided does not
meet the requirements prescribed by regulations. Because the
requirements for ventilation and for heating are not concomitant,
this in some instances leads either to under-ventilation or to
overheating. Furthermore, one additional difficulty is that of
managing the temperature room by room. The air is heated by a
single heater unit for all distribution points and then makes
temperature regulation more complicated still.
[0011] In the case of interior units of the ductable type, there is
a way of processing the new air while at the same time using the
same blowing network. That system is described in document WO
1999/057491. The principle is to disseminate in bulk into a plenum
(a false ceiling) a mixture of recycled air and of new ventilation
air, this whole entity being thermally treated by the ductable
unit. This then achieves a centralized supply of air at one and the
same temperature, this air then being blown into the various
occupiable rooms via outlets connected to the plenum. The
temperature in each of these rooms is regulated via the extent to
which the corresponding outlet is opened.
[0012] Now, the demand for heat in each occupiable room is
dependent on the exterior temperature, whereas the requirement for
each room to be ventilated with new air is fixed. The amount of new
air blown into each room therefore fluctuates according to the
extent to which each of the outlets is open. In particular, if the
requirement for heating is low, then too small a quantity of new
air is blown in, and the ventilation requirement is not satisfied.
To alleviate this problem, document WO 99/57491 makes provision for
measuring the supply of new air over a given period of time and
then adjusting the discrepancy by temporary and localized
over-ventilation of those rooms which are deficient in fresh air.
That represents a complex electronically-managed assembly
associated with the interdependence between energy production and
ventilation in this case. What is more, the system proposed in that
document entails energy-greedy over-ventilation in order to achieve
the rates of flow prescribed in the regulations.
[0013] Elsewhere, document FR 2 839 143 discloses a system in which
a new ventilation air-carrying and distributing element is provided
downstream of the unit that heats the recycled air and is connected
to the blower of the ductable unit. This element allows, on the one
hand, control of thermal requirements room by room and, on the
other hand, ensures that the rate of flow of new air is maintained
and regulated room by room. The device thus makes it possible to
preserve the independence between energy production and
ventilation, but using one and the same duct, this being a highly
sought-after solution in order to save on space and installation
facilities.
[0014] However, that system entails starting up the recycling
blower as soon as there is a requirement for heat. That is true
also of the aforementioned systems and leads to a substantial
electrical power consumption and may create noise problems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The invention sets out to remedy the above-mentioned
disadvantages by making it possible, to provide in a coupled
manner: [0016] heating and/or cooling of a premises using air as a
vector, allowing temperature regulation room by room; [0017]
suitable control of the rates of flow of ventilation air and
therefore of the interior air quality, room by room; [0018] and to
do so in a simple way with low electrical power consumption.
[0019] To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention
relates to a method for heating/cooling and ventilating a premises
comprising a plurality of occupiable rooms and a plurality of
functional rooms, in which method: [0020] new ventilation air and
recycled air is conveyed into an interior chamber defined by a box
section situated inside the premises; [0021] the air contained in
said interior chamber is thermally treated according to the
set-point temperature in at least one occupiable room; [0022] the
air contained in said interior chamber is blown into each of the
occupiable rooms that are to be supplied with air; [0023] the stale
air is removed from the functional rooms.
[0024] According to one general definition of the invention, this
method is characterized in that: [0025] for each occupiable room
that is to be supplied with air, the new ventilation air intended
to be blown into a given occupiable room is thermally treated on
the basis of the set-point temperature of said occupiable room and
independently of the thermal treatment applied to the air intended
to be blown into some other occupiable room; [0026] and only if
such a measure is needed in order to attain the set-point
temperature in at least one occupiable room is recycled air
conveyed to said interior chamber where it is mixed with the new
ventilation air and undergoes the same thermal treatment.
[0027] In that way, a sufficient supply of new ventilation air is
ensured, in accordance with the regulations, irrespective of the
heating/cooling requirements. In that way it is possible to
guarantee satisfactory air quality in each room, without using
complicated means.
[0028] Furthermore, because the recycled air is conveyed into the
box structure only if such a measure proves necessary in order to
attain the set-point temperature, the electrical power consumption
involved in carrying the recycled air, and the corresponding noise,
are considerably limited.
[0029] The recycling blower may in particular be switched on when
one of the main rooms is overheated (the set-point temperature
thereof is exceeded by 2.degree. C. for example). This may occur
when there is a closed-hearth fireplace or some other localized
top-up heating system in one of the rooms of the premises. This
situation also arises when one facade is bathed in sunlight and the
other is not. Starting up the recycling blower thus allows the
temperatures in the various rooms to be evened out and overheating
avoided.
[0030] The box structure may be made up of a box located in the
premises, or of a plenum formed within the premises itself, for
example a false ceiling.
[0031] The invention also allows the temperature to be regulated
room by room in a simple way and does not employ a system for the
centralized supply of air all at the same temperature.
[0032] The rate of flow of new ventilation air conveyed into an
occupiable room may be substantially constant and independent of
the set-point temperature in said room. As an alternative, this
rate of flow may be controlled to at least one parameter measured
in the premises and corresponding to the ventilation requirement
thereof (whether it has one or a plurality of occupants, CO.sub.2
level, moisture level, or any other indicator of pollution in the
room in question).
[0033] For example, recycled air is conveyed into the interior
chamber when, once thermally treated new ventilation air has been
blown into at least one occupiable room for a predetermined length
of time, the temperature in said occupiable room still differs
appreciably from the set-point temperature.
[0034] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a
system for heating/cooling and ventilating a premises comprising a
plurality of occupiable rooms and a plurality of functional rooms,
the system comprising a heating/cooling and ventilation device
comprising a box structure defining an interior chamber, the box
structure comprising: [0035] at least one intake for new
ventilation air and one intake for recycled air opening into said
interior chamber; [0036] blowing outlets for blowing out the air
contained in the interior chamber, these being intended each to be
connected to an occupiable room that is to be supplied with air;
[0037] a plurality of units for thermally treating the air, these
each being associated with an air blowing outlet and intended to be
controlled independently of one another on the basis of the
set-point temperature of the corresponding occupiable room; the
heating/cooling and ventilation device further comprising a blower
designed to allow recycled air to enter the interior chamber via
the intake for recycled air.
[0038] The special feature of the system according to the invention
is that it comprises a central control unit capable of controlling
the start-up and rotational speed of the recycling blower on the
basis of the difference between the actual temperature and the
set-point temperature in at least one occupiable room if the
set-point temperature cannot be attained by thermally treating the
new ventilation air alone.
[0039] By virtue of this system it is possible to obtain the
desired temperature in each of the occupiable rooms while at the
same time guaranteeing a satisfactory rate of flow of new
ventilation air.
[0040] Advantageously, each blowing outlet has a cross section
tailored to the desired rate of flow of air in the corresponding
occupiable room. It is thus possible to increase the rate of flow
of blown air while at the same time maintaining the same
relationship between the various rooms. If, for example, the
blowing outlets are of substantially identical cross section, then
substantially identical distribution of new air can be obtained
between the various occupiable rooms.
[0041] The system may further comprise a ventilation module
comprising an inlet for new ventilation air from outside the
premises, an outlet for new ventilation air which is connected to
the intake for new ventilation air of the device, a stale-air inlet
connected to each of the functional rooms from which air is to be
extracted, and an outlet for letting stale air out to outside the
premises.
[0042] The ventilation module may be a double-flow CMV module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0043] One possible embodiment of the invention is now described by
way of nonlimiting example with reference to the attached
figures:
[0044] FIG. 1 is a schematic view in perspective from above of
premises comprising a heating/cooling and ventilation system
according to the invention;
[0045] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a heating/cooling and
ventilating device according to the invention;
[0046] FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the device of FIG. 2;
and
[0047] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the inside of
the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0048] FIG. 1 represents premises 1, here an individual dwelling,
comprising a plurality of occupiable rooms such as two bedrooms 2,
3 and a lounge/dining room 4, functional rooms such as a kitchen 5,
a bathroom/toilet 6, and a corridor 7.
[0049] Positioned inside the premises 1 is a heating/cooling and
ventilation device 8 according to the invention and a ventilation
module 9 of the double-flow CMV type. The device 8, more
specifically illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, comprises a box structure
10 defining an interior chamber 11.
[0050] The ventilation module 9 takes in the new ventilation air
12, possibly filtered, from outside the premises 1 and conveys it
along a first duct 13 to a new ventilation air intake 14 formed on
the box structure 10 and opening into the interior chamber 11. In
the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4, the device 8 comprises two intakes
14 for new ventilation air 12.
[0051] The box structure 10 also comprises an intake 15 for
recycled air 16 this being connected to a second duct 17 opening
into the corridor 7 of the premises 1. The device 8 comprises a
blower 18 designed to let recycled air 16 into the interior chamber
via the recycled-air intake 15, when necessary. It may also have a
non-return valve, which may or may not be motorized, designed to
prevent air contained in the interior chamber 11 from leaving via
the recycled-air intake 15.
[0052] The new ventilation air 12 and the recycled air 16 that
might have been conveyed into the interior chamber 11 mix, are
thermally treated (that is to say heated or cooled) then blown into
the occupiable rooms 2, 3, 4. To do that, the box structure 10 has
blowing outlets 19 each connected to a third duct 20 opening onto a
blowing outlet 21 formed in the wall of an occupiable room 2, 3, 4,
for example near the top.
[0053] Finally, stale air 22 is extracted from each of the
functional rooms 5, 6 by an extraction orifice 23 which, formed in
the wall of these rooms, is connected to a fourth duct 24 which
opens into the ventilation module 9. The stale air 22 is then
removed to outside the premises 1, after possibly having been
passed through a heat exchanger where it can preheat the new
ventilation air 12.
[0054] The thermal treatment of the air contained in the interior
chamber 11 of the box structure 10 and the way in which the system
for heating/cooling and ventilating the premises 1 works is now
described in greater detail.
[0055] This thermal treatment is obtained by means of heat
treatment units 25 positioned in the interior chamber 11 upstream
of each blowing outlet 19, the units 25 being specific to each
blowing outlet 19 and independent of one another. Each unit 25 is
therefore associated with a distinct room in the premises 1. The
units 25 here work by circulating a heat transfer fluid such as
water, carried and removed by an appropriate system 26 formed on
the box structure 10. It is thus possible to heat or cool the air
which is to be blown, as need be. However, other types of unit may
be provided (for example those which heat using a resistive
electric element).
[0056] The new ventilation air 12 is conveyed to the interior
chamber 11 at the rate of flow needed to maintain good air quality
in the premises 1. The overall rate of flow of air in the premises
1 is fixed upstream of the device 8. It may be constant or
controlled to at least one measured parameter corresponding to the
overall requirement for ventilation of the premises 1. Good
distribution of new ventilation air 12 between the occupiable rooms
2, 3, 4 is provided by defining the cross section of each blowing
outlet 19, which will take priority over rate of flow.
Advantageously, the specific pressure drop caused by the unit 25
will constitute this equivalent orifice. When the recycling blower
18 is started up, the total rate of flow of blown air increases,
but the amount of new ventilation air 12 per room remains the same
(the level of new ventilation air 12 per room is respected given
that the rate of flow through each of the blowing outlets 19 varies
proportionately).
[0057] Advantageously, the system comprises a central control unit
(not depicted) connected to a thermostat 27 provided in each
occupiable room 2, 3, 4. On the basis of the discrepancy between
the actual temperature and the set-point temperature in at least
one occupiable room, the central control unit controls the thermal
treatment units 25 to heat or cool the new ventilation air 12
contained in the interior chamber 11 of the box structure 10. If
the set-point temperature cannot be attained by thermal treatment
of the new ventilation air 12 alone, then the central control unit
may command the starting-up and the rotational speed of the
recycling blower 18, on the basis of the discrepancy between the
actual temperature and the set-point temperature. The recycled air
16 thus conveyed to the chamber 11 mixes with the new ventilation
air 12 and is also heated or cooled as it passes through the units
25 and before it enters the blowing outlets 19.
[0058] As a preference, the central control unit integrates the
temperature discrepancies across all the occupiable rooms in order
to ensure evenness across all occupiable rooms.
[0059] The non-return valve makes it possible, when the blower
stops, to ensure that the new ventilation air 12 will be blown into
the occupiable rooms and will not pass through the blower 18 and
bypass ventilating the occupiable rooms.
[0060] Thermal regulation is performed in each unit 25, which means
that each room can be regulated precisely. Furthermore, when these
requirements are low, it is possible to heat only the new
ventilation air 12, thus avoiding having to start up the recycling
blower 18: this then limits electrical power consumption and
audible disturbances. The blower 18 will be started up according to
the needs to be covered and on the basis of an upper blowing
temperature limit. In practice, 60 to 80% of requirements can be
covered without the need to start up the recycling blower 18.
[0061] To avoid stratification, that is to say to prevent the hot
air from remaining toward the top of the occupiable rooms,
particularly if the rate of flow of blown air is low, the system
according to the invention may also comprise means of agitating the
air in at least one occupiable room.
[0062] These means of agitating the air may consist of the blower
itself. When one of the main rooms is overheated because there is a
localized top-up heating system in it or its facade is exposed to
the sun, for example, the agitation caused by the recycling blower
makes it possible to reduce the overall requirements for heating by
increasing the efficiency with which internal supplies of heat
(from the sun or from localized heating systems) is recuperated.
What happens is that the agitation causes heat energy to pass from
an over-heated room to a room that is demanding heating.
[0063] Thus, the invention makes a marked improvement over the
prior art by making it possible to meet two often contradictory
requirements, namely the requirement for new air to ventilate a
premises and the requirement for heat or cold energy carried by the
air to heat or cool this premises, in a simple way.
[0064] The invention makes it possible, on the one hand, to obtain
a rate of flow of new ventilation air room by room that meets the
requirements prescribed by regulations, it further being possible
for this new air to be filtered and/or preheated.
[0065] On the other hand, by virtue of the invention, the supply of
heat or cold is customized room by room through thermostatic
regulation on a room by room basis (rather than centralized supply
of air at a constant temperature). The invention is therefore
capable of responding to variable requirements for heat on a room
by room basis.
[0066] Furthermore, because there is just one duct per room dealing
with both ventilation and heating/cooling, the invention makes it
possible to reduce the size of the air distribution networks of a
double-flow ventilation system, makes the networks easier to
install, and allows the installation costs to be reduced.
[0067] By virtue of the double-flow principle, it is possible to
avoid having to fit transfer gratings between the occupiable rooms
and the point(s) from which the recycled air is taken.
[0068] It goes without saying that the invention is not restricted
to the embodiment described hereinabove by way of example but that,
on the contrary, it encompasses all alternative forms of embodiment
thereof.
* * * * *