US2779572A - Housing for air conditioning units - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 29, 1957 c. J. HOLMAN HOUSING FOR AIR CONDITIONING uurrs 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 12, 1953 I Hi1?!" v l m 1,

INVENTOR. CLAQEA/CE J /OL/ MA/ BY M64477! Malay ATTOENEY Jan. 29, 1957 c. J. HOLMAN 2,779,572

HOUSING FOR AIR commonmquuns Filed Oct. 12, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [W62 45 ll LI'I H 44 I Plum,

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INVENTOR/ CLA/ZENCE J HOLMAN up/Maw United States Patent 2,779,572 HOUSING FOR AIR CONDITIONING UNITS.

Clarence J. Holman, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Alco Refrigeration Sales & Service, Inc., Cleveland, (Blrio This invention relates to housings and particularly to a housing for an air conditioning unit adapted to provide for both the cooling or heating of the treated air.

Conducive to a better-understanding of this invention,

it may be well to point out that during the past several years there has been a decided trend toward one story shopping centers. Such buildings have always been difficult to heat and even more difficul to cool in the summer. The fact that such buildings usually have no basements, or only very small basements, has made it very expensive to install air conditioning package type units on the floor where they take up valuable space that could be better used for business purposes. The installation of central type air conditioning has been diificult due to the lack of space for large units and also because space is rarely provided for air ducts for the distribution and return of recirculated air. Furthermore, water saving devices, such as cooling towers or evaporative condensers are in many cases absolutely necessary or very desirable for a practical air conditioning system. This is especially so in areas having a limited or reduced water supply during hot spells, when the cooling system is most needed. These water savers require a great deal of space and do not lend themselves readily to indoor installation since they require large quantities of air for their operation.

The primary object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a housing for air conditioning units that is mountable on the roof of a building over the area to be serviced and therefore requiring no useable space.

Another object is to provide a housing of the type do: fined that requires no changes in building design and eliminates the necessity for furring in ducts along the walls or ceilings.

Still another object is to provide a housing whose air passages are so designed that air intake and air discharge vents are on the same end of the housing, with air intake above the discharge vent to permit connections with concentric ducts leading tocombination supply and return type ceiling diffusers.

A further object is to provide a housing for air conditioning components having compartments arranged so that the motor-compressor filter, cooling coil, blower and heater are aligned in a single horizontal plane, thereby making them readily accessible for servicing. Another object is to provide a housing of the type stated that is designed for outdoor mounting, thereby reducing the fire hazard by locating all heating and cooling equipment outside of the building.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification and claim, together with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of the housing that is the object of this invention; t

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the housing showing mechanical air conditioning components mounted therein and the entire package mounted on the roof of a building, also shown in section; and

ice

Figure 3 is a schematic air fiow diagram showing the course of air flow as it is directed through the housing and its contained air conditioning units. i i T Referring more particularly to the Figure 1 of the drawings, there is seen the housing that is the object of-theinvention broadly indicated by the reference numeral 10. The housing comprises a substantially rectangular case made of sheet metal of suitable gage and mounted on an angle iron frame. Any type of suitable construction may be used to provide the required rigidity. The hollow case, so constructed, has a top wall 11, a bottom wall 17, a front wall 15,, a rear wall 12 and side walls 13 and 14 respectively. The bottom 17 of the case is provided with suitable mounting brackets on its upper face to receive and hold the various mechanical air conditioning components hereinafter described. The case is divided into five compartments or chambers by suitably positioned partitions 3!}, (it), 23 and 19. H 1 Reference numeral 30 indicates a first partition spaced from the rear wall 12 and abutting the top, bottom and side walls 11, 17, 13 and 14, respectively, to form a eom pressor compartment in which a motor-compressor unit 36 of suitable capacity is mounted. The partition 30 is covered with a heat insulator such as rock or glass wool to keep the heat generated by the compressor out of the balance of the housing. i 9' A second partition 19 is positioned with the case abutting the top, bottom and side walls 11, 17, 13 and 14 respectively, and spaced from the front wall 15 to-define a manifold compartment.

A third L-shaped partition, broadly indicated by reference numeral 6il,is positioned between the side walls 13 and 14 and includes a horizontal portion 28, abutting the manifold partition 19, and a vertical portion 26, de; pendent from the free end thereof, and abutting the bottom wall 17. The horizontal. portion 23 being intermedi,

. ate and parallel to the top and bottom walls 11 and 17 respectively. The vertical portion 26 being spaced from and parallel to the first partition 30 and defining with said horizontal portion 28, manifold partition 19, bottom 17 and side walls 13 and 14, a lower rectangular chamber. The said partition titl defining with the top wall 17 and partitions 30 and 19 an upper L-shaped chamber 29.

The vertical wall 26 of the partition has an opening therethrough into which a tubular expansion or cooling unit 42 of conventional style is fitted. The manifold par; tition 19 has a collared upper or inlet opening 21 therethrough positioned between the horizontal portion 28'of the partition 60 and the top wall 11 and communicating with the L-shaped upper chamber.

Reference numeral 20 indicates a second collared opening in partition 19 that is positioned between the horizontal portion 28 of the partition 60 and the bottom wall 17 and communicates with the aforesaid lower chamber.

A fourth substantially vertically extending partition 23 divides the lower chamber :into two compartments, one of which is intended to house the blower 47 and the other of which houses the space heater 48, as seen in Figure 2. The partition 23 has a collared opening" 24 therethrough substantially aligned with the opening '20 of partition 19. Reference numeral 13 indicates an air-outlet vent cut in the bottom wall 17 of the manifold compartment. An air inlet duct 22 of smaller diameter than the air vent 18 is positioned co-axially with the vent 18 and mounted within the manifold compartment with its exhaust end in airtight engagement with the collared opening 21. Reference numerals 31 and 32 indicate angle iron brackets mounted on the outside of the top wall 11' and so spaced as to provide a foundation for positioning and holding the air cooled. condenser 38 which is mounted on top of the housing.

Conventional airconditioning units are housed in the refrigerant is delivered from the storage reservoir 40 to the cooling coil 42 through tube 41. The rate of delivery is controlled by expansion valve 45. The refrigerant, in vapor form, is returned to the compressor 36 through tube 43. An air filter of conventional type is held in front of the evaporating coil 42 by means of brackets 27 and may be removed from time to time for cleaning or replacement.

A blower 47 driven by a motor 46 is mounted in the lower chamber blower compartment with its vent extended through the opening 24 of the partition 23.

Reference numeral 48 indicates a gas fired duct furnace having its air intake side connected to the blower vent and its hot air delivery side connected to the opening 20 of the manifold compartment.

The flue gas from the furnace 48 is vented through a flue 49 and stack 62. An offset 25 in the partition 23 provides a passage for the fiue 49. The furnace compartment is sealed off from the balance of the case so that air for combustion can be delivered to the furnace 48 without upsetting the air circulation in the conditioning system.

In operation, untreated air enters the housing through duct 22, passes through the upper or L-shaped chamber 29, through the filter 44 and cooling coil 42 from whence it is exhausted by the blower 47 and forced through the furnace 48 and manifold chamber from which it is expelled through the vent 18.

It is of course to be understood that the cooling and heating units are not ordinarily operated at the same time. When the air is being cooled, the furnace 48 is not in operation; the air merely being permitted to pass through the cold furnace. On the other hand, when the air is being heated the cooling coil 42 is not in'operation; the air to be heated merely being passed through the inactive cooling coil 42. During either cooling or heating cycles the same blower, 47, is used to move the air.

It will now be understood that this housing and its contained units provides a compact and complete air cooling and heating system that eliminates costly engineering installations and servicing charges. Furthermore, such a unit can be set down anywhere and be in instant operation after merely connecting to gas and electric lines. No costly water or sewage connections are necessary.

In the installation illustrated in Figure 2, the device is seen positioned on the roof 35 of a one story building. A single hole is bored through the roof to receive the conventional ceiling diffuser having an exhaust bell t) and a delivery bell 51. Housing is placed over the roof opening with its manifold vent 18 connected through collar 53 to bell 51. The bell 50 is connected to mani fold duct 22 through collar 54. The device is ready to operate as soon as electric and gas lines are connected to the proper units. Since the device is located on the roof, any condensation water from the cooling coil 42 can be vented directly onto the roof; no direct sewage connections being required. Furthermore, no fire hazard is present since the entire device is outside of the building. A heat insulating covering 16 completely covers the case 10 and permits etficient operation of the unit under all weather conditions.

Air from the building to be cooled is drawn through the bell'50, duct 22, upper chamber 29. through filter 44, cooling coil 42, blower 47; inoperative furnace 48 and manifold vent 18, through hell 51 and back to the building. Cooled air is diffused outward beneath the ceiling in a circular or other pattern, determined by the shape of and baffies provided in the bell 51. The cool air then falls to the floor. The warmer air is exhausted through the center bell 50 and re-circulated throughthe conditioner. A schematic layout of the path taken by the air during each conditioning cycle is illustrated in Figure 3. A valved intake vent 62 may be provided in the side wall 14 of the case to admit outside air to the chamber 29 so that a certain percentage of fresh air may be constantly added to the system if desired.

The same path is followed by the air during the heating season with the exception that under such circumstances the cooling system is inoperative and the air is I heated as it passes through the furnace 48.

The efiiciency of the system is increased by the fact that re-circulated air passing through the metal duct 22 in the manifold compartment is pre-coo-led or heated, as the case may be, by the conditioned air present in the manifold. It should also be understood that different methods could be used to arrive at the jacketed or co-axial arrangement of the air inlet and outlet openings, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The arrangement of the conditioning units is a single horizontal plane within the housing, making it easy to service or replace any unit, since no lifting or stacking of the units is required.

If the area to be conditioned is greater than the capacity of a single unit, the required number of units may be positioned in spaced relation on the roof to provide a pattern of coverage that will insure complete conditioning of the entire area within the building. Since the only part of the system within the building is the ceiling air diffusers, the usual business conducted within the building is not interruptedduring the installation of such a device. It is only necessary to bore a single hole through the ceiling to connect the diffusers to the housing 10.

It will now be clear that there is provided a device which accomplishes the objectives heretofore set forth. While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form; it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof as described and claimed herein is not to be considered in a limited sense as there may be other forms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claim.

' I claim:

In apparatus for heating and cooling air, a housing,- comprising a hollow case member including top, bottom, front, rear and side walls; a first partition positioned Within the case abutting the top, bottom and side walls thereof and spaced from said rear wall to define a compressor compartment; a second partition, positioned within the case abutting the top, bottom and side walls thereof, spaced from said front wall, to define a manifold compartment; a third, L-shaped, partition positioned within the case between the side walls thereof and including a horizontal portion abutting the second partition and a vertical portion, dependent therefrom, abutting the bottom wall; said horizontal portion being intermediate and parallel to the top and bottom walls, and spaced from said first partition, said vertical portion being spaced from and parallel to the first partition and defining with said horizontal portion, second partition, bottom and side walls, a lower chamber; said vertical portion having an opening therethrough; a filter unit mounted in said opening; said'second partition having a first opening positioned between the top wall and the third partition and a second opening communicating with said lower chamber, positioned between the bottom wall and the third partition; a fourth partition positioned within said lower chamber, abutting the horizontal portion of the third partition and the bottom and side Walls of the case, said partition having an opening therethrough aligned with the second opening of the second partition and defining with said elements a first and second compartment; a coo?- ing unit positioned in the first compartment, a heating unit positioned in the second compartment, a blower mounted in the fourth partition opening; said cooling and heating units being joined through said blower mounted in the fourth partition opening; said bottom Wall having an air outlet opening therethrough within the confines of said manifold compartment, an air inlet duct mounted within the manifold compartment having one end connected to the first opening of the second partition and the other end centered Within the air outlet of the manifold, the diameter of the inlet duct being less than the diameter of said outlet opening; said third partition defining within the case walls an L-shaped upper chamber References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,895,444 Cassel Jan. 31, 1933 2,093,936 Spielman Sept. 21, 1937 2,112,221 Sargent et al Mar. 22, 1938 2,247,987 Carson July 1, 1941 2,292,562 Huggins Aug. 11, 1942 2,314,101 Phipps Mar. 16, 1943 2,343,121 Eberhart Feb. 29, 1944 2,370,886 Solberg Mar. 6, 1945 2,664,041 Twede Dec. 29, 1953 2,739,794 Graham Mar. 27, 1956

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