Evaporatively cooled condenser

Abstract

An evaporative cooler assembly including a cooler housing in fluid communication with a condenser. A stream of air flows through the cooler housing where it is cooled and across the condenser to dissipate heat from the condenser. The cooler housing includes a plurality of alternating dry and wet channels with a plurality of plates extending between opposite ends of the cooler housing separating the channels. The plates include a plurality of apertures for proportionally increasing from one end to the other the amount of the stream of air flowing from the dry channels through the wet channels and to the condenser.

1 . An evaporatively cooled condenser assembly for pre-cooling air for a condenser including;
 a cooler housing having an open air inlet side and a side wall defining opposite ends of said cooler housing and said cooler housing defining alternating dry channels and wet channels,   a plurality of plates extending between said opposite ends to separate said dry and wet channels for proportionally increasing from one end to the other the amount of a stream of air flowing from said dry channels through said wet channels.   
   
   
       2 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said plurality of plates includes a plurality of apertures for providing a proportionally greater flow of air to one side of said wet channels and a proportionally lesser flow of air to the other side of said wet channels. 
   
   
       3 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 2  wherein each of said plurality of apertures defines a different cross-sectional area for controlling the amount of air conveyed into each side of said wet channels. 
   
   
       4 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said plurality of apertures extends from a first aperture disposed near said open air intake side of said cooler housing to a last aperture disposed near said side wall of said cooler housing, and
 said cross-sectional area of each of said plurality of apertures incrementally increases from said first aperture to said last aperture.   
   
   
       5 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 2  further including a plurality of spaced wicking partitions extending vertically between alternate pairs of said plurality of plates for dividing said wet channels into a plurality of chambers. 
   
   
       6 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 5  wherein each of said plurality of apertures of said plurality of plates corresponds with a single chamber. 
   
   
       7 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 5  wherein each of said plurality of chambers is lined with a wicking material for retaining a liquid. 
   
   
       8 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 5  further including a liquid source having a plurality of water inlets disposed on said cooler housing for supplying the liquid to said chambers of said wet channels. 
   
   
       9 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 8  wherein said plurality of water inlets of
 said liquid source extends from a first water inlet disposed near said air inlet side of said evaporative cooler to a last water inlet disposed near said side wall of said evaporative cooler,   each of said water inlets defines a different water inlet cross-sectional area for controlling the amount of water conveyed into each of said chambers of said wet channels of said evaporative cooler, and   said water inlet cross-sectional area of each of said plurality of water inlets incrementally increases from said first water inlet to said last water inlet for providing an incrementally increasing volume of water to said chambers of said evaporative cooler near said open air intake side of said cooler housing to said chambers disposed near said side wall of said cooler housing.   
   
   
       10 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 1  wherein said cooler housing further includes a front wall disposed in an L-shape having a long leg and a short leg with said side wall defining said open air inlet side opposite to the short leg of the L-shape and defining an open air outlet side opposite to the long leg of the L-shape. 
   
   
       11 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 10  wherein said plurality of plates are vertically spaced from each other and extend horizontally and transversely to said walls. 
   
   
       12 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 11  wherein said cooler housing is closed over said air outlet side between alternate pairs of plates to further define said dry channels. 
   
   
       13 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 12  wherein said cooler housing is closed over said air inlet side adjacent of said alternate pairs of plates to further define said wet channels. 
   
   
       14 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 1  further including a condenser in fluid communication with said evaporative pre-cooler assembly and having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet and at least one coolant passage extending therebetween and defining an air gap for allowing a stream of air to flow through said condenser. 
   
   
       15 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 14  further including a plurality of air fins disposed about said coolant passage and in said air gap for transferring heat from said coolant passage to the stream of air. 
   
   
       16 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 15  wherein said condenser further includes an upper header extending from said coolant inlet to said coolant outlet and a lower header extending parallel to and vertically spaced from said upper header. 
   
   
       17 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 16  wherein said at least one coolant passage is further defined by a plurality of tubes having a cross section defining spaced flat sides and round ends and extending in parallel relationship with each other between said upper and lower headers for establishing fluid communication between said upper and lower headers.
 said upper header including a first flow separator and a second flow separator and said lower header including a third flow separator.   
   
   
       18 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 17  wherein said plurality of air fins is disposed between and brazed to said parallel flat sides of said tubes and extends between said upper and lower headers. 
   
   
       19 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 18  wherein said upper header includes a first flow separator and a second flow separator and said lower header includes a third flow separator. 
   
   
       20 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 19  wherein said condenser is further defined by said plurality of air fins having an incrementally decreasing fin density from said coolant inlet to said coolant outlet for providing increased cooling to the condenser near said coolant inlet relative to said coolant outlet. 
   
   
       21 . An evaporatively cooled condenser assembly comprising;
 a condenser having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet and at least one coolant passage extending therebetween and defining an air gap for allowing a stream of air to flow through said condenser,   a plurality of air fins disposed about said coolant passage and in said air gap for transferring heat from said coolant passage to the stream of air,   an evaporative cooler having a cooler housing in fluid communication with said condenser for pre-cooling the stream of air,   said cooler housing including a front wall and a side wall in an L-shape having a long leg and a short leg defining an open air inlet side opposite to the short leg of the L-shape and an open air outlet side opposite to the long leg of the L-shape,   a plurality of vertically spaced and parallel plates extending horizontally and transversely to said walls from said open air inlet side to said side wall,   said cooler housing being closed over said air outlet side between alternate pairs of said plates and defining dry channels,   said cooler housing being closed over said air inlet side adjacent of said alternate pairs of said plates and defining wet channels,   each of said wet channels including a plurality of spaced wicking partitions extending vertically between said alternate pairs of said plates for separating said wet channels into a plurality of chambers,   each of said chambers being lined with a wicking material for retaining a liquid,   a liquid source including a plurality of water inlets disposed on said cooler housing for supplying the liquid to said chambers of said wet channels,   alternate of said plates including a plurality of apertures having a cross section being circular in shape being spaced and extending from a first aperture disposed near said coolant inlet of said condenser to a last aperture disposed near said coolant outlet of said condenser for conveying air out of each of said respective dry channels and into at least one of said chambers of said wet channels to evaporate liquid from said wicking material,   a single aperture corresponding with each of said chambers of said wet channels,   each of said plurality of apertures in said plates defining a different cross-sectional area for controlling the amount of air conveyed into each of said chambers of said wet channels, and   said cross-sectional area of each of said plurality of apertures incrementally increasing from said first aperture to said last aperture for providing a proportionally increasing amount of air flowing through successive chambers of said wet channels.   
   
   
       22 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 21  wherein said condenser further includes:
 an upper header extending from said coolant inlet to said coolant outlet and a lower header extending parallel to and vertically spaced from said upper header,   said at least one coolant passage is further defined by a plurality of tubes having a cross section defining spaced flat sides and round ends and extending in parallel relationship with each other between said upper and lower headers for establishing fluid communication between said upper and lower headers,   said plurality of air fins disposed between and brazed to said parallel flat sides of said tubes and extending between said upper and lower headers,   said upper header including a first flow separator and a second flow separator and said lower header including a third flow separator.   
   
   
       23 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 22  wherein said condenser is further defined by said plurality of air fins having an incrementally decreasing fin density from said coolant inlet to said coolant outlet for providing increased cooling to said condenser near said coolant inlet relative to said coolant outlet. 
   
   
       24 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 21  wherein said coolant passage is further defined by a tube having a cross section defining flat sides and rounded ends and extending through a plurality of U-shapes to form a serpentine pattern from said coolant inlet to said coolant outlet,
 said plurality of U-shapes defines a plurality of tube legs in parallel relationship with one another, and   said plurality of air fins is disposed between said tube legs of said tube for transferring heat from said tube to the passing air.   
   
   
       25 . An assembly as set forth in  claim 21  wherein said plurality of water inlets of said liquid source extends from a first water inlet being disposed adjacent to said air inlet side of said evaporative cooler to a last water inlet being disposed adjacent to said side wall of said evaporative cooler,
 each of said water inlets having a different water inlet cross-sectional area for controlling the amount of water conveyed into each of said chambers of said wet channels of said evaporative cooler,   said water inlet cross-sectional area of each of said plurality of water inlets incrementally increasing from said first water inlet to said last water inlet for providing an incrementally increasing volume of water from said chambers of said evaporative cooler near said coolant outlet of said condenser to said plurality of chambers near said coolant inlet of said condenser.