Low profile evaporative cooler

Abstract

An evaporative cooler assembly includes a plurality of tubes extending from a refrigerant tank in a spaced relationship to one another with each tube defining a wet air passage. Each pair of adjacent tubes defines a dry air passage extending transversely to the tubes. Each tube includes a plurality of orifices each in fluid communication with the corresponding wet air passage and the adjacent dry air passage. A pair of air ducts are disposed on the refrigerant tank with the tubes being disposed between the air ducts and the air ducts being in fluid communication with the dry air passages whereby a dry air stream flows sequentially through a portion of the dry air passages and into one of the air ducts and through another portion of the dry air passages and into the other air duct until the dry air stream flows out of a dry air outlet as conditioned air.

1 . An evaporative cooler assembly for conditioning air comprising:
 a refrigerant tank having a top surface and defining a refrigerant cavity for housing a refrigerant;   said top surface of said refrigerant tank defining a plurality of tube slots;   a plurality of tubes each defining a wet air passage extending between a refrigerant inlet end and a wet air outlet end for producing a wet air stream;   each of said tubes extending from one of said tube slots and transversely to said refrigerant tank in a spaced relationship to one another with said wet air passages being in fluid communication with said refrigerant cavity;   each pair of adjacent tubes defining a dry air passage extending transversely to said tubes for receiving a dry air stream;   each of said tubes including a plurality of orifices in fluid communication with said corresponding wet air passage and said adjacent dry air passage for diverting a portion of the dry air stream from said dry air passage to said wet air passage for producing the wet air stream; and   a first air duct defining a first duct passage disposed on said top surface of said refrigerant tank and adjacent said tubes with said first duct passage being in fluid communication with said dry air, passages for receiving the dry air stream;   whereby the dry air stream flows through a first portion of said dry air passages and into said first duct passage defined by said first air duct and is deflected by said first air duct into a second portion of said dry air passages to be output as conditioned air.   
   
   
       2 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 1  including a second air duct defining a second duct passage disposed on said top surface of said refrigerant tank and adjacent said tubes with said tubes being disposed between said air ducts and said second duct passage being in fluid communication with said dry air passages for receiving the dry air stream. 
   
   
       3 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 2  including a plurality of flow separators being spaced axially along said top surface of said refrigerant tank and disposed alternately in said air ducts for diverting the dry air stream in said air ducts whereby the dry air stream sequentially flows through a portion of said dry air passages and into one of said-duct passages defined by said corresponding air duct and is deflected by one of said flow separators disposed in said corresponding air duct and through another portion of said dry air passages and into the other of said duct passages defined by the other of said air ducts and is deflected by one of said flow separators disposed in the other of said air ducts. 
   
   
       4 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said refrigerant tank extends between a pair of tank ends and one of said air ducts is spaced from each of said tank ends to define a dry air inlet and a dry air outlet. 
   
   
       5 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein one of said air ducts defines a dry air inlet and the other of said air ducts defines a dry air outlet. 
   
   
       6 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  including a plurality of cooling fins extending between adjacent tubes to define a plurality of said dry air passages extending transversely to said tubes between said adjacent tubes for receiving the dry air stream. 
   
   
       7 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said refrigerant inlet end of each tube is disposed in said refrigerant cavity for contacting the refrigerant and each of said tubes extends through one of said tube slots. 
   
   
       8 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said tubes extend perpendicularly to said refrigerant tank. 
   
   
       9 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said tubes extend in a parallel relationship. 
   
   
       10 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said refrigerant tank extends between a pair of tank ends and said dry air passages extend parallel to said tank ends. 
   
   
       11 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein each of said tubes have an interior surface and including a wicking material disposed on said interior surface of each of said tubes for conveying refrigerant from said refrigerant cavity into said tubes. 
   
   
       12 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein each of said tubes include at least one divider extending between said refrigerant inlet end and said wet air outlet end to define a plurality of said wet air passages and for reinforcing said tube. 
   
   
       13 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 12  including a wicking material disposed on said dividers of each of said tubes for conveying refrigerant from said refrigerant cavity into said tubes. 
   
   
       14 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said tube slots are spaced axially along said top surface of said refrigerant tank. 
   
   
       15 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  including a plurality of top plates each extending between said wet air outlet ends of adjacent tubes. 
   
   
       16 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said tubes are generally rectangular in cross-section and said tube slots are generally rectangular. 
   
   
       17 . The assembly as set forth in  claim 3  wherein said refrigerant tank has a rectangular cross-section. 
   
   
       18 . An evaporative cooler assembly for conditioning air comprising:
 a refrigerant tank having a top surface extending between a pair of tank ends and a rectangular cross-section and defining a refrigerant cavity for housing a refrigerant;   said top surface of said refrigerant tank defining a plurality of tube slots being generally rectangular and spaced axially along said top surface of said refrigerant tank between said tank ends;   a plurality of tubes each having an interior surface and a generally rectangular cross-section and defining a wet air passage extending between a refrigerant inlet end and a wet air outlet end for producing a wet air stream,   said refrigerant inlet end of each tube disposed in said refrigerant cavity for contacting said refrigerant;   each of said tubes extending through one of said tube slots and perpendicularly to said refrigerant tank in a spaced and parallel relationship to one another with said wet air passages being in fluid communication with said refrigerant cavity;   each of said tubes including at least one divider extending between said refrigerant inlet end and said wet air outlet end to define a plurality of said wet air passages and for reinforcing said tube;   a wicking material disposed on said interior surface and said dividers of each of said tubes for conveying refrigerant from said refrigerant cavity into said tubes;   a plurality of cooling fins extending between adjacent tubes to define a plurality of dry air passages extending transversely to said tubes and parallel to said tank ends for receiving a dry air stream and for transferring heat from the dry air stream to said tubes;   a plurality of top plates each extending between said wet air outlet ends of adjacent tubes;   each of said tubes defining a plurality of orifices in fluid communication with said corresponding wet air passages and said adjacent dry air passages for diverting a portion of the dry air stream from said dry air passages to said wet air passages for producing the wet air stream;   a first air duct defining a first duct passage disposed on said top surface of said refrigerant tank and adjacent said tubes with said first duct passage being in fluid communication with said dry air passages for receiving the dry air stream;   a second air duct defining a second duct passage disposed on said top surface of said refrigerant tank and adjacent said tubes with said tubes being disposed between said air ducts and said second duct passage being in fluid communication with said dry air passages for receiving the dry air stream;   a plurality of flow separators being spaced axially along said top surface of said refrigerant tank and disposed alternately in said air ducts for diverting the dry air stream in said air ducts; and   one of said air ducts being spaced from each of said tank ends to define a dry air inlet and a dry air outlet;   whereby the dry air stream flows through said dry air inlet and sequentially through a portion of said dry air passages and into one of said duct passages defined by said corresponding air duct and is deflected by one of said flow separators disposed in said corresponding air duct and through another portion of said dry air passages and into the other of said duct passages defined by the other of said air ducts and is deflected by one of said flow separators disposed in the other of said air ducts until the dry air stream flows out of said dry air outlet as conditioned air.