Low Mixing Ventilation Jet

Abstract

A ventilation system with hardware to direct two independent airflows, wherein an outer airflow (at least partially) surrounds the an inner airflow. Preferably the inner and outer airflows come from different sources such that the air of the inner airflow has higher associated costs than the air of the outer airflow. For example, the inner airflow may be more cleaned and/or more thermally conditioned than the outer airflow. The inner airflow may have a different velocity than the outer airflow. Preferably, the ventilation system is a PVD, but other applications are also contemplated, such as: (i) spot-cooling; (ii) air curtains (for example for a refrigerated food section or case in a market); (iii) medical devices (for example, oxygen supply devices, “blankets” of thermally conditioned and/or cleaned air for infants, patients in surgery or burn victims, shields of cleaned air for protection against microbes for patients with compromised immune systems); (iv) personal humidifiers; (v) personal dehumidifiers; (vi) thermal and/or humidity control for plant or animal enclosures; and/or (vii) any other ventilation system for controlling at least one type of air characteristic (see Definitions section).

1 . A ventilation system for providing air to a ventilated space with ambient air, the system comprising:
 a primary air supply comprising primary air having at least one air characteristic different than the corresponding air characteristic of the ambient air; a primary nozzle adapted and located to direct an inner airflow of primary air from said primary air supply into the ventilated space;   a secondary air supply comprising secondary air; and   a secondary nozzle adapted and located to direct an outer airflow of secondary air from said secondary air supply into the ventilated space, wherein said primary nozzle and said secondary nozzle are located relative to each other such that the outer airflow from said secondary nozzle at least partially surrounds the inner airflow from said primary nozzle.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said primary nozzle and said secondary nozzle are located relative to each other such that the outer airflow substantially surrounds the inner airflow. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein:
 said profile nozzle is shaped so that the inner airflow has a substantially circular profile; 
 said secondary nozzle is shaped so that the outer airflow has a substantially circular profile; and 
 the inner airflow and the outer airflow are at least substantially concentric. 
 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 primary propulsion hardware adapted and located to propel primary air from said primary air supply to and through said primary nozzle at a first velocity; and 
 second propulsion hardware adapted and located to propel secondary air from said secondary air supply to and through said secondary nozzle at a second velocity. 
 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein:
 said primary nozzle defines a primary nozzle width; and 
 said primary and secondary air propulsion hardware and said primary and secondary nozzles are adapted and located so that a potential core of the inner airflow is greater than 6 times the primary nozzle width. 
 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 4  wherein:
 said primary nozzle defines a primary nozzle width; and 
 said primary and secondary air propulsion hardware and said primary and secondary nozzles are adapted and located so that a potential core of the inner airflow is greater than 10 times the primary nozzle width. 
 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said primary air supply, said primary propulsion hardware, said primary nozzle, said secondary air supply, said secondary propulsion hardware and said secondary nozzle are adapted to be used as a PVD. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said primary air supply, said primary propulsion hardware, said primary nozzle, said secondary air supply, said secondary propulsion hardware and said secondary nozzle are adapted to be used as a spot-cooling device. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said primary air supply, said primary propulsion hardware, said primary nozzle, said secondary air supply, said secondary propulsion hardware and said secondary nozzle are adapted to be used as an air curtains. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said primary air supply, said primary propulsion hardware, said primary nozzle, said secondary air supply, said secondary propulsion hardware and said secondary nozzle are adapted to be used as medical device. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said primary air supply, said primary propulsion hardware, said primary nozzle, said secondary air supply, said secondary propulsion hardware and said secondary nozzle are adapted to be used as a personal humidifiers and/or dehumidifiers. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said primary air supply, said primary propulsion hardware, said primary nozzle, said secondary air supply, said secondary propulsion hardware and said secondary nozzle are adapted to be used as a device for thermal and/or humidity control for plant or animal enclosures. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1  wherein:
 the primary air in said primary air supply is thermally conditioned to be at a different temperature than the temperature of the ambient air; and 
 the secondary air in said secondary air is thermally conditioned to be at a different temperature than the temperature of the ambient air. 
 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the primary air in said primary air supply is humidity controlled to be at a different humidity than the humidity of the ambient air. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the primary air in said primary air supply is cleaned air. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the primary air in said primary air supply has a lower concentration and/or size of particulate pollutants than the ambient air. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the primary air in said primary air supply has a different chemical composition than the ambient air. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the primary air in said primary air supply is thermally conditioned to be at a different temperature than the temperature of the ambient air. 
     
     
         19 . A ventilation system for providing air to a ventilated space with ambient air, the system comprising:
 a primary air supply comprising primary air having an air characteristic at a primary air characteristic level which is different than the corresponding level of the air characteristic of the ambient air;   a primary nozzle adapted and located to direct an inner airflow of primary air from said primary air supply into the ventilated space;   a secondary air supply comprising secondary air having the air characteristic at a secondary air characteristic level which is different than the corresponding level of the air characteristic of the ambient air; and   a secondary nozzle adapted and located to direct an outer airflow of secondary air from said secondary air supply into the ventilated space, wherein said primary nozzle and said secondary nozzle are located relative to each other such that the outer airflow from said secondary nozzle at least partially surrounds the inner airflow from said primary nozzle;   wherein the secondary air characteristic level is closer than the primary air characteristic level to the corresponding level of the air characteristic of the ambient air.   
     
     
         20 . A ventilation system for providing air to a ventilated space with ambient air, the system comprising:
 a primary air supply comprising primary air having a first air characteristic at a first characteristic level for the primary air supply which is different than the corresponding level of the first air characteristic of the ambient air;   a primary nozzle adapted and located to direct an inner airflow of primary air from said primary air supply into the ventilated space;   a secondary air supply comprising secondary air having a second air characteristic at a second air characteristic level for the secondary air supply which is different than the corresponding level of the second air characteristic of the ambient air; and   a secondary nozzle adapted and located to direct an outer airflow of secondary air from said secondary air supply into the ventilated space, wherein said primary nozzle and said secondary nozzle are located relative to each other such that the outer airflow from said secondary nozzle at least partially surrounds the inner airflow from said primary nozzle;   wherein the first air characteristic has a different air characteristic type than the second air characteristic.