Computer room air conditioning unit

Abstract

An enclosed air conditioning unit includes a filter section and a cooling section through which intake air passes before being discharged into a space within a building. The orientation of the filter section and cooling section is substantially vertical, and the airflow path through the filter section and the cooling section is substantially horizontal, resulting in reduced face velocities across these components, thereby increasing filtration efficiency and cooling effectiveness, while allowing the physical size and configuration of the air conditioning unit's enclosure to be the same as or smaller than the enclosures for conventional air conditioning units having comparable or lower performance.

1 . An air conditioning unit comprising:
 (a) an enclosure having a first wall, a second wall opposite the first wall, and a primary air intake in an upper region of the enclosure;   (b) an air treatment component assembly including a generally flat filter section and a generally flat cooling section, said filter section and cooling section being in parallel juxtaposition and oriented vertically within the enclosure so as to define:
 b.1 a first chamber between the filter section and the enclosure's first wall; and 
 b.2 a second chamber between the cooling section and the enclosure's second wall; 
   
       such that air entering the primary air intake from outside the enclosure will flow, in sequence, downward within the first chamber, horizontally through the filter section and the cooling section into the second chamber, and downward within the second chamber toward a discharge outlet in a lower region of the enclosure. 
     
     
         2 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 1  wherein a bypass air intake is provided in an upper region of the enclosure, such that air entering the bypass air intake from outside the enclosure will flow downward within the second chamber so as to mix with air flowing into the second chamber after passing through the cooling section. 
     
     
         3 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 2 , further comprising an intake damper for regulating the flow of air through the bypass air intake. 
     
     
         4 . An air conditioning unit comprising:
 (a) an enclosure having a first wall, a second wall opposite the first wall, and a primary air intake in a lower region of the enclosure;   (b) an air treatment component assembly including a generally flat filter section and a generally flat cooling section, said filter section and cooling section being in parallel juxtaposition and oriented vertically within the enclosure so as to define:
 b.1 a first chamber between the filter section and the enclosure's first wall; and 
 b.2 a second chamber between the cooling section and the enclosure's second wall; 
   
       such that air entering the primary air intake from outside the enclosure will flow, in sequence, upward within the first chamber, horizontally through the filter section and the cooling section into the second chamber, and upward within the second chamber toward a discharge outlet in an upper region of the enclosure. 
     
     
         5 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 4  wherein a bypass air intake is provided in a lower region of the enclosure, such that air entering the bypass air intake from outside the enclosure will flow upward within the second chamber so as to mix with air flowing into the second chamber after passing through the cooling section. 
     
     
         6 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 5 , further comprising an intake damper for regulating the flow of air through the bypass air intake. 
     
     
         7 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 1  wherein the air treatment component assembly further comprises a DX cooling coil disposed between the filter section and the cooling section. 
     
     
         8 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 1  wherein the cooling section comprises cooling coils. 
     
     
         9 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 1  wherein the cooling section comprises evaporative media. 
     
     
         10 . An air conditioning unit as in  claim 9  wherein the air treatment component assembly further comprises a drift eliminator positioned such that airflow exiting the cooling section will pass through the drift eliminator before passing into the second chamber. 
     
     
         11 - 16 . (canceled)