Dynamic sizing of damper sections and/or air economizer compartments

Abstract

An air economizer of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes an outdoor air compartment configured to receive outdoor air, and an indoor air compartment configured to receive indoor air. The air economizer also includes a partition extending between the outdoor air compartment and the indoor air compartment. The partition is configured to move between a first position and a second position such that a damper of the air economizer receives the indoor air when the partition is in the first position, and such that the damper receives the outdoor air when the partition is in the second position.

1 . An air economizer of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
 an outdoor air compartment configured to receive outdoor air;   an indoor air compartment configured to receive indoor air; and   a partition extending between the outdoor air compartment and the indoor air compartment, wherein the partition is configured to move between a first position and a second position such that a damper of the air economizer receives the indoor air when the partition is in the first position, and such that the damper receives the outdoor air when the partition is in the second position.   
     
     
         2 . The air economizer of  claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to position the partition in the first position or the second position based on a setting of the damper. 
     
     
         3 . The air economizer of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the setting of the damper based on sensor feedback indicative of an ambient condition, an operating condition of the HVAC system, a condition of a space being conditioned by the HVAC system, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The air economizer of  claim 3 , wherein the sensor feedback is indicative of the ambient condition, and wherein the ambient condition comprises a temperature of the outdoor air, a humidity of the outdoor air, or a contaminant content of the outdoor air. 
     
     
         5 . The air economizer of  claim 3 , wherein the sensor feedback is indicative of the condition of the space being conditioned by the HVAC system, and wherein the condition of the space being conditioned by the HVAC system comprises a temperature of the indoor air, a humidity of the indoor air, or a contaminant content of the indoor air. 
     
     
         6 . The air economizer of  claim 2 , comprising a bank of dampers having the damper, wherein the bank of dampers extends across a combined damper space, wherein the controller is configured to position the partition in the first position or the second position such that a first ratio between a first amount of the indoor air received by the indoor air compartment and a second amount of the outdoor air received by the outdoor air compartment is aligned with an additional ratio between an indoor damper space and an outdoor damper space, wherein the indoor and outdoor damper spaces form the combined damper space, and wherein the first ratio and the additional ratio are functions of the setting of the damper and the first or second position of the partition. 
     
     
         7 . The air economizer of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a contact point adjacent to the damper and corresponding with the first position of the partition; and   a coupling mechanism between the contact point and the partition, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to enable a selective coupling between the contact point and the partition.   
     
     
         8 . The air economizer of  claim 1 , comprising a fixed wall extending between the indoor air compartment and the outdoor air compartment, wherein the partition extends from an end of the fixed wall toward the damper, and wherein the partition is configured to rotate about an anchor point of the partition coupled to the fixed wall while the partition moves between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         9 . The air economizer of  claim 8 , wherein the anchor point is configured to translate along a length of the fixed wall while the partition moves between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         10 . The air economizer of  claim 9 , wherein the fixed wall comprises a slot into which an extension of the anchor point extends, such that the anchor point and the extension are translatable along the length of the fixed wall. 
     
     
         11 . The air economizer of  claim 9 , comprising a motor configured to rotate the partition between the first position and the second position, to translate the anchor point along the length of the fixed wall, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . A method of controlling an air economizer of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the method comprising:
 determining, via a controller, a desired ratio between a first amount of indoor air received by an indoor air compartment of the air economizer and a second amount of outdoor air received by an outdoor air compartment of the air economizer;   instructing, via the controller and based on the desired ratio, a plurality of damper settings of a plurality of dampers of the air economizer; and   adjusting, via the controller, a position of a partition of the air economizer extending between the indoor air compartment and the outdoor air compartment to assign a first group of dampers of the plurality of dampers to the indoor air compartment and to assign a second group of dampers of the plurality of dampers to the outdoor air compartment, such that an additional ratio between a first damper space of the first group of dampers and a second damper space of the second group of dampers is aligned with the desired ratio.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , comprising detecting, via a sensor, an ambient condition, wherein the controller determines the desired ratio based at least in part on the ambient condition. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the ambient condition comprises a temperature of the outdoor air, a humidity of the outdoor air, or a contaminant content of the outdoor air. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein adjusting, via the controller, the position of the partition comprises instructing, via the controller, a motor coupled to the partition to drive the partition into rotation. 
     
     
         16 . A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system having an air economizer, wherein the air economizer comprises:
 an air intake comprising an outdoor intake section and an indoor intake section; and   a partition separating the outdoor intake section from the indoor intake section, wherein the partition is rotatable to adjust relative sizes of the outdoor intake section and the indoor intake section based on desired relative amounts of outdoor air received by the outdoor intake section and indoor air received by the indoor intake section over an operating period of time.   
     
     
         17 . The HVAC system of  claim 16 , comprising a bank of dampers extending across a total damper space of the air economizer and positioned downstream from the partition, wherein a combination of an indoor damper space and an outdoor damper space equals the total damper space, and wherein the indoor damper space and the outdoor damper space are each dependent on a position of the partition, such that the relative sizes of the outdoor intake section and the indoor intake section are indicative of relative sizes of the indoor damper space and the outdoor damper space, respectively. 
     
     
         18 . The HVAC system of  claim 16 , comprising:
 a sensor configured to detect environmental conditions, operating conditions of the HVAC system, conditions within an area conditioned by the HVAC system, or a combination thereof; and   a controller configured to receive sensor feedback data from the sensor, and to instruct rotation of the partition between a first position and a second position based at least in part on the sensor feedback data.   
     
     
         19 . The HVAC system of  claim 18 , comprising a damper, wherein the damper is configured to receive the indoor air from the indoor intake section when the partition is in the first position, and wherein the damper is configured to receive the outdoor air from the outdoor intake section when the partition is in the second position. 
     
     
         20 . The HVAC system of  claim 19 , wherein the controller is configured to instruct a first damper setting of the damper corresponding with the first position of the partition when the partition is in the first position, and wherein the controller is configured to instruct a second damper setting of the damper corresponding with the second position of the partition when the partition is in the second position, wherein the second damper setting is different than the first damper setting. 
     
     
         21 . The HVAC system of  claim 18 , wherein the environmental conditions comprise a temperature of the outdoor air received by the outdoor intake section, a humidity of the outdoor air, or a contaminant content of the outdoor air. 
     
     
         22 . The HVAC system of  claim 18 , wherein the conditions within the area conditioned by the HVAC system comprise a temperature of the indoor air received by the indoor intake section, a humidity of the indoor air, or an amount of contaminants in the indoor air. 
     
     
         23 . The HVAC system of  claim 16 , comprising a wall extending between the outdoor intake section and the indoor intake section, wherein the partition extends from an end of the wall within a gap between the end of the wall and a bank of dampers positioned downstream from the wall. 
     
     
         24 . The HVAC system of  claim 23 , wherein the partition is rotatable about an anchor point coupled to the wall, and wherein the anchor point is translatable along a length of the wall.