Hybrid air-conditioning system for decoupled sensible and latent heat removal and method

Abstract

A hybrid air conditioning system for cooling a chamber includes a mechanical vapor compression, MVC, unit configured to cool, through evaporation and condensation of a medium, a first air stream (MA 1 , MA, MA 2 ); and an indirect evaporative cooling, IEC, unit configured to cool a second air stream (CA, MA 2 , OA), which is related to the first air stream (MA 1 , MA, MA 2 ), through direct heat exchange between wet channels that are placed adjacent to dry channels. The MVC unit is fluidly connected to the IEC unit so that a generated supply air stream SA is cooled by decoupling sensible and latent heat removal.

1 . A hybrid air conditioning system for cooling a chamber, the hybrid system comprising:
 a mechanical vapor compression, MVC, unit configured to cool, through evaporation and condensation of a medium, a first air stream (MA 1 , MA, MA 2 ); and   an indirect evaporative cooling, IEC, unit configured to cool a second air stream (CA, MA 2 , OA), which is related to the first air stream (MA 1 , MA, MA 2 ), through direct heat exchange between wet channels that are placed adjacent to dry channels,   wherein the MVC unit is fluidly connected to the IEC unit so that a generated supply air stream SA is cooled by decoupling sensible and latent heat removal.   
     
     
         2 . The hybrid system of  claim 1 , wherein the first air stream OA, which is ambient air, is mixed with a first return air stream RA 1  from the chamber, prior to entering the MVC unit, to generate a first mixed air stream MA 1 . 
     
     
         3 . The hybrid system of  claim 2 , wherein the MVC unit includes one evaporator and first and second condensers. 
     
     
         4 . The hybrid system of  claim 3 , wherein the first mixed air stream MA 1  enters the evaporator to evaporate a refrigerant of the MVC unit. 
     
     
         5 . The hybrid system of  claim 4 , wherein an air stream EA leaving the evaporator is split into first and second EA streams, the first EA stream is supplied to the wet channels of the IEC unit, and the second EA stream is mixed with a second return air stream RA 2 , from the chamber, to form a second mixed air stream MA 2 . 
     
     
         6 . The hybrid system of  claim 5 , wherein the second mixed air stream MA 2  is supplied to the second condenser of the MVC unit to condense the medium of the MVC unit and to generate a cold air stream CA. 
     
     
         7 . The hybrid system of  claim 6 , wherein the cold air stream CA is supplied to the dry channels of the IEC unit. 
     
     
         8 . The hybrid system of  claim 7 , wherein the air stream CA becomes the supply air stream SA when exiting the dry channels of the IEC system and the supply air stream SA is supplied to the chamber to be cooled while the wet channels of the IEC unit generate a first heated air stream PA 1 , which is supplied to the first condenser of the MVC unit to condense the medium, and a second heated air stream PA 2 , which is heated by the first condenser, is discharged into the ambient, and wherein distilled water is used in the wet channels to reduce biofouling in the first and second exchangers. 
     
     
         9 . The hybrid system of  claim 4 , wherein an air stream EA leaving the evaporator is split into two streams, a PA 0  stream is supplied to the wet channels of the IEC unit, and a second EA stream is supplied to the second condenser of the MVC unit to condense the medium of the MVC unit and to generate an air stream CA. 
     
     
         10 . The hybrid system of  claim 9 , wherein the air stream CA is mixed with a second return air stream RA 2  from the chamber to form a second mixed air stream MA 2 , which is supplied to the dry channels of the IEC unit. 
     
     
         11 . The hybrid system of  claim 10 , wherein the air stream CA becomes the supply air stream SA when exiting the dry channels of the IEC system and the supply air stream SA is supplied to the chamber to be cooled while the wet channels of the IEC unit generate a first heated air stream PA 1 , which is supplied to the first condenser of the MVC unit to condense the medium, and a second heated air stream PA 2 , which is heated by the first condenser, is discharged into the ambient, and wherein distilled water is used in the wet channels to reduce biofouling in the first and second exchangers. 
     
     
         12 . A hybrid air conditioning system for cooling a chamber, the hybrid system comprising:
 an indirect evaporative cooling, IEC, unit configured to cool a first air stream (CA, MA 2 , OA), through direct heat exchange between wet channels that are placed adjacent to dry channels; and   a mechanical vapor compression, MVC, unit configured to cool, through evaporation and condensation of a medium, a second air stream (MA 1 , MA, MA 2 ), which is related to the first air stream (CA, MA 2 , OA),   wherein the IEC unit is fluidly connected to the MVC unit so that a generated supply air stream SA is cooled by decoupling sensible and latent heat removal.   
     
     
         13 . The hybrid system of  claim 12 , wherein the first air stream enters the dry channels of the IEC unit to be pre-cooled and a first return air stream RA 1 , from the chamber, is supplied to the wet channels of the IEC unit. 
     
     
         14 . The hybrid system of  claim 13 , wherein a pre-cooled air stream DA exiting the dry channels of the IEC unit is mixed with a second return air stream RA 2  from the chamber to generate a first mixed air stream MA 1 . 
     
     
         15 . The hybrid system of  claim 14 , wherein the first mixed air stream MA 1  is provided to an evaporator of the MVC unit for evaporating the medium of the MVC unit, an air stream EA leaving the evaporator is mixed with a third return air stream RA 3  from the chamber to generate the supply air stream SA. 
     
     
         16 . The hybrid system of  claim 13 , wherein a wet air stream WA exiting the wet channels of the IEC unit is mixed with another outside air stream OA 2  to generate a second mixed air stream MA 2 . 
     
     
         17 . The hybrid system of  claim 16 , wherein the second mixed air stream MA 2  is provided to an input of a condenser of the MVC unit to condense the medium, and an output stream PA from the condenser is discharged into the ambient. 
     
     
         18 . The hybrid system of  claim 14 , wherein the first mixed air stream MA 1  is provided to a condenser of the MVC unit for condensing the medium of the MVC unit, and an air stream leaving the condenser is the supply air stream SA, wherein a wet air stream WA exiting the wet channels of the IEC unit is mixed with another outside air stream OA 2  to generate a second mixed air stream MA 2 , and wherein the second mixed air stream MA 2  is provided to an input of an evaporator of the MVC unit to evaporate the medium, and an output stream PA from the evaporator is discharged into the ambient. 
     
     
         19 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The hybrid system of  claim 13 , wherein a pre-cooled air stream DA exiting the dry channels of the IEC unit is provided directly to an evaporator of the MVC unit for evaporating the medium of the MVC unit, and an air stream leaving the evaporator is the supply air stream SA, wherein a wet air stream WA exiting the wet channels of the IEC unit is mixed with another outside air stream OA 2  to generate a second mixed air stream MA 2 , and wherein the second mixed air stream MA 2  is provided to an input of a condenser of the MVC unit to condense the medium, and an output stream PA from the condenser is discharged into the ambient. 
     
     
         22 - 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A method for cooling air with a hybrid air conditioning system, the method comprising:
 cooling a first air stream (MA 1 , MA, MA 2 ), with a mechanical vapor compression, MVC, unit, through evaporation and condensation of a medium, to generate a second air stream (CA, MA 2 , OA); and   cooling the second air stream (CA, MA 2 , OA) with an indirect evaporative cooling, IEC, unit through direct heat exchange between wet channels that are placed adjacent to dry channels,   wherein the MVC unit is fluidly connected to the IEC unit so that a generated supply air stream SA is cooled by decoupling sensible and latent heat removal.