Fan assembly

Abstract

A fan assembly is described comprising a refrigeration system and an airflow generator. The refrigeration system comprises a heat exchanger. The airflow generator is for generating an airflow over the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger surrounds a major portion of the airflow generator.

1 . A fan assembly comprising:
 a refrigeration system comprising a heat exchanger; and   an airflow generator for generating an airflow over the heat exchanger,   wherein the heat exchanger surrounds a major portion of the airflow generator.   
     
     
         2 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is cylindrical in shape. 
     
     
         3 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger subtends a central angle of at least 270°. 
     
     
         4 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly comprises a filter assembly for filtering the airflow, and the filter assembly surrounds a major part of the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         5 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly comprises an axial gap between an inlet of the airflow generator and a wall facing the inlet, and a ratio of the axial gap to a diameter of the inlet is no less than 1:2.3. 
     
     
         6 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the ratio is no greater than 1:1. 
     
     
         7 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly comprises an axial gap between an inlet of the airflow generator and a wall facing the inlet, and a ratio of the axial gap to a height of the heat exchanger is no less than 1:4. 
     
     
         8 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the ratio is no greater than 1:3. 
     
     
         9 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the axial gap is no less than 30 mm. 
     
     
         10 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the axial gap is no greater than 70 mm. 
     
     
         11 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly comprises a radial gap between the airflow generator and the heat exchanger, and a ratio of the radial gap, at an inlet of the airflow generator, to a height of the heat exchanger is no less than 1:5. 
     
     
         12 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the ratio is no greater than 1:3. 
     
     
         13 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the radial gap is no less than 20 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the radial gap is no greater than 50 mm. 
     
     
         15 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly comprises:
 a main body within which the refrigeration system and the airflow generator are located, the main body comprising an inlet through which the airflow is drawn into the main body and an outlet through which the airflow is emitted from the main body, wherein the inlet is located in a side of the main body and the outlet is located in a top of the main body; and   a nozzle attached to the main body and receiving the airflow emitted from the main body, the nozzle comprising an outlet through which the airflow is emitted from the fan assembly.   
     
     
         16 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow having a flow rate of no less than 20 L/s. 
     
     
         17 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the refrigeration system comprises a compressor and a further heat exchanger; and   the further heat exchanger surrounds a major portion of the compressor.   
     
     
         18 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the fan assembly comprises a condensation collector for collecting condensate that forms on the heat exchanger, and the condensation collector comprise a tray located between the heat exchanger and the further heat exchanger. 
     
     
         19 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the condensation collector comprises a bottle, the tray comprises a drain through which condensate collected by the tray drains into the bottle, and the bottle is located in a gap in the further heat exchanger. 
     
     
         20 . The fan assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the refrigeration system comprises a further heat exchanger, a compressor for moving a refrigerant between the heat exchanger and further heat exchanger, and a metering device for reducing a pressure of the refrigerant.