Abstrict Apparatus for dehumidifying moisturized air present within a building
from a point external thereto including an enclosure housing a desiccant,
a heat exchanger for the desiccant and a single integrated motor
for drawing moisturized air through a high efficiency particulate
air filter towards the heated desiccant.
Claims I claim:
1. In dehumidifying apparatus drawing moisturized air from a building
through a heated desiccant within a housing, and by blowing dried
air back, the improvement comprising, the addition of a high efficient
particulate air filter through which said moisturized air is drawn
prior to said moisturized air being drawn through said heated desiccant,
and with said high efficiency particulate air filter being enclosed
within said housing as a single integrated unit.
2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein air flow loss through said
high efficiency particulate air filter is compensated for by increasing
the rating of an included motor provided to draw said moisturized
air from said building through said heated desiccant.
3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein air flow loss through said
high efficiency particulate air filter is substantially offset by
increasing the rating of an included motor provided to draw said
moisturized air from said building through said heated desiccant.
4. The improvement of claim 1 wherein air flow loss through said
high efficiency particulate air filter is compensated for by increasing
the rating of a single included motor provided to draw said moisturized
air from said building through said heated desiccant.
5. The improvement of claim 1 wherein air flow loss through said
high efficiency particulate air filter is substantially offset by
increasing the rating of a single included motor provided to draw
said moisturized air from said building through said heated desiccant.
6. Apparatus for dehumidifying moisturized air present within a
building from a point external thereto comprising: an enclosure
housing a heat exchanger, a desiccant, a first blower drawing ambient
air from outside said enclosure over said heat exchanger through
said desiccant in a first direction, a second blower drawing said
moisturized air through said enclosure and said desiccant in a second
direction, means for firing said heat exchanger, and a high efficiency
particulate air filter through which said second blower draws said
moisturized air towards said desiccant, and with said second blower
including a single integrated motor.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said enclosure rests on a ground
surface adjacent said building in which said moisturized air is
present.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said unitary enclosure rests
on a ground trailer or truck bed adjacent said building in which
said moisturized air is present.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said unitary enclosure includes
support wheels for moving said enclosure about.
10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said means fires said heat
exchanger with diesel fuel.
Description CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] None.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Research and development of this invention and Application
have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under
any Federal program.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] This invention relates to the restoration industry, in general,
and to the drying-out of water damaged buildings, in particular.
[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0007] As is known and understood, mobile desiccant dehumidifiers
have begun to be employed more and more in recent years to dry water
damaged buildings to reduce health problems caused by the incipient
mold which develops. As is also known, silica gel is oftentimes
employed as the desiccant in a wheel through which the moistened
air is pulled from the walls, the flooring, the concrete, etc. into
the dehumidifying chamber. As the silica gel, or other desiccant
employed, absorbs the moisture, however, it becomes necessary to
additionally heat the desiccant to liberate the moisture it collects;
this, then, serves to optimize the operation in a continuous cycle--allowing
the desiccant to continually absorb the moisture in the building.
Where large-scale desiccant equipment is employed, the heat energy
required is oftentimes provided by electric heating or propane heating.
In accordance with the teachings of my U.S. patent No. (Ser. No.
10/190015), significant advantages follow by firing the heat exchanger
with diesel fuel.
[0008] As there described, apparatus for dehumidifying moisturized
air present within a building from an external point includes an
enclosure housing a heat exchanger, a desiccant, a first blower
drawing ambient air from outside the enclosure over the heat exchanger
and through the desiccant in a first direction, and a second blower
drawing the moisturized air from within the building through the
desiccant in a second direction. While the apparatus there described
performed perfectly well, the present invention follows from the
realization that not only present within the water damaged building
is moisturized air, but a myriad of air pollutants emanating from
such sources as fiberglass insulation, pressed wood furniture and
flooring, dust mites, lead, aerosols, pesticides, tobacco smoke,
pollen, mold spores, animal hair, bacteria, Radon gas, plastics,
solvents, and cleaning products just to name a few. With the apparatus
typically utilized to dehumidify the water damaged building, the
dried air leaving the heated desiccant is almost always pumped back
into the building, and thereby just re-circulates these contaminants
over and over again.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] As will become clear from the following description, the
apparatus according to the invention for dehumidifying the moisturized
air in this manner also includes a high energy particulate air (HEPA)
filter through which the moisturized air is drawn prior to the moisturized
air being passed through the heated desiccant--and, particularly,
with the HEPA filter being enclosed within the same housing as a
single integrated unit. Since, and as will be understood by those
skilled in the art, a HEPA filter is usually powered by its own
motor, integrating that motor with the one which draws in the moisturized
air to begin with can be effectuated by compensating the air flow
lost through the filter by increasing the rating of the included
motor provided to draw in the moisturized air.
[0010] In accordance with the invention, then, the dehumidifying
apparatus would include an enclosure housing the heat exchanger,
the desiccant, a first blower drawing ambient air from outside the
enclosure over the heat exchanger through the desiccant in a first
direction, and a second blower drawing the moisturized air through
the enclosure and the desiccant in a second direction. With the
heat exchanger being fired in any selected manner, the further inclusion
of a HEPA filter within the enclosure through which the blower draws
the moisturized air prior to passing through the desiccant serves
to then capture these contaminants instead of recirculating them
through the water damaged building, and can be effectuated through
use of a single integrated motor for drawing in the moisturized
air and for filtering it.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] These and other features of the present invention will be
more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description,
taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram helpful in an understanding of
apparatus for dehumidifying moisturized air present within a building
from a point external thereto constructed in accordance with the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 the desiccant dehumidifying
apparatus follows from the use of an enclosure 10 having a heat
exchanger 12 and a desiccant 14. Reference numeral 20 identifies
a building in which moisturized air is present with its contaminants
which the apparatus of the invention is to dehumidify, with the
enclosure 10 having a bottom surface 16 which may rest upon a trailer
or truck bed adjacent the building 20 once driven to the work site.
Alternatively, the enclosure 10 could be off-loaded from the trailer
or truck bed onto the ground itself--and in one embodiment of the
invention includes a pair of support wheels 90 for moving the enclosure
about. Reference numeral 18 indicates a fuel burner having an exhaust
gas stack 22 with the fuel burner 18 heating the exchanger 12 from
the inside out. As with my above-cited patent, the fuel burner 18
could fire the exchanger with diesel fuel, although the teachings
of the invention apply equally as well where electric heating or
propane heating is utilized to reactivate the desiccant.
[0014] A first, or reactivation blower 24 draws ambient air from
the surrounds via ductwork 70 into the enclosure 10 over and about
the heat exchanger 12 and through the desiccant 14 in a first direction,
as illustrated by the arrows 50. A second, or processed air, blower
26 draws the moisturized air from within the building through ductwork
72 and the desiccant 14 in a second direction (shown by the arrows
60), which traps the moisture therein before discharging the dried
air out the enclosure 10 as shown by the arrows 61-62. The moisture
liberated, heated air through the desiccant 14 is discharged outside
the enclosure 10 as shown by the arrows 51-52. The heat exchanger
10 thus dehumidifies the desiccant 14 of the moisture collected
from the wet building air in reactivating the desiccant 14 for continuing
use. At the same time, the dried air from the enclosure 10 is blown
or pumped along the arrows 51-52 back into the building 20.
[0015] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 the ambient air from
outside the enclosure 10 is shown as being drawn through the desiccant
14 in a direction opposite to that in which the moisturized air
is pulled from the building through the desiccant 14. In typical
manner of use, the heated dried air exiting through the desiccant
14 is returned to the building by means of an outlet port 84 of
the enclosure 10 a duct 82 and a hose 80 clamped in place over
the duct 82.
[0016] While the dried air is thus pumped back into the building,
the contaminants which are present in the moisturized air are pumped
back as well--albeit now somewhat heated and dried. Such contaminants,
however, are substantially eliminated according to the present invention
by incorporating within the enclosure 10 a separate high efficiency
particulate air (HEPA) filter 92 through which the moisturized air
is first drawn on its way towards the heated desiccant 14. Rather
than the HEPA filter being provided as a separate unit whose input
is ducted to the building 20 and whose output is then ducted to
the enclosure 10 (and requiring its own motor), the inclusion of
the filter within the enclosure 10 allows for a single motor (or
blower) to be utilized both in drawing the moisturized air through
the filter and through the desiccant 14. Because there may be an
air flow loss through the HEPA filter, the rating of the included
motor (shown as the blower 26) would generally be increased to compensate
entirely for the loss, or to such an amount as to substantially
offset it. A single unitary housing thus results, which can be moved
about more easily when on support wheels, than if a separate HEPA
filter were employed. A smaller, dehumidifying apparatus follows
by eliminating the need for a separate filtering motor--which, as
with that of my afore cited patent, then provides an improved environmental
air-drawing quickly, simply and efficiently, thereby reducing the
severe health problems associated with water damaged buildings.
With the teachings of the present invention, a purification of upwards
of 99%+ of airborne contaminants could be provided through the scrubbing
effect of the HEPA type of air purification systems available, as
well as the desired dehumidification.
[0017] While there have been described what are considered to be
preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily
appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be
made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For
at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims
appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention. |