US-12618588-B2 - Energy recovery ventilator of an air conditioning appliance

Abstract

An energy recovery ventilator for an air conditioner unit includes a ventilator cabinet defining a primary flow path and an energy recovery path, a heat exchanger positioned within the ventilator cabinet, wherein the primary flow path and the energy recovery path are fluidly isolated and thermally coupled within the heat exchanger; a primary fan fluidly coupled to the primary flow path for urging a flow of make-up air into an indoor portion of the air conditioner unit, and an auxiliary fan fluidly coupled to the energy recovery path for drawing a flow exhaust air through the energy recovery path.

Inventors

• Timothy Scott Shaffer

Assignees

• HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240213

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An air conditioner unit defining a vertical, a lateral, and a transverse direction, the air conditioner unit comprising: a cabinet defining an indoor inlet and an indoor outlet; a bulkhead mounted within the cabinet to define an indoor portion and an outdoor portion; and an energy recovery ventilator mounted to the cabinet, the energy recovery ventilator comprising: a ventilator cabinet defining a primary flow path and an energy recovery path; a heat exchanger positioned within the ventilator cabinet, wherein the primary flow path and the energy recovery path are fluidly isolated and thermally coupled within the heat exchanger; a primary fan fluidly coupled to the primary flow path for urging a flow of make-up air into the indoor portion; an auxiliary fan fluidly coupled to the energy recovery path for drawing a flow exhaust air through the energy recovery path; a plurality of retainer brackets that define a boundary of the heat exchanger; and a plurality of mounting gaskets positioned between the plurality of retainer brackets and a sidewall of the ventilator cabinet, wherein the heat exchanger is securely received within the plurality of retainer brackets in an installed position.
2. 2 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the ventilator cabinet is positioned on top of the cabinet of the air conditioner unit.
3. 3 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the primary fan and the auxiliary fan are positioned within the ventilator cabinet.
4. 4 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the ventilator cabinet defines an exhaust inlet fluidly coupled to an interior space and an exhaust outlet fluidly coupled to an ambient environment, the exhaust inlet and the exhaust outlet forming a portion of the energy recovery path.
5. 5 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the ventilator cabinet defines a fresh air inlet fluidly coupled to an ambient environment and a fresh air outlet fluidly coupled to the indoor portion, the fresh air inlet and the fresh air outlet forming a portion of the primary flow path.
6. 6 . The air conditioner unit of claim 5 , further comprising: a standoff plenum that at least partially defines the indoor inlet of the cabinet; and a make-up air duct providing fluid communication between the fresh air outlet and a make-up air supply port defined on the standoff plenum.
7. 7 . The air conditioner unit of claim 6 , wherein the standoff plenum is positioned upstream of an indoor heat exchanger such that the flow of make-up air mixes with a flow of indoor air.
8. 8 . The air conditioner unit of claim 7 , wherein the primary fan and an indoor fan are operated to mix one part of the flow of make-up air to three parts of the flow of indoor air.
9. 9 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the ventilator cabinet is an insulated housing.
10. 10 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , further comprising: a filter positioned in the primary flow path for filtering the flow of make-up air.
11. 11 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , further comprising: a controller operably coupled to the primary fan and the auxiliary fan, the controller being configured to operate the primary fan and the auxiliary fan at a target fan speed for generating a target flow rate.
12. 12 . The air conditioner unit of claim 11 , wherein the target flow rate is between about 30 and 40 cubic feet per minute.
13. 13 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is a crossflow air-to-air heat exchanger.
14. 14 . The air conditioner unit of claim 1 , wherein the air conditioner unit is a single package vertical unit, a vertical terminal air conditioner unit, or a packaged terminal air conditioner unit.
15. 15 . An energy recovery ventilator for an air conditioner unit, the energy recovery ventilator comprising: a ventilator cabinet defining a primary flow path and an energy recovery path; a heat exchanger positioned within the ventilator cabinet, wherein the primary flow path and the energy recovery path are fluidly isolated and thermally coupled within the heat exchanger; a primary fan fluidly coupled to the primary flow path for urging a flow of make-up air into an indoor portion of the air conditioner appliance; an auxiliary fan fluidly coupled to the energy recovery path for drawing a flow exhaust air through the energy recovery path; a plurality of retainer brackets that define a boundary of the heat exchanger; and a plurality of mounting gaskets positioned between the plurality of retainer brackets and a sidewall of the ventilator cabinet, wherein the heat exchanger is securely received within the plurality of retainer brackets in an installed position.
16. 16 . The energy recovery ventilator of claim 15 , wherein the ventilator cabinet is positioned on top of a cabinet of the air conditioner unit and the primary fan and the auxiliary fan are positioned within the ventilator cabinet.
17. 17 . The energy recovery ventilator of claim 15 , wherein the ventilator cabinet defines an exhaust inlet fluidly coupled to an interior space and an exhaust outlet fluidly coupled to an ambient environment, the exhaust inlet and the exhaust outlet forming a portion of the energy recovery path.
18. 18 . The energy recovery ventilator of claim 15 , wherein the ventilator cabinet defines a fresh air inlet fluidly coupled to an ambient environment and a fresh air outlet fluidly coupled to the indoor portion, the fresh air inlet and the fresh air outlet forming a portion of the primary flow path.
19. 19 . The energy recovery ventilator of claim 18 , further comprising: a standoff plenum that at least partially defines an indoor inlet of a cabinet of the air conditioner unit; and a make-up air duct providing fluid communication between the fresh air outlet and a make-up air supply port defined on the standoff plenum.
20. 20 . The energy recovery ventilator of claim 15 , wherein the ventilator cabinet is an insulated housing.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present subject matter relates generally to air conditioning appliances, and more particularly to features for energy recovery in air conditioning appliances. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Air conditioner or conditioning units are conventionally utilized to adjust the temperature indoors, e.g., within structures such as dwellings and office buildings. Such units commonly include a closed refrigeration loop to heat or cool the indoor air. Typically, the indoor air is recirculated while being heated or cooled. A variety of sizes and configurations are available for such air conditioner units. For example, some units may have one portion installed indoors that is connected to another portion located outdoors, e.g., by tubing or conduit carrying refrigerant. These types of units are typically used for conditioning the air in larger spaces. Another type of air conditioner unit, commonly referred to as single-package vertical units (SPVU) or package terminal air conditioners (PTAC), may be utilized to adjust the temperature in, for example, a single room or group of rooms of a structure. These units typically operate like split heat pump systems, except that the indoor and outdoor portions are defined by a bulkhead and all system components are housed within a single package that is installed in a wall sleeve positioned within an opening of an exterior wall of a building. In this regard, such units commonly include an indoor portion that communicates (e.g., exchanges air) with the area within a building and an outdoor portion that generally communicates (e.g., exchanges air) with the area outside a building. Accordingly, the air conditioner unit generally extends through, for example, an outer wall of the structure, or is otherwise ducted to the outdoors. SPVUs often need to draw air from the outdoor portion into the indoor portion. Accordingly, certain SPVUs allow for the introduction of make-up air into the indoor space, e.g., through a make-up air plenum or duct that extends between the indoor and outdoor side of the unit. The make-up air duct is usually equipped with a fan and/or make-up air module to urge a flow of make-up air from the outdoor side of the SPVU into the conditioned room. Notably, SPVUs that use a make-up air module for supplying make-up air from outdoors often suffer from inefficiencies. For example, the addition of outdoor make-up air adds a large amount of heating or cooling load to the space being conditioned. Accordingly, an air conditioner unit with improved efficiency would be useful. More specifically, an SPVU that is capable of utilizing make-up air without excessive energy losses associated with the use of outdoor make-up air would be particularly beneficial. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. In one exemplary embodiment, an air conditioner unit defining a vertical, a lateral, and a transverse direction is provided. The air conditioner unit includes a cabinet defining an indoor inlet and an indoor outlet, a bulkhead mounted within the cabinet to define an indoor portion and an outdoor portion, and an energy recovery ventilator mounted to the cabinet. The energy recovery ventilator includes a ventilator cabinet defining a primary flow path and an energy recovery path, a heat exchanger positioned within the ventilator cabinet, wherein the primary flow path and the energy recovery path are fluidly isolated and thermally coupled within the heat exchanger, a primary fan fluidly coupled to the primary flow path for urging a flow of make-up air into the indoor portion, and an auxiliary fan fluidly coupled to the energy recovery path for drawing a flow exhaust air through the energy recovery path. In another exemplary embodiment, an energy recovery ventilator for an air conditioner unit, the energy recovery ventilator including a ventilator cabinet defining a primary flow path and an energy recovery path, a heat exchanger positioned within the ventilator cabinet, wherein the primary flow path and the energy recovery path are fluidly isolated and thermally coupled within the heat exchanger, a primary fan fluidly coupled to the primary flow path for urging a flow of make-up air into an indoor portion of the air conditioner appliance, and an auxiliary fan fluidly coupled to the energy recovery path for drawing a flow exhaust air through the energy recovery path. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A f