| Patents |
This patent covers a mono-directional loop heat-pipe passive system for use in air conditioning to increase dehumidification. This passive loop is commonly known as the DinhTM Dehumidifier Heat Pipe, Dinh being the name of the inventor. The DinhTM Dehumidifier Heat Pipe by HPT typically uses 30% to 50% less energy. In very hot and humid climates, an HPT system may pay for itself in energy savings many times over. |
This invention uses a special two-way heat pipe in a fresh air conditioning system to supply pre-conditioned fresh air economically. Fresh air is now recommended by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) at the rate of 15-CFM (cubic feet per minute) per occupant in public buildings. This increase has spurred manufacturers to bring a variety of "fresh air machines" to the market. Overall, the recently introduced fresh air units are basically modified large air conditioners that bring the outside air to the inside after having cooled it down. Using one set of heat-pipes to precool the outside air before it is treated by the air conditioner, the HPT fresh-air exchange machine narrows the temperature range of the air to be treated, avoiding the oversizing of the equipment. The pre-cooling effect of the heat pipes helps to extract more moisture from the outside air and allows the use of a smaller AC system. |
This patent covers the method of manufacturing an evaporator coil and the two sections of dehumidifier heat pipes in the wrap-around configuration. The immediate advantage is a reduction of up to 20% in the cost of fabrication. The greater advantage lies in the compactness of the combined assembly, making it possible for use in small equipment such as room air conditioners or room dehumidifiers, a very large international market. |
The Boost Heat Pipe is an expanded application of the Dehumidifier Heat Pipe. The presence of the heat pipes in an air conditioner has the effect of increasing dehumidification (latent heat ratio). This perfectly suits humid climates or environments where reduced humidity is a necessity. However, sometimes the effect of the heat pipes should be temporarily negated. For example, when the conditioned air is already dried down to the required humidity level or during peak periods when the inside air is hotter than normal. In either case, it is better to neutralize the reheating effect of the heat pipes and, if possible, increase the sensible cooling capacity of the air conditioner. The Boost Heat Pipe will do a great job for both.
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All heat pipes marketed by HPT are of the micro-grooved type, meaning that they have micro-sized grooves formed on their inside wall. This newly invented micro-grooving method by HPT is for carving micro grooves into the smooth inside wall of regular, cheap copper pipes. It is expected that copper pipes so micro grooved, when used as heat-pipes, will provide the same efficiency as the current preformed micro grooved pipes, but the cost could be reduced by approximately 10%. |
Granted in China, Taiwan and Korean The original Dehumidifier Heat Pipe patent by HPT covers the use of heat pipes comprised of two separate sections installed before and after an AC evaporator. It does not, however, cover the latter improvements of the technology. This new patent application adds strength to the two section characteristics while defining further that the sections are made of "serpentine" coils. It also covers the different configurations of the two sections heat pipes such as the wrap-around, vertical or horizontal positioning as well as the use of serpentine heat pipes in a mono-slab configuration. Their application lies not only in dehumidification, but also in heat transfer and heat recovery. |
Called the SCADR system, this method of controlled dehumidification uses the sub-cooled refrigerant and the "superheat" generated by a standard air conditioning system in such a way as to supply efficient, controlled dehumidification. It has been applied successfully through retrofit of many larger air conditioning systems since 1993 by American Heat Pipes, a wholly owned subsidiary of HPT. |
The Indirect Evaporative Air Conditioner employs a method of cooling inside air in dry climates through the process of external evaporation of water. The invention consists of a heat pipe system transferring heat from the inside of a building to the outside, where it is dissipated by the cooling effects of water vaporization. The system is coupled with a small backup air conditioning system that will start whenever it is too hot for the vaporization system to do all the cooling by itself. Such a system has the advantage of saving large amounts of energy. A prototype tested by the University of Arizona side by side with a brand name high efficiency air conditioner showed energy savings of 51%. |
The Passive Defrost System uses a phase change material, capable of storing large amounts of heat in a very small volume. It recovers and stores waste heat from a refrigeration system. Periodically, when the system shuts off, the portion of the refrigeration circuit which includes the phase change material and the frosted evaporator isolates itself automatically to form a heat transfer defrost circuit, transferring the stored heat from the phase-change material to the evaporator to melt away the frost. The passive defrost in application is passive, thus using none of the energy normally required by active heating systems. It could be integrated into most refrigeration systems to make them frost free without the current systems using energy to create defrost heat. |
The bladder damper is basically a pneumatically inflated device inserted inside the ducts. It is activated by pneumatic pressure and will regulate the airflow by inflating or deflating inside the ducts. The advantages of the bladder damper over the current louver damper are that the cost at fabrication could be considerably less and it would be easier and cheaper to install or replace. In addition, bladder damper could be sized in an approximate method, rather than a specific size to fit the duct system. |
The Silent Fan combines a number of principles of physics to move the air without having to "cut into it". No turbulence results in no wind noise. Working prototypes proving the well-founded concept are practically noiseless, except for the motor noise. Development work continues so that large-scale production could be contemplated. Because of its quietness, the Silent Fan could be of significant value to the manufacturers of many types of equipment, such as computers, copy machines, hospital equipment, air conditioners and dehumidifiers, kitchen range hoods and bathroom ventilators. |
The patent covers an electric motor with its shaft working as a phase-change heat transfer device to transfer heat from the core of the motor to the outside and the use of silent fan technology as rotating fins to dissipate the heat to the outside environment. The greatest advantage is that the better cooling of the motor will allow it to be more efficient and last longer, especially for the bearings. |
HPT’s Star Fin uses the fin aluminum normally discarded to make holes for the tubes and utilizes the surface area as additional secondary fins. The obvious benefit to a coil manufacturer is that there is no increase in material cost while permitting an increase in heat transfer efficiency by 15% to 18%. Experts have stated that this patent may represent the most significant advance in performance in heat transfer efficiency in the last twenty (20) and perhaps next years. |