FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a fluid discharge conduit assembly. In particular, the invention is an air discharge conduit assembly of an air conditioning unit with features to prevent condensation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reverse flow phenomenon is inevitable in a conduit with an outlet downstream from a blower when fluid flows within the conduit. This phenomenon happens due to pressure differences between the internal upper and lower parts of the conduit where the upper part of the conduit is formed with a concentrated fluid flow region with high pressure, whereas the lower part of the conduit is formed with a non-concentrated fluid flow region with low pressure. Thus, ingress of ambient air into the conduit through the outlet occurs at the non-concentrated fluid flow region, resulting in at least a partial of the fluid at the non-concentrated fluid flow region to flow in a direction towards the blower as indicated as ‘402’ in Figure 1, instead of towards the outlet to exit the conduit as indicated by the direction denoted as ‘401’. With reference to Figure 1, the blower creates a low-pressure recirculation referred to as ‘403’ that when the fluid is exposed to the ambient air flowing in the direction indicated as ‘402’ which opposes the fluid flow direction denoted as ‘401’, the pressure difference and the low-pressure recirculation cause the ambient air to flow into the blower, hence affecting performance of the blower and the flow of the fluid traveling out of the conduit.

For a short conduit, especially an angled conduit where the fluid is exposed to ambient air once it exits the conduit after changing flow direction, reverse flow is prone to happen when the fluid is exposed to the ambient air. Malaysia patent application PI2019001830 provided teaching in solving such reverse flow issue by introducing the use of a primary baffle within a conduit that is shaped in a way such that the fluid flow within the conduit is caused to change direction before the fluid is discharged from the conduit. The primary baffle is disposed at a location with coverage of the concentrated fluid flow region and non-concentrated fluid flow region within the conduit, with its trailing edge being at least partially located within the non-concentrated fluid flow region so as to induce a redistribution of the fluid flow. The primary baffle diverts a proportion of the fluid flow in the direction of egress of fluid from the conduit to mitigate the ingress of fluid into the conduit caused by reverse flow phenomena.

Whilst PI2019001830 provides a solution to solve the issue of reverse flow in such condition of a conduit, condensation may occasionally occur within the conduit at a portion around the outlet of the conduit, in particular at the sides and bottom portion of the outlet as shown in Figure 7. Condensation leads to water spitting from the outlet. This is likely due to uneven fluid flow distribution within the conduit around the outlet as fluid flow tends to follow the horizontal surface such as the top inner surface of the conduit which is below the bottom surface of the conduit ceiling and the bottom surface of the primary baffle in a direction towards the outlet as illustrated in Figure 8. Such tendency of the fluid flow causes fluid to flow at its highest velocity at the portion near to the top inner surface of the conduit and bottom surface of the primary baffle, while fluid flows at low velocity at the remaining surroundings, including the inner surfaces of the sides and base.

The present invention aims to provide an improvement to the invention disclosed in Malaysia patent application PI2019001830 for a better fluid flow distribution. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a fluid discharge conduit assembly of a device is provided. The fluid discharge conduit assembly comprises a conduit having a pair of side walls and being shaped in a way such that a fluid flow within the conduit is caused to change direction before the fluid is discharged from the conduit; and a primary baffle within the conduit which is positioned so as to induce a redistribution of the fluid flow, where the primary baffle diverts a proportion of the fluid flow in the direction of egress of fluid from the conduit to mitigate the ingress of fluid into the conduit caused by reverse flow phenomena; wherein the primary baffle is formed with a recess in a way that allows the fluid to flow therethrough from bottom portion of the conduit to an air pocket within the conduit.

In a preferred embodiment, the conduit is defined by a first portion, and a second portion that is substantially perpendicular to the first portion and having a discharge outlet at its end.

Preferably, the fluid flow transits from an upward direction to a forward direction towards the discharge outlet of the second portion of the conduit.

It is preferred that the primary baffle is in an aerofoil shape having a leading edge and a trailing edge.

According to the preferred embodiment, the trailing edge of the primary baffle is at least partially located within a reverse flow region inside the conduit.

Particularly, the recess is formed at the trailing edge of the primary baffle that faces the discharge outlet. In addition, it is preferred that the recess is formed at the trailing edge of the primary baffle that is adjacent to either or both side walls of the conduit.

Besides that, the side walls of the conduit each has a horizontally and medially extending protrusion along the edge of the side walls.

Based on the preferred embodiment, the conduit further comprises a barrier along the bottom portion of the discharge outlet for preventing reverse flow of the fluid from bottom of the discharge outlet.

Preferably, the fluid discharge conduit assembly further comprises a louver having either or both horizontal and vertical slats incorporated to the discharge outlet of the conduit.

With reference to the preferred embodiment, one or more of the vertical slats are each formed with a cut substantially along the vertical slat for allowing straight fluid flow along the vertical axis of the vertical slat.

The device is preferred to be an air conditioning unit.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an air conditioning unit incorporated with the above-described fluid discharge conduit assembly is provided.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a fluid discharge conduit assembly of a device with a discharge outlet where fluid passes therethrough before exiting from the device. Such fluid discharge conduit assembly is equipped with a primary baffle to mitigate or at least reduce reverse flow caused by pressure differences at the portion nearby the outlet within the conduit. Further, the present invention is provided with features to prevent condensation issues, especially at portions around the outlet within the conduit where fluid flow velocity is low, thereby preventing water spitting from happening at the discharge outlet. Moreover, the present invention solves fluid backflow issue and air pocket issue at the middle portion of the conduit near the discharge outlet. In addition, the present invention prevents or reduces turbulence at the side walls of the conduit and increases fluid flow velocity, especially fluid nearby the side walls flowing out of the conduit. Also another object of the present invention is to allow straight airflow passing by the slats of a louver when being discharged out of the fluid discharge conduit assembly through the discharge outlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a conduit experiencing reverse flow caused by ambient air entering into it.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an air conditioning unit that is incorporated with the fluid discharge conduit assembly.

Figure 3 shows a side inner view of the air conditioning unit that is incorporated with the fluid discharge conduit assembly.

Figure 4 shows the fluid flow situation within the fluid discharge conduit assembly without the primary baffle and secondary baffle.

Figure 5 shows the fluid flow situation within the fluid discharge conduit assembly that has the primary baffle and secondary baffle.

Figure 6 shows the fluid flow situation within the fluid discharge conduit assembly having the primary baffle and a conduit with a length sufficient for preventing reverse flow.

Figure 7 is a front view of an air conditioning unit incorporated with the fluid discharge conduit assembly showing the uneven distribution of fluid flow and air pocket.

Figure 8 is a side view of an air conditioning unit with arrows indicating the high velocity fluid flow.

Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a fluid discharge conduit assemblies having two conduits that are adjoined together in a side by side manner, whereby the primary baffle is formed with a recess in a way that allows the fluid to flow therethrough from bottom portion of the conduit.

Figure 10 shows a cross sectional view of a fluid discharge conduit assembly with arrows indicating the fluid flow from bottom portion of the conduit through the recess at the primary baffle and arrows indicating the backflow being blocked by the barrier.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a fluid discharge conduit assembly having two side by side adjoined conduits with a horizontally and medially extending protrusion along the edge of the side walls of the conduit.

Figure 12 is a bottom perspective view of a fluid discharge conduit assembly having two side by side adjoined conduits with the horizontally and medially extending protrusion along the edge of the side walls of the conduit.

Figure 13 is a bottom view of the fluid discharge conduit assembly with two side by side adjoined conduits having the horizontally and medially extending protrusion along the edge of the side walls of the conduit and the primary baffle with the recess, with arrows indicating fluid flow passing by the side walls of the conduit. Figure 14 shows a vertical slat of a louver incorporated to the fluid discharge conduit assembly which is formed with a cut.

Figure 15 shows fluid flowing along the vertical axis of the vertical slat of the louver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For a better understanding of the invention, preferred embodiments of the invention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings will be described in detail.

Disclosed herein is a fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 used in a device 200 where fluid generated or operating within the device is discharged. The device 200 is any device 200 that allows discharge of fluid, such as a unit of an air treating system, air conditioning system, refrigeration system, water treating system and the like. Therefore, the term “fluid” used herein can be liquid or gas. To facilitate understanding of the present invention, an air conditioning unit is employed as an example of the device 200 in this disclosure that will be described in more detail to explain function of the present invention.

The present invention is utilized for the transition of direction change in fluid flow within the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 before the fluid is expelled out of the device 200. The fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 has a conduit being shaped in a way such that the fluid flow within the conduit is caused to change direction before the fluid is discharged from the conduit. The conduit has a pair of side walls facing each other and a ceiling. In a preferred embodiment, the conduit is a bent conduit. In particular, the conduit is a right-angled conduit defined by a first portion, and a second portion that is substantially perpendicular to the first portion. The second portion has a discharge outlet 104 at its end. Such structure of the conduit allows fluid to travel in a first direction along the first portion and subsequently divert at a bent portion to a second direction along the second portion before being discharged out of the conduit from the discharge outlet 104. Since the conduit is substantially perpendicular in shape, the conduct has two walls that each extend from a frontal plane to a transverse plane in an inverted “L” shape. The first inverted “L” shape wall has a dimension larger than the second inverted “L” shape wall.

As shown in Figure 2, the present invention is particularly suitable to be applied in a floor-standing air conditioning unit in which air is discharged upwardly along the first portion of the conduit from the bottom of the unit where at least a portion of a blower 201, preferably an air outlet of the blower 201 is located, and horizontally along the second portion towards the discharge outlet 104 of the conduit. The second portion of the conduit is positioned downstream from the blower 201. A floor-standing air conditioning unit is usually contained with components involved in the refrigeration cycle including a heat exchanger and blower 201 at lower part of the air conditioning unit. The air conditioning unit has a draw-through configuration where the blower 201 is located downstream of a cooling coil. Conditioned air is expelled from the upper part of the air conditioning unit and hence, the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 is positioned at the upper part of the unit. The blower 201 is positioned above the heat exchanger. However, the air outlet of the blower 201 is positioned within the first portion of the conduit as shown in Figure 3 for directing conditioned air generated from the refrigeration cycle into the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 for discharging the conditioned air out of the air conditioning unit. Outlet louvers 103 shown in Figures 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13 and 15 can be mounted at the discharge outlet 104 of the conduit for controlling the opening, closing or direction of air flow. Also, inlet louvers can also be incorporated to the inlet of the air conditioning unit for controlling entry of ambient air into the air conditioning unit for undergoing the refrigeration cycle.

Generally, reverse flow 302 is prone to occur within a conduit positioned downstream of a blower 201 and having a discharge outlet 104. The conduit is shaped to induce change of fluid flow direction. Referring to Figure 4 that illustrates fluid flow situation within conduit of the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 during operation of the device 200, the conduit is formed with a concentrated fluid flow region spanning from the first portion of the conduit where fluid source is provided, towards upper part of the conduit that is adjacent to the first inverted “L” shaped wall. The non-dotted arrow lines in Figure 4 indicates the concentrated fluid flow region, whereas the dotted arrow lines in Figure 4 represents the non-concentrated fluid flow region. In the example of an air conditioning unit the fluid source is air directed from the blower 201. A nonconcentrated fluid flow region is formed at remaining lower part of the conduit that is adjacent to the second inverted “L” shaped wall. The concentrated fluid flow region has a higher pressure than the non-concentrated fluid flow region. The pressure difference between the two fluid flow regions causes reverse flow 302 to happen at the nonconcentrated air flow region, resulting in the occurrence of large turbulences 301 at the center between the concentrated fluid flow region and non-concentrated fluid flow region. Further, during reverse flow phenomena, there is potential risk for fluid at the non-concentrated fluid flow to flow in reverse direction back into the blower 201, thereby disrupting operation of the device 200.

The undesired effects caused by reverse flow phenomena can be solved by having a primary baffle 101 within the conduit which is positioned in a particular location to induce a redistribution of the fluid flow, in which the primary baffle 101 diverts a proportion of the fluid flow in the direction of egress of fluid from the conduit to mitigate the ingress of fluid into the conduit caused by the reverse flow phenomena, thus preventing the happening of turbulences 301 at the center of the conduit and fluid from flowing back into the blower 201. Preferably in the shape of an aerofoil, the primary baffle 101 is disposed at a location covering the concentrated fluid flow region and non-concentrated fluid flow region as depicted in Figure 5. The aerofoil shaped primary baffle 101 has a leading edge and a trailing edge for guiding fluid to flow in a laminar manner towards the discharge outlet 104 of the conduit. The trailing edge is at least partially located within the non-concentrated fluid flow region, in particular the reverse flow region inside the conduit. More specifically, the primary baffle 101 is positioned at a height where the reverse flow 302 starts to occur.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, position and angle of the primary baffle 101 are adjustable to control fluid flow situation within the conduit. These adjustable features include making the primary baffle 101 movable horizontally and/or vertically for adjusting its position within the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100. Additionally, the primary baffle 101 is made rotatable for adjusting its angle with respect to the width of the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100.

In a situation where the discharge outlet 104 of the conduit is located near to the blower 201, reverse flow is prone to happen due to the low-pressure recirculation 403 caused by the blower 201 and the conduit not having a sufficient length for preventing exposure of the non-concentrated fluid flow region with low pressure to the ambient fluid such as ambient air. Such issue can be solved by incorporating the primary baffle 101 into the conduit as shown in Figure 6.

For conduits having a perpendicular shape like the preferred embodiment of the invention as presented in Figure 4, turbulence 301 is prone to occur at the right-angled top edge of the ceiling where fluid flow changes direction. With the incorporation a secondary baffle 102 at the right-angled top edge of the conduit, the transition of fluid flow as the flow changes direction during its passage through the conduit can be enhanced. Based on Figures 3 and 5, the secondary baffle 102 is an inclinedly positioned panel that forms a top chamfered edge of the conduit. The sharp edge that defines the 90-degree angle of the conduit is thus replaced by a chamfered edge that guides fluid flow to turn from the first position to the second position. High fluid flow rate is achievable through the secondary baffle 102.

Apart from the primary baffle 101 and secondary baffle 102 to solve reverse flow and turbulence issues, the present invention is incorporated with features to prevent condensation issue that may happen around the portion of the discharge outlet 104 within the conduit. Figure 7 is a front view of an air conditioning unit incorporated with the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 showing the uneven distribution of fluid flow with weak fluid flow 601 and fluid pocket 602. It can be seen that the portions near the side walls and base within the conduit near the discharge outlet 104 have fluid flowing in low velocity which is weak fluid flow 601 that causes backflow of ambient fluid such as ambient air into the conduit to happen. Further, a fluid pocket 602, and more specifically an air pocket is seen in the middle portion within the conduit near the discharge outlet 104. Such phenomena are caused by the tendency of fluid flow following horizontal surface as indicated in Figure 8. The arrows 504 show fluid flowing at its highest velocity near the bottom surface of the ceiling of the conduit and bottom surface of the primary baffle 101 in which the high velocity flow is separated by the primary baffle 101.

As a solution to address the air pocket issue, the primary baffle 101 is formed with a recess 105 in a way that allows the fluid to flow therethrough from bottom portion of the conduit to the air pocket. The fluid from the bottom portion flowing through the air pocket can eliminate the air pocket for a more even air flow distribution within the conduit. In a preferred embodiment shown in Figure 9 where the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 is formed with two side by side adjoined conduits, a recess 105 is formed at the trailing edge of the primary baffle 101 that faces the discharge outlet 104. In particular, the recess 105 is formed at the trailing edge of the primary baffle 101 that is adjacent to either or both side walls of the conduit. In the exemplary fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 in Figure 9, the primary baffle 101 within each conduit is formed with the recess 105 that is adjacent to the side wall. The recess 105 is preferably a cut made transversely to the primary baffle 101. Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 with arrows 501 indicating the fluid flow from bottom portion of the conduit through the recess 105 at the primary baffle 101 where a portion of fluid flow at bottom portion of the conduit is diverted to flow through the recess 105 to the air pocket and eventually out of the conduit. Reverse flow of ambient fluid is prone to happen at bottom of the discharge outlet 104 where the ambient fluid flows into the conduit through the discharge outlet 104. Therefore, the conduit is incorporated with a barrier 106 along the bottom periphery of the discharge outlet 104 for preventing the reverse flow of fluid in which the fluid is blocked from entering the conduit through the discharge outlet 104. Figure 10 shows how the backflow of ambient fluid, indicated by arrows 502, is blocked by the barrier 106. A horizontal L bracket can be used as the barrier 106 that extends upwardly from the bottom periphery of the discharge outlet 104.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 with two side by side adjoined conduits. The side walls of the conduit each has a horizontally and medially extending protrusion 107 along the edge of the side walls. Figure 12 is the bottom perspective view of the fluid discharge conduit assembly. This protrusion 107 serves to prevent turbulence while increasing the velocity of fluid flowing out of the conduit, especially at internal bottom portion of the conduit near the discharge outlet 104. Figure 13 is a bottom view of the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 with two side by side adjoined conduits showing the horizontally and medially extending protrusion along the edge of the side walls of the conduit and the primary baffle 101 with the recess 105. Arrows 503 show the egress of fluid out of the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100.

In addition, the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 further comprises an outlet louver 103 having either or both horizontal slats 1032 and vertical slats 1031 incorporated to the discharge outlet 104 of the conduit for adjusting direction of fluid flow out of the air discharge conduit assembly 100. The louver 103 with horizontal slats 1032 can be seen in Figures 2, 4, 5 and 10 for adjusting fluid flow with respect to the vertical axis of the discharge outlet 104. On the other hand, to adjust fluid flow out of the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 with respect to the horizontal axis of the discharge outlet 104, vertical slats 1031 are incorporated to the discharge outlet 104. In the present invention, one or more of the vertical slats 1031 are each formed with a cut 1031a substantially along the vertical slat 1031 for allowing straight fluid flow along the vertical axis of the vertical slat 1031. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cut 1031a is formed only on the leftmost and rightmost vertical slats 1031 of the louver 103 that are respectively adjacent to the left and right sidewalls of the fluid discharge conduit assembly 100. Figure 14 shows an exemplary vertical slat 1031 of a louver 103 which is formed with the cut 1031a. Figure 15 shows fluid flowing along the vertical axis of the vertical slat 1031 of the louver 103 in a straight manner as indicated by arrows 504. Another aspect of the present invention pertains to an air conditioning unit that comprises a fluid discharge conduit assembly 100 as described above.

Although the description above contains many specifications, it is understood that the embodiments of the preferred form are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention and it may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.