How it works.

 

The key to providing exceptional dehumidification capability is due to the development of a new class of product; the passive dehumidification wheel. This wheel uses a desiccant material that is optimized to remove moisture from a saturated air stream without an active regeneration source.

The Pinnacle® system can provide dry outdoor air in an extremely energy efficient manner. All the components, the refrigeration coil, the total energy recovery wheel, and the passive dehumidification wheel, are optimized to operate in their most efficient respective envelopes. The result is minimal cooling energy input and maximum latent cooling output.

As importantly, by changing the rotational speed of the “passive” dehumidification wheel, the amount of dehumidification capacity and the amount of reheat energy available can be optimized to meet the requirements of varying space temperatures and humidities. At any given time, a facility can be faced with any of the following conditions:

1. the controlled space is too hot, humidity acceptable.
2. the controlled space is too hot, and too humid.
3. the controlled space is too cool and too humid.
4. the controlled space requires heating.

The Pinnacle system has the advantage over conventional HVAC systems of being able to respond to various combinations of temperature and humidity, including the conditions described above, in an energy efficient manner, while providing humidity levels well below that possible with other conventional approaches.

The Pinnacle system is able to respond to these varying conditions by modulating the rotational speed of the passive dehumidification wheel, and/or adjusting the energy input to the cooling coil. The rotational speed control may be adjusted to control the level of temperature and moisture exchanged by the passive dehumidification wheel. The cooling control may be adjusted to control the level of cooling and dehumidification provided by the cooling coil. The control system used for the Pinnacle system can be adjusted and optimized based upon the conditions in the space, providing various combinations of temperature and humidity, to maintain the desired, ideal indoor conditions. For example, during times when the space humidity content is as desired but is too hot, the controlled space can be cooled by the Pinnacle system without substantially lowering the space humidity. To do so the Pinnacle control system would increase the cooling output and adjust the rotational speed of the passive dehumidification wheel to a predetermined range at which it would provide a minimal to no amount of reheat to the supply air stream.

When the space is too hot and too humid, the controlled space is cooled and dehumidified by increasing the output of the cooling coil and optimizing the rotational speed of the passive dehumidification wheel so that the dehumidification provided is maximized while the reheat capacity is minimized.

When the space is too cold and too humid, the controlled space is dehumidified without being cooled by increasing the cooling output of the cooling coil and adjusting the rotational speed of the passive dehumidification wheel, to provide maximum dehumidification and maximum reheat.

And finally, when the space requires heating, the passive dehumidification wheel and the cooling coil are turned off. The total energy recovery wheel preheats and humidifies the incoming air. In many buildings, this is sufficient to allow the building to be heated by its internal loads.