Environmental conditioning equipment
An environmental conditioning equipment having a chamber, and method of directing fluid through the chamber, includes a chamber, a plenum and an air-moving apparatus for directing air into said chamber via the plenum, and a duct. The duct is formed from a base wall and opposed side walls forming two sides of the duct. Each of the side walls has a plurality air flow openings configured to direct fluid outwardly from the sides of said duct and form air flow areas that decrease is size along the longitudinal axis of the duct.
1 . An environmental conditioning equipment comprising:
a chamber having an upper wall forming a ceiling of the chamber, two opposed side walls, two opposed end walls, and a lower wall forming a floor of said chamber;
a plenum and an air-moving apparatus for directing air into said chamber; and
a duct having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between said proximal end to said distal end and being mounted at said upper wall of said chamber, said duct being in fluid communication with said plenum at said proximal end, said duct having sides and being formed from a base wall and opposed side walls forming said sides and an exterior of said duct, said base wall and said opposed side walls forming a cross-section defining an air flow area of said duct, said base wall having a length extending along said longitudinal axis and facing and being parallel to said floor of said chamber, said opposed side walls being angled with respect to said base wall, and said base wall being free of air flow openings; and
each of said opposed side walls having a plurality air flow openings configured to direct fluid outwardly from said opposed side walls of said duct, and said cross-section and said air flow area of said duct decreasing along said longitudinal axis wherein the exterior of the duct tapers from its proximal end to its distal end.
2 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of said air flow openings is arranged in groups.
3 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 2 , wherein a first side wall of said opposed side walls has at least two groups of said air flow openings, and a second side wall of said opposed side walls has at least two groups of said air flow openings, said at least two groups of said air flow openings of said first side wall being aligned with said at least two groups of said air flow openings in said second side wall.
4 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 2 , wherein said groups have (1) a uniform number of openings, (2) a uniform size of openings, and/or (3) uniform shaped openings.
5 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 3 , wherein each group of said groups includes a plurality of air flow openings, said air flow openings of each group comprise uniformly sized and shaped slotted air flow openings spaced uniformly along said longitudinal axis of said duct.
6 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of air flow openings are adjustable to vary said flow area along said longitudinal axis.
7 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 6 , wherein said air flow openings are arranged in groups of openings, each respective group of openings having a slidable plate extending over said respective group of openings to adjust the flow area of each respective group of openings.
8 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 1 , wherein said duct includes an end wall at said distal end, and said end wall being closed and being free of air flow openings.
9 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 1 , wherein said air flow openings are arranged in each respective side wall of said opposed side walls along said longitudinal axes, said air flow openings each having a size, and said air flow openings in each respective side wall decreasing in size along said longitudinal axes.
10 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 1 , wherein said longitudinal axis of said duct is angled with respect to said upper wall wherein said duct is not horizontal.
11 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 1 , wherein said duct comprises a first duct, said environmental conditioning equipment further comprising a second duct.
12 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 11 , wherein said second duct has a second proximal end, a second distal end, and a second longitudinal axis extending between said second proximal end to said second distal end of said second duct and being mounted at said upper wall of said chamber adjacent said first duct, said second duct being in fluid communication with said plenum or a second plenum at said proximal end, said second duct having second sides and being formed from a second base wall and second opposed side walls forming said second sides of said second duct, said second base wall of said second duct being free of air flow openings, and each of said second side walls of said second duct having a second plurality air flow openings configured to direct fluid outwardly from said second sides of said second duct and forming a second air flow area that decreases along said second longitudinal axis of said second duct.
13 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 1 , wherein said duct is formed from a plurality of duct sections joined together at spaced connections, each of said duct sections having from a base wall section, opposed side wall sections joined together to form said base wall and said opposed side walls of said duct, and a group of said plurality of air flow openings in each of said opposed side wall sections.
14 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 13 , further comprising a sliding plate extending over one or more respective groups of said plurality of air flow openings to adjust the flow area of said one or more respective groups of said plurality of air flow openings.
15 . An environmental conditioning equipment comprising:
a chamber having an upper wall forming a ceiling of the chamber, two opposed side walls, two opposed end walls, and a lower wall forming a floor of said chamber;
a plenum and an air-moving apparatus for directing air into said chamber; and
a duct having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between said proximal end to said distal end and being mounted at said upper wall of said chamber, said duct being in fluid communication with said plenum at said proximal end, said duct having sides and being formed from a base wall and opposed side walls forming said sides of said duct, said base wall being free of air flow openings, and each of said side walls having a plurality air flow openings configured to direct fluid outwardly from said sides of said duct and forming an air flow area that decreases along said longitudinal axis, wherein each of said side walls extends along a respective longitudinal axis, and said respective longitudinal axes converging toward said distal end of said duct wherein said duct is tapered inwardly from said proximal end to said distal end.
16 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 15 , wherein said plurality of air flow openings is arranged in groups, further comprising a sliding plate extending over one or more respective groups of said plurality of air flow openings to adjust the flow area of said one or more respective groups of said plurality of air flow openings.
17 . An environmental conditioning equipment comprising:
a chamber having an upper wall forming a ceiling of the chamber, two opposed side walls, two opposed end walls, and a lower wall forming a floor of said chamber;
a plenum and an air-moving apparatus for directing air into said chamber; and
a duct having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between said proximal end to said distal end and being mounted at said upper wall of said chamber, said duct being in fluid communication with said plenum at said proximal end, said duct having sides and being formed from a base wall and opposed side walls forming said sides of said duct, said base wall being free of air flow openings, and each of said side walls having a plurality air flow openings configured to direct fluid outwardly from said sides of said duct and forming an air flow area that decreases along said longitudinal axis, wherein said side walls form inner obtuse angles with respect to said base wall wherein said duct has a trapezoidal cross-section and said air flow openings are angled downwardly toward said floor.
18 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 17 wherein said inner obtuse angles are approximately equal wherein said duct has a symmetrical trapezoidal cross-section.
19 . An environmental conditioning equipment comprising:
a chamber having an upper wall forming a ceiling of the chamber, two opposed side walls, two opposed end walls, and a lower wall forming a floor of said chamber;
a plenum and an air-moving apparatus for directing air into said chamber; and
a duct having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between said proximal end to said distal end and being mounted at said upper wall of said chamber, said duct being in fluid communication with said plenum at said proximal end, said duct having sides and being formed from a base wall and opposed side walls forming said sides of said duct, said base wall being free of air flow openings, and each of said side walls having a plurality air flow openings configured to direct fluid outwardly from said sides of said duct and forming an air flow area that decreases along said longitudinal axis, wherein said duct includes a plurality of transverse members extending between said opposed side walls, said transverse members each having an angled surface facing said proximate end of said duct to help direct the flow of air toward said base wall in said duct.
20 . The environmental conditioning equipment according to claim 19 , wherein said duct is formed from a plurality of duct sections joined together at spaced connections, each duct section being formed from a base wall section and opposed side wall sections joined together to form said base wall and said opposed side walls of said duct, and said transverse members being mounted at said spaced connections.
21 . A method of directing air though a chamber of environmental conditioning equipment to improve temperature distribution in the chamber, the environmental conditioning equipment having a plenum and an air-moving apparatus for directing air into the chamber, the chamber having an upper wall forming a ceiling and a lower wall forming a floor of said chamber, said method comprising;
providing a duct in the chamber at the upper wall of the chamber;
forming the duct with two opposed sides and a bottom wall forming a cross-section of the duct, the bottom wall for facing and being parallel to the floor of the chamber and being free of air flow openings, and the opposed side walls being angled with respect to the base wall and forming an exterior of the duct, the duct having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal end and the distal end, and the cross-section of the duct decreasing from the proximal end to the distal end wherein the exterior of the duct tapers from its proximal end to its distal end;
providing a plurality of air flow openings in the opposed side walls;
spacing the air flow openings along the longitudinal axis, and the air flow openings each providing an air flow area;
directing air flow into the proximal end of the duct from the plenum and air-moving apparatus; and
increasing the velocity of air as it flows along the longitudinal axis of the duct as the cross-section of the duct decreases while allowing some of the air flow to flow laterally outward from the duct through the opposed side walls and the flow areas formed by the air flow openings along the longitudinal axis of the duct.
22 . The method according to claim 21 , further comprising arranging the air flow openings in groups.
23 . The method according to claim 21 , further comprising adjusting the air flow areas of the air flow openings in the groups so that the air flow areas in the groups of air flow openings closest to the proximal end are greater than the air flow areas in the groups of air flow openings furthest from the proximal end of the duct.