Inline air filter apparatuses, systems and methods
Systems and methods compensate for static pressure created by a very high-efficiency air filter in a heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system by disposing a very high-efficiency air filter in a return to a HVAC system air handling unit (AHU), disposing a variable speed air impeller in the return to the HVAC AHU, and calibrating a speed of the variable speed air impeller to overcome static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the HVAC system AHU created by the very high-efficiency air filter. (An) air pressure sensor(s) may detect the static pressure and/or otherwise provide data to a digital control unit for the digital control unit to calculate the static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening, to calibrate the speed of the variable speed air impeller to overcome static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the HVAC system AHU.
1 . An inline air filter system comprising:
an air handling unit including an air handling fan disposed within the air handling unit; and
an inline air filter apparatus comprising:
an open ended housing comprising:
an inlet opening;
an outlet opening;
an air filter receptive slot dimensioned to accept a very high-efficiency air filter;
a variable speed air impeller configured to overcome static pressure created by the very high-efficiency air filter between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening;
wherein the variable speed air impeller is disposed within the open ended housing and positioned between the air handling fan of the air handling unit and the very-high efficiency air filter.
2 . The inline air filter system of claim 1 , wherein the variable speed air impeller is disposed in the housing between the air filter receptive slot and the outlet opening.
3 . The inline air filter system of claim 1 , wherein the variable speed air impeller is disposed in the housing between the inlet opening and the air filter receptive slot.
4 . The inline air filter system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more air pressure sensors disposed in the housing and configured to detect the static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening and to calibrate speed of the variable speed air impeller to overcome static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening.
5 . The inline air filter system of claim 1 , wherein the inline air filter apparatus is digitally controlled and further comprises a digital control unit connected to a thermostat and the variable speed air impeller, signals from the thermostat directed to the digital control unit, the digital control unit configured to calibrate a speed of the variable speed air impeller to overcome static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening created by the very high-efficiency air filter.
6 . The inline air filter system of claim 5 , further comprising one or more air pressure sensors disposed in the housing and connected to the digital control unit, the one or more sensors configured to detect the static pressure, and/or provide data to the digital control unit for the digital control unit to calculate the static pressure, between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening, to calibrate the speed of the variable speed air impeller to overcome static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening.
7 . The inline air filter system of claim 6 , wherein the digital control unit is further configured to calculate a filter service life left of the very high-efficiency air filter, based at least in part on data provided to the digital control unit from the one or more air pressure sensors disposed in the housing.
8 . The inline air filter system of claim 6 , wherein the digital control unit is further configured to calculate an operation status of the variable speed air impeller, based at least in part on data provided to the digital control unit from the one or more air pressure sensors disposed in the housing.
9 . The inline air filter system of claim 5 , wherein the digital control unit is further configured to calibrate the speed of the variable speed air impeller to maintain an airflow through the housing, from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.
10 . The inline air filter system of claim 5 , wherein the digital control unit further comprises wireless connectivity and the digital control unit is further configured to report information about the inline air filter apparatus, via the wireless connectivity.
11 . The inline air filter system of claim 5 , wherein the digital control unit is further configured to determine the variable speed air impeller is not functioning properly, and/or the very high-efficiency air filter has reached an end of life, and to send a signal to an air handling unit coupled to the outlet opening, and/or to interrupt a signal from the thermostat to the air handling unit to turn on an air handling fan of the air handling unit, to not turn on the air handling fan in the air handling unit.
12 . The inline air filter system of claim 1 , further comprising another air filter receptive slot dimensioned to accept and retain a prefilter, and—wherein the variable speed air impeller is further configured to overcome static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening created by the prefilter and the very high-efficiency air filter.
13 . The inline air filter system of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises an air bypass passageway and a biased-closed damper configured to open in response to restricted air flow through the housing from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.
14 . The inline air filter system of claim 1 , wherein the variable speed air impeller is further configured to maintain static pressure between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening created by the very high-efficiency air filter in a range of 0.18 to 0.25 inches water column.
15 . An inline air filter system comprising:
an air handling unit including an air handling fan disposed within the air handling unit; and
an inline air filter apparatus comprising:
an open ended housing comprising:
an inlet opening;
an outlet opening;
an air filter receptive slot dimensioned to accept a very high-efficiency air filter;
a variable speed air impeller to overcome static pressure created by the very high-efficiency air filter between the very high-efficiency air filter and the outlet opening;
wherein the variable speed air impeller is disposed within the open ended housing and positioned between the inlet opening and the very-high efficiency air filter.