FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This patent application relates to mist humidifiers and more specifically to blower packs for mist humidifiers.

BACKGROUND

A humidifier is a device, primarily an electrical appliance that increases humidity (moisture) in an environment, e.g. a single room or an entire building. In the home, point-of-use humidifiers are commonly used to humidify a single room, while whole-house or furnace humidifiers, which connect to a home's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, provide humidity to the entire house. Medical ventilators often include humidifiers for increased patient comfort. Large humidifiers are used in commercial, institutional, or industrial contexts, often as part of a larger HVAC system.

Such humidifiers may exploit different techniques including, for example, evaporative or natural humidifiers employing a wick, vaporizers which heat or boil the water, impeller humidifiers, and ultrasonic humidifiers. Irrespective of the means of introducing moisture into the air this air must be moved from the humidifier into the environment in order to humidify the environment. Where the humidifier is integrated into a HVAC system then the air mover is the fan/blower within the furnace and/or air conditioner of the HVAC system. However, in many applications the humidifier is employed independent of any HVAC system and accordingly there exists a requirement for a standalone blower pack for use in conjunction with the humidifier.

Within prior art humidification systems recirculation of the air within the humidifier can result in condensation within the system after the chamber or chambers which can subsequently result in droplets being emitted/distributed from the humidifier into the local environment, commonly referred to as “spitting.” Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a distribution means which efficiently distributes the mist into the air and avoids such “spitting.”

It would be further beneficial for the distribution means to support distribution of the mist directly from the humidification system or remotely from the humidification system via intermediate ducting. It would be further beneficial for the distribution means to support “throwing” of the mist into the environment rather than relying upon circulation within the environment to achieve this.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to mitigate limitations within the prior art relating to mist humidifiers and more specifically to blower packs for mist humidifiers.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention there is provided a system comprising:

a frame to which a mist channel and a pressurised box are mechanically mounted;

the mist channel comprising:

an outlet disposed at one end; and

an inlet at another distal end of the mist channel; the pressurised box comprising:

a first portion enclosing a first predetermined portion of the mist channel on an upper side of the mist channel having an opening at the outlet of the mist channel and an inlet at a second distal end;

a second portion enclosing a second predetermined portion of the mist channel on a lower side of the mist channel having an opening at the outlet of the mist channel and an inlet at a second distal end; wherein

at least one of a lower internal surface of the mist channel and an upper internal surface of the mist channel have a slope relative to a horizontal plane of the frame from the outlet of the mist channel towards the inlet of the mist channel.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention there is provided a method of transporting a mist of a liquid carried by a first gas into an environment comprising:

providing a mist generator for generating a mist of a liquid within the first gas;

providing a mist channel comprising an inlet for receiving an output of the mist generator and an outlet; and

providing a blower pack around the outlet of the mist channel for generating a flow of a second gas which is combined with a flow of mist from the outlet of the mist channel; wherein

the blower pack provides for increased projection of the mist into the environment.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

