Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/62—Insulation or other protection; Elements or use of specified material therefor
  • E04B1/70—Drying or keeping dry, e.g. by air vents
  • E04B1/7069—Drying or keeping dry, e.g. by air vents by ventilating
  • E04B1/7092—Temporary mechanical ventilation of damp layers, e.g. insulation of a floating floor

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method of drying a water-damaged concrete sub-floor or concrete floor and also a floor insulation when present, wherein dry and hot air is delivered under pressure to the water- damaged area and, saturated with moisture, is permit ⁇ ted to depart to atmosphere, to an overlying room or an overlying space, or is collected for transportation or treatment and optionally for renewed use.
• the invention also relates to drying apparatus of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 7.
• Water-damaged floor structures are dried conventional ⁇ ly with the aid of a suction fan which operates to extract air from the water-damaged area and to eject the air to atmosphere. At the same time, room air flows into said area through inlet openings that are distanced from the area. This technique is described, for instance, in Swedish Patent Specification 0,247,216 (Munters Trocknungs-Service) .
• the pressure side of the fan can be used to deliver air under pressure to the water- damaged area.
• SE-B-435,946 (Kullberg) describes a method and appara- tus for drying a concrete sub-floor and associated fill and upper floor surface. There is formed in the upper floor surface a number of small holes into which injection needles are inserted, these needles being connected to a compressed-air source to deliver a stream of compressed air of low absolute humidity and overtemperature in relation to the sub-floor.
• the primary function of the hot air injected through these needles is to increase the temperature of the sand layer included in the fill, so that the damaged area can be dried without needing to break-up the floor.
• the floor surface is typically comprised of particle board or parquet boards and between the floor surface and the sub-floor, there is found an equal ⁇ izing layer of sand, while a diffusion impermeable sheet of material is provided between the sand fill and the upper floor surface.
• a floor structure of this kind is capable of absorbing significance quantities of water in the event of a water leakage.
• the concrete slab may be completely drenched with water and water may also be found both beneath and on top of the plate.
• SE-B-454,280 (Tyrens F ⁇ retagsgrupp) describes appara ⁇ tus for use in buildings which include a bottom slab and an air-permeable drainage layer located beneath the bottom slab for the purpose of reducing high moisture content of the bottom slab, by introducing a volume of air to the drainage layer.
• This apparatus is not intended to eliminate problems that arise in conjunction with water-damage in buildings, but is intended to ensure that the foundations of a building are brought to a state in which the transport of moisture up into the building is prevented.
• SE-B-458,696 (Sundolitt) describes a floor insulating layer made of cellular plastic material and presenting hollows or recesses on at least that side thereof which lies proximal to a concrete slab, so as to insulate the floor.
• the object is to interconnect large surfaces on mutually adjacent sheets so as to achieve effective ventilation and/or drainage along a concrete base slab, particularly when replacing old insulation material while cleaning-up or decontaminat ⁇ ing mould-damaged flooring.
• the described plate can only be used in the construction of new buildings and cannot be used in conjunction with drying-out water- damaged buildings.
• DE-C2-3,043,646 (Munters Trocknungs-Service) describes a concrete floor structure comprising an overlying insulating layer on which there is placed a "floating concrete floor” of known construction. Dry air under pressure is led through a pipe that is inserted in a drill-hole in the "floating floor”, down to the insu ⁇ lating layer and is permitted to depart to the overly ⁇ ing room through cracks in floor-adjacent walls.
• the air used shall have a temperature of 30-35°C.
• the humidity of the air departing from the insulation is measured and the delivery of dry air is terminated when the measured humidity has reached a predetermined value.
• One object of the present invention is to provide a drying method of the aforedescribed kind which will enable the energy content of the dry, hot air deliv- ered to a water-damaged area to be recovered more effectively and therewith enable the water-damaged area to be effectively dried more quickly and with a leaner energy input than has hitherto been possible.
• Another object of the invention is to provide a drying method which will enable the room or space above the water-damaged area to be utilized whilst the drying operation is in progress.
• the invention relates to the provision of an arrangement for use in a room or a space in which the floor or sub-floor has been damaged by water and which can be readily transported to the room or space concerned and there installed for the purpose intended with the aid of simple means and which will produce a drying result that is superior to the drying result that has hitherto been possible to achieve at a given energy consumption.
• the insulation device spaced above the upper floor surface or the sub-floor effectively screens the ener- gy, in the form of the dry-heated air, delivered to the water-damaged area.
• the adapted gap will ensure that the moisture-laden air will diffuse up through the water-damaged floor structure and be carried effectively away, preferably in a manner which will enable a major part of the energy content of the moisture-laden air to be recovered and utilized during the course of the continuously ongoing drying process.
• At least the upper part of the insulation device placed on the floor surface is constructed so as to provide a provisional floor in the overlying room or space, this floor being used as a temporary floor whilst the water-damaged area is being dried.
• the water-damaged area is comprised of an insulating layer, such as a layer of supportive sand, mineral wool or the like, an underlying concrete sub-floor and an upper concrete floor surface.
• one or more holes are formed in the upper concrete floor surface and dry, hot air under pressure is delivered to the layer of sand, mineral wool or the like through one or more separate delivery pipes, and moisture-laden air deriving from the layer of sand, mineral wool or the like is permitted to depart to the room or the space, preferably through cracks in the vicinity of the walls of said room or space, together with moisture-laden transport air.
• the moisture-laden air can be collected and either carried away or led back to the drying apparatus.
• air is delivered to the room or space, including moisture-laden transport air deliv ⁇ ered from said gap, and a condenser is used for heat exchange with wet regenerating air which is delivered to the condenser from the outlet of a dehumidifier through a separate condenser inlet, and the formed condensation is collected and led away.
• the air which is preheated and dried in the condenser is passed to the dehumidifier where moisture is removed from the air and the air is further dried and heated, where ⁇ after the air is then further heated, pressurized and delivered to said gap by means of at least one blower.
• part of the blower-heated and blower-pressurized air can be delivered to the layer of sand, mineral wool or the like, through a separate pipe inserted through the upper concrete surface.
• the air in the room or space which may have a temperature of 16-24°C for instance, is delivered to the condenser for heat exchange with wet regenerating air having a tempera ⁇ ture of 30-60°C, and leaves the dehumidifier at a temperature of 45-50°C, and is then heated to a tem ⁇ perature of 55-75°C in conjunction with pressurizing the air in at least one high-pressure fan, and then delivered to the gap.
• the inventive apparatus is characterized mainly by the features set forth in the characterizing clause of Claim 7.
• the drawing illustrates a room 1 having an upper concrete floor surface 2 which is supported by a concrete sub-floor or floor base 3 and an intermediate insulation layer 4, which may be a layer of sand, for instance.
• the upper concrete floor surface 2 and the sand layer 4 have been subjected to water-damage, for instance as a result of a leaking pipe.
• the insulating device 7 is conveniently supported on wooden blocks 9 or the like.
• the insulating device may be construct ⁇ ed in a manner which will form gaps, i.e. when the device is placed on a supporting surface, the under ⁇ side of the device may be given an egg-box configura- tion or may be corrugated or given some like struc ⁇ ture.
• the uppermost layer of the insulating device may, for instance, be comprised of laminated boards 7a so as to form a provisional floor surface for temporary use whilst the water-damaged area is being dried.
• dry, hot air under pressure supplied from a high-pressure blower 12 is delivered to the gap 8 through a pipe 13, and to the layer of sand 4 through a further pipe 14.
• the insulating device 7 ensures that the thermal energy delivered to the gap and to the insulating layer will not be lost. Instead, a substantial part of the energy content of the hot air delivered to the gap 8 is used in drying the upper concrete surface 2.
• the hot air delivered through the pipe 14 enters the sand layer 4 and heats and dries the moist sand.
• the upper concrete surface 2 is heated from both sides thereof, therewith contributing towards effective drying of this surface.
• Moisture-laden air that diffuses through the upper concrete surface 2 enters the gap 8 and is carried away with the aid of the air delivered to the gap through the pipe 13.
• the moisture-laden air can be collected and then carried away or heated for reuse in the drying operation.
• the pipe 14 is inserted into the sand layer 4 through holes 2a formed in the upper concrete surface 2.
• the air present in the room 1, including the moisture- laden transport air delivered through the gap 8, is passed to a condenser/heat exchanger 24 for heat exchange with wet regenerating air which is delivered from the outlet of a dehumidifier 25 to the condenser/ heat exchanger 24 through a hose 26 connected to a separated inlet (not shown) on the condenser/heat exchanger.
• the condensation formed in the condenser/ heat exchanger is collected and recovered.
• the room air preheated and dried in the condenser/heat exchanger 24 is delivered to the dehumidifier 25 for dehumidification, where it is further dried and heat ⁇ ed.
• This air is then passed through a hose 27 to the inlet of a high-pressure blower 12, in which the air is further heated and also pressurized.
• the room air may have a temperature of 16-24°C, preferably about 20°C, and is introduced into the condenser/heat exchanger at this temperature.
• the wet regenerating air leaving the de ⁇ humidifier 25 and entering the condenser/heat exchang ⁇ er 24 through the hose 26 may have a temperature of 30-60°C, preferably about 50°C, and the dry air leaves the dehumidifier at a temperature of about 45-50°C.
• the air may be heated in the high-pressure fan 12 to a temperature of 55-75°C and is thus delivered to the gap 8 and the sand layer 4 respectively at a tempera- ture which lies roughly within this range, preferably at a temperature of 65°C.
• the moist air is cooled in the condenser/heat exchanger to practically the same temperature as the room air, and therefore leaves the condenser/heat exchanger at a temperature of about 20°C.
• the described arrangement enables about 95% of the theoretically possible recoverable energy to be recovered.
• the insulating device 7 can be placed at a distance from the concrete floor so as to leave an intermediate gap corresponding to the gap 8 of the illustrated embodiment.
• the time taken to dry a water-damaged area when practising the described inventive method and using the inventive apparatus is less than about one-quarter of the time required when applying conven ⁇ tional techniques under otherwise equivalent condi ⁇ tions.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electromagnetism (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
• Working Measures On Existing Buildindgs (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=20389376

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (14)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1993
  • 1993-03-26 SE SE9301015A patent/SE9301015L/ unknown
• 1994
  • 1994-03-25 EP EP94911362A patent/EP0690945B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1994-03-25 WO PCT/SE1994/000272 patent/WO1994023142A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1994-03-25 AT AT94911362T patent/ATE180300T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1994-03-25 DE DE69418602T patent/DE69418602T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1995
  • 1995-09-22 FI FI954518A patent/FI954518A7/fi unknown
  • 1995-09-25 NO NO953794A patent/NO301990B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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