EP0661503A2 - Humidificateur - Google Patents

Humidificateur Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0661503A2
EP0661503A2 EP94309899A EP94309899A EP0661503A2 EP 0661503 A2 EP0661503 A2 EP 0661503A2 EP 94309899 A EP94309899 A EP 94309899A EP 94309899 A EP94309899 A EP 94309899A EP 0661503 A2 EP0661503 A2 EP 0661503A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
envelope
water
void forming
hollow
forming sheet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP94309899A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0661503A3 (fr
Inventor
Sadakatsu Hamaski
Yoshihiko Shibata
Akihiro Motoda
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Japan Gore Tex Inc
Original Assignee
Japan Gore Tex Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Japan Gore Tex Inc filed Critical Japan Gore Tex Inc
Publication of EP0661503A2 publication Critical patent/EP0661503A2/fr
Publication of EP0661503A3 publication Critical patent/EP0661503A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F6/00—Air-humidification, e.g. cooling by humidification
    • F24F6/02—Air-humidification, e.g. cooling by humidification by evaporation of water in the air
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F3/00—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems
    • F24F3/12—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling
    • F24F3/14—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification
    • F24F2003/1435—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems characterised by the treatment of the air otherwise than by heating and cooling by humidification; by dehumidification comprising semi-permeable membrane
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F6/00—Air-humidification, e.g. cooling by humidification
    • F24F6/02—Air-humidification, e.g. cooling by humidification by evaporation of water in the air
    • F24F6/04—Air-humidification, e.g. cooling by humidification by evaporation of water in the air using stationary unheated wet elements
    • F24F6/043—Air-humidification, e.g. cooling by humidification by evaporation of water in the air using stationary unheated wet elements with self-sucking action, e.g. wicks

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a humidifier that is installed in the dry air outlet of air conditioning equipment and the like.
  • the above-mentioned spiral assembly is housed in a generally rectangular case and installed as a humidifier at the dry air outlet of an air conditioner, a building air handling unit, or other similar air conditioning apparatus.
  • a humidifier at the dry air outlet of an air conditioner, a building air handling unit, or other similar air conditioning apparatus.
  • the hollow portion of the hollow envelope is filled with water and dry air is passed through the ventilation component, the dry air is humidified by the water vapor that passes through the porous walls of the hollow envelope.
  • the hollow envelope which is filled with water, and the void forming corrugated material are not fixed together, so misalignment of the components can occur during assembly, and readjusting this misalignment requires extra time and makes the hunidifying process more difficult.
  • the hollow envelope material can extend outwardly from between the sheets of the void forming material owing to elongation and sagging of the hollow envelope membrane material when water has been supplied to the hollow portion of the envelope after the assembly of the apparatus, and this misalignment can cause a variety of problems.
  • This misalignment can also occur as a result of vibration during the assembly or shipping of the humidifier, or as a result of the body weight of the hollow envelope material itself after it has been set in an air conditioning apparatus and filled with water, or as a result of vibration, e.g. from the motor of the air conditioner, etc., after the humidifier has been put in place, or as a result of other similar causes.
  • the objective of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned problems encountered with those previously known humidifiers and to provide a humidifier that is easy to assemble, whose constituent components cannot become misaligned easily, and which has a long usable life.
  • humidifying apparatus which includes a hollow, envelope-like base made of a porous polymeric material, which material is both water vapor permeable and liquid-water-impermeable.
  • the base component is superposed with an adjacent, corrugation-like, void forming sheet of material to form a composite structure which is wound to a spiral configuration to form a ventilation structural component.
  • the envelope base component and the corrugated void forming sheet are affixed together by means of a filament wound about their external periphery.
  • the apparatus includes means for supplying liquid water into the hollow base envelope and supplying dry air into and through the voids of the void forming sheet, whereby humidification of the dry air is effected.
  • the envelope component is preferably made of porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic elevational view of the humidifier of the invention spirally wrapped about a rectangular core.
  • Fig. 2 shows the key components of the humidifier according to the invention shown in Fig. 1 in its flat, unwrapped configuration prior to wrapping it about the core.
  • the present invention provides a humidifier in which a hollow envelope-like membrane material, preferably of porous polytetrafluoroethylene, that is both permeable to water vapor and impermeable to liquid water is superposed with a corrugated, void forming material and this composite is wound into a spiral configuration, whereby a ventilation component is formed between the envelope and the void forming material.
  • Humidification is achieved by supplying water into the envelope and supplying dry air to and through the voids of the ventilation component.
  • the humidifier is constructed such that the hollow envelope membrane material and the void forming corrugated sheet material are fixed together by being wound about their peripheries with a filament in order that misalignment caused by vibration, tare weight and the like, during assembly, after assembly, and during shipping can be effectively prevented. Misalignment will not occur even if the product is subjected to fairly rough handling. Handleability is extremely good and, because the attachment is not achieved with an adhesive agent, there is little possibility of water permeation or water leakage. These advantages allow the usable life of the apparatus to be extended over previously known humidifiers.
  • the invention provides a humidifier in which a hollow envelope material of porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, which is permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water, is superposed together with a corrugated, void forming sheet material and then wound into a spiral configuration, thereby forming a ventilation structural composite.
  • Humidification is achieved by supplying water to the interior hollow of the envelope and supplying dry air to and through the voids of the ventilation component.
  • a unique feature of this structure is that the hollow envelope membrane material and the void forming corrugated sheet material are fixed together by being wound about their peripheries with a filament.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic end elevation of the structure of the humidifier in one example of the present invention.
  • Figure 2 shows the spiral assembly of Figure 1 depicted in an unwound state.
  • the void forming sheet material 2 is laid over the hollow envelope-like membrane material 1 , and these two components are fixed together by being wound at a suitable winding pitch with filament 3 .
  • the water channel support rods 6 are positioned on both sides in the lengthwise direction as shown inside the hollow envelope 1 .
  • this composite assembly is spirally wound around a suitable core, preferably having a rectangular cross section as shown in Figure 1, to produce a substantially rectangular wound configuration.
  • ventilation components 8 being formed between the adjacent walls of envelope 1 and void forming sheet material 2 .
  • This assembly is installed in a casing to complete the humidifier assembly.
  • the envelope material 1 of the present invention is preferably formed using porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (herein referred to as porous PTFE) as the base material.
  • porous PTFE porous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene
  • This porous PTFE generally has a mean pore diameter of 0.02 to 15 ⁇ m and a thickness of about 0.025 to 5 mm, and allows water vapor to permeate therethrough but blocks the permeation of liquid water.
  • the porous polytetrafluoroethylene resin used as the base material for the hollow membrane material 1 is manufactured, for example, by the methods discussed in U.S. Patents 3,953,566 and 4,187,390. Specifically, a liquid lubricant such as solvent naphtha, white oil, or other lubricant such as hydrocarbon oil, petroleum ether, or the like is admixed with a polytetrafluoroethylene resin having a high degree of crystallinity of approximately 95% or more to produce a pre-mold. The mixing ratio is about 20 parts liquid lubricant per 80 parts polytetrafluoroethylene, for example.
  • a liquid lubricant such as solvent naphtha, white oil, or other lubricant such as hydrocarbon oil, petroleum ether, or the like
  • the mixing ratio is about 20 parts liquid lubricant per 80 parts polytetrafluoroethylene, for example.
  • this pre-molding is extruded in the form of a sheet or rod from the die of an extruder to produce a molded article.
  • the molded article thus obtained is drawn or stretched at a high rate, at least above 10% per second, in an unsintered state at an elevated temperature of 327°C or below.
  • This drawn product is then subjected to a heat treatment in the drawn state at 200 to 390°C, which treatment prevents shrinkage and produces the desired, expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene product.
  • the porous polytetrafluoroethylene product obtained in this manner consists of extremely fine fibers called fibrils and extremely fine nodules called nodes that link these fibrils. Extremely fine interconnected pores are present between these fibrils and nodes, forming a so-called continuous porous structure.
  • the base envelope material may also include a covering film of a moisture permeable hydrophilic resin formed on the surface of the porous PTFE membrane.
  • This cover film may be formed by lamination over the porous PTFE membrane, or may be a continuous covering film in which the inside of the porous PTFE membrane is impregnated with the moisture permeable resin.
  • the covering film may impregnate or be laminated over the outside of the envelope material 1 , or it may impregnate or be laminated over the inside of the hollow envelope membrane material 1 .
  • the hydrophilic continuous film discussed in U.S. Patent 4,194,041, for example, can be used as this continuous covering film.
  • a macromolecule that has hydroxyl groups, carboxyl group, sulfonic acid groups, amino groups, or other hydrophilic groups and is water-swellable and water-insoluble can be used favorably as this moisture permeable resin.
  • hydrophilic resins include at least partially crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, and other hydrophilic polymers, and polyamino acids, polyurethanes, and hydrophilic fluorine-containing polymers. When heat resistance, chemical resistance, and workability are considered, a polyurethane resin or a fluorine-based moisture permeable resin is preferred.
  • the base material can also have a reinforcing fabric applied to the porous PTFE membrane alone or to a porous PTFE membrane on which the cover film of hydrophilic moisture permeable resin has been formed.
  • a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, a knit fabric or the like can be used as the reinforcing fabric, and this fabric may be positioned on either the inside or outside of the base material.
  • the hollow envelope 1 is produced by superposing two sheets 1A and 1B having the above structure and molded in the form of belts or sheets, and then joining the edges of the sheets in their lengthwise direction with an adhesive agent or by thermal fusion to create the hollow envelope-like structure 1 .
  • An envelope-like base may also be produced by winding a sheet of the desired material around a core in a spiral fashion or rolling the sheet like cigarette paper, joining the overlapping portions of the sheet with an adhesive agent or by thermal fusion, and then removing the core.
  • a uniform molded paste produced by impregnating a polytetrafluoroethylene resin with a liquid lubricant, as above, may be extruded directly from a die and molded into a tube, and then drawn, sintered and flattened to produce a hollow envelope-like base.
  • the void forming corrugated sheet material 2 of the present invention can be polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or the like, having a thickness of 0.1 to 1 mm.
  • the filament 3 can be a natural fiber such as cotton, or a synthetic such as nylon, polyester, or other synthetic fiber, or metal, or a composite of these materials. Its size, in the case of a synthetic fiber, is preferably about 100 to 1000 denier.
  • the winding configuration thereof is prefereably a spiral winding, and the winding pitch should be about 1 to 100 mm, with about 10 to 30 mm being preferable.
  • the air bleed tube 5 is made from a material that is permeable to air but impermeable to liquid water, such as porous expanded PTFE, and is installed so as to assure rapid water-air exchange when the hollow portion of the hollow envelope base material 1 is filled with the humidifying liquid water.
  • the water channel support rods or beads 6 are formed by integral fusion with the membrane sheets by means of a polyurethane resin adhesive, for example, in order to ensure water passage therethrough.
  • a hollow envelope of porous expanded PTFE was superposed with a void forming corrugated sheet-like material of polyethylene, and these two components were fixed together by spirally winding, at a winding pitch of 20 mm, a 400-denier filament composed of polyester.
  • This composite assembly was then spirally wound around a rectangular core to form a coil, which produced the configuration shown in Figure 1.
  • This wound assembly was then set in a casing, thereby completing the humidifier of the present invention.
  • the humidifier produced in this manner had substantially no misalignment between the void forming sheet material and the hollow envelope base material and was extremely easy to work with.
  • the assembly time for this device was about one-third that required in the past for known constructions.
  • the unit was filled with humidifying water at a water pressure of 0.1kg/cm2, after which the water pressure was relieved, the humidifying water drained, and a check was made for misalignment. It was found that this humidifier device suffered virtually no misalignment during either the supply of humidifying water or after the drainage of humidifying water. This is in sharp contrast to conventional apparatus, in which swelling of the hollow envelope and misalignment occurred and proper alignment could not be restored after the humidifying water had been drained.
  • the ventilation component of the humidifier was also examined. There was no significant change in terms of pressure loss at either the inlet or the outlet using the present humidifier.
  • the present invention may also be used in conjunction with an adhesive agent fixing method as discussed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application 62-14241. In this case, only a small amount of adhesive agent need be used, and the advantages of both fixing methods are available.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Air Humidification (AREA)
  • Separation Using Semi-Permeable Membranes (AREA)
EP94309899A 1993-12-29 1994-12-29 Humidificateur. Withdrawn EP0661503A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP74655/93U 1993-12-29
JP7465593U JPH0742469U (ja) 1993-12-29 1993-12-29 加湿器

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0661503A2 true EP0661503A2 (fr) 1995-07-05
EP0661503A3 EP0661503A3 (fr) 1997-02-19

Family

ID=13553469

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP94309899A Withdrawn EP0661503A3 (fr) 1993-12-29 1994-12-29 Humidificateur.

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0661503A3 (fr)
JP (1) JPH0742469U (fr)
AU (1) AU8176994A (fr)
CA (1) CA2139056A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19910441C1 (de) * 1999-03-10 2000-06-21 Fraunhofer Ges Forschung Luftbefeuchtung
EP1536185A1 (fr) * 2002-07-18 2005-06-01 Sumitomo Precision Products Company Limited Humidificateur de gaz
NL1026096C2 (nl) * 2004-05-03 2005-11-07 Statiqcooling B V Enthalpie-uitwisselaar en werkwijze voor het uitwisselen van enthalpie tussen twee media middels een dergelijke enthalpie-uitwisselaar.

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AUPM755094A0 (en) * 1994-08-18 1994-09-08 F F Seeley Nominees Pty Ltd Intensification of evaporation and heat transfer
AUPM777294A0 (en) * 1994-08-30 1994-09-22 William Allen Trusts Pty Ltd Spaced evaporative wicks within an air cooler

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS61175421A (ja) * 1985-01-31 1986-08-07 Mitsubishi Electric Corp 加湿器
JPS61240045A (ja) * 1985-04-15 1986-10-25 Mitsubishi Electric Corp 加湿器用膜モジユ−ル
JPS6214241U (fr) * 1985-07-10 1987-01-28

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SU1179083A1 (ru) * 1984-03-23 1985-09-15 Kuranov Boris A Пластинчатый теплообменник

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS61175421A (ja) * 1985-01-31 1986-08-07 Mitsubishi Electric Corp 加湿器
JPS61240045A (ja) * 1985-04-15 1986-10-25 Mitsubishi Electric Corp 加湿器用膜モジユ−ル
JPS6214241U (fr) * 1985-07-10 1987-01-28

Non-Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
DATABASE WPI Section Ch, Week 8615 Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; Class J08, AN 86-099008 XP002019593 & SU-A-1 179 083 (KURANOV B A) , 15 September 1985 *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 010, no. 385 (M-548), 24 December 1986 & JP-A-61 175421 (MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP), 7 August 1986, *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 011, no. 086 (M-572), 17 March 1987 & JP-A-61 240045 (MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP), 25 October 1986, *

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6474628B1 (en) 1909-03-01 2002-11-05 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. Air humidification
DE19910441C1 (de) * 1999-03-10 2000-06-21 Fraunhofer Ges Forschung Luftbefeuchtung
EP1536185A1 (fr) * 2002-07-18 2005-06-01 Sumitomo Precision Products Company Limited Humidificateur de gaz
EP1536185A4 (fr) * 2002-07-18 2009-09-02 Sumitomo Prec Products Company Humidificateur de gaz
NL1026096C2 (nl) * 2004-05-03 2005-11-07 Statiqcooling B V Enthalpie-uitwisselaar en werkwijze voor het uitwisselen van enthalpie tussen twee media middels een dergelijke enthalpie-uitwisselaar.

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0661503A3 (fr) 1997-02-19
JPH0742469U (ja) 1995-08-04
AU8176994A (en) 1995-07-06
CA2139056A1 (fr) 1995-06-30

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