JP2000065492A - Dehumidifying air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dehumidifying air conditioner having high COP and a compactly gathered structure. SOLUTION: This dehumidifying air conditioner comprises a moisture adsorbing unit 103 having a desiccant for adsorbing moisture in a treating air A, and a treating air cooler 300c provided at a wake side of a flow of the air to the unit 103 to cool the air adsorbed by the moisture by the desiccant. The cooler 300C cools the air by evaporating refrigerant, and cools the evaporated refrigerant by a cooling fluid B to be condensed so that a plurality of condensing pressures of the condensed refrigerant correspond to the evaporating pressures and the plurality of the evaporating pressures are sequentially arranged in order of heights. Heat transfer of the air to the fluid can be performed with high heat transfer rate. Since the plurality of the evaporating and condensing pressures of the refrigerant are sequentially arranged in the order of heights, heat exchanging of the air with the fluid can be constituted as a so-called counterflow.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a dehumidifying air conditioner, and more particularly to a dehumidifying air conditioner using a desiccant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 6, there has conventionally been an air conditioning system in which a heat pump as a heat source is combined with a so-called desiccant air conditioner. In the air conditioning system of FIG. 6, a compression heat pump HP using a compressor 260 is used as a heat pump.
Is used. This air conditioning system desorbs and regenerates moisture in the desiccant by passing through the path of the processing air A to which moisture is adsorbed by the desiccant rotor 103 and passing through the desiccant rotor 103 after being heated by the heating source and adsorbing the moisture. A sensible heat exchanger having a path for the regeneration air B, between the treated air to which moisture has been adsorbed and the regeneration air before regenerating the desiccant (desiccant) of the desiccant rotor 103 and before being heated by the heating source. An air conditioner having an air conditioner 104; and a compression heat pump HP. The regeneration air of the air conditioner is heated by a heater 220 using a high heat source of the compression heat pump HP as a heating source to regenerate the desiccant, and the compression heat pump HP The process air of the air conditioner is cooled by the cooler 210 using the low heat source as a cooling heat source.

In this air conditioning system, the compression heat pump HP is configured to simultaneously cool the processing air of the desiccant air conditioner and heat the regeneration air, so that the compression heat pump HP is driven by driving energy externally applied to the compression heat pump HP. Generates the cooling effect of the processing air, and furthermore, the desiccant can be regenerated by the heat obtained by adding the heat pumped from the processing air by the heat pump action and the driving energy of the compression heat pump HP. High energy saving effect can be obtained.

First, the operation of the compression heat pump HP shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the Mollier diagram of FIG. FIG.
Is a Mollier diagram of the refrigerant HFC134a. Point a indicates the state of the refrigerant evaporated in the cooler 210, and is in the state of a saturated gas. The pressure is 4.2 kg / cm ² and the temperature is 1
At 0 ° C., the enthalpy is 148.83 kcal / kg. The state where the gas is sucked and compressed by the compressor 260 and the state at the discharge port of the compressor 260 are indicated by a point b. In this state, the pressure is 19.3 kg / cm ² , the temperature is 78 ° C., and the state is a superheated gas. This refrigerant gas is cooled in the heater (cooler or condenser as viewed from the refrigerant side) 220 and reaches a point c on the Mollier diagram. This point is a saturated gas state, the pressure is 19.3 kg / cm ² , and the temperature is 65 ° C. Under this pressure, it is further cooled and condensed,
The point d is reached. This point is in the state of a saturated liquid, the pressure and temperature are the same as in point c, the pressure is 19.3 kg / cm ² , the temperature is 65 ° C., and the enthalpy is 122.97 kcal / k.
g. This refrigerant liquid is depressurized by the expansion valve 270 and depressurized to a saturation pressure of 4.2 kg / cm ² at a temperature of 10 ° C., and as a mixture of the refrigerant liquid and gas at 10 ° C., a cooler (evaporator as viewed from the refrigerant) At 210, heat is removed from the processing air and evaporated to become a saturated gas in the state of the point a on the Mollier diagram, sucked into the compressor 260 again, and the above cycle is repeated.

Here, the operation of the desiccant air conditioner shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to the psychrometric chart of FIG. FIG.
In the middle, alphabets K to N and Q to X indicate the state of air. This symbol corresponds to the alphabet circled in the flowchart of FIG.

[0006] In FIG. 8, the processing air (state K) from the air-conditioned space 101 is desiccant adsorbed by the desiccant rotor 103 to lower the absolute humidity.
The dry bulb temperature is raised by the heat of adsorption of the desiccant to reach the state L, and further cooled by the sensible heat exchanger 104 with the absolute humidity kept constant to become air in the state M, and enters the cooler 210. Here, the air is further cooled at a constant absolute humidity to become air in state N, and returned to the air-conditioned space 101. On the other hand, the outside air in the state Q is sent to the sensible heat exchanger 104 by the blower 140, where the air itself is heated by cooling the processing air to the state R, and then heated by the heater 220 to the state T. Become
By regenerating the desiccant by the desiccant rotor 103, the absolute humidity is high, the dry-bulb temperature is lowered, and the state U is reduced.
And is exhausted EX.

[0007]

According to the conventional air conditioning system described above, the sensible heat exchanger 104, which preliminarily cools the processing air before cooling it with the cooler 210, plays an important role. However, the sensible heat exchanger 104 generally occupies a large volume in the system, which makes the system configuration difficult and, in turn, necessitates an increase in the size of the system. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifying air conditioner having a high COP and a compact size.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, a dehumidifying air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG.
, A moisture adsorber 103 having a desiccant that adsorbs moisture in the processing air A;
03 is provided on the downstream side of the flow of the processing air with respect to 03,
A processing air cooler 300c that cools the processing air to which water has been adsorbed by the desiccant; the processing air cooler 300c cools the processing air by evaporating a refrigerant, and cools the evaporated refrigerant by a cooling fluid B. Configured to cool and condense; and the process air cooler 300c comprises:
There are a plurality of evaporating pressures of the refrigerant for cooling the processing air, and a plurality of condensing pressures of the refrigerant to be cooled and condensed by the cooling fluid B corresponding to the evaporating pressure, and the plurality of evaporating pressures are arranged in order of height. It is characterized by being configured to be arranged.

[0009] With this configuration, the processing air cooler is provided, and the processing air cooler is configured to cool the processing air by evaporating the refrigerant and to cool and condense the evaporated refrigerant with the cooling fluid. Therefore, the heat transfer between the processing air and the cooling fluid can be achieved with a high heat transfer coefficient because the evaporation heat transfer and the condensation heat transfer having a high heat transfer coefficient can be used. Further, since the heat transfer between the processing air and the cooling fluid is performed via the refrigerant, the components of the dehumidifying air conditioner can be easily arranged. Furthermore, the refrigerant has a plurality of evaporating pressures, and the refrigerant has a plurality of condensing pressures corresponding to the evaporating pressure to be cooled and condensed by the cooling fluid, and the evaporating pressures are arranged in order of height. The heat exchange between the processing air and the cooling fluid can be performed in a so-called counter flow, since the evaporating temperatures are arranged in the order of height.

[0010] In the dehumidifying air conditioner, the refrigerant condensed in the processing air cooler 300c is evaporated to further cool the processing air cooled in the processing air cooler 300c. And refrigerant evaporator 210
Compressor that compresses a refrigerant that has become a gas by evaporation in the compressor 260
A condenser 220 that cools and compresses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 260 with the regeneration air and condenses the refrigerant; and supplies the refrigerant condensed by the condenser 220 to the processing air cooler 300c. It may be a feature.

With this configuration, the heat pump HP includes the refrigerant evaporator, the compressor, and the condenser, and further supplies the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the processing air cooler. Therefore, the refrigerant used in the processing air cooler and the refrigerant used in the heat pump can be shared.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the dehumidifying air conditioner according to the first aspect, air is used as the cooling fluid, and the air after condensing the refrigerant in the processing air cooler 300c is used as the desiccant. May be configured to be guided to the moisture adsorption device 103 for regeneration. At this time, the condenser 220 may be inserted and disposed between the processing air cooler 300c and the moisture adsorption device 103, and the regeneration air may be heated by both the processing air cooler 300c and the condenser 220. With this configuration, heat obtained by cooling the processing air with the processing air cooling device can be used for heating the regeneration air.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an air conditioning system having a dehumidifying air conditioner, that is, a desiccant air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process air cooler of the present invention used in the air conditioning system of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a heat exchanger, FIG. 3 is a refrigerant Mollier diagram of a heat pump HP1 included in the air conditioning system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a humid air diagram of a dehumidifying air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. , FIG.
1 is a diagram showing an example of a mechanical arrangement of a dehumidifying air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of a dehumidifying air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this air conditioning system, the humidity of the processing air is reduced by a desiccant (drying agent), and the air-conditioned space 101 to which the processing air is supplied is maintained in a comfortable environment. In the drawing, a blower 102 for circulating processing air, a desiccant rotor 103 as a moisture adsorber filled with desiccant, and a processing air cooler 30 of the present invention along a path of processing air A from an air-conditioned space 101.
0c, refrigerant evaporator (cooler as viewed from the processing air) 210
Are arranged in this order, and return to the air-conditioned space 101.

Along the path from the outdoor OA to the regeneration air B, the outside air is first guided to the treatment air cooler 300c as a cooling fluid for the treatment air cooler 300c, and then the refrigerant condenser (from the regeneration air Heater if you see) 220,
The desiccant rotor 103, the blower 140 for circulating the regeneration air and the blower 140 are arranged in this order, and the exhaust E
X is configured.

Further, a compressor 260, a refrigerant condenser 220, and a header 23 for compressing the refrigerant evaporated and gasified by the refrigerant evaporator along the path of the refrigerant from the refrigerant evaporator 210.
5, a plurality of apertures 230A branched from the header 235,
230B, 230C in parallel, and a processing air cooler 300c, a plurality of throttles 240A, 240B, 240C corresponding to the plurality of throttles 230A, 230B, 230C, and a header 245 that collects the flow from these throttles in this order. And arranged to return to the refrigerant evaporator 210 again. Refrigerant evaporator 210, compressor 26
0, refrigerant condenser 220, a plurality of throttles 230A, 230
B, 230C, processing air cooler 300c, multiple throttles 2
Heat pump HP including 40A, 240B, 240C
1 is configured.

The desiccant rotor 103 is formed as a thick disk-shaped rotor that rotates around a rotation axis AX as shown in FIG. 9, and the rotor is filled with a desiccant with a gap through which gas can pass. ing. For example, a large number of tubular drying elements 103a are bundled so that the central axis thereof is parallel to the rotation axis AX. The desiccant rotor 103 rotates in one direction around the rotation axis AX, and the processing air A and the regeneration air B flow in and out in parallel with the rotation axis AX. Each drying element 103a is arranged so as to alternately contact the processing air A and the regeneration air B as the rotor 103 rotates. In FIG. 9, a part of the outer peripheral portion of the desiccant rotor 103 is shown broken. In the figure, the outer periphery of the desiccant rotor 103 and the drying element 10 are shown.
Although it is illustrated as if there is a gap in a part of 3a,
In practice, the drying elements 103a are bundled and are tightly packed in the entire disk. In general, the processing air A (indicated by a white arrow in the figure) and the regeneration air B (indicated by a black solid arrow in the figure) face substantially half of the circular desiccant rotor 103 in parallel with the rotation axis AX. It is configured to flow in a flow format. The flow path of the processing air and the regeneration air should be such that the air from both systems does not mix with each other.
It is divided by an appropriate partition plate (not shown).

The desiccant may be filled in the tubular drying element 103a, the tubular drying element 103a itself may be formed of a desiccant, the desiccant may be applied to the drying element 103a, The drying element 103a may be made of a porous material, and the material may contain a desiccant. The drying element 103a may be formed in a cylindrical shape having a circular cross section as shown in the figure, or may be formed in a hexagonal cylindrical shape and bundled to form a honeycomb shape as a whole. In any case, the air is configured to flow in the thickness direction of the disk-shaped rotor 103.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, heat pump HP1
The configuration of a heat exchanger suitable for use in the present invention will be described. In the figure, a heat exchanger 300c is provided in a first section 310 through which the processing air A flows.
And a second section 320 for flowing outside air as a cooling fluid,
They are provided adjacent to each other with one partition 301 interposed therebetween.

A plurality of heat exchange tubes as fluid passages through which the coolant 250 flows are provided substantially horizontally through the first section 310, the second section 320, and the partition wall 301. In the heat exchange tube, a portion penetrating the first section has an evaporating section 251 as a first fluid flow path.
(A plurality of evaporating sections 251A, 251B, 251
C), and a portion penetrating the second section is a condensing section 252 as a second fluid flow path (a plurality of condensing sections are 252A, 252B, 252C).
It is.

In the form of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 2, the evaporating section 251A and the condensing section 252A are formed as an integral flow path by one tube. The same applies to the evaporating sections 251B, C and the condensing sections 252B, C. Therefore, in combination with the fact that the first section 310 and the second section 320 are provided adjacent to each other via one partition 301, the heat exchanger 300c
Can be formed small and compact as a whole.

In the form of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 2, the evaporating sections are arranged in the order of 251A, 251B, and 251C from the top in the figure, and the condensing sections are also 252A, 252A, and 252A from the top in the figure.
52B and 252C.

On the other hand, the processing air A is configured to enter the first section in FIG. In addition, outside air, which is a cooling fluid, is configured to enter the second section in FIG.

In such a processing air cooler or heat exchanger, the evaporation pressure in the evaporation section 251 and, consequently, the condensation pressure in the condensation section 252 are determined by the temperature of the processing air A and the temperature of the outside air B as the cooling fluid. Is determined by
Since the heat exchanger 300c shown in FIG. 2 utilizes the evaporative heat transfer and the condensed heat transfer, the heat exchanger 300c has a very high heat transfer coefficient and a very high heat exchange efficiency. The refrigerant is also supplied to the evaporation section 2
Since it flows from 51 to the condensation section 252,
That is, since the air is forced to flow in almost one direction, the efficiency of heat exchange between the processing air and the outside air as the cooling fluid is high. Here, the heat exchange efficiency φ is defined as the heat exchanger inlet temperature of the high-temperature fluid as TP1, the outlet temperature as TP2, the heat exchanger inlet temperature of the lower-temperature fluid as TC1, and the outlet temperature as TC2. When attention is paid to the cooling of the fluid on the side, that is, when the purpose of heat exchange is cooling, φ = (TP1−TP2) / (TP
1−TC1), when attention is paid to heating of a low-temperature fluid, that is, when the purpose of heat exchange is heating, φ = (TC2−TC1)
/ (TP1-TC1).

Since the refrigerant flows from the evaporating section 251 to the condensing section 252, the evaporating pressure is slightly higher than the condensing pressure.
And the condensing section 252 are constituted by a continuous heat exchange tube, so that the evaporation pressure and the condensing pressure are considered to be substantially the same.

Evaporation section 251, condensation section 2
It is preferable to form a high-performance heat transfer surface by forming a spiral groove such as a linear groove on the inner surface of the barrel of the rifle gun on the inner surface of the heat exchange tube constituting 52. The refrigerant liquid flowing inside usually flows so as to wet the inner surface,
When the spiral groove is formed, the heat transfer coefficient is increased because the boundary layer of the flow is disturbed.

Although the processing air flows through the first section, it is preferable that the fin attached to the outside of the heat exchange tube is processed into a louver shape so as to disturb the flow of the fluid. Also in the second compartment, the fins are preferably configured to disrupt the flow of the fluid. The fins are preferably made of aluminum or copper.

The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and the configuration as appropriate with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, alphabet symbols K to N, Q, R, X,
T and U indicate the state of air in each part. This symbol corresponds to the circled alphabet in the flow diagram of FIG.

First, the flow of the processing air A will be described. In FIG. 4, the processing air (state K) from the air-conditioned space 101 is:
The air is sucked by the blower 102 through the processing air path 107 and is sent to the desiccant rotor 103 through the processing air path 108. Here, the drying element 103a
Water is adsorbed by the desiccant in FIG. 9 to lower the absolute humidity, and the dry bulb temperature is raised by the heat of adsorption of the desiccant to reach the state L. This air is supplied to the processing air path 10
9 through the first section 310 of the process air cooler 300c.
Where the absolute humidity is constant and evaporation section 2
Cooled by the refrigerant evaporating in 51 (FIG. 2), it becomes air in the state M, and enters the cooler 210 through the path 110.
Here, the air is further cooled at a constant absolute humidity to be in the state N. This air is dried and cooled, and is treated as a treatment air SA having an appropriate humidity and an appropriate temperature as duct 111.
And is returned to the air-conditioned space 101.

Next, the flow of the regeneration air B will be described. In FIG. 4, the regeneration air (state Q) from the outdoor OA is sucked in through the regeneration air path 124 and the processing air cooler 30
0c into the second section 320. Here, the refrigerant exchanges heat with the condensed refrigerant to raise the dry bulb temperature to become air in state R. This air is sent to a refrigerant condenser (heater as viewed from the regeneration air) 220 through a path 126, where it is heated to increase the dry-bulb temperature and become air in state T. This air passes through the path 127 and passes through the desiccant rotor 103.
, Where the drying element 103a (FIG. 9)
Water is taken from the desiccant inside to regenerate it, and while itself increases the absolute humidity, the temperature of the dry bulb is lowered by heat of desorption of the desiccant to reach the state U. This air is on path 1
Blower 140 for circulating regeneration air through
And exhausted EX through the path 129.

In the air conditioner as described above, the amount of heat added to the regeneration air for regeneration of the desiccant of the device is represented by ΔH, as can be seen from the cycle on the air side shown in the psychrometric chart of FIG. Assuming that the amount of heat pumped from the air is Δq and the driving energy of the compressor is Δh, ΔH = Δq + Δh. Cooling effect Δ obtained as a result of regeneration with this heat quantity ΔH
Q increases as the temperature of the external air (state Q) for heat exchange with the treated air after adsorption of moisture (state L) decreases. Also, the larger the temperature difference between the state Q and the state M and the temperature difference between the state R and the state L, the larger the difference. In the present embodiment, the heat exchange efficiency of the processing air cooler 300c is extremely high, so that the cooling effect can be significantly improved.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the flow of the refrigerant between the devices and the operation of the heat pump HP1 will be described. In FIG. 1, a refrigerant gas compressed by a refrigerant compressor 260 is supplied to a refrigerant gas pipe 201 connected to a discharge port of the compressor.
To the regeneration air heater (refrigerant condenser) 220. The temperature of the refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 260 is increased by the heat of compression, and this heat heats the regeneration air. The refrigerant gas itself is deprived of heat, cooled, and further condensed.

The refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant condenser 220 is connected to the evaporating section 251 of the processing air cooler 300c, which is a heat exchanger.
A plurality of throttles 230A, 230B, and 230C are provided in the middle of the refrigerant path 202 and near the entrance of the evaporating section 251. FIG. 1 shows only three apertures,
Depending on the number of evaporating sections 251 to condensing sections 252, any number of two or more sections can be configured.

Refrigerant condenser (heater as viewed from the regeneration air)
The liquid refrigerant that has exited 220 is depressurized by the throttle 230, expanded, and some of the liquid refrigerant evaporates (flashes). The liquid-gas mixed refrigerant reaches the evaporator section 251 where the liquid refrigerant flows and evaporates to wet the inner walls of the evaporator section tubes to cool the process air flowing through the first compartment.

Evaporation section 251 and condensation section 2
52 is a series of tubes. That is, since the refrigerant gas is configured as an integral flow path, the evaporated refrigerant gas (and the refrigerant liquid that has not evaporated) flows into the condensing section 252, where heat is taken away by the outside air flowing through the second section and condensed.

The heat exchanger 300c for the heat pump HP1 shown in FIG. 1 has a restrictor such as an orifice inserted between the header 235 and the evaporating section 251. The aperture is
230A, 230B, 230C are allocated to the plurality of evaporation sections 251A, 251B, 251C, respectively. Also, the corresponding condensation sections 252A,
Apertures 240A, 240B, and 240C are assigned to the headers 245 and 252B and 252C, respectively.

In such a structure, the processing air A is
In the first section, the evaporating sections are 251A, 251
B, 251C flows in a direction orthogonal to the heat exchange tube so as to contact in order, performs heat exchange with the refrigerant, and the outside air B whose inlet temperature is lower than the processing air passes through the condensation section in the second section. It flows orthogonally to the heat exchange tube so that it contacts in the order of 252C, 252B, and 252A. In such a case, the evaporating pressure (temperature) or condensing pressure (temperature) of the refrigerant is determined for each section grouped by the throttle, but in the evaporating section, 251A, 251B, 251C
In order from high to low, and 2 in the condensation section
52C, 252B, and 252A in order from low to high. That is, the processing air cooler 300c has a plurality of evaporating pressures of the refrigerant that cools the processing air A, and a plurality of condensing pressures of the refrigerant that is cooled and condensed by the outside air B that is the cooling fluid, corresponding to the evaporating pressure. The plurality of evaporation pressures or condensation pressures are arranged in order of height. In this way, when attention is paid to the flows of the processing air A and the outside air B, since the two exchange heat in the opposite flow, a remarkably high heat exchange efficiency φ, for example, a heat exchange efficiency φ of 80% or more can be realized. .

Here, it will be further described that the plurality of evaporating pressures are arranged in order of height. In each of the plurality of evaporating sections 251A, 251B, and 251C, each of the evaporating pressures has an independent throttle at the entrance of each of the evaporating sections. 230
As a result of providing A, 230B, and 230C, different values can be taken, and the processing air flows through the first section 310 so as to contact the evaporation sections 251A, 251B, and 251C in this order, As a result of the deprivation of sensible heat, the temperature decreases from the entrance to the exit. As a result, the evaporation pressure in the evaporation sections 251A, 251B, and 251C will decrease in this order, and the evaporation temperatures will be in order.

Exactly as well, the condensation temperature is determined in section 252.
C, 252B, 252A in order from low to high, but, like the evaporator section, each condensing section has independent throttles 240A, 240B, 240C,
It can have an independent condensation pressure or temperature, where the outside air flows from the inlet to the outlet of the second compartment 320 to contact the condensing sections 252C, 252B, 252A in that order, resulting in a condensing pressure of They will be arranged in this order. Therefore, focusing on the processing air A and the outside air B, a so-called counter-flow heat exchanger is formed as described above, and high heat exchange efficiency can be achieved.

In FIG. 2, the first section and the second section are provided adjacent to each other with a partition plate 301 therebetween, and the evaporating section and the condensing section are formed by an integrated continuous heat exchange tube. However, as another form (not shown), the first section and the second section may be separated from each other, and the first flow path and the second flow path may be separated from each other. That is, the evaporation sections 251A, 251B, 251C are
The respective condensing sections 252A, 252B, 252C via respective suitable headers and connecting pipes
Connected to Also in this case, the function and operation as the heat exchanger are the same as those in FIG. However, as a result of separating the first section 310 and the second section 320, the versatility of device arrangement is increased.

The header 245 on the side of the condensing section 252
Is connected to a refrigerant evaporator (cooler in the case of processing air) 210 by a refrigerant liquid pipe 203. Aperture 240
A, 240B and 240C are mounted immediately after the condensing sections 252A, 252B and 252C.
10 up to the entrance, the refrigerant evaporator 210
Just before the entrance, the cooling of the pipes for the refrigerant after the throttles 240A, 240B, and 240C whose temperature is considerably lower than the atmospheric temperature can be reduced. The refrigerant liquid condensed in the condensing sections 252A, B, and C is decompressed and expanded in the throttles 240A, B, and C to lower the temperature, enters the refrigerant evaporator 210, evaporates, and cools the processing air by the heat of evaporation. Aperture 230A, B, C,
Alternatively, for example, orifices, capillary tubes, expansion valves, and the like are used as 240A, B, and C.

Here, as the apertures 240A, 240B and 240C, orifices or the like having a constant opening degree are usually used. In addition to the fixed throttle, the header 245 and the refrigerant evaporator 21
0, an expansion valve 270 is provided.
A temperature detector (not shown) is attached to the heat exchange part of the refrigerant or the refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant evaporator 210 so that the superheat temperature can be detected, and the opening of the expansion valve 270 can be adjusted by the temperature detector. May be. In this way, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant evaporator 210 from being supplied with an excessive amount of the refrigerant liquid, and the compressor 260 from sucking the refrigerant liquid that could not be completely evaporated. Refrigerant evaporator 210
The refrigerant evaporated and gasified by the above is guided to the suction side of the refrigerant compressor 260, and the above cycle is repeated.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, heat pump HP1
The operation of will be described. FIG. 3 is a Mollier diagram when the refrigerant HFC134a is used. In this diagram, the horizontal axis is enthalpy and the vertical axis is pressure. In the figure, point a is the state of the refrigerant outlet of the cooler 210 shown in FIG. 1 and is the state of the saturated gas. The pressure is 4.2 kg / cm ² , the temperature is 10 ° C., and the enthalpy is 148.83 kcal / kg. The state where the gas is sucked and compressed by the compressor 260 and the state at the discharge port of the compressor 260 are indicated by a point b. In this state, the pressure is 19.3 kg / cm ² and the temperature is 78 ° C.

This refrigerant gas is supplied to a heater (refrigerant condenser) 2
It is cooled in 20 and reaches point c on the Mollier diagram. This point is a state of a saturated gas, and the pressure is 19.3 kg / c.
m ² , the temperature is 65 ° C. Under this pressure, it is further cooled and condensed to reach point d. This point is a state of the saturated liquid, and the pressure and the temperature are the same as those of the point c, and the pressure is 19.3 kg /
cm ² , temperature 65 ° C. and enthalpy 122.9
7 kcal / kg.

In the refrigerant liquid, the state of the refrigerant that has been decompressed by the throttle 230A and has flowed into the evaporating section 251A is indicated by a point e1 on the Mollier diagram. The temperature is about 43
° C. The pressure is one of a plurality of different pressures of the present invention, and is a saturation pressure corresponding to a temperature of 43 ° C. Similarly,
The state of the refrigerant decompressed by the throttle 230B and flowing into the evaporating section 251B is indicated by a point e2 on the Mollier diagram, where the temperature is 40 ° C., and the pressure is one of a plurality of different pressures of the present invention. , The saturation pressure corresponding to a temperature of 40 ° C. Similarly, the pressure in the evaporator section 2 is reduced by the
The state of the refrigerant flowing into 51C is indicated by a point e3 on the Mollier diagram, and the temperature is 37 ° C., and the pressure is one of a plurality of different pressures of the present invention, and corresponds to the temperature of 37 ° C. It is the saturation pressure.

At any of the points e1, e2 and e3,
The refrigerant is in a state where a part of the liquid evaporates (flashes) and the liquid and the gas are mixed. Within each evaporator section, the refrigerant liquid evaporates under a pressure which is one of the plurality of different pressures to reach intermediate points f1, f2, f3 between the saturated liquid line and the saturated gas line at each pressure. .

The refrigerant in this state is supplied to each condensing section 25.
2A, 252B, and 252C. In each condensing section, the refrigerant is deprived of heat by the outside air flowing through the second section and reaches points g1, g2 and g3, respectively. These points are on the saturated liquid line in the Mollier diagram. The temperature is 43
℃, 40 ℃, 37 ℃. These refrigerant liquids reach the respective points j1, j2, j3 via the respective throttles. The pressure at these points is 4.2 kg / cm ² at a saturation pressure of 10 ° C.

Here, the refrigerant is in a state where the liquid and the gas are mixed. These refrigerants merge into one header 245, and the enthalpy here is a value obtained by averaging the points g1, g2, and g3 by weighting them with the flow rates of the respective refrigerants. In this example, the enthalpy is about 113.51 kcal. / Kg. This refrigerant removes heat from the processing air in a cooler (refrigerant evaporator) 210, evaporates and becomes a saturated gas at a point a on the Mollier diagram, is sucked into the compressor 260 again, and repeats the above cycle. .

As described above, in the heat exchanger 300c, the refrigerant evaporates in each evaporating section and condenses in each condensing section. Since the refrigerant is an evaporative heat transfer and a condensed heat transfer, the heat transfer coefficient is lower. Very high. Moreover, the first section 310
In the figure, the processing air cooled from a high temperature to a low temperature as it flows from top to bottom in the drawing is 43 ° C.
Since the cooling is performed at the temperature sequentially arranged in the order of ° C. and 37 ° C., the heat exchange efficiency can be increased as compared with the case where cooling is performed at one temperature, for example, 40 ° C. The same applies to the condensing section.
That is, in the second section 320, outside air (regenerated air) heated from a low temperature to a high temperature as it flows from the bottom to the top in the drawing is heated at a temperature of 37 ° C., 40 ° C., and 43 ° C., respectively. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency can be increased as compared with the case of heating at one temperature, for example, 40 ° C.

The compression heat pump HP1 including the compressor 260, the heater (refrigerant condenser) 220, the throttle and the cooler (refrigerant evaporator) 210 includes a heat exchanger 300c.
Is not provided, the refrigerant at the state of the point d in the heater (condenser) 220 is passed through the throttle to the cooler (evaporator) 21.
To return to 0, the enthalpy difference available in the cooler (evaporator) is only 25.86 kcal / kg,
In the case of the embodiment of the present invention provided with the heat exchanger 300b, 1
48.83-113.51 = 35.32 kcal / kg
Thus, the amount of gas circulating through the compressor for the same cooling load, and thus the required power, can be reduced by as much as 27%. Conversely, in terms of the cooling effect that can be achieved with the same power, the cooling effect can be increased by 37%. That is, even if the compressor 260 is a single-stage compressor, the same operation as in the case where a plurality of compressors have an economizer for inhaling the flash gas into the intermediate stage can be provided. Rather, since there is no need to inhale the flash gas into the high pressure stage, a higher COP can be achieved than with the two-stage type.

Referring to FIG. 5, an example of the mechanical arrangement of the dehumidifying air conditioner described above will be described. In FIG. 5, devices constituting the apparatus are housed in a cabinet 700. The cabinet 700 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped housing made of, for example, a thin steel plate, and has a suction opening for the processing air RA opened at the lower side in the vertical direction. A filter 501 is provided at the opening to prevent dust from the air-conditioned space from being brought into the device. The blower 102 is installed in the cabinet 700 inside the filter 501, and the suction port thereof communicates with the processing air suction port of the cabinet through the filter 501.

A compressor 260 and a blower 140 are arranged in a space below the cabinet so as to be arranged substantially horizontally in the horizontal direction. The blower 102 and the blower 1
Above 40, desiccant rotor 103 is arranged with its rotation axis directed vertically. Desiccant rotor 103
Is connected to an electric motor 105, which is also a driving machine whose rotation axis is directed vertically in the vicinity thereof, by a belt, a chain, and the like, and is configured to be rotatable at a low speed of about one rotation in several minutes. Thus, the desiccant rotor 10
By arranging 3 so as to be rotated in a substantially horizontal plane about a rotation axis oriented in the vertical direction, the height of the entire apparatus can be kept low, and the apparatus can be made compact. In addition, if most of the blowers 102 and 140, which are movable elements or rotating bodies, including the heavy compressor 260, and the desiccant rotor 103 are collected in the lower part of the apparatus, the lower part of the cabinet 700, that is, near the foundation, the influence of vibration will be reduced. And the installation stability of the device is increased.

The outlet of the blower 102 is connected to a desiccant rotor by a passage 108. The passage 108 is formed so as to be separated from other portions by, for example, a thin steel plate similar to that forming the cabinet 700. The processing air flows into the circular desiccant rotor 103 in about a half (semicircle) area (the right half area in the figure).
It is.

Vertically above the desiccant rotor 103,
In particular, a first section 310 of the processing air cooler 300c, that is, an evaporating section 251 is arranged above a half (semicircle) region into which the processing air flows. Path 10 for connecting desiccant rotor 103 and first section 310
Numeral 9 is formed in the structure of FIG. 5 as the space between the horizontally positioned rotor and the tubes of the evaporating section, which are also horizontally positioned (and the fins attached to these tubes).

Above the first section 310 in the vertical direction, a refrigerant evaporator 210 is arranged with its cooling pipe horizontal. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the route 110 is
Although the space is between 0 and the refrigerant evaporator 210, since both are closely arranged, the space hardly exists. Above the refrigerant evaporator 210 in the vertical direction, an opening for blowing the supply air SA into the air-conditioned space is provided in the cabinet 700.

On the other hand, an outside air introduction port is opened at the upper central portion of the cabinet 700, and a filter 502 for blocking outside dust is provided here. The space inside the filter 502 forms the path 124. A processing air cooler 33 is provided below the filter 502.
A second section 320 of Oc is located. The second section 320 has a condensing section 252 having a heat exchanger tube integral with the heat exchanger tube of the evaporating section 251 of the first section 310. Therefore, this heat exchange tube is disposed substantially horizontally.

Below the second section 320, a refrigerant condenser 220 is arranged. The space between the second compartment 320 and the refrigerant condenser 220 is the path 126, but since the heat exchangers are closely arranged, the space hardly exists. The refrigerant condenser 220 has a heat exchanger tube disposed substantially horizontally, and is located substantially in line with the space that is the path 109.

The desiccant rotor 103 is disposed vertically below the refrigerant condenser 220. Refrigerant condenser 2
The space between 20 and desiccant rotor 103 is
7 through which the desiccant rotor 1
With respect to the above-mentioned half of the process air 03, the regeneration air is guided to the other half. A space vertically below a half area of the desiccant rotor 103 through which the regeneration air passes forms a path 128, and a blower 140 is installed in this space with its suction port facing the space. The outlet of the blower 140 is directed to the side, and a path 129 defined in the cabinet 700 in a vertical direction,
It is connected to an exhaust port provided adjacent to the outside air intake opening. Regenerated air after regenerating the desiccant is exhausted EX through this exhaust opening.

On the other hand, the compressor 260 is installed at the lowermost part of the space constituting the path 129 and at the lowermost part of the cabinet 700. Substantially, it is installed on the foundation on which the cabinet 700 is installed. Refrigerant pipe 201 for sending refrigerant gas discharged from compressor 260 to refrigerant condenser 220
Are provided standing up along the sides of the cabinet 700. The refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant condenser 220 is connected to a header 235 provided near the inlet of the evaporation section 251.
Are connected by a refrigerant pipe 202. Restrictors 230A, 230B, and 230C are provided between the header 235 and the plurality of tubes constituting the evaporating section 251, respectively.
Lead to 1. The refrigerant decompressed through the respective throttles is sent to the evaporation section 251 composed of a plurality of tubes and evaporates.

The evaporating section 25 in the first compartment 310
The refrigerant flowing from the first to the condensing section 252 in the second compartment 320 reaches the header 245 for collecting the condensed refrigerant via the throttles 240A, B, and C provided in each tube of the condensing section. . Refrigerant piping from the header 245 rises from the header 245, and
The refrigerant reaches the refrigerant inlet of the refrigerant evaporator 210 near the uppermost part in 0. In addition, as shown in FIG.
When B and C are provided at positions distant from the refrigerant evaporator 210, the cooling of the refrigerant pipe from the pressure reduction by the throttle to the refrigerant evaporator 210 is sufficiently performed.

The refrigerant pipe 205 connecting the evaporator 210 and the compressor 260 is connected to the evaporator 210 by the cabinet 700.
Inside the path 129, and furthermore, disposed inside the path 129 vertically downward. As described above, the aperture 240
In addition to A, B and C, header 245 and refrigerant evaporator 210
And an expansion valve 270 is provided between the
A temperature detector (not shown) may be attached to the heat exchange section to detect the overheat temperature, and the degree of opening of the expansion valve 270 may be adjusted by the temperature detector. This can prevent the refrigerant evaporator 210 from being supplied with an excessive amount of refrigerant liquid and the compressor 260 from sucking the refrigerant liquid that could not be completely evaporated.

[0063]

According to the present invention, a processing air cooler is provided. The processing air cooler is configured to cool the processing air by evaporating the refrigerant, and to cool and condense the evaporated refrigerant by the cooling fluid. Since the evaporation heat transfer and the condensation heat transfer having high coefficients can be used, heat transfer between the processing air and the cooling fluid can be achieved with a high heat transfer coefficient. Further, since the heat transfer between the processing air and the cooling fluid is performed via the refrigerant, the components of the dehumidifying air conditioner can be easily arranged. Furthermore, there are a plurality of evaporation pressures of the refrigerant,
And there are a plurality of condensing pressures of the refrigerant cooled and condensed by the cooling fluid corresponding to the evaporating pressure, and the plurality of evaporating pressures are arranged in order of height, in other words, the evaporating temperature is Since it is configured to be arranged in the order of height, heat exchange between the processing air and the cooling fluid can be configured in a so-called counterflow, and a compact and high-COP dehumidifying air conditioner can be provided. Becomes possible.

If a heat pump is constituted by including a refrigerant evaporator, a compressor and a condenser, and the refrigerant condensed by the condenser is supplied to the processing air cooler, the refrigerant used in the processing air cooler is reduced. The refrigerant used in the heat pump can be used in common, and the COP of the heat pump is also increased, so that the efficiency of the dehumidifying air conditioner can be significantly increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a dehumidifying air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a heat exchanger suitable for use in a heat pump used in the dehumidifying air conditioner of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a Mollier diagram of a heat pump used in the dehumidifying air conditioner of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a psychrometric chart for explaining the operation of the dehumidifying air conditioner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing an example of the actual structure of the dehumidifying air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a conventional dehumidifying air conditioner.

FIG. 7 is a Mollier diagram of a heat pump used in the conventional dehumidifying air conditioner shown in FIG.

8 is a psychrometric chart explaining the operation of the conventional dehumidifying air conditioner shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of a desiccant rotor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 air conditioning space 102, 140 blower 103 desiccant rotor 210 refrigerant evaporator 220 refrigerant condenser 251 evaporating section 252 condensing section 230A, 230B, 230C throttle 240A, 240B, 240C throttle 260 compressor 300c processing air cooler 310 first section 320 Second compartment 501, 502 Filter 700 Cabinet HP1 heat pump

Claims (3)

[Claims] A moisture adsorbing device having a desiccant for adsorbing moisture in the processing air; and a water adsorbing device provided on a downstream side of the flow of the processing air with respect to the water adsorbing device, wherein the moisture is adsorbed by the desiccant. A processing air cooler that cools the processing air; the processing air cooler is configured to cool the processing air by evaporating a refrigerant, and to cool and condense the evaporated refrigerant by a cooling fluid; The processing air cooler has a plurality of evaporating pressures of a refrigerant for cooling the processing air, and a plurality of condensing pressures of a refrigerant cooled and condensed by the cooling fluid corresponding to the evaporating pressure. The pressures are arranged in order of height; a dehumidifying air conditioner. 2. A refrigerant evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant condensed by the processing air cooler and further cooling the processing air cooled by the processing air cooler; and evaporating to a gas by the refrigerant evaporator. A compressor for compressing the refrigerant; and a condenser for cooling and condensing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor with regeneration air; supplying the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the processing air cooler. The dehumidifying air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: 3. Using air as the cooling fluid, the air after condensing a refrigerant in the processing air cooler,
The dehumidifying air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the desiccant is guided to the moisture adsorption device to regenerate the desiccant.