JP2001231543A - Device for evaluating filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately evaluate the characteristics of a filter in a state that a real environment is reproduced. SOLUTION: This device for evaluating the filter is used by supplying air having a predetermined temperature from an air supply source 3, adjusting the humidity of the air to a desired humidity with a humidity adjusting means 10, introducing the air having the adjusted temperature and humidity into the filter-receiving chamber 24 of a container 23 through the second line 13, supplying compressed air from an air compressor 22 into a microorganism-spraying nozzle 53, spraying microorganisms from a microorganism supply source 40 into a filter-receiving chamber 24, supplying the microorganism-containing air having the adjusted temperature and humidity to a desiccant rotor 27 for be evaluated in the filter-receiving chamber 24, and then introducing the air passed through the desiccant rotor 27 into a microorganism-collecting means 77 through the fourth line 71. The heated air from the air supply source 3 is also supplied to the desiccant rotor 27 through the third line 70 in the opposite direction. The microorganism adsorption characteristics and reproduction characteristics of the desiccant rotor 27 can thus accurately be evaluated in the state that a real environment is reproduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a filter evaluation device, and more particularly, to a filter used in an air conditioner or the like, for example, to evaluate characteristics of a filter used in an air conditioner, for example, a bacteria elimination characteristic of airborne microorganisms, in a state where an actual environment is reproduced. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A typical conventional filter evaluation apparatus is as follows.
A nebulizer that injects microorganisms by compressed air is arranged at the upper end of a vertically extending container, an intake is formed on the side of the container near the nebulizer to take in outside air, and a filter to be evaluated is arranged at the lower part of the container. An agar for collecting microorganisms that have passed through the filter without being collected by the filter is arranged downstream of the filter, and a vacuum pump is arranged downstream of the agar to determine the number of microorganisms collected by the agar. It is configured to measure and evaluate the sterilization characteristics of the filter. In this evaluation device, since outside air is taken in from the air intake toward the filter and is attracted, microorganisms from the atomizer are dispersed in the taken-in air, and the microorganisms adhere to the inner peripheral surface in the container. Never.

In this prior art, since outside air is used as it is, there is a problem that evaluation cannot be performed in an environment where the filter is actually used. For example, although the temperature of the outside air taken in differs greatly in summer and winter, the prior art cannot evaluate the characteristics of the filter under desired temperature conditions assuming such summer and winter. Similarly, it is not possible to evaluate the characteristics of the filter by setting the humidity of the outside air to a desired value. Further, since this prior art has a configuration in which outside air is taken into the container from the side in the vicinity of the atomizer and is attracted, the concentration distribution of microorganisms in the air flowing toward the filter arranged below the container is determined by the air. Cannot be made uniform in an imaginary plane perpendicular to the flow direction, and the density distribution may be partially non-uniform.

Further, in this prior art, it is not possible to continuously evaluate a so-called rotor type filter which continuously operates while reproducing a filter function called a desiccant rotor or the like. In a rotor-type filter, the filter is rotated around its axis, and in one circumferential direction around the axis, an adsorption operation of adsorbing microorganisms and moisture to obtain clean air is performed. In the remaining area in the direction, heated regeneration air is supplied to perform the regeneration operation of the adsorption function. In the prior art, no contrivance has been made to evaluate the filter by repeating the adsorption operation of adsorbing microorganisms and moisture of such a rotor-type filter and the regeneration operation with heated regeneration air.

Further, in an evaporator conventionally used as a heat exchanger of an air conditioner, air containing microorganisms comes into contact with an evaporator to which a refrigerant is supplied to form dew, and condensed water containing microorganisms flows into a drain pan. Although there is a problem that microorganisms are propagated in the drain pan and generate slime, there is no test environment generation device that reproduces the generation of slime derived from such microorganisms. There is a problem that it is not possible to evaluate the germicidal properties and the like.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a filter evaluation apparatus capable of accurately evaluating the characteristics of a filter used in an air conditioner or the like while reproducing an actual environment. Another object of the present invention is to provide a test environment generating device capable of reproducing the generation of microorganism-derived slime in an evaporator or the like used as a heat exchanger of an air conditioner.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for evaluating a filter for collecting microorganisms in air, comprising: an air supply source for supplying air having a predetermined temperature; And a humidity adjusting means for adjusting the humidity of the air to a desired humidity, and a filter storage chamber extending vertically, and a filter to be evaluated is stored in a lower part of the filter storage chamber and passes through the filter. A discharge port for discharging the air that has been formed is further formed, a container to which air from the humidity adjusting means is supplied above the filter in the filter storage chamber, a microorganism supply source that supplies microorganisms, and a filter in the filter storage chamber that is higher than the filter. A microbial injection nozzle that is located above and disperses and ejects microorganisms from a microbial source, and microbes in the air that is guided from the outlet of the container and passes through the filter An evaluation device filters which comprises a microorganism collecting means for collecting.

According to the present invention, air having a predetermined temperature from an air supply source is adjusted to a desired humidity by humidity adjusting means and supplied to the container. A filter storage chamber is provided in the container, and a filter to be evaluated is stored in a lower part of the filter storage chamber. A microorganism injection nozzle for ejecting microorganisms from a microorganism supply source is provided at an upper portion of the filter storage chamber, and air is supplied from the humidity adjustment unit from behind the microorganism injection nozzle. Further, a discharge port for discharging air that has passed through the filter is formed at a lower portion of the filter storage chamber, and the air from the discharge port is guided to microorganism collecting means that collects microorganisms in the air that has passed through the filter. I will Thus, air containing microorganisms whose temperature and humidity are adjusted to desired values is supplied to the filter, so that real environments such as summer and winter can be easily reproduced. In addition, if the number of microorganisms collected by the microorganism collecting means is measured, the number of microorganisms injected from the microorganism injection nozzle can be determined in advance, so that the filter can collect the microorganisms efficiently. Therefore,
The characteristics of the filter can be accurately evaluated while reproducing the real environment.

In the present invention, the air supply source includes a blower for supplying external air under pressure, a heater for heating air from the blower, a first conduit extending vertically and guiding the air from the blower upward from below. The humidity adjustment means has a humidity adjustment space extending in the vertical direction, a lower part of the humidity adjustment space is connected to an upper end of the first conduit, and a vicinity of a lower part of the housing in the humidity adjustment space. It is characterized by including a water injection nozzle provided for injecting water upward, and a second conduit having one end connected to the upper part of the housing and the other end connected to the upper part of the container.

According to the present invention, since the air supply source includes a heater for heating the air from the blower, the temperature of the air can be adjusted to a predetermined value. The humidity adjusting means has a water injection nozzle, and the water injection nozzle injects water upward from near a lower portion in the humidity adjustment space of the housing. As a result, the fine particles of water injected from the water injection nozzle are carried along the flow of air from the blower flowing upward from below, and are uniformly mixed with air and vaporized. Therefore, the humidity distribution can be made uniform, and the humidity of the air can be adjusted to a predetermined value by adjusting the water injection amount. Further, since the water particles having a large particle diameter are not carried along the flow of the air from the blower but fall downward, it is possible to prevent the nonuniform humidity distribution due to the water particles having the large particle diameter. Further, since the upper part of the housing and the upper part of the container are connected via the second conduit, the air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted can be supplied into the container.

In the present invention, the air supply source is a third conduit branched from the first conduit, one end of which is connected to an intermediate position of the first conduit, and the air supply source branched from the first conduit. A third conduit for supplying / cutting the filter into / from the filter storage chamber through a filter from a lower outlet of the filter storage chamber.
An openable / closable exhaust port for exhausting air from the third conduit to the outside is formed in the filter storage chamber of the container.

According to the present invention, the third conduit guides the branch air from the first conduit so as to be able to supply / shut off the air from the lower outlet of the filter storage chamber to the filter storage chamber via the filter. Is supplied with air adjusted to a predetermined temperature. An openable and closable exhaust port formed in the filter storage chamber exhausts air from the third conduit to the outside. This makes it possible to accurately evaluate the regeneration characteristics of a filter capable of reproducing an adsorption function called a desiccant rotor or the like while reproducing an actual environment.

In the present invention, the microorganism supply source is connected to a microorganism storage tank for storing microorganisms and a microorganism injection nozzle,
A supply tank that stores the microorganisms supplied to the microorganism injection nozzle, a cutting unit that supplies the microorganisms from the microorganism storage tank to the supply tank, and a supply port that is connected to the microorganism injection nozzle and supplies a compressed gas for microorganism injection to the microorganism injection nozzle. A compressed gas source, wherein the microorganism spray nozzle includes a venturi that sucks microorganisms in the supply tank by gas from the compressed gas source.

According to the present invention, the supply tank temporarily stores microorganisms supplied to the microorganism injection nozzle, and the compressed gas source supplies a compressed gas for injecting microorganisms. The supply tank and the compressed gas source are each connected to a microorganism injection nozzle provided with a Venturi, where the gas from the compressed gas source sucks microorganisms in the supply tank. Thereby, microorganisms can be sprayed. Further, if the pressure of the gas from the compressed gas source is adjusted, the spray amount of the microorganism per unit time can be adjusted, so that the spray amount of the microorganism can be accurately grasped.

Further, according to the present invention, a partition member for partitioning the internal space is provided in the container, and the partition member forms an air storage chamber for storing air from the humidity adjusting means above the filter storage chamber. An air supply port is formed on the member behind the microorganism injection nozzle and on an extension of the axis of the microorganism injection nozzle, and air from the air storage chamber is supplied to the filter storage chamber through the air supply port. It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, an air storage chamber is formed in the container above the filter storage chamber via a partition member, and an air supply port is formed in the partition member. The air from the humidity adjusting means is supplied to the air storage chamber, and the air from the air storage chamber is supplied to the filter storage chamber. Thereby, the air from the humidity adjusting means is decelerated in the air storage chamber, and the decelerated air is supplied from the air supply port into the filter storage chamber, so that the flow of air in the filter storage chamber can be rectified. In addition, the air supply port is formed behind the microorganism injection nozzle, that is, on the upstream side in the air flow direction and on an extension of the axis of the microorganism injection nozzle, so that the microorganisms injected from the microorganism injection nozzle are rectified air. It can be uniformly dispersed in the inside and the concentration distribution of microorganisms can be made uniform in a virtual plane perpendicular to the air flow.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a fourth conduit having one end connected to a discharge port at a lower portion of the container, and the other end connected to a microorganism collecting means, at a position halfway in the longitudinal direction of the fourth conduit. A fourth pipe to which the other end of the third pipe is connected, a first on-off valve interposed at a position halfway through the second pipe, and a second valve interposed at a position midway along the third pipe. An on-off valve, a third on-off valve for opening and closing the exhaust port of the filter storage chamber of the container, and an intermediate position in the fourth conduit,
And a fourth on-off valve interposed on the opposite side of the container with respect to a connection position between the other end of the third conduit and the fourth conduit, and a filter for supplying air containing microorganisms whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted to the filter. Control means for controlling the first operation and the second operation of supplying the air whose temperature has been adjusted to the filter alternately and repeatedly, and controlling the total cumulative operation time to be a predetermined value. , During the first operation, the air temperature,
The second operation is controlled so that the humidity and the operation time are respectively set to predetermined values, and the first and fourth on-off valves are opened and the second and third on-off valves are closed. At this time, the air temperature and the operation time are controlled so as to become predetermined values, respectively, and the first and fourth on-off valves are controlled to be closed, and the second and third on-off valves are controlled to be opened. When switching from the first operation to the second operation, the closing operation of the first opening / closing valve and the opening operation of the third opening / closing valve are performed in synchronization, and the closing operation of the fourth opening / closing valve is performed based on the opening operation of the third opening / closing valve. Is also delayed by a predetermined time, and further controlled to perform the opening operation of the second on-off valve with a predetermined time delay from the closing operation of the fourth on-off valve, and when switching from the second operation to the first operation, The closing operation of the second on-off valve and the fourth operation
The opening operation of the on-off valve is performed synchronously, the closing operation of the third on-off valve is performed by delaying the opening operation of the fourth on-off valve by a predetermined time, and the opening operation of the first on-off valve is further performed. And control means for performing control so as to delay the closing operation by a predetermined time.

According to the present invention, when the operation is switched from the first operation to the second operation or vice versa, the air supply is controlled so as to be always performed with the exhaust port or the exhaust port open. It is possible to prevent an increase in pressure in the filter storage chamber at the time of switching. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a trouble due to a rise in the pressure in the filter storage chamber. When switching from the first operation to the second operation, the opening operation of the second on-off valve is performed later than the closing operation of the fourth on-off valve, and when switching from the second operation to the first operation, the opening of the first on-off valve is performed. Since the opening operation is controlled to be performed later than the closing operation of the third on-off valve, a new atmosphere to be switched is reliably supplied to the filter storage chamber.

Further, the present invention is an evaporator having a cooling fin and supplied with a refrigerant, wherein air containing microorganisms comes into contact with the fins of the evaporator to form dew, and dew water containing microorganisms is stored in a drain pan. In an evaporator test environment generating device in which microorganisms propagate in the drain pan to generate slime, an air supply source that supplies air having a predetermined temperature, and water is injected into the air from the air supply source. A humidity adjusting means for adjusting the humidity of the air to a desired humidity, and a test environment chamber extending up and down. The evaporator to be tested is housed in the lower part of the test environment chamber, and the test environment is tested. An openable and closable exhaust port for exhausting air that has come into contact with the evaporator to be formed is formed, and a container to which air from the humidity adjusting means is supplied above the evaporator in the test environment chamber and a microorganism are supplied. Squid A test environment generating apparatus comprising: a supply source; and a microorganism injection nozzle disposed above an evaporator in an upper part of the test environment chamber and dispersing and ejecting microorganisms from a microorganism supply source. .

According to the present invention, air having a predetermined temperature from an air supply source is adjusted to a desired humidity by humidity adjusting means and supplied to the container. The container is provided with a test environment chamber, and the evaporator to be tested is accommodated in the lower part of the test environment chamber. A microorganism injection nozzle for injecting microorganisms from a microorganism supply source is provided at an upper part of the test environment chamber, and air is supplied from the humidity adjusting means from behind the microorganism injection nozzle. Further, an openable and closable exhaust port for exhausting air in contact with the evaporator to be tested to the outside is formed at a lower portion of the test environment chamber. As a result, air containing microorganisms whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted to desired values is supplied to the evaporator, and condensed water containing microorganisms is stored in the drain pan, and slime derived from microorganisms is generated in the drain pan. Can be done. Therefore, test environments such as summer and winter can be easily generated.

[0021]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a simplified configuration of a filter evaluation apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the filter evaluation apparatus 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. The filter evaluation device 1 is a device for evaluating characteristics of a filter used for an air conditioner or the like, for example, a bacteria elimination characteristic represented by a collection efficiency of microorganisms in the air. In the present embodiment, a rotor-type filter (hereinafter, referred to as a "desiccant rotor") having functions of sterilization, dehumidification, and regeneration is used. The configuration of the desiccant rotor will be described later.

The filter evaluation apparatus 1 includes an air supply source 3 for supplying clean air, humidity adjusting means 10 for supplying clean air from the air supply source 3, a container 23 for storing the desiccant rotor 27, A microorganism supply source 40 for supplying microorganisms, a microorganism injection nozzle 53 for dispersing and ejecting microorganisms from the microorganism supply source 40, and a microorganism collecting means 77 for collecting microorganisms in the air passing through the desiccant rotor 27.
And The clean air is sterile or sterile air.

The air supply source 3 includes a blower 4, a heater 5, and a first conduit 6. The blower 4 is a centrifugal blower driven by a three-phase induction motor, and is a push-in blower. The air volume of the blower 4 is controlled to a predetermined value, for example, 2 to 5 m ³ / min by changing the frequency with an inverter. An HEPA filter 7 (high efficiency particulate air filter) is provided at the suction port of the blower 4, and one end of an air duct 8 extending substantially horizontally is connected to the air outlet of the blower 4. The HEPA filter 7 is a high-performance air filter capable of removing fine particles of 1 μm or less with a collection rate of 99.97% or more. As a result, the blower 4 can send the clean air to the downstream side via the air duct 8.

The heater 5 is an electric heater, and is provided at an intermediate position in the air duct 8. The heater 5 heats the clean air from the blower 4 to a predetermined temperature. The first pipeline 6 is a pipeline extending substantially vertically in the vertical direction,
The lower end is connected to the other end of the air duct 8, and the upper end is connected to the humidity adjusting means 10. Thus, the first conduit 6 can guide the clean air from the blower 4 upward from below to the humidity adjusting means 10.

The humidity adjusting means 10 includes a housing 11,
It includes a water injection nozzle 12 and a second conduit 13. The housing 11 is a hollow container that extends substantially vertically in the vertical direction, and has a humidity adjustment space inside. Housing 11
Is connected to the upper end of the first conduit 6. The axis of the housing 11 and the axis of the first conduit 6 are coaxial. As a result, clean air having a predetermined temperature is uniformly blown from the bottom to the top in the humidity adjustment space.
The water injection nozzle 12 is a two-fluid nozzle, and is located near the lower portion of the housing 11 in the humidity adjustment space
It is provided facing upward on one axis.

A water tank 15 and a first compressed gas source 16 are connected to the water injection nozzle 12. The water tank 15 stores the sterilized water, and supplies the water jet nozzle 1 through the water supply line 17.
Supply sterile water to 2. Sterile water is obtained, for example, by sterilizing the water with an autoclave or the like, or by removing bacteria with a filter. The water supply pipe 17 is attached to a lower part of the water tank 15, and the water injection nozzle 12 is provided below the water surface of the water tank 15. The water supply line 17 is provided with a water opening / closing valve 18 for opening and closing the water supply line 17. Thus, when the water on-off valve 18 is opened, the sterilized water is supplied to the water injection nozzle 12 by gravity.

The first compressed gas source 16 includes a compressed gas generator 2
2, a first compressed gas supply pipe line 19, and a first compressed gas on-off valve 20. The compressed gas generator 22 is realized by, for example, an air compressor, and supplies compressed water to the water injection nozzle 12 via the first compressed gas supply pipe 19. The HEPA filter 7 is provided at a suction port of the air compressor 22. The first compressed gas supply pipe 19 is provided with a first compressed gas on-off valve 20 for opening and closing the first compressed gas supply pipe 19. Thus, when the first compressed gas on-off valve 20 is opened, clean compressed air is supplied to the water injection nozzle 12.

The water injection nozzle 12 atomizes the sterilized water by the compressed gas and injects the sterilized water upward from below the humidity control space. As described above, since the clean air having a predetermined temperature is uniformly blown from the lower side to the upper side in the humidity adjustment space, the fine water particles 14 are immediately injected into the air flow together with the vaporized water vapor. It is carried along and is uniformly mixed and evaporates quickly. Therefore, the humidity distribution can be made uniform and the humidity of the clean air can be adjusted to a predetermined value by adjusting the supply amount of sterilized water. Further, since the water particles having a large particle diameter fall downward without being carried along the flow of air, it is possible to prevent nonuniform humidity distribution due to the water particles having a large particle diameter. Further, as described above, since the heater 5 is provided in the air duct 8 and not provided in the first pipe 6, contact between the water particles that have descended downward and the heater 5 is avoided, and Failure is prevented from occurring.

The second conduit 13 is a conduit extending substantially horizontally, one end of which is connected to the upper part of the housing 11.
The other end is connected to the upper part of the container 23. by this,
The second pipe 13 can guide the clean air from the humidity adjusting means 10 to the container 23. A first on-off valve 21 is provided at an intermediate position of the second conduit 13. First on-off valve 21
Supplies / cuts off the clean air from the humidity adjusting means 10.

The container 23 is a rectangular cylindrical container having a substantially vertical axis, and has a vertically extending filter storage chamber 24 and an air storage chamber 25 formed above the filter storage chamber 24. Filter storage chamber 24 and air storage chamber 25
Is formed by partitioning the container 23 up and down by the partition member 26. The filter storage room 24 is a room for storing a desiccant rotor 27 which is a filter to be evaluated, and a filter mount 28 for mounting the desiccant rotor 27 is provided at the bottom. The filter mount 28 is
It has a hollow shape, and a desiccant rotor 27 is installed on its upper surface. A plurality of through holes are formed in a region where the desiccant rotor 27 is installed, and no through holes are formed in the remaining region. Therefore, only the air that has passed through the desiccant rotor 27 flows downward through the through hole.

At the bottom of the filter storage chamber 24, an outlet 3
0 is formed. The discharge port 30 is provided with the desiccant rotor 27.
Is formed in the projection plane of the area where the is installed, and only the air that has passed through the desiccant rotor 27 is discharged toward the microorganism collecting means 77. An opening / closing door 32, a first temperature detector 34, and a humidity detector 35 are provided on a side surface of the filter storage chamber 24. The opening and closing door 32 can be opened and closed, and inserts and ejects the desiccant rotor 27. The first temperature detector 34 detects the temperature of air from the second pipe 13 in the filter storage chamber 24. The humidity detector 35 is provided in the filter storage chamber 24.
The humidity of the air from the second pipeline 13 in the inside is detected.

The air storage chamber 25 is a room extending substantially horizontally, and the other end of the second conduit 13 is connected to the side. The cross section of the air storage chamber 25 at right angles to the axis is formed to be larger than the cross section at right angles to the axis of the second conduit 13. Therefore, the flow rate of the air supplied to the air storage chamber 25 via the second pipe 13 is reduced indoors. The lower part of the air storage chamber 25 is formed by the partition member 26. Partition member 2
An air supply port 36 is formed in 6, and a rectifying member 37 is provided in the air supply port 36. The air supply port 36 exists on an extension of the axis 24 a of the filter storage chamber 24.
As a result, the air supplied to the air storage chamber 25 is decelerated and passes through the rectifying member 37 to the filter storage chamber 2.
4 is supplied in parallel with the axis 24a, so that the flow of air from above to below in the filter storage chamber 24 can be rectified. Further, the flow velocity distribution of the air flow can be made uniform.

In the vicinity of the container 23, a microorganism supply source 40 for supplying microorganisms is provided. Microbial source 40
Is a microbial storage tank 41, a supply tank 43,
4 and a second compressed gas source 45. The microorganism storage tank 41 stores water 41a containing microorganisms. The water 41a containing microorganisms is water in which microorganisms are suspended in sterilized water, and the concentration of microorganisms is kept constant at a predetermined value.
The microorganism is, for example, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger. The microorganism storage tank 41 is connected to a microorganism injection nozzle 53 via a microorganism supply line 46. The microorganism injection nozzle 53 sucks and sprays water containing microorganisms as described later. In the microorganism supply line 46,
A supply tank 43 and a metering pump 44 as a cutting-out unit are provided. The supply tank 43 is a sealed tank for temporarily storing water containing microorganisms sucked by the microorganism injection nozzle 53, and is provided at a predetermined interval on the microorganism injection nozzle 53 side and below the microorganism injection nozzle 53. Can be The predetermined interval is set to a height at which the microorganism injection nozzle 53 can suck up, for example, 100 to 300 mm.

The microorganism supply pipe 46 is further provided with a microorganism opening / closing valve 47 between the microorganism injection nozzle 53 and the supply tank 43. The microorganism on-off valve 47 supplies / cuts off water containing microorganisms from the supply tank 43. Metering pump 44
Supplies water containing microorganisms from the microorganism storage tank 41 to the supply tank 43 at a predetermined flow rate. The supply flow rate of the metering pump 44 is preset so that the stored amount of water containing microorganisms in the supply tank 43 falls within an allowable range even if the consumption amount of the microorganism injection nozzle 53 varies. Thus, when the microorganism on-off valve 47 is opened, water containing microorganisms can be supplied to the microorganism injection nozzle 53. A vapor suction port (not shown) is attached to the microorganism supply line 46.
Supply tank 43, metering pump 44, and microorganism supply line 46
Is performed by blowing steam from a steam blowing port.

The second compressed gas source 45 includes an air compressor 22 as the compressed gas generator and a second compressed gas supply line 49.
And a second compressed gas on-off valve 50. Air compressor 22
Supplies compressed air for injecting microorganisms to the microorganism injecting nozzle 53 through the second compressed gas supply pipe 49. The HEPA filter 7 is provided at a suction port of the air compressor 22. The second compressed gas supply line 49 includes the second compressed gas supply line 4.
9 is provided with a second compressed gas on-off valve 50. Therefore, if the second compressed gas on-off valve 50 is opened,
The clean compressed air for microbe injection is supplied to the microbe injection nozzle 53.

At the upper part of the filter storage chamber 24, a microorganism injection nozzle 53 is provided, and the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is provided so as to face downward with its axis aligned with the axis 24a of the filter storage chamber 24. As described above, the air supply port 3
6 exists on an extension of the axis 24 a of the filter storage chamber 24, so that the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is located downstream of the air supply port 36 in the air flow direction. In other words, the air supply port 36 is formed behind the microorganism injection nozzle 53, that is, on the upstream side in the air flow direction, and on an extension of the axis of the microorganism injection nozzle 53. The supply tank 43 of the microorganism supply source 40 is connected to the microorganism injection nozzle 53 as described above.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified structure of the microorganism injection nozzle 53. The microorganism injection nozzle 53 is
It is a two-fluid nozzle and includes a nozzle body 54 and an adapter 55. The nozzle body 54 includes a venturi 56, and a microorganism supply passage 57 is formed in the nozzle body 54 and the adapter 55. The microorganism supply passage 57 is a communication hole that communicates the throat of the venturi 56 with the outside,
Water containing microorganisms from the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is guided to the throat of the venturi 56. A compressed gas supply passage 58 is formed in the adapter 55. The compressed gas supply passage 58 is
It is a communication hole that communicates the space inside the venturi 56 with the outside, and guides the compressed air for injecting microorganisms from the second compressed gas source 45 to the space inside the venturi 56. Compressed gas supply passage 58
Is on an extension of the axis 56a of the venturi 56. As described above, since the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is provided slightly above the supply tank 43, the compressed air for microorganism injection supplied from the second compressed gas source 45 to the space inside the Venturi 56 is supplied to the Venturi 56. The water containing the microorganisms in the supply tank 43 is sucked from the throat of the water supply, and the water containing the microorganisms and the compressed air are mixed and atomized, and are sprayed from the nozzle port 59.

As described above, since the microorganism-containing nozzle 53 sucks up and sprays water containing microorganisms by the action of the compressed air for injecting microorganisms, it is possible to reliably spray even a small amount of water containing microorganisms. is there. Further, since the spray amount per unit time can be adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the compressed air for injecting microorganisms, the spray amount of microorganisms can be accurately grasped. Further, since the supply tank 43 is provided separately from the microorganism storage tank 41, the suction height by suction can be set appropriately. In addition, as described above, the flow of rectified air flowing downward from above is formed in the filter storage chamber 24, so that a mist containing microorganisms injected downward from the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is formed. The water is evenly mixed with the air. Therefore, the concentration distribution of microorganisms in the air flowing downward from above can be made uniform in a virtual plane perpendicular to the flow direction of the air. As a result, the concentration of microorganisms in the air supplied over the entire area of the desiccant rotor 27 as a filter to be evaluated can be made uniform, and the characteristics of the desiccant rotor 27 can be accurately evaluated.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view showing a part of the structure of the desiccant rotor 27 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a state during operation of the desiccant rotor 27. As shown in FIG. 6, the desiccant rotor 27 is a cylindrical filter made of ceramic fiber paper chemically bonded with silica gel and has a function of absorbing moisture, removing bacteria, and regenerating. The desiccant rotor 27 further has many honeycomb-shaped air permeable holes extending in the direction of the axis 27a, and is rotatable about the axis 27a. At one end in the axial direction of the desiccant rotor 27, an air inlet area 63 and an air outlet area 64 after regeneration are formed in the circumferential direction, and at the other end in the axial direction, the air inlet area 63 and the air outlet area after regeneration are formed. Corresponding to the circumferential position of the air outlet region 64, a clean air outlet region 65 at which the clean air after passing through the desiccant rotor 27 is discharged at the same circumferential position, and a regeneration air inlet region 66 for supplying regeneration heating air. Are formed in the circumferential direction. This desiccant rotor 27
Has a function of adsorbing microorganisms and moisture in the air supplied from the air inlet area 63, and the regeneration heating air is supplied in a direction opposite to the flow direction 67 of the air to be cleaned. Thereby, the desiccant rotor 27 has a regenerating function of regenerating the function of adsorbing microorganisms and moisture.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 4, below the housing 11 and the container 23, there is provided a third conduit 70 which is branched from a midway position of the first conduit 6 and extends substantially horizontally. In addition, a fourth conduit 71 extending substantially vertically downward is provided below the container 23. One end of the third conduit 70 is connected to a position in the middle of the first conduit 6, and the other end is connected to a position in the middle of the fourth conduit 71. The upper end of the fourth conduit 71 is connected to the outlet 30 at the bottom of the container 23, and the lower end is connected to the microorganism collecting means 77. Thus, the third pipe 70 guides the air branched from the first pipe 6 to the outlet 30 at the lower part of the container 23 through the fourth pipe 71, and further filters the air from the outlet 30 through the desiccant rotor 27. It can be guided into the storage room 24. The third conduit 70 is included in the air supply source 3.

An exhaust port 31 is further formed on a side surface of the filter storage chamber 24. The exhaust port 31 guides the air from the third conduit 70 to the outside. The exhaust port 31 is connected to the base end of an exhaust pipe 33 extending outward, and the HEPA filter 7 is provided at the distal end of the exhaust pipe 33.

A second opening / closing valve 73 is provided at an intermediate position of the third conduit 70. The second on-off valve 73 branches from the first pipe 6 and passes through the third pipe 70 to the filter storage chamber 2.
Supply / cut off air going to 4. A third on-off valve 74 is provided at an intermediate position in the exhaust pipe 33. Third
The on-off valve 74 opens and closes the exhaust pipe 33 and the exhaust port 33. The fourth conduit 71 is provided with a fourth on-off valve 75 on the opposite side of the container 23 with respect to the connection position between the other end of the third conduit 70 and the fourth conduit 71. Fourth on-off valve 75
Supplies / cuts off the exhaust air flowing from the filter storage chamber 24 to the microorganism collecting means 77. Further, a second temperature detector 38 is provided in the fourth conduit 71 on the container 23 side with respect to the connection position between the other end of the third conduit 70 and the fourth conduit 71. The second temperature detector 38 detects the temperature of the regeneration air supplied to the desiccant rotor 27 from the third conduit 70 via the outlet 30.

The microorganism collecting means 77 includes a collecting container 78,
And an air diffusion member 79. The collection container 78 is a closed container, in which sterilized water 85 is partially stored. A discharge port 80 that communicates the internal space above the water surface of the collection container 78 with the outside is formed at an upper portion of the collection container 78, and the discharge pipe 80 has an emission pipe 8 extending outward.
1 is connected. HEP at the end of the discharge line 81
An A filter 7 is provided. The air diffusion member 79 is
It is a hollow member having a generally trumpet-like shape, and is formed so that its cross-sectional area increases as it goes downward. The air dissipating member 79 is fixed so as to be mostly in the water by the support member 82, and only its upper end part partially protrudes upward from the water surface. The upper end of the air diffusion member 79 is connected to the lower end of the fourth conduit 71.

The air passing through the desiccant rotor 27 is
The air dissipating member 79 via the outlet 30 and the fourth conduit 71
The water is diffused and spread, and bubbling underwater in a decelerated state. As a result, the microorganisms that have passed through the desiccant rotor 27 are reliably collected by the water in the collection container 78, so that the water 4 in the microorganism storage tank 41 and the collection container 78 can be collected.
If the numbers 1a and 85 are sampled and the number concentration of microorganisms is measured, the microorganism injection amount of the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is known, so that the microorganism collection efficiency of the desiccant rotor 27 can be calculated. The collection of the microorganism concentration measurement sample may be performed each time the evaluation test is completed once, or may be performed after the evaluation test is repeated a plurality of times. After the completion of the evaluation test and the sampling, the water in the collection container 78 is transported into the drainage sterilization tank 84 by driving the drainage pump 83. The water transported into the waste water sterilization tank 84 is sterilized by a sterilizing agent such as hypochlorous acid and discharged.
Instead of adding the germicide, the water may be filtered and discharged through a microfilter. After the evaluation test, the collection container 78 is sterilized by steam.

As described above, the desiccant rotor 27 is
A first operation of adsorbing microorganisms and water during rotation, having a function of adsorbing microorganisms and water, and a function of regenerating the same;
Continuous operation is performed while alternately repeating the second operation of reproducing the adsorption function by the heat treatment. Therefore, the evaluation test of the desiccant rotor 27 needs to be repeated until the first operation and the second operation are alternately performed for each predetermined operation time, and the total operation time reaches the predetermined time. The first operation is performed by supplying humid air containing microorganisms whose temperature, humidity and flow rate have been adjusted to the desiccant rotor 27, and the second operation is to desiccant dry heat air containing microorganisms whose temperature and flow amount has been adjusted. This is performed by supplying the rotor 27. Temperature of the first and second operations,
The humidity and the flow rate are set to predetermined values, respectively.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the filter evaluation device 1 shown in FIG. The filter evaluation device 1 includes an input unit 86, a setting unit 87, first to third timers 88, 89, 90, and a processing circuit 91 serving as a control unit.
Is further included. The input means 86 is realized by a push button or the like, and derives an output for starting / ending the evaluation test, and derives an output for starting / stopping the blower 4, the heater 5, the air compressor 22, the metering pump 44, and the like. The setting means 87 sets the temperature, humidity, and flow rate of the air in the first and second operations to predetermined values, and derives outputs representing the values. First timer 8
8 sets the operation time of the first operation to a predetermined value, and derives an output indicating the elapsed time when the elapsed time reaches the set time. The second timer 89 sets the operation time of the second operation to a predetermined value, and derives an output indicating the elapsed time when the elapsed time reaches the set time. The third timer 90 sets the total cumulative operation time of the first and second operations performed alternately and repeatedly to a predetermined value, and derives an output indicating the elapsed time when the elapsed time reaches the set time. The processing circuit 91 is realized by a microcomputer, for example, and includes first and second
Each time the operation is switched, the blower 4, the heater 5, the first compressed gas on-off valve 20, the water on-off valve 1
8, the second compressed gas on-off valve 50, the microorganism on-off valve 47, the first
The on-off valve 21, the second on-off valve 73, the third on-off valve 74, and the fourth on-off valve 75 are controlled as described later.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 91 shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing the operating states of the respective on-off valves during the evaluation test. The evaluation test method of the desiccant rotor 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. In step a1, the desiccant rotor 27 is mounted on the filter mounting base 28 in the filter storage chamber 24 to start an evaluation test. In step a2, test conditions are set, and the air temperature, humidity, flow rate and operation time in the first and second operations, and the total cumulative operation time are set to predetermined values as shown in Table 1. In the present embodiment, the flow rate of the air is
The frequency is set so that the first and second operations are the same.

[0048]

[Table 1]

In step a3, the blower 4, the heater 5,
The operation of the air compressor 22 and the metering pump 44 is started. The operation of the blower 4 and the heater 5 is performed under the set conditions of the first operation. In step a4, it is determined whether the first operation has been started. This determination is made based on whether or not an output indicating the start of the evaluation test is derived from the input unit 86. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step a5, and if the determination is negative, the process waits until the determination becomes affirmative. In step a5, the first to fourth on-off valves 21, 73,
Opening / closing control of 74 and 75 is performed. The opening and closing control of the first to fourth opening and closing valves at the start of the evaluation test is performed by synchronizing the first and fourth opening and closing valves 21 and 75 into the open state as shown at time t1 in FIG. 3 on-off valves 73, 74
In the closed state in synchronization with each other. As a result, the air from the blower 4 is separated from the first and second pipes 6,
It is supplied to the filter storage chamber 24 via the filter 13 and discharged toward the microorganism collecting means 77 via the fourth conduit 71.

In step a6, the temperature and humidity of the air in the first operation are adjusted. Adjustment of air temperature
This is performed by controlling the heater 5 so that the temperature of the first temperature detector 34 becomes the set temperature of 35 ° C. To adjust the humidity of the air, the water on-off valve 18 and the first compressed gas on-off valve 20 are opened, and the humidity of the humidity detector 35 is adjusted to a relative humidity of 7.
This is performed by adjusting the pressure of the compressed air from the first compressed gas source 16 so as to be 0%. The operation of opening the water on-off valve 18 and the first compressed gas on-off valve 20 is performed synchronously at time t2 when Δt1 seconds have elapsed from time t1. Δt1 second is, for example, several seconds.

At step a7, microorganisms are supplied. This process is performed by synchronously opening the microorganism on-off valve 47 and the second compressed gas on-off valve 50 at time t2. As a result, the water containing microorganisms in the supply tank 43 is sucked by the compressed air for injecting microorganisms from the second compressed gas source 45 and sprayed into the filter storage chamber 24 at a constant spray amount determined by the compressed air pressure.

As described above, the air containing the known number concentration of microorganisms whose temperature, humidity, and flow rate have been adjusted is supplied to the desiccant rotor 27, so that the microorganisms passing through the desiccant rotor 27 can be collected by the microorganism collecting means. By measuring the number concentration by collecting the microorganisms with the 77, the microorganism collecting efficiency, that is, the adsorption characteristics of the desiccant rotor 27 can be evaluated.

In step a8, it is determined whether the first operation has been completed. This determination is made by the first timer 88 to 1
This is performed based on whether or not an output indicating the elapse of the operation time in minutes has been derived. If this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step a9, and if this determination is negative, the process returns to step a6. In step a9, the spraying of microorganisms and the spraying of water for adjusting humidity are stopped. This stop processing is performed by closing the microorganism on-off valve 47, the water on-off valve 18, and the first and second compressed gas on-off valves 20, 50.
Of these, the closing operations of the microorganism on-off valve 47 and the water on-off valve 18 are performed synchronously at time t3, and the first and second closing operations are performed.
The closing operation of the compressed gas on-off valves 20 and 50 is performed synchronously at time t4 when Δt2 seconds have elapsed from time t3.
Δt2 seconds is, for example, several seconds. As described above, the compressed air is supplied for a short time even after the supply of the water containing the microorganisms and the water for adjusting the humidity is stopped, so that the water injection nozzle 12 and the microorganism injection nozzle 53 are sufficiently drained, and the water is discharged from the nozzles. Of water can be prevented.

In step a10, first to fourth on-off valves 21, 73, 7 for switching from the first operation to the second operation.
4,75 open / close control is performed. In this opening / closing control, the operation of closing the first opening / closing valve 21 and the operation of opening the third opening / closing valve 74 are performed synchronously at time t5 when Δt3 seconds have elapsed from time t4. The time t when the operation of closing the valve 75 is Δt4 seconds after the time t5.
6, and the operation of opening the second on-off valve 73 is performed at time t7 when Δt5 seconds (Δt5> Δt4) have elapsed from time t5. Here, time t5 is
This is the time after one minute, which is the operation time of the first operation, has elapsed from time t1. Δt3 is, for example, several seconds, Δt3
t4 is, for example, 1 second, and Δt5 is, for example, 1.6 seconds. Thus, the air from the third pipe 70 is supplied to the desiccant rotor 27 through the outlet 30 and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 33 to the outside.

As described above, several seconds after the supply of the compressed air for spraying the water containing the microorganisms and the water for adjusting the humidity is stopped, the first to the second operation for switching from the first operation to the second operation are performed. Since the opening and closing control of the four on-off valves is started, the first
It is possible to smoothly and quickly switch from the operation atmosphere to the second operation atmosphere. Further, the closing operation of the fourth on-off valve 75 is performed with a delay of Δt4 seconds after the closing operation of the first on-off valve 21 is performed, and the closing operation of the fourth on-off valve 75 is performed with a delay of Δt5 seconds after the opening operation of the third on-off valve 74 is performed. Since the opening operation of the two-way valve 73 is performed, the air supply is always performed in a state where the exhaust port is open, so that the pressure in the filter storage chamber 24 can be prevented from rising. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a trouble due to the pressure increase from occurring. Further, since the opening operation of the second on-off valve 73 is performed later than the closing operation of the fourth on-off valve 75, a new atmosphere to be switched is reliably supplied into the filter storage chamber 24.

In step a11, the temperature of the air for the second operation is adjusted. Adjustment of the air flow rate for the second operation is also performed. The temperature of the air is adjusted by controlling the heater 5 so that the temperature of the second temperature detector 38 becomes the set temperature of 80 ° C. Adjustment of the air flow rate is performed by adjusting the frequency to 30 Hz. Thus, the heated air whose temperature and flow rate have been adjusted is supplied to the desiccant rotor 27 from the opposite direction, so that the regeneration characteristics of the desiccant rotor 27 can be evaluated.

At step a12, it is determined whether or not the second operation has been completed. This determination is made based on whether or not an output indicating the elapse of the one-minute operation time is derived from the second timer 89. If this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step a13, and if this determination is negative, the process returns to step all. At step a13, it is determined whether or not the evaluation test of the desiccant rotor 27 has been completed. This determination is made based on whether or not an output indicating the lapse of the total cumulative operating time of 24 hours is derived from the third timer 90. If this determination is negative, the process returns to step a5, where 2
The first operation in the cycle is started.

In step a5 of the second cycle, first to fourth on-off valves 2 for switching from the second operation to the first operation are used.
Opening / closing control of 1, 73, 74, 75 is performed. In this open / close control, the operation of closing the second open / close valve 73 and the fourth open / close valve 73 are performed.
The operation of opening the on-off valve 75 is synchronized with the operation of opening the on-off valve 75 at time t8 after the elapse of one minute, which is the operation time of the second operation, from time t5. The operation of closing the third on-off valve 74 starts at time t8. Is performed at time t9 when Δt6 seconds have elapsed, and the operation of opening the first on-off valve 21 is further performed at time t9.
Time t1 when Δt7 seconds (Δt7> Δt6) have passed since 8
0. Here, Δt6 is, for example, 1 second, and Δt7 is, for example, 1.6 seconds. As a result, the air from the blower 4 again flows into the first and second conduits 6,
It is supplied into the filter storage chamber 24 via the filter 13 and discharged toward the microorganism collecting means 77 via the fourth conduit 71.

As described above, after the closing operation of the second on-off valve 73 is performed, the closing operation of the third on-off valve 74 is performed with a delay of Δt6 seconds, and after the opening operation of the fourth on-off valve 75 is performed. Δ
Since the opening operation of the first on-off valve 21 is performed with a delay of t7 seconds,
In the same manner as described above, the air supply is always performed with the exhaust port open, so that the pressure in the filter storage chamber 24 can be prevented from rising. Further, since the opening operation of the first opening / closing valve 21 is performed later than the closing operation of the third opening / closing valve 74, a new atmosphere to be switched is reliably supplied into the filter storage chamber 24.

The processing in steps a6 to a13 in the second cycle is the same as the processing in steps a6 to a13 in the first cycle, and as shown in FIG. Second compressed gas on-off valves 20, 5
The operation of opening 0 is Δt1 (Δt1) from time t8.
> Δt7) At time t11 after a lapse of seconds, the synchronization is performed similarly to the first cycle. As described above, the operation of forming the atmosphere of the first operation is performed later than the opening / closing control of the first to fourth on-off valves, which is the operation of forming the air path at the time of the first operation. The switching of the atmosphere can be reliably performed without any change. Such a repetition process is repeated until the determination in step a13 becomes positive. If the determination in step a13 is affirmative,
Proceed to step a14. In step a14, the operations of the blower 4, the heater 5, the air compressor 22, and the metering pump 44 are stopped, and the evaluation test of the desiccant rotor 27 ends.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first operation of supplying the desiccant rotor 27 with the humid air containing the microorganism whose temperature, humidity, and flow rate have been adjusted for a predetermined period of time,
The second operation of supplying the heated air having the adjusted temperature and flow rate to the desiccant rotor 27 for a predetermined time is alternately and repeatedly operated, and when the total cumulative operation time reaches a predetermined time,
Since the entire operation is stopped, the actual environment of the desiccant rotor 27 can be easily reproduced.
Therefore, it is possible to accurately evaluate the adsorption characteristics and the regeneration characteristics of the desiccant rotor 27.

The air supply source 3, the humidity control means 10, the microorganism supply source 40, the container 23, the water injection nozzle 1 of the present embodiment
2. The configurations of the microorganism injection nozzle 53, the air storage chamber 25, and the microorganism collecting means 77 are not limited to the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, but may be other configurations. For example, although the humidity adjusting means 10 is configured to adjust the humidity by spraying water, the first pipe 6
A steam inlet may be formed to blow steam, or the humidity may be adjusted by spraying water and steam.

FIG. 11 is a system diagram showing a simplified configuration of a filter evaluation device 92 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The filter evaluation device 92 of the present embodiment has the configuration shown in FIGS.
Similar to the filter evaluation device 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG.
Corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. It should be noted that the microorganism injection nozzle 53 of the filter evaluation device 92 is provided below and upward from the microorganism injection nozzle 53 of the filter evaluation device 1.

As a result, the atomized water containing microorganisms injected upward from the microorganism injection nozzle 53 rises in opposition to the flow of rectified air flowing downward from above, and then, flows into the air flow. Since it descends along, the contact mixing time of water containing microorganisms and air can be lengthened. Therefore, the atomized water containing the microorganisms and the air can be mixed more uniformly, and the microorganisms can be uniformly dispersed. Moreover, since the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is installed upward, dripping of water containing microorganisms can be prevented. Other configurations of the filter evaluation device 92 are the same as those of the filter evaluation device 1.

FIG. 12 is a simplified system diagram showing a configuration of a filter evaluation device 93 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The filter evaluation device 93 of the present embodiment
Similar to the filter evaluation device 1 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. It should be noted that the filter evaluation device 9
3 is that the means for forming the air path at the time of the second operation provided in the filter evaluation device 1 is not provided. That is, the third conduit 70, the second on-off valve 73,
The exhaust port 31, the exhaust pipe line 33, and the third on-off valve 74 are not provided. The filter evaluation device 93 evaluates the sterilization characteristics of the filter 94 in the form of a filter paper, instead of the adsorption / regeneration characteristics of the desiccant rotor 27. Filter paper filter 94
Is a filter used for an air conditioner, for example, and is made of ultrafine glass fiber. Therefore, it does not have a reproducing function like the desiccant rotor 27. The filter paper filter 94 is mounted so as to cover the filter mounting base 28, and is fixed by a removable mounting ring 95. Other configurations of the filter evaluation device 93 are the same as those of the filter evaluation device 1.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 91 of the filter evaluation device 93 shown in FIG. An evaluation test method for the filter paper filter 94 will be described with reference to FIG. In step b1, a filter paper-like filter 94 to be evaluated is mounted on the filter mounting base 28 in the filter storage chamber 24, and an evaluation test is started. In step b2, test conditions are set, and the temperature, humidity, flow rate, and test time of the air supplied to the filter 94 are set. For the temperature, humidity, and flow rate of the air, the same set values as those in the first operation in Table 1 are used.
Set to 4 hours. In step b3, the operation of the blower 4, the heater 5, the air compressor 22, and the metering pump 44 is started. At step b4, it is determined whether or not the evaluation test has been started. This determination is made based on whether or not an output indicating the start of the evaluation test is derived from the input unit 86. If this judgment is affirmative, step b5
If it is not, it waits until it becomes affirmative.

In step b5, an operation for opening the first and fourth on-off valves 21 and 75 is performed. The operation of opening the first on-off valve 21 is performed several seconds, for example, 1.6 seconds later than the operation of opening the fourth on-off valve 75. Thus, air is supplied while the outlet 30 is open, so that an increase in pressure in the filter storage chamber 24 can be prevented. In step b6, the temperature and humidity of the test air are adjusted, and in step b7, microorganisms are supplied. The processing in steps b6 and b7 is the same as the processing in steps a6 and a7 in FIG. In step b8, the filter 9
It is determined whether the evaluation test of No. 4 has been completed. This determination is made based on whether or not an output indicating the elapse of the 24-hour test time is derived from the third timer 90. If this determination is negative, the process returns to step b6, and if affirmative, the process proceeds to step b9.

In step b9, an operation for closing the first and fourth on-off valves 21, 75 is performed. The operation of closing the fourth on-off valve 75 is performed, for example, one second later than the operation of closing the first on-off valve 21. Thus, an increase in the pressure in the filter storage chamber 24 can be similarly prevented. In step b10, the operations of the blower 4, the heater 5, the air compressor 22, and the metering pump 44 are stopped, and the evaluation test of the filter 94 is completed.
After the evaluation test of the filter paper filter 94 is completed, the microorganism storage tank 4
1 and water in the collection container 78 of the microorganism collection means 77 are respectively collected, and the number concentration of microorganisms is measured. Thereby, the filter paper filter 9 is formed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
The microorganism collection efficiency of No. 4 can be calculated, and the disinfection characteristics of the filter paper filter 94 can be evaluated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the filter paper filter 94 is configured to be able to supply the humid air containing microorganisms whose temperature, humidity and flow rate are adjusted to the filter paper filter 94 for a predetermined time. Evaluation of the disinfection characteristics of 94 can be performed accurately by reproducing the real environment. Further, in the present embodiment, although the continuous test is performed for a predetermined time, the first and fourth on-off valves 21 and 75 may be controlled to open and close in various patterns such as an intermittent test. If only a continuous test is performed, the first and fourth on-off valves 21 and 75 need not be provided. Further, although the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is installed downward, it may be installed upward like a filter evaluation device 92 shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a system diagram showing a simplified configuration of a test environment generating device 97 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Test environment generation device 97 of the present embodiment
Is a filter evaluation device 1 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS.
Similar to the above, corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. It should be noted that the test environment generating device 97 is not provided with any means such as the microorganism collecting means 77 connected to the bottom of the container 23 of the filter evaluation device 1. That is, the test environment generating device 97
The third pipe 7 provided in the filter evaluation device 1
0, the second on-off valve 73, the outlet 30, the filter mount 28, the fourth conduit 71, the fourth on-off valve 75, and the microorganism collecting means 77 are not provided.

The test environment generating device 97 is a device for reproducing the real environment of the evaporator 98 used as a heat exchanger of the air conditioner. More specifically, in the evaporator 98 which has cooling fins and in which a refrigerant is supplied, air containing microorganisms comes into contact with the fins of the evaporator 98 and forms dew. , And microorganisms may propagate in the drain pan 99 to generate slime. However, the present apparatus 97 artificially generates such a test environment for the evaporator 98 and examines slime generation conditions. In addition, it is an apparatus for evaluating an agent for disinfecting microorganisms in the generated slime.

In the present embodiment, the evaporator 98 and the drain pan 99 are installed in the test environment chamber 100 of the container 23, and the humid air containing microorganisms whose temperature, humidity, and flow rate have been adjusted is supplied to the evaporator 98. The air cooled by contacting the fins and passing through the evaporator 98 is discharged to the outside air through the exhaust port 31, the exhaust pipe line 33, the third on-off valve 74, and the HEPA filter 7. As a result, the test environment of the evaporator 98 can be generated under desired environmental conditions, so that the slime generation conditions can be examined. In addition, it is possible to evaluate an agent that sterilizes microorganisms in the generated slime.
The other configuration of the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the filter evaluation device 1.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 91 of the test environment generating device 97 shown in FIG. With reference to FIG. 15, a test method for examining slime generation conditions will be described. In step c1, the evaporator 98 to be tested is placed in the test environment chamber 100.
And start the test. In step c2, test conditions are set, and the temperature, humidity, flow rate, and test time of the air supplied to the evaporator 98 are set. These test conditions are set based on a predetermined experimental plan.
Is set to the th test condition. In step c3, the blower 4, the heater 5, the air compressor 22, and the metering pump 44
Is started. In step c4, it is determined whether the test has been started. This judgment is made by the input unit 86
Is determined from whether or not an output indicating the start of the test is derived from. If this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step c5;

At step c5, an operation of opening the first and third on-off valves 21, 74 is performed. The operation of opening the first on-off valve 21 is performed several seconds, for example, 1.6 seconds later than the operation of opening the third on-off valve 74. Thus, air is supplied while the exhaust port 31 is open, so that an increase in the pressure in the test environment chamber 100 can be similarly prevented. In Step c6, the temperature and humidity of the test air are adjusted, and Step c
At 7, the supply of microorganisms is performed. The processing in steps c6 and c7 is the same as the processing in steps a6 and a7 in FIG. In step c8, it is determined whether the test has been completed. This determination is made based on whether or not an output indicating the elapse of a predetermined test time is derived from the third timer 90. If this determination is negative, the process returns to step c6, and if it is affirmative, step c9
Proceed to.

At step c9, an operation of closing the first and third on-off valves 21, 74 is performed. The operation of closing the third on-off valve 74 is performed, for example, one second later than the operation of closing the first on-off valve 21. As a result, an increase in the pressure in the test environment chamber 100 can be similarly prevented. In Step c10, the blower 4
The operations of the heater 5, the air compressor 22, and the metering pump 44 are stopped, and the test under the first experimental condition ends.

After the test is completed, dew condensation water in the drain pan 99 is observed, and the occurrence of slime is visually observed, and the water is collected to measure the number concentration of microorganisms. Thereafter, a similar test is performed under the second experimental condition. Testing continues until data is obtained under all experimental conditions. As a result, the slime generation conditions can be examined in a state where the real environment is reproduced.

As described above, in this embodiment, although the continuous test is performed for a predetermined time, the first and third on-off valves 21 and 74 are controlled to open and close to perform various tests such as an intermittent test. May go. If only a continuous test is performed, the first and third on-off valves 21 and 74 need not be provided. Further, although the microorganism injection nozzle 53 is installed downward, it may be installed upward like a filter evaluation device 92 shown in FIG.

As described above, in the present invention, the evaluation test of the filter paper filter 94 and the test of the evaporator 98 are performed using the filter evaluation device 93 and the test environment generating device 97, respectively. This may be performed using the device 1. In this case, when the evaluation test of the filter paper filter 94 is performed, the second on-off valve 73 is closed, the third on-off valve 74 is closed, and the first and fourth on-off valves 21 and 75 are opened and closed to perform an evaluation test. Is performed. When the test of the evaporator 98 is performed, the test is performed by closing the second on-off valve 73, closing the fourth on-off valve 75, and opening and closing the first and third on-off valves 21 and 74.

[0079]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since air containing microorganisms whose temperature and humidity are adjusted to desired values is supplied to the filter, it can be used in a real environment such as summer and winter. Can be easily reproduced. In addition, since the microorganism collection efficiency of the filter can be obtained, the characteristics of the filter can be accurately evaluated in a state where the real environment is reproduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the water injection nozzle injects water upward from the vicinity of the lower part in the humidity adjustment space of the housing, water particles injected from the water injection nozzle are downward. It is carried along with the flow of space from the blower that flows upward from above. Therefore, the fine particles of the injected water are uniformly mixed with the air, and the humidity distribution can be made uniform. Further, by adjusting the water injection amount, the humidity of the air can be adjusted to a predetermined value.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since air adjusted to a predetermined temperature is supplied to the filter, the regeneration characteristic of the filter capable of reproducing an adsorption function called a desiccant rotor or the like is improved. Accurate evaluation can be performed while reproducing the real environment.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the microorganism injection nozzle can suck the microorganisms in the supply tank by the gas from the compressed gas source and spray them in a mist state. By adjusting the gas pressure, the amount of sprayed microorganisms per unit time can be adjusted. Therefore, the spray amount of the microorganism can be accurately grasped.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the air from the humidity adjusting means is decelerated in the air storage chamber, and the decelerated air is supplied from the air supply port to the filter storage chamber. The air flow can be rectified. Also, since the air supply port is formed behind the microorganism supply nozzle and on an extension of the axis of the microorganism supply nozzle, the microorganisms injected from the microorganism injection nozzle are:
It is uniformly dispersed in the rectified air, and the concentration distribution of microorganisms can be made uniform in a virtual plane perpendicular to the flow of air.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the first
By controlling the fourth opening / closing valve, it is possible to prevent an increase in pressure in the filter storage chamber at the time of operation switching. Further, switching of the atmosphere in the filter storage chamber can be performed smoothly.

According to the present invention, the evaporator is supplied with air containing microorganisms whose temperature and humidity are adjusted to desired values, and condensed water containing microorganisms is stored in the drain pan. Thus, microorganism-derived slime can be artificially generated in the drain pan. Therefore, test environments such as summer and winter can be easily generated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified system diagram showing a configuration of a filter evaluation device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the filter evaluation device 1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a microorganism injection nozzle 53.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view showing a configuration of a part of the desiccant rotor 27 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a state during operation of the desiccant rotor 27.

8 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the filter evaluation device 1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 91 shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an operation state of each on-off valve during an evaluation test.

FIG. 11 is a simplified system diagram showing a configuration of a filter evaluation device 92 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a simplified system diagram showing a configuration of a filter evaluation device 93 according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 91 of the filter evaluation device 93 shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a system diagram showing a simplified configuration of a test environment generating device 97 according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 91 of the test environment generation device 97 shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 92, 93 Filter evaluation device 3 Air supply source 4 Blower 5 Heater 6 First conduit 7 HEPA filter 10 Humidity adjusting means 12 Water injection nozzle 13 Second conduit 21 First on-off valve 23 Container 24 Filter storage chamber 25 Air Storage chamber 27 Desiccant rotor 28 Filter mount 30 Discharge port 31 Exhaust port 40 Microorganism supply source 41 Microorganism storage tank 43 Supply tank 47 Microorganism on-off valve 53 Microorganism injection nozzle 70 Third pipeline 71 Fourth pipeline 73 Second on-off valve 74 Third on-off valve 75 Fourth on-off valve 77 Microbial collecting means 84 Drainage sterilization tank 97 Test environment generating device 98 Evaporator 99 Drain pan 100 Test environment chamber

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) C12Q 1/04 C12Q 1/04 // G01N 33/48 G01N 33/48 S (72) Inventor Tetsuya Ueda Osaka-shi, Osaka 4-1-2 Hirano-cho, Chuo-ku Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2G045 AA28 BB06 BB50 BB60 CB21 HA14 JA07 4B029 AA07 AA09 BB01 CC01 FA06 HA02 4B063 QA01 QA18 QQ05 QR74 QS24 QS39

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An evaluation apparatus for a filter for collecting microorganisms in air, comprising: an air supply source for supplying air having a predetermined temperature; water being injected into the air from the air supply source; It has humidity adjustment means for adjusting to a desired humidity, and a filter storage chamber extending vertically, and a filter to be evaluated is stored in a lower part of the filter storage chamber, and an outlet for discharging air passing through the filter is provided. A container formed and further supplied with air from the humidity adjusting means above the filter in the filter storage chamber; a microorganism supply source for supplying microorganisms; and a microorganism supply source disposed above the filter in the filter storage chamber. A microbe injection nozzle that disperses and ejects microbes from the air, and a microbe that guides air from the container outlet and collects microbes in the air that has passed through the filter Means for evaluating a filter. 2. An air supply source includes: a blower for pumping external air; a heater for heating air from the blower; and a first pipe extending vertically and guiding the air from the blower upward from below. A humidity adjustment unit having a humidity adjustment space extending vertically, a lower part of the humidity adjustment space connected to an upper end of the first conduit, and a humidity adjustment unit provided near a lower part of the housing in the humidity adjustment space. A water injection nozzle for injecting water upward, and a second conduit having one end connected to an upper portion of the housing and the other end connected to an upper portion of the container. The filter evaluation device according to the above. 3. The air supply source is a third conduit branched from the first conduit, one end of which is connected to the first conduit.
A third conduit connected at an intermediate position of the conduit, for guiding air branched from the first conduit so as to be able to supply / shut off the air from the lower outlet of the filter storage chamber to the filter storage chamber through the filter; The filter evaluation device according to claim 2, wherein an openable and closable exhaust port that exhausts air from the third conduit to the outside is formed in the filter storage chamber of the container. 4. A microorganism supply source includes: a microorganism storage tank for storing microorganisms; a supply tank connected to the microorganism injection nozzle for storing microorganisms supplied to the microorganism injection nozzle; and a microorganism storage tank for supplying microorganisms from the microorganism storage tank to the supply tank. A supply means connected to the microorganism injection nozzle and a compressed gas source for supplying a compressed gas for injecting microorganisms to the microorganism injection nozzle. The filter evaluation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a venturi for sucking air. 5. A partition member for partitioning an internal space is provided in the container, and the partition member forms an air storage chamber for storing air from the humidity adjusting means above the filter storage chamber. An air supply port is formed behind the microorganism injection nozzle and on an extension of the axis of the microorganism injection nozzle, and air from the air storage chamber is supplied to the filter storage chamber through the air supply port. Claims 1-4
The filter evaluation device according to any one of the above. 6. A fourth conduit having one end connected to the lower outlet of the container and the other end connected to the microorganism collecting means, wherein the fourth conduit is provided at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the fourth conduit. A fourth pipeline to which the other end of the three pipelines are connected, a first on-off valve interposed in the middle of the second pipeline, and a second on-off valve interposed in the middle of the third pipeline. A third on-off valve for opening and closing the exhaust port of the filter storage chamber of the container, and a position opposite to the container with respect to a connection position between the other end of the third line and the fourth line at a midway position of the fourth line. A fourth opening / closing valve interposed on the side, a first operation of supplying air containing microorganisms whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted to the filter, and a second operation of supplying air having adjusted temperature to the filter, which is alternately repeated. Control means for controlling the operation so that the total cumulative operation time becomes a predetermined value, In one operation, the air temperature, humidity and operation time are controlled so as to be predetermined values, the first and fourth on-off valves are opened, and the second and third on-off valves are closed. In the second operation, the air temperature and the operation time are controlled so as to be predetermined values, the first and fourth on-off valves are closed, and the second and third on-off valves are closed. When the first operation is switched to the second operation, the closing operation of the first on-off valve and the opening operation of the third on-off valve are performed in synchronization with each other, and the closing operation of the fourth on-off valve is performed. Control to delay the opening operation of the third on-off valve by a predetermined time, and to perform opening operation of the second on-off valve by a predetermined time later than the closing operation of the fourth on-off valve;
When switching from the second operation to the first operation, the closing operation of the second on-off valve and the opening operation of the fourth on-off valve are performed in synchronization, and the closing operation of the third on-off valve is performed more than the opening operation of the fourth on-off valve. 4. A control means for performing a delay by a predetermined time, and further controlling the opening operation of the first on-off valve to be delayed by a predetermined time from the closing operation of the third on-off valve. 6. The filter evaluation device according to any one of claims 5 to 5. 7. An evaporator having cooling fins and supplied with a refrigerant, wherein air containing microorganisms comes into contact with the fins of the evaporator to form dew, and dew water containing microorganisms is stored in a drain pan. In an evaporator test environment generating device in which microorganisms propagate in the evaporator to generate slime, an air supply source that supplies air having a predetermined temperature, and water is injected into the air from the air supply source to generate air It has a humidity adjusting means for adjusting the humidity to a desired humidity, and a test environment chamber extending vertically, and the evaporator to be tested is stored in a lower portion of the test environment chamber,
A container having an openable / closable exhaust port for exhausting the air that has come into contact with the evaporator to be tested to the outside, and further having air supplied from the humidity adjusting means above the evaporator in the test environment chamber; A microbial source that provides
A microorganism injection nozzle for dispersing and ejecting microorganisms from a microorganism supply source.