JP2001523560A - Dehumidification system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the overall efficiency of a system in a dehumidification field, particularly in a dehumidifier using a desiccant, by using a new method for transferring heat used for regeneration of a desiccant liquid. . A dehumidification system (10) includes a dehumidification chamber (12) into which humid air is introduced and which is derived as low humid air after dehumidification, and a desiccant liquid (28) stored in at least one storage (30). A desiccant liquid (28) is transferred from the at least one reservoir (30) to the dehumidification chamber (12) such that the desiccant liquid (28) is returned to the at least one reservoir (30) after absorbing the moisture of the humid air. A conduit (13), a regenerator (32) for receiving and removing moisture from the desiccant liquid from the at least one reservoir, and a desiccant liquid refluxed to the at least one reservoir after removing the moisture. A second conduit through which desiccant liquid is transferred from said at least one reservoir (30) to a regenerator (32), and transferring heat of the desiccant liquid in the first conduit to drying in the second conduit. Heat port to transfer to solution (44).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

 The present invention relates to the field of dehumidification, and more particularly to improving the efficiency of a dehumidifier using a drying agent.

[0002]

[Prior art]

There are two significant problems with large scale dehumidification systems that use desiccants. One is that the discharged dry air is warmer than the original moist air. This is because the air is heated by the latent heat of evaporation when moisture is removed from the air and by heat from a desiccant that is milder than the heating by the latent heat of evaporation but is generally hotter than the air. A second problem is that regeneration of the desiccant requires considerable energy.

In a dehumidifying system using a liquid desiccant, dehumidification is performed by passing air through a tank filled with the desiccant. Here, the moist air is introduced into the tank from the moist air inlet, and the dry air is led out from the dry air outlet. One example of a system that uses a desiccant is to inject a desiccant in a reservoir into a tank, where the desiccant droplets fall through humid air to absorb moisture. The desiccant is then collected in a reservoir for reuse. This increases the water content in the desiccant.

[0004] Saturated desiccant is stored in a reservoir and fed to a regenerator. Here, the regenerator heats the desiccant to separate water as steam. The regenerated desiccant heated in this process is returned to the reservoir for reuse. The air is heated considerably during the moisture absorption process because the air is heated by the moisture absorption process and the desiccant is heated by the regeneration process.

As an example of an apparatus for circulating a hygroscopic liquid such as a lithium chloride (LiCl) desiccant, US Pat. No. 4,939,906. In this patent, a finned tube is provided in the boiler for flowing the heating desiccant. The patent also discloses preheating by transferring the heat of the desiccant derived from the tank directly to a saturated desiccant before being introduced into the boiler for final regeneration.

As another example of an air dehumidification system in which a liquid desiccant is repeatedly circulated, US Pat. 4,635,446,4,691,530,4,7
23,417. Many of these systems transfer heat from one part of the dehumidifier to another to increase efficiency.

In general, regeneration of a liquid desiccant requires heating with energy consumption.

[0008]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The present invention, in some of its embodiments, uses a new method of transferring heat used to regenerate the desiccant liquid, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the system.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, heat is extracted from the liquid desiccant by a heat pump, particularly preferably in a moisture collector unit, and sent to a heating coil of a regenerator. Therefore, the total amount of energy consumed in the system can be reduced. Also, the desiccant liquid in contact with the humid air introduced into the system by the transfer of energy is cooled.

Further, in a preferred aspect of the present invention, the heat energy obtained from the air containing moisture discharged from the regenerator, the heated desiccant discharged from the regenerator, and the air discharged from the dehumidifier This heats the desiccant in the path or in the regeneration tank.

According to one preferred aspect of the present invention, the relative humidity of the treated air is automatically adjusted in the provided dehumidifier, so that the temperature of the air introduced into the dehumidifier and the temperature of the air introduced into the dehumidifier are controlled. Even when the humidity decreases, the relative humidity of the air derived from the dehumidifier is kept approximately constant. Further, preferably, the temperature of the derived air depends on the state of the introduced air, that is, if the temperature and the relative humidity of the air introduced into the dehumidifier decrease, the temperature of the derived air decreases.

Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a dehumidifying chamber into which humid air is introduced and led out as low-humidity air after dehumidification; a desiccant liquid stored in at least one reservoir; A first desiccant liquid is transferred from the at least one reservoir to a dehumidification chamber such that the desiccant liquid is returned to the at least one reservoir after absorbing moisture.
A regenerator receiving desiccant liquid from the at least one reservoir to remove moisture; and a desiccant liquid refluxed to the at least one reservoir after removing the moisture, wherein the desiccant liquid is returned to the at least one storage. A second conduit transferred from the vessel to the regenerator; and a heat pump for transferring heat of the desiccant liquid in the first conduit to the desiccant liquid in the second conduit. Is done.

Preferably, the heat pump includes a first heat exchanger for receiving heat of the desiccant liquid in the first conduit, and a second heat for receiving heat of the desiccant liquid in the second conduit. An exchanger and a compressor.

[0014] Preferably, the regenerator has a regeneration chamber for removing moisture from the desiccant liquid by contacting the introduced air. Preferably, the air is cooled by the air before being introduced into the regeneration chamber, so as to increase the moisture removing ability of the air.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the heat pump has an additional heat exchanger for transferring heat from the refrigerant after leaving the second heat exchanger. Preferably, the regenerator has a regeneration chamber for removing moisture from the desiccant liquid by contacting the introduced air. Preferably, the additional heat exchanger is cooled by air before being introduced into the regeneration chamber, increasing the moisture removal capacity of the air.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the system has a control unit for controlling an amount of heat transferred by the heat pump.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, the at least one reservoir is a first reservoir from which desiccant liquid is transported by the first conduit, and the at least one reservoir is transported by the second conduit. And a second reservoir to which the desiccant liquid from is transferred. Preferably, the temperature difference between the first reservoir and the second reservoir is such that the temperature difference between the first and second reservoirs is kept constant.

[0018] Preferably, there is provided a conduit which communicates with the first and second storages so that the water levels of the two are substantially equal.

Further, the dehumidification system further provided by a preferred aspect of the present invention includes: a dehumidification chamber into which humid air is introduced and led out as low humid air after dehumidification; and a desiccant liquid stored in a first reservoir. A first conduit through which desiccant liquid is transferred from the first reservoir to a dehumidification chamber so as to return to the at least one reservoir after absorbing moisture of the humid air; A desiccant liquid stored in a vessel, a regenerator for receiving the desiccant liquid from the second storage and removing moisture, and a desiccant liquid refluxed to the second storage after removing the water. And a second conduit transferred from the second reservoir to the regenerator, wherein the temperature difference between the first and second reservoirs is maintained approximately constant.

Preferably, said dehumidification system communicates with said first and second reservoirs,
It has a conduit which makes the water level of both of them almost the same.

Preferably, the conduit only mixes a predetermined amount of desiccant liquid between the two reservoirs so that a temperature difference between the two is maintained. Preferably, the temperature difference is 5 ° C. or more and 10 ° C.
Above, it is 15 degrees C or more.

Preferably, there is provided a means for mixing an additional predetermined amount between the two reservoirs.

An air conditioner further provided by a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes: an enclosure including an air conditioner having an air outlet for conditioned air and introducing air from an air inlet; A first conduit having an air outlet connected to the air inlet; a second conduit having an air outlet connected to the air outlet connected to the air outlet; The air conditioner is installed on the partition so that the introduction part to the first conduit and the lead-out part from the second conduit are located on the second surface of the partition, in contact with one surface. Installation surface, and

Preferably, the first conduit and the second conduit transfer air from a first surface side of the partition to a second surface side of the partition. Preferably, the installation surface is to be installed on a window frame, and around the first conduit and the second conduit, the window is closed on the conduit. A seal member is provided around the conduit, sometimes sealing the first side of the bulkhead from the second side.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the air conditioner is a dehumidifier.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the air conditioner is an air conditioner provided with a heat pump, and air introduced into the air inlet contacts a cold surface of the heat pump to be cooled.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the air conditioner is a combination of an air conditioner provided with a heat pump and a dehumidifier, and air introduced into the air inlet comes into contact with a cold surface of the heat pump. And cooled.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the dehumidifier is the aforementioned dehumidification system.

The present invention can be more clearly and fully understood with the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different drawings correspond to the same features.

[0030]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The dehumidification system 10 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has two main parts, a dehumidification chamber 12 and a regeneration unit 32. The humid air is introduced into the dehumidification chamber 12 through the humid air inlet 14, and the dry air exiting the dehumidification chamber 12 is supplied to the dry air outlet 16.
Derived from

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, desiccant 28 is pumped by pump 20 from desiccant reservoir 30 through pipe 13 to a series of nozzles 22. The desiccant is injected into the dehumidification chamber 12 by these nozzles. Preferably, the dehumidification chamber 12 is filled with a cellulose sponge member 24. Sponge member 2
No. 4 is generally used in this field as a material satisfying such a purpose. The desiccant slowly penetrates downward in the sponge member and reaches the reservoir 30. The moist air introduced into the chamber through the inlet 14 comes into contact with the desiccant droplets. The desiccant absorbs water vapor from the humid air because it is hygroscopic, and the air with reduced humidity is led out through the outlet 16. Preferably, the reservoir 30 is located at the bottom of the chamber 12 and the desiccant in the sponge 24 drops directly into said reservoir.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the desiccant is pumped from a portion of the reservoir 30 to the pipe 13 by the pump 35 and its drive motor 37. The distributor 38 delivers the desiccant flowing from the pipe 13 to the nozzle 22 and the regeneration unit 32. In addition, a valve or throttle 39 (preferably a valve or throttle that can be automatically controlled) is provided to control the ratio of the desiccant flowing into the regenerator 32. If the valve or the throttle can be automatically controlled, the total amount of the desiccant is suitably controlled in response to the amount of moisture contained in the desiccant.

[0033] A heat exchanger 36 mounted in the chamber 34 heats the desiccant to desorb the water vapor absorbed by the desiccant, and the desiccant is regenerated.

The regenerated liquid desiccant is returned to the reservoir 30 via the pipe 40 and the tube 42 made of the same material as the sponge member in the chamber 12. Tube 40 is preferably mounted in a chamber 58 having an inlet 60 and an outlet 62. Air, which is usually taken in from outside the area where the air conditioning is taking place, is introduced through the inlet 60 and carries away moisture evaporating from the still hot desiccant in the tube 42. The air is exhausted from the outlet 62 to carry away this moisture and the moisture from which the desiccant has been desorbed in the regenerator. Air in chamber 58 is sucked out by a fan (not shown) preferably attached to outlet 62.

The regenerated desiccant liquid is brought into thermal contact with (but not directly contacted with) the regenerated desiccant liquid or the flow path of the desiccant liquid in the regenerator by a heat transfer mechanism (not shown) to regenerate heat A configuration for moving from the desiccant liquid to the desiccant in the regenerator or the desiccant in the regenerator may be added or replaced. Arrangements may be added or substituted for delivering more energy from the desiccant exiting the regenerator by a heat pump to the hotter desiccant entering the regenerator. In this case, the desiccant returning to the reservoir will be cooler than the desiccant entering the chamber 34.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, heat pump system 44 removes heat from the desiccant in reservoir 30 and supplies energy to heat exchanger 36. Preferably, the heat pump has a second heat exchanger 46, the evaporator of the system, and an expansion valve 56 in the reservoir 30 (in addition to the heat exchanger 36, the condenser of the system).
By transferring heat in this manner, the temperature of the desiccant in contact with the humid air is reduced, thereby lowering the temperature of the dry air. Also, by transferring heat in this manner, the total amount of energy required to operate the regenerator can typically be reduced by up to three times. Since the energy consumed in the regeneration process is a major part of the energy required by the system, reducing the energy usage can very effectively increase the overall efficiency of the system.
The desiccant in the regenerator may be directly heated by the heating coil to supplement the heating by the above-described method.

The proportion of water vapor contained in the desiccant in the reservoir 30 and the regenerated desiccant is approximately within a certain range, and the range depends particularly on the amount of the desiccant used. The lower limit of the required water content is the amount required to dissolve the desiccant, and if it is equal to or more than the lower limit, the desiccant remains in a liquid state. If the water content is too high, the effect of the desiccant to remove moisture from the air in the chamber 12 is weakened. Therefore, it is necessary to control by observing the water content. Some desiccants maintain a liquid state even when they do not absorb moisture. There is no need to strictly control the water content. That is, the regeneration process should be performed only when the water content exceeds a predetermined value (consuming energy).

Since the volume of the desiccant increases when the desiccant absorbs moisture, the above observation is generally performed by measuring the volume of the desiccant. A preferred method of measuring the volume of liquid in the reservoir is to measure the air pressure in a container 50 provided with an opening below and the opening being in the liquid in the reservoir. Pressure gauge 54 from container 50
The tube 52 extends toward. When the volume of the desiccant increases due to the absorption of moisture, the pressure indicated by the pressure gauge 52 increases. Since the amount of liquid in the chamber and in the regenerator is always constant, this is an excellent indicator of the total amount of desiccant liquid and thus the water content of the desiccant liquid. When the water content exceeds the set value, the heater in the chamber 34 is turned on. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the heater is switched off when the water content falls below another set value which is smaller than the set value.

Other factors that can influence the point at which the regeneration process is performed / stopped include the temperature of the drying air, the regeneration efficiency of the desiccant, and the efficiency of the heat pump. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, particularly for use in air cooling systems such as ice skating rinks, it is desirable to directly heat the desiccant during the regeneration process.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a heat pump or other heat transfer means (not shown for simplicity of the drawing) is provided with dry air drawn out of the chamber 12 or the regeneration chamber 3.
Heat is transferred from the hot and humid air exhausted from 4 to heat the desiccant in or in chamber 34. When using a heat pump,
The temperature of the heat source can be lower than the temperature of the desiccant to which the heat is transferred.

By lowering the temperature of the desiccant in the reservoir, the temperature of the dry air derived from the dehumidifier is made equal to the temperature of the wet air introduced into the dehumidifier, or preferably the dry air is further cooled. It can be reduced as in the case of cooling. This characteristic is effective when the dehumidifier is used in a high temperature environment where the ambient temperature is originally high.

As described above, one of the problems of the dehumidifying system is to determine the moisture contained in the desiccant liquid and keep the amount of moisture contained in the desiccant liquid of the dehumidifier within an appropriate range.

FIG. 2 shows a dehumidifier 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Since this dehumidifier automatically adjusts the amount of water contained in the desiccant liquid, there is no need to measure the amount of water contained in the desiccant liquid. Furthermore, the dehumidifier does not need to be particularly controlled or stopped,
Operate to the preset humidity and then do not dehumidify.

The dehumidifier 100 is similar to the dehumidifier 10 of FIG. 1, except for a few obvious differences. First, the system does not measure the desiccant volume because it does not need to measure the water content. However, the above measurement may be performed in case the liquid is concentrated more than necessary.

Second, a heat pump controls the transfer of heat between the two flow paths through which the desiccant liquid flows from the reservoir 30 (which is conveniently divided into two sections 30A and 30B connected by a pipe 30C). That's what it does. The first flow path is pump system 130
And the second flow path is pumped by the pump system 132 to the regeneration unit 32 via conduit 104.

Preferably, as a main effect of the pipe 30C (including the bypass pipe in the figure),
The liquid levels of the liquid at the portion 30A and the portion 30B are kept substantially the same. Generally, it is desirable that the temperatures of the two parts of the reservoir be different. Therefore, the concentration of the desiccant in the two portions is different. However, it is generally considered desirable to mix the two parts to some extent, and water is transferred from one part to the other part by pumping up via a bypass pipe in the figure. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the temperature difference is 5
The temperature is adjusted to be not less than 10 ° C, preferably the temperature difference is not less than 10 ° C, and most preferably the temperature difference is not less than 15 ° C. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the reservoir portion 30A is 30 ° C. or more, and the temperature of the reservoir portion 30B is 15 ° C. or less.

FIG. 2 shows another structure of the regeneration unit 32 similar to the dehumidification section. Further, FIG. 2 does not include a cellulose sponge member in any of the sections.
This may or may not be in any of the embodiments described in FIGS.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is a modification of the embodiment shown in either FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, an injection nozzle is not used. Rather, a drip system is used instead of the injection nozzle to drip the liquid onto the cellulose sponge to continuously wet the sponge.

FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the drip system for wetting the sponge 24. The gutter 200 of the present system, preferably in the form of a sawtooth halved pipe, is desiccant liquid 28
Is filled with The desiccant liquid flows from the sawtooth formed along the longitudinal direction of the conduit to uniformly wet the sponge. When a sponge is used, spraying and spraying the desiccant liquid into the air causes the desiccant liquid to flow away therefrom. Therefore, it is generally preferable not to perform spraying. Other techniques for wetting the sponge 24 can be devised by those skilled in the art, but any such method can be included in the practice of the present invention.

The heat pump system 44 shown in FIG.
The heat is transferred to the desiccant liquid in 4. The heat pump system 44 preferably further includes elements of the embodiment described in FIG. 1, namely, an additional heat exchanger 136 that transfers heat from the refrigerant downstream of the heat exchanger 104 to the desiccant regeneration air. Preferably,
The compressor is also cooled by air for desiccant regeneration. However, if the air becomes very hot, the compressor and refrigerant may be cooled by other air that is not introduced into the regenerator. Such air may be used only for such cooling.

By heating the air introduced into the regenerator, the ability of the air to remove moisture from the desiccant is improved. The heat pump 44 can transfer a certain amount of heat. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the humidity can be set by controlling the amount of heat moving between the two flow paths.

In the system shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the temperature of the air introduced into the chamber 12 of the dehumidifier is 30 ° C. and the humidity is 100%. Further, the humidity is reduced to 35% while maintaining the temperature by removing moisture from the air. Here, the total amount of heat of the desiccant liquid moving between the two flow paths is the same as the heat required to evaporate moisture from the air. Therefore, the temperature of the desiccant liquid that has dropped from the chamber 12 to the reservoir 20 is the same as the temperature of the desiccant liquid that flows into the chamber 12. However, the desiccant liquid absorbs a considerable amount of moisture from the air.

It is further assumed that the regenerator desorbs the moisture absorbed in the precedent from the desiccant liquid at the same temperature and humidity as in the precedent. In this case, it may be necessary to apply heat (in addition to the heat obtained from the heat pump).

Furthermore, assume that the humidity of the air introduced into the dehumidifier is lower, for example, 80%. Under such humidity (the efficiency of water removal depends on the humidity)
The amount of water removed is reduced, and the temperature of the desiccant liquid discharged from the dehumidification chamber is also reduced. However, since the amount of moisture absorbed by the desiccant liquid derived from the dehumidification chamber is reduced, the amount of moisture removed from the desiccant liquid in the regenerator is also reduced. As a result, less water is removed and the temperature of the desiccant liquid is lower,
A new equilibrium arises. The cooler desiccant cools the air and thus the temperature of the air also decreases. However, the relative humidity of the air hardly changes. Similar effects can be obtained even when the temperature of the introduced air is low.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the system is automatically adjusted so that the dehumidification operation stops at a predetermined humidity. The humidity at which the dehumidifying operation is stopped depends on the capacity and performance of the desiccant liquid ejected from the nozzle 22 to absorb moisture, and the capacity of the desiccant liquid ejected from the nozzle 22 'to remove moisture.

Generally, when the humidity (relative humidity) of the air at the inlet 14 decreases, the amount of moisture that can be removed by the dehumidifier decreases. Thus, the desiccant liquid is cooled each time it passes through conduit 102,
The concentration of the desiccant liquid within 30B approaches a certain value. Similarly, as the amount of water removed from the air decreases, the concentration of the desiccant liquid in 30A increases, and the amount of water desorbed from the desiccant liquid also decreases (when the desiccant liquid is heated). At a certain point, the absorption and desorption of moisture by the desiccant liquid are not performed, and the air is neither dehumidified nor humidified, so that both absorption and desorption of moisture by the desiccant liquid are stopped.

The humidity at that point can be set by changing the amount of heat transferred between conduit 102 and conduit 104. As the amount of heat increases, the throughput of both the dehumidification chamber and the regenerator increases, and the humidity at the equilibrium point decreases. As the amount of heat decreases, the humidity at the equilibrium point increases. Note that the equilibrium point is somewhat affected by the temperature of the air introduced into the regenerator.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a state in which the dehumidifying system 110 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed in a window. In this manner, all of the components described in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 are contained within an enclosure 112 suspended by a room window 114. Preferably,
System 110 hangs on window sill 118 and has a U-shaped support member rigidly secured to enclosure 112. Two conduits 14 and 15 pass through the window 112, each of which corresponds to an air inlet 14 and a dehumidified air outlet 16 in FIGS. A window closes on the conduit to isolate the room from the outside.
The power cord 120 is connected to a power outlet inside the window and supplies power to the dehumidifying unit. Preferably, a panel is provided inside the window to which the control means is attached and which provides a suitable grid for the inlet 14 and outlet 16. FIG. 3 also shows an inlet 60 and an outlet 62 for discharging hot and moist air. In addition, it is also possible to control the inlet 60 to perform indoor ventilation.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the configuration shown in FIG. 4 is applied to a combination of an air conditioner and a dehumidifier, or to another air conditioning mechanism for cooling by bringing air introduced from an inlet into contact with a cold surface of a heat pump. I do. For air conditioning, both heat exchangers are located outside the window, the room air is supplied to the radiator of the air conditioner through the conduit 14, and the cooled air passes through the conduit 16 from the radiator. Released into the room via

As described above, the unit shown in FIG. 4 has low noise because the air conditioning unit is divided, and can be easily installed on a window.

The present invention has been described using an example of the preferred embodiment described above. Various preferred embodiments that can be implemented and devised by those skilled in the art are within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a dehumidifying unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another example of a dehumidifying unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system for wetting a sponge with a desiccant liquid in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred structure of a dehumidifying unit mounted on a window in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Dehumidification system 12 Dehumidification chamber 13 Pipe 14 Wet air inlet 16 Dry air outlet 20 Pump 22 Nozzle 24 Sponge member 28 Desiccant 30 Desiccant reservoir 30A First part 30B Second part 30C Pipe 32 Regeneration unit 34 Chamber 35 Pump 36 Heat Exchanger 37 Motor 40 Pipe 42 Tube 44 Heat Pump System 50 Container 52 Tube 54 Pressure Gauge 58 Chamber 60 Inlet 62 Outlet 100 Dehumidifier 102 Duct 104 Duct 110 Dehumidifying System 112 Enclosure 114 Window 118 Lower Frame 120 Power Cord 130 Pump System 132 Pump system 200 gutter

[Procedural Amendment] Submission of translation of Article 34 Amendment of the Patent Cooperation Treaty

[Submission date] January 11, 2000 (2000.1.11)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0038

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Since the volume of the desiccant increases when the desiccant absorbs moisture, the above observation is generally performed by measuring the volume of the desiccant. A preferred method of measuring the volume of liquid in the reservoir is to measure the air pressure in a container 50 provided with an opening below and the opening being in the liquid in the reservoir. Pressure gauge 52 from container 50
The tube 52 extends toward. When the volume of the desiccant increases due to the absorption of moisture, the pressure indicated by the pressure gauge 52 increases. Since the amount of liquid in the chamber and in the regenerator is always constant, this is an excellent indicator of the total amount of desiccant liquid and thus the water content of the desiccant liquid. When the water content exceeds the set value, the heater in the chamber 34 is turned on. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the heater is switched off when the water content falls below another set value which is smaller than the set value.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG.

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 5, 2001 (2001.3.5)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IS, JP, KE, KG , KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZWF terms (reference) 3L053 BC03 BC08 4D052 AA08 CF01 DA08 GB02 HA14

Claims (26)

[Claims] 1. A dehumidifying chamber into which humid air is introduced and which is discharged as low-humidity air after dehumidification; a desiccant liquid stored in at least one reservoir; and the at least one storage after absorbing moisture of the humid air. A first desiccant liquid is transferred from the at least one reservoir to the dehumidification chamber so as to be refluxed to the vessel.
A regenerator receiving desiccant liquid from the at least one reservoir to remove moisture; and a desiccant liquid refluxed to the at least one reservoir after removing the moisture, wherein the desiccant liquid is returned to the at least one storage. A dehumidification system comprising: a second conduit transferred from a vessel to a regenerator; and a heat pump configured to transfer heat of the desiccant liquid in the first conduit to the desiccant liquid in the second conduit. 2. A heat exchanger for receiving heat of the desiccant liquid in the first conduit, and a second heat exchanger for receiving heat of the desiccant liquid in the second conduit. The system of claim 1, comprising a vessel and a compressor. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the regenerator has a regeneration chamber for contacting the introduced air to remove moisture from the desiccant liquid. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the compressor is cooled by air before being introduced into the regeneration chamber to increase the moisture removal capacity of the air. 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the heat pump has an additional heat exchanger that transfers heat from the refrigerant after exiting the second heat exchanger. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the regenerator has a regeneration chamber for contacting the introduced air to remove moisture from the desiccant liquid. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the additional heat exchanger is cooled by air before being introduced into the regeneration chamber to increase the moisture removal capacity of the air. 8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling an amount of heat transferred by the heat pump. 9. The at least one reservoir, a first reservoir from which desiccant liquid is transferred by the first conduit, and a desiccant liquid therefrom by the second conduit. A system according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: 10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the temperature difference between said first and second reservoirs is kept constant. 11. A system according to claim 9 or claim 10, comprising a conduit in communication with said first and second reservoirs, such that the water levels of both are substantially equal. 12. A dehumidifying chamber into which humid air is introduced and led out as low humid air after dehumidification; a desiccant solution stored in a first reservoir; and the at least one storage after absorbing moisture of the humid air. A first conduit through which desiccant liquid is transferred from the first reservoir to the dehumidification chamber so as to be returned to the vessel; a desiccant liquid stored in a second reservoir; and the second storage. A regenerator for receiving the desiccant liquid from the vessel to remove moisture, and a desiccant liquid refluxed to the second reservoir after removing the moisture is transferred from the second reservoir to the regenerator. A dehumidification system comprising: two conduits; 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a conduit in communication with said first and second reservoirs, such that the water levels of both are substantially equal. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the conduit only mixes a predetermined amount of desiccant liquid between the two reservoirs such that a temperature difference between the two is maintained. 15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the temperature difference is at least 5 ° C. 16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said temperature difference is at least 10 ° C. 17. The system according to claim 15, wherein said temperature difference is at least 15 ° C. 18. The system according to claim 11, further comprising means for effecting an additional predetermined amount of mixing between the two reservoirs. 19. The system according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined amount mixing causes a concentration difference between the desiccant liquids of the first and second reservoirs. 20. An enclosure having an air outlet for introducing air from an air inlet having an air outlet for conditioned air, an air inlet, and an air outlet connected to the air inlet. A second conduit having an air outlet and an air inlet connected to the air outlet; and wherein the enclosure is in contact with a first surface of the partition wall and an inlet to the first conduit. An installation surface configured to install the air conditioner on the partition so that a lead-out portion from the second conduit is located on a second surface of the partition. 21. The first conduit and the second conduit are connected to a first of the bulkhead.
The air conditioner according to claim 20, wherein air is transferred from the surface side to the second surface side. 22. The installation surface is adapted to be installed on a window frame, and around the first conduit and the second conduit, the window is closed on the conduit. 22. The air conditioner of claim 21, comprising a seal member around the conduit that seals the first surface of the bulkhead from the second surface when performed. 23. The air conditioner according to claim 20, wherein the air conditioner is a dehumidifier. 24. The air conditioner according to claim 20, wherein the air conditioner is an air conditioner having a heat pump, and air introduced into the air inlet contacts a cold surface of the heat pump and is cooled. An air conditioner according to any one of the above. 25. The air conditioner is a combination of an air conditioner provided with a heat pump and a dehumidifier, and the air introduced into the air inlet contacts a cold surface of the heat pump and is cooled. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 20 to 22. 26. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the dehumidifier is the dehumidification system according to any one of claims 1 to 12.