JP2002257376A - Dehumidifying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dehumidifying device capable of supplying dry air continuously without causing icing on the heat transfer surface of the evaporator of a heat pump by dehumidified moisture. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a booster 3 raising the pressure of refrigerant, a condenser 4 condensing the refrigerant to heat regenerated air T, an evaporator 2 evaporating the refrigerant to cool down outside air Q to the temperature of a dew point or below, the first heat exchanger 51 evaporating the refrigerant at the intermediate pressure between the condensing pressure of the condenser 4 and the evaporating pressure of the evaporator 2 to cool down the outside air OA, the second heat exchanger 52 condensing the refrigerant at the intermediate pressure to heat the air R, desiccant that adsorbs the moisture of treated air V and is regenerated through the desorption of the moisture by the regenerated air T with the air heated by the second heat exchange part 52 as the treated air V and the regenerated air T, and air paths 13b and 13c connecting the first heat exchange part 51, the evaporator 2 and the second heat exchange part 52 in this order.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dehumidifier, and more particularly to a dehumidifier (external air conditioner) that processes outside air and guides the air into a room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
It is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, a conventional dehumidifier comprises a booster 301 for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser 302 for condensing the compressed refrigerant and heating the outside air OA, and a condensing refrigerant which is depressurized by a throttle 303. An evaporator 304 for evaporating the air to cool the outside air OA below the dew point temperature and a blower 305 for supplying the outside air OA to the air-conditioned space 100 are provided.
The evaporator 304 cools the outside air OA below the dew point, and
The water in A is removed. Outside air OA cooled below the dew point
Is heated by the condenser 302 and supplied to the air-conditioned space 100. The external air O flowing through the evaporator 304 is formed by the booster 301, the condenser 302, the throttle 303, and the evaporator 304.
A heat pump HP for pumping heat from A to outside air OA flowing through the condenser 302 is configured.

[0003]

However, in the conventional dehumidifier, the operating temperature of the evaporator 304 in the heat pump HP falls below the freezing point, so that the dehumidified moisture becomes ice on the heat transfer surface and land on the heat transfer surface. This may hinder heat transfer and make continuous operation impossible. Therefore, in the conventional dehumidifier, the absolute humidity is 4 g / kg.
Dry air below DA could not be supplied.

As a method for obtaining air having a low dew point temperature, that is, a low absolute humidity, there is known a method of adsorbing moisture using a desiccant to dehumidify. However, in a conventional dehumidifier using a desiccant, for example, with respect to outside air having a high absolute humidity exceeding 20 g / kg DA in the midsummer, the heat of adsorption becomes an obstacle and the humidity cannot be reduced. Did not. Further, in the dehumidifier using the desiccant, an electric heater is used to heat the regeneration air for regenerating the desiccant, and there is a problem that the operation cost is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art. Even if air is dehumidified, the dehumidified water does not land on the heat transfer surface of the evaporator of the heat pump as ice. An object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifier capable of continuously supplying dry air of 4 g / kg DA or less in absolute humidity.

[0006]

In order to solve the problems in the prior art, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a booster for increasing the pressure of a refrigerant and a condenser for condensing the refrigerant and heating regeneration air. A condenser, an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant to cool the external air to a temperature below the dew point, and a refrigerant passage connecting the condenser and the evaporator. First heat exchange means for evaporating the refrigerant at a pressure intermediate to the evaporating pressure of the vessel to cool the external air, and a refrigerant passage connecting the condenser and the evaporator, Second heat exchanging means for condensing the refrigerant at an intermediate pressure between the condensing pressure and the evaporating pressure of the evaporator to heat the external air, and treating the external air heated by the second heat exchanging means with treated air and As the regeneration air, the moisture of the above treated air is A desiccant that is attached and regenerated by desorbing moisture with the regenerated air, and an air path that connects the first heat exchange means, the evaporator, and the second heat exchange means in this order. It is a dehumidifier characterized by the above-mentioned.

[0007] With such a configuration, a part of moisture is condensed in the air due to the cooling by the first heat exchange means, and the moisture content can be reduced. Before being cooled by the evaporator,
After being cooled (pre-cooled) by the first heat exchanging means and cooled by the evaporator, it is heated (pre-heated) by the second heat exchanging means, so that a low sensible heat ratio operation can be performed. Also,
Since moisture is adsorbed on the processing air by the moisture adsorbing device, the humidity of the processing air is greatly reduced, and dry air can be supplied.

Further, before cooling in the evaporator, the air can be pre-cooled by the first heat exchange means, and the pre-cooled cold heat can be recovered from the air once cooled in the evaporator, and the operation coefficient is high. It is possible to provide a dehumidifier provided with a heat pump. In addition, a dehumidifier having a high dehumidifying capacity per energy consumption can be provided. As described above, the amount of heat required is smaller than the amount of heat required for the electric heater for heating the regenerating air for regenerating the desiccant, and the power consumption can be reduced because the heat pump has high energy efficiency.

Further, the air heated by the second heat exchange means may be mixed with the air in the room to which the processing air is supplied to generate regenerated air. The performance of the dehumidifier can be improved by taking in air from the room to which the dehumidified processing air is supplied as ventilation and adding the air to the regeneration air.

Further, in a preferred aspect of the present invention, the first heat exchange means and the second heat exchange means are configured such that air flowing through each heat exchange means flows opposite to each other. The refrigerant path is formed in the first heat exchange means and the second heat exchange means in at least a pair of first penetration portions in a first plane substantially orthogonal to the flow of air. A first surface and a second surface substantially perpendicular to the air flow different from the first surface. 1
An intermediate stop is provided at a position where the intermediate stop moves from within the plane to the second plane.

[0011] With this configuration, from the viewpoint of heat exchange between the air, since it is counter-current heat exchange, high heat exchange efficiency can be achieved. A second surface having at least a pair of first through portions and a second through portion in the first surface, forming a pair of refrigerant paths, and being substantially orthogonal to a flow of regenerated air different from the first surface; Since the heat exchanger has at least a pair of first through portions and a second through portion in the plane and forms a pair of refrigerant paths, the heat exchanger can be formed as a small and compact as a whole. In addition, since an intermediate throttle is provided at a position where the inside of the first surface moves into the second surface, the pressure of evaporation or condensation of the first and second penetration portions in the second surface is reduced by the first surface. Can be set to a value lower than the pressure of the evaporation or condensation of the first and second through-portions, so that the heat exchange between the air flowing through the respective through-portions can be close to the counter-flow heat exchange, Heat exchange efficiency can be increased. Note that the shapes of the first surface and the second surface are typically rectangular planes.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a branch refrigerant path branched in a plurality of rows between the condenser and the evaporator is provided, and the first heat exchange means and the first heat exchange means are provided in the branch refrigerant path. It is characterized in that the second heat exchange means is provided.

With such a configuration, the operating temperature of the refrigerant can be changed in a stepwise manner, so that the heat exchange efficiency can be improved. Here, when the heat exchange efficiency φ is TP1, the inlet temperature of the heat exchanger of the high-temperature fluid is T, the outlet temperature is T, the heat exchanger inlet temperature of the low-temperature fluid is TC1, and the outlet temperature is TC2, When attention is paid to the cooling of the fluid, that is, when the purpose of the heat exchange is cooling, φ = (T
P1-TP2) / (TP1-TC1) When focusing on the heating of a low-temperature fluid, that is, when the purpose of heat exchange is heating, φ = (TC2-TC1) / (TP1-TC1). Things.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a dehumidifier according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the dehumidifier in the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a flow in the dehumidifier of FIG. The dehumidifier in this embodiment cools the air OA introduced from the outside to a temperature below its dew point to recover water as dew condensation water, and dehumidifies the air using a desiccant. HP1. By supplying the air SA whose humidity has been reduced by the dehumidifying device to the air-conditioned space 100, the air-conditioned space 100 is maintained at a low humidity.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dehumidifying device has a blower 1 for introducing air OA from the outside, an evaporator 2 for heating and evaporating the refrigerant, and a gas which is evaporated by the evaporator 2. A booster 3 for compressing the refrigerant, a condenser 4 for cooling and condensing the refrigerant, and a heat exchanger 5 acting as an economizer
And a desiccant rotor 6 that is filled with a desiccant that is adsorbed by the passing regenerated air while adsorbing the moisture of the processing air passing therethrough. The heat exchanger 5 includes the evaporator 2
Heat is indirectly exchanged between the air before and after flowing into the air through a refrigerant, a first heat exchange unit 51 that evaporates the refrigerant to cool the air, and condenses the refrigerant to air And a second heat exchange section 52 for heating the heat exchanger. These devices are housed inside a cabinet 10, and the cabinet 10 is formed as, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped case made of a thin steel plate.

An intake port 11 is opened at the uppermost part of the front surface of the cabinet 10, and air OA from outside is introduced into the dehumidifier through the intake port 11. A filter 12 is provided near the intake port 11 so that dust does not enter the apparatus from the outside. In the cabinet 10, an air path through which air flows is formed by a partition plate extending in the horizontal or vertical direction, and the air OA introduced from the intake port 11 passes through the uppermost air path 13a and passes through the middle air path. 13b, and flows from the middle air path 13b to the lowermost air path 13c. Air path 13c at the bottom
The air flowing into the air is divided into two flows flowing in the upward direction and the horizontal direction. The air flowing upward becomes processing air subjected to dehumidification processing by the desiccant, and the air flowing in the horizontal direction becomes regeneration air for regenerating the desiccant.

The first heat exchange section 5 of the heat exchanger 5 is provided in the middle air path 13b along the flow direction of the air.
1, a blower 1 and an evaporator 2 are arranged in this order. Here, the evaporator 2 cools the air introduced from the outside to a temperature lower than its dew point and recovers moisture in the air as dew condensation water. A drain pan 14 is provided below the evaporator 2. A drain tank 15 is disposed in the lowermost air path 13 c located below the drain pan 14, and the moisture in the outside air OA condensed by the evaporator 2 is collected by the drain pan 14 and enters the drain tank 15. Stored. The drain pan 14 is preferably provided so as to cover not only the evaporator 2 but also the lower part of the heat exchanger 5. In the first heat exchange section 51 of the heat exchanger 5, air is mainly pre-cooled. However, since a part of moisture may be condensed here, it is particularly preferable to provide the air below the first heat exchange section 51. .

The drain tank 15, the second heat exchange section 52 of the heat exchanger 5, and the booster 3 are arranged in this order along the air flow direction in the lowermost air path 13c. As described above, near the booster 3 in the lowermost air path 13c, the air path is divided into an upward direction and a horizontal direction. Among them, the regenerated air flowing in the horizontal direction passes through the condenser 4 and the desiccant rotor 6 in order to regenerate the desiccant, and then is discharged from a discharge port 16 formed at the lowermost rear surface of the cabinet 10. On the other hand, the processing air flowing upward flows in the horizontal direction from the uppermost part in the cabinet 10, passes through the desiccant rotor 6 and is dehumidified, and then flows from the supply port 17 formed in the side surface of the cabinet 10 to the air conditioning space. 100.

The desiccant rotor 6 is formed as a thick disk-shaped rotor that rotates around a rotation axis AX extending in the horizontal direction. The rotor is filled with a desiccant with a gap through which gas can pass. For example, it is preferable to form a desiccant by bundling a large number of tubular drying elements so that their central axes are parallel to the rotation axis AX. Rotation axis AX of desiccant rotor 6
Are arranged in the horizontal direction, so that the length of the cabinet 10 in the horizontal direction can be made short and compact.

The upper half of the semicircular shape of the desiccant rotor 6 is arranged in an air path through which processing air flows, and the lower half of the semicircular shape is arranged in an air path through which regeneration air flows. The processing air and the regeneration air flow into the rotation axis AX of the desiccant rotor 6 in parallel, and flow out in the thickness direction of the disk-shaped rotor. Generally, the processing air and the regeneration air are configured so as to flow in a substantially half area of the circular desiccant rotor 6 in a counterflow manner in parallel with the rotation axis AX.

The desiccant rotor 6 is provided with a motor 6a, which is a driving machine, with its rotation axis being horizontal. The motor 6a and the desiccant rotor 6 are connected to a chain 6b.
Are coupled through. With such a configuration, the rotation of the electric motor 6a is transmitted to the desiccant rotor 6, and the desiccant rotor 6 rotates around the rotation axis AX at a rotation speed of 15 to 20h- ¹ . Each drying element is arranged so as to alternately contact the processing air and the regeneration air as the desiccant rotor 6 rotates.

As shown in FIG. 2, a refrigerant path through which the refrigerant flows is a path 40 connecting the evaporator 2 and the booster 3, a path 41 connecting the booster 3 and the condenser 4, and a condenser path. A path 42 connects the heat exchanger 4 and the heat exchanger 5, and a path 43 connects the heat exchanger 5 and the evaporator 2. In the heat exchanger 5, the refrigerant path is connected to the first heat exchange section 5.
An evaporating section that passes through the first and second heat exchange sections 52 and cools the air OA flowing through the first heat exchange section 51 by evaporating the refrigerant in the first heat exchange section 51. A second heat exchange section 52 is formed in the second heat exchange section 52 by condensing the refrigerant.
A condensing section 62 for heating the air R flowing therethrough is formed. A throttle 48 is arranged in the refrigerant path 42 on the upstream side of the first heat exchange section 51 of the heat exchanger 5, and a throttle 49 is arranged in the refrigerant path 43 on the downstream side of the second heat exchange section 52. ing. As these diaphragms 48 and 49, for example,
Orifices, capillary tubes, expansion valves, and the like can be used.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a refrigerant path in the heat exchanger 5 of the dehumidifier of FIG. A refrigerant path including the evaporating section 61 and the condensing section 62 alternately and repeatedly passes through the first heat exchange section 51 and the second heat exchange section 52. That is, the refrigerant path in the heat exchanger 5 is as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the evaporating section 61a, the condensing section 62a, and the condensing section 62 are sequentially arranged from the condenser 4 side.
b, an evaporation section 61b, an evaporation section 61c, a condensation section 62c, a condensation section 62d, an evaporation section 61d, an evaporation section 61e, and a condensation section 62e.

Here, the air OA before passing through the evaporator 2
The first heat exchange unit 51 for flowing the air R and the second heat exchange unit 52 for flowing the air R after passing through the evaporator 2 are accommodated in separate rectangular parallelepiped spaces. In these rectangular parallelepiped spaces, a plurality of heat exchange tubes are arranged in parallel on a plane orthogonal to the flow of air as refrigerant paths. The first heat exchange part 51 and the second heat exchange part 52 are provided with a partition wall 510 and a partition wall 520 adjacent to each other, and a heat exchange tube is provided through the two partition walls 510 and 520. Have been. As another form, the heat exchanger 5 divides one rectangular parallelepiped space by one partition, and a heat exchange tube penetrates the partition to connect the first heat exchange part and the second heat exchange part. You may comprise so that it may penetrate alternately.

The evaporating section 61b and the evaporating section 6
End 1c, evaporating section 61d and evaporating section 6
Each end of 1e is a U-tube (YouTube) 63
Connected by Similarly, condensing section 62
a and end of condensing section 62b, condensing section 62
c and the ends of the condensation section 62d are also connected by U-tubes 64, respectively. With such a configuration, in the refrigerant path 42, the refrigerant flowing from the evaporating section 61a toward the condensing section 62a is guided to the condensing section 62b by the U-tube 64. The refrigerant guided to the condensing section 62b further flows into the evaporating section 61b, is introduced into the evaporating section 61c by the U-tube 63, and further flows into the condensing section 62c. As described above, the refrigerant path in the heat exchanger 5 is formed by the meandering small tube group, and the small tube group passes through the inside of the first heat exchange unit 51 and the second heat exchange unit 52 while meandering, and has a high temperature. It comes into contact with air and cold air alternately.

Next, the flow of the refrigerant between the devices is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerant gas compressed by the booster 3 is guided to the condenser 4 via a refrigerant gas pipe 41 connected to a discharge port of the booster 3. In the condenser 4, the refrigerant gas compressed by the booster 3 is cooled and condensed by the regeneration air T before flowing into the desiccant rotor 6, and the regeneration air T is heated by the refrigerant.

The refrigerant liquid that has exited the condenser 4 is decompressed and expanded by the throttle 48 and a part of the refrigerant liquid evaporates (flashes).
The refrigerant in which the liquid and the gas are mixed reaches the evaporating section 61a of the first heat exchange section 51, where the refrigerant liquid flows so as to wet the inner wall of the tube of the evaporating section 61a. The refrigerant liquid is heated and evaporated by the air OA introduced from the outside while flowing through the evaporating section 61a, and the air OA before flowing into the evaporator 2 is cooled (precooled). At this time, the refrigerant itself is heated to increase the gas phase.

As described above, since the evaporating section 61a and the condensing section 62a are constituted by a series of tubes, the refrigerant gas evaporated in the evaporating section 61a (and the refrigerant liquid not evaporated) flows into the condensing section 62a. I do. In the condensing section 62a, the air R that has been cooled and dehumidified in the evaporator 2 and has a lower temperature than the air in the evaporating section 61a is heated (reheated). It flows into the next condensation section 62b. The refrigerant is further deprived of heat by the low-temperature air R while flowing through the condensing section 62b, and condenses the gas-phase refrigerant.

The condensed refrigerant liquid flows into the next evaporating section 61b and the following evaporating section 61c,
In the same manner as described above, the air OA before flowing into the evaporator 2 is cooled (precooled). Further, the refrigerant gas flows into the condensing sections 62c and 62d to heat the air R. As described above, the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant path in the heat exchanger while repeating the phase change between the gas phase and the liquid phase, and the air OA before being cooled by the evaporator 2 and the absolute humidity by being cooled by the evaporator 2. Heat exchange is performed indirectly with the reduced air R.

The refrigerant liquid condensed in the last condensing section 62e is decompressed and expanded by the throttle 49 arranged downstream of the second heat exchange section 52, and its temperature is lowered. And
The refrigerant reaches the evaporator 2 and evaporates in the evaporator 2. The air Q that has passed through the first heat exchange unit 51 is cooled by the heat of evaporation of the refrigerant. The refrigerant evaporated and gasified by the evaporator 2 is guided to the suction side of the booster 3. Then, the above-described cycle is repeated.

Next, the operation of the heat pump HP1 included in the dehumidifying device according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a refrigerant Mollier diagram of the heat pump HP1 included in the dehumidifier of FIG. 2. In the diagram shown in FIG.
HFC134a is used as a refrigerant, and the horizontal axis represents enthalpy and the vertical axis represents pressure. Not only HFC134a but also HFC407C and HFC410A can be used as a refrigerant. When these refrigerants are used, the operating pressure range shifts to a higher pressure side than in the case of HFC134a.

In FIG. 4, point a indicates the state of the refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator 2 in FIG. 2, and the refrigerant at this time is in a saturated gas state. The pressure of the refrigerant is 0.30 MPa, the temperature is 1 ° C., and the enthalpy is 399.2 kJ / kg. Point b indicates a state in which this gas is sucked and compressed by the pressure booster 3, that is, a state at the discharge port of the pressure booster 3. At this time, the refrigerant has a pressure of 1.89 MPa and is in a superheated gas state. .

The refrigerant gas in the state at the point b is cooled in the condenser 4 and reaches the state shown at the point c. At this time, the refrigerant is in a saturated gas state, and its pressure is 1.89MPa.
a, The temperature is 65 ° C. The refrigerant is further cooled and condensed under this pressure to reach the state indicated by point d. At this time, the refrigerant is in a saturated liquid state, and its pressure and temperature are the same as the pressure and temperature at point c. The enthalpy at this time is 295.8 kJ / kg.

This refrigerant liquid is decompressed by the throttle 48,
Flows into the evaporating section 61a of the heat exchange section 51. The state at this time is indicated by a point e, in which a part of the liquid is evaporated and the liquid and the gas are mixed. The pressure at this time is an intermediate pressure between the condensing pressure of the condenser 4 and the evaporating pressure of the evaporator 2, and in this embodiment, 0.30 MPa and 1.8.
The value is between 9 MPa.

In the evaporating section 61a, the coolant evaporates under the above-mentioned intermediate pressure, and the state becomes a point f1 located at an intermediate point between the saturated liquid line and the saturated gas line at the same pressure. In this state, a part of the liquid has evaporated, but a considerable amount of the refrigerant liquid remains.
Then, the refrigerant in the state indicated by the point f1 flows into the condensation sections 62a and 62b. Condensing section 62a
At 62b and 62b, the refrigerant is deprived of heat by the low-temperature air R flowing through the second heat exchange section 52, and reaches the state at the point g1.

The refrigerant in the state at the point g1 is supplied to the evaporating section 6
1b and 61c, where heat is deprived and the liquid phase is increased to reach the state at point f2.
And 62d. Condensing sections 62c and 62
At d, the refrigerant increases its liquid phase and reaches the state of point g2. The point g2 is located on the saturated liquid line in the Mollier diagram. At this time, the temperature of the refrigerant is 15 ° C., and the enthalpy is 22 °.
0.5 kJ / kg. Similarly, evaporation and condensation in the evaporating sections 61d and 61e and the condensing section 62e are repeated, but in the Mollier diagram of FIG. 4, the evaporating sections 61d and 61e and the condensing section 62e are omitted, and the condensing section 62d is Are shown as connected.

The refrigerant liquid in the state at the point g2 is reduced in pressure by the throttle 49 to 0.30 MPa which is a saturation pressure at a temperature of 15 ° C., and reaches a state shown by a point h. The refrigerant in the state at the point h reaches the evaporator 2 as a mixture of a refrigerant liquid and a gas at 1 ° C., where it takes heat from the air Q and evaporates to become a saturated gas in the state indicated by the point a. This saturated gas is again supplied to the booster 3
And the above-described cycle is repeated.

As described above, in the heat exchanger 5, the refrigerant changes its evaporation state in the evaporating section 61 from point e to point f1 or from point g1 to point f2.
In the condensing section 62, the state of condensation changes from point f1 to point g1 or from point f2 to point g2, and the heat transfer coefficient is very high because evaporation heat transfer and condensation heat transfer are performed. High heat exchange efficiency.

Here, the booster 3, the condenser 4, the throttle 48,
Considering the compression heat pump HP1 including the evaporator 49 and the evaporator 2, when the heat exchanger 5 according to the present invention is not provided, the refrigerant at the point d in the condenser 4 is returned to the evaporator 2 via the throttle. Therefore, the enthalpy difference available in the evaporator 2 is only 399.2-295.8 = 103.4 kJ / kg. However, when the heat exchanger 5 according to the present invention is provided, 399.2-220.5 = 178.7 kJ / kg.
The amount of gas circulating to the booster for the same cooling load, and hence the required power, is 42% (= 1-103.4 / 1).
78.7) can also be reduced. That is, the same operation as in the subcool cycle can be provided. As described above, the dehumidifier of the present invention reduces the refrigerant enthalpy at the inlet of the evaporator 2 due to the economizer effect of the heat pump HP1, and has a high refrigerant refrigerating effect per unit flow rate, so that the dehumidifying effect and the energy efficiency are high. Become.

FIG. 5 is a psychrometric chart showing an air conditioning cycle in the dehumidifier of FIG. In FIG.
V, OA, EX, and SA correspond to the states of the air denoted by the respective reference numerals in FIG. The air OA introduced from the outside passes through the uppermost air path 13a in FIG.
It is sent to the first heat exchanging section 51 of the heat exchanger 5 and cooled to a certain extent by the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporating section 61, and the dry bulb temperature is lowered while keeping the absolute humidity constant (air P). This is a pre-cooling before the evaporator 2 cools down to the dew point temperature or lower, so it can be called pre-cooling.

The air P is sucked into the blower 1, discharged from the blower 1 and sent to the evaporator 2 (air Q). In the evaporator 2, the air Q is cooled to a temperature lower than its dew point temperature by the refrigerant that evaporates at a low temperature, and the dry bulb temperature is reduced to 5 ° C. while the absolute humidity is reduced to 5 g / kg DA while the moisture is deprived. ). DA in the unit of absolute humidity indicates dry air.

The air R (absolute humidity 5 g / kg DA, dry-bulb temperature 5 ° C.) flows into the second heat exchange section 52 of the heat exchanger 5 and is heated to some extent by the refrigerant condensing in the condensing section 62. , The dry bulb temperature (5
(Air S) to a temperature between 60 ° C and 60 ° C. Since this is preliminary heating before being heated by the condenser 4, it can be called preheating.

The air S exiting from the second heat exchange section 52 is divided into the processing air V and the regeneration air T as described above. The regenerated air T is introduced into the condenser 4, where it is heated to further raise the dry bulb temperature to 60 ° C. while keeping the absolute humidity constant (air U). The regenerated air U is further sent to the desiccant rotor 6, where the desiccant in the drying element deprives the desiccant of water and regenerates it, thereby increasing the absolute humidity and lowering the dry-bulb temperature by the desiccant moisture desorption heat. .
After the desiccant is regenerated, the air EX is discharged from the discharge port 16 to the outside.

On the other hand, the processing air V is sent to the desiccant rotor 6 as it is. In the desiccant rotor 6, moisture is adsorbed and dried by the desiccant in the drying element, the absolute humidity is reduced to 2 g / kg DA, and the dry bulb temperature is increased (air SA). The dehumidified processing air SA is supplied to the supply port 17.
From the air conditioning space 100.

Here, in the cycle on the air side shown in the psychrometric chart of FIG. 5, the heat quantity ΔQ obtained by heating the regenerated air U by the condenser 4 is heating by utilizing waste heat, and the air Q Is the dehumidifying cooling effect, and the heat recovery by the heat exchanger as the economizer is ΔH.

As described above, in the heat exchanger 5, the air OA introduced from the outside is precooled by the evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporation section 61, and the air R is heated by the condensation of the refrigerant in the condensation section 62. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporation section 61 is condensed in the condensation section 62. As described above, the heat exchange between the air before and after being cooled by the evaporator 2 is indirectly performed by the same evaporation and condensation of the refrigerant.

As described above, in the dehumidifier according to the present invention, the heat exchanger 5 is used as a pre-cooling / pre-heating heat exchanger, and the working fluid of the heat exchanger 5 and the working fluid of the heat pump HP1 are the same. Since the refrigerant charging process can be used in common, manufacturing costs and maintenance costs are low. In addition, the pre-cooling / pre-heating heat exchanger can be manufactured as a single unit, and does not require the internal wick of the heat pipe, and can be manufactured using ordinary air / refrigerant heat exchanger coil production equipment without an internal wick. Therefore, the manufacturing cost is low.

Further, the cooling and dehumidification of the outside air and the regeneration of the desiccant are simultaneously performed by using the heat pump HP1.
Since the pre-cooling of air and the heating of air after dehumidification are performed using the internal working medium, the device is simple, and most of the cooling capacity of the heat pump can be used to condense moisture in the air. Therefore, the dehumidifying ability is high.

When the air is cooled and dehumidified, if the air is cooled to the dew point as it is, a large amount of cooling is required. Therefore, a considerable part of the cooling effect of the heat pump is consumed for that purpose, and the dehumidifying capacity per power consumption (dehumidifying performance) is low. Therefore, an air / air heat exchanger 5 was provided before and after the evaporator 2 to perform pre-cooling and reheating (pre-heating) of the air to reduce the sensible heat ratio and reduce the amount of cooling to the dew point.

Furthermore, the dehumidifier according to the present invention has a high dehumidifying ability and, in addition, can recover heat used for cooling to the dew point and use it as heat for heating the regenerated air. I can show my ability. Therefore, the amount of heat required is smaller than the amount of heat required by the conventional electric heater, and the heat pump HP1 has high energy efficiency and consumes less power.

Next, a second embodiment of the dehumidifying device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a flow in the dehumidifier in the second embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a refrigerant Mollier diagram of the heat pump HP2 included in the dehumidifier in FIG. Note that the first
Members or elements having the same functions or functions as the members or elements in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and portions that are not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the heat exchanger 150 of the present embodiment, the condensation section 162a of the second heat exchange section 152
And 162b, condensation sections 162c and 162d
Are different from the above-described first embodiment in that intermediate apertures 163 and 164 are provided between them. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Such an intermediate throttle can also be provided on the evaporation section side of the first heat exchanger 151.

In FIG. 7, points a to e are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. The evaporating section 16 of the heat exchanger 150
As described with reference to FIG. 4, the refrigerant in the state of the point e that has flowed into 1a is in a state where a part of the liquid has evaporated and the liquid and the gas have been mixed.

This refrigerant evaporates in the evaporating section 161a, and reaches a state indicated by a point f1 in the Mollier diagram of FIG. 7 which approaches the saturated gas line in the wet area. The refrigerant in this state enters the condensing section 162a, where it is condensed and reaches the state shown by point g1a. The refrigerant in the state of the point g1a is depressurized through the intermediate throttle 163, and reaches the state shown by the point g1b. That is, it flows from the condensing section 162a to the condensing section 162b via the throttle 163.

The refrigerant flowing into the condensing section 162b is condensed here, and reaches a state indicated by a point h1, which is in the wet area but close to the saturated liquid line. Then, evaporation section 1
61b, where it is condensed and reversed by a U-tube to enter the evaporating section 161c where it is further condensed and reaches the state indicated by point f2.

Thereafter, the refrigerant is supplied to the condensing section 162.
c, via the intermediate throttle 164 and the condensing section 162d, to the state shown by the points g2a, g2b and h2, and further via the evaporating sections 161d, 161e and the condensing section 162e to the points f3 and h3. It reaches the state shown by. This point h3 is on the saturated liquid line in the Mollier diagram, the temperature is 11 ° C., and the enthalpy is 215.0.
kJ / kg.

Similar to the first embodiment, the refrigerant liquid at the point h3 is supplied to the throttle 49 at a saturation pressure of 0.3 ° C. at a temperature of 1 ° C., as in the first embodiment.
The pressure is reduced to 0 MPa, the state at the point i is reached, and a mixture of the refrigerant liquid and the gas at 1 ° C. reaches the evaporator 2 where the air Q
And evaporates to become a saturated gas in the state shown by the point a on the Mollier diagram. This saturated gas is sucked into the booster 3 again, and the above-described cycle is repeated.

Here, the booster 3, the condenser 4, the throttle 48,
Considering the compression heat pump HP2 including the heat exchangers 49, 163, and 164 and the evaporator 2, the heat exchanger 15 according to the present invention is used.
When 0 is not provided, the refrigerant in the state of the point d in the condenser 4 is returned to the evaporator 2 through the throttle, so that the enthalpy difference available in the evaporator 2 is 399.2-295.8 = 1.
There is only 33.4 kJ / kg. However, when the heat exchanger 150 according to the present invention is provided, 399.2-215.
0 = 184.2 kJ / kg, and the amount of gas circulating to the booster for the same cooling load, and consequently the required power, is reduced by 44
% (= 1-103.4 / 184.2) can also be reduced. That is, the same operation as in the subcool cycle can be provided.

FIG. 8 shows a heat exchanger 15 according to this embodiment.
1 shows an example of the structure of 0. 8A is a front view as viewed in the air flow direction, FIG. 8B is a side view as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the air flow, and FIG. 8A is FIG. 8B.
FIG. In FIG. 8A, the air OA
Flows from the near side of the paper to the front, and the air R flows from the front to the near side. The tubes in the heat exchanger 150 are arranged in eight rows in four planes orthogonal to the flow of air. That is, they are arranged in four rows and eight columns along the flow of air. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, for convenience, the heat exchange tubes are described as having one row and one column, but typically each row includes a plurality of tube rows.
In addition, such heat exchangers may be arranged in parallel with the flow of air or in series, depending on the flow rate of the air.

Such a heat exchanger is inexpensive and is economical if used instead of an expensive heat pipe. Further, unlike the heat pipe, the working fluid can be made the same as that of the heat pump, so that maintenance is not required.

Next, a third embodiment of the dehumidifier according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
Is a diagram schematically showing a flow in the dehumidifier in the third embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a refrigerant Mollier diagram of the heat pump HP3 included in the dehumidifier in FIG. Note that the first
Members or elements having the same functions or functions as the members or elements in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and portions that are not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the refrigerant path is branched into a plurality of rows (three rows in FIG. 9) on the downstream side of the condenser 4, and the branched refrigerant paths 44 to 46 are formed as described above. Is different from the first embodiment. The branched refrigerant paths 44 to 46 join one refrigerant path 43 on the upstream side of the evaporator 2.

The branch refrigerant paths 44 to 46 are connected to the heat exchanger 25
The first heat exchange parts 251 and the second heat exchange parts 252 are alternately and repeatedly penetrated. In each of the branch refrigerant paths 44 to 46, throttles 253 to 255 are arranged upstream of the first heat exchange unit 251, and throttles 256 to 258 are arranged downstream of the second heat exchange unit 252. Have been. As the throttles 253 to 258, for example, orifices, capillary tubes, expansion valves, and the like can be used.

FIG. 11 shows the heat exchanger 25 of the dehumidifier of FIG.
It is an enlarged view which shows the branch refrigerant paths 44-46 in 0. The branch refrigerant paths 44 to 46 are connected to the first heat exchange unit 251.
And the second heat exchange section 252. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the branch refrigerant path 44 includes, in order from the condenser 4 side, the evaporating section 261a and the condensing section 262.
a, condensing section 262b, evaporating section 261
b, evaporation section 261c, condensation section 262c
have. Similarly, the branch refrigerant path 44 includes an evaporating section 263a, a condensing section 264a, a condensing section 264b, an evaporating section 263b, an evaporating section 263c, and a condensing section 264c, and the branch refrigerant path 46 includes a evaporating section 265a and a condensing section 266a. , A condensing section 266b, an evaporating section 265b, an evaporating section 265c, and a condensing section 266c.

In FIG. 10, points a to d correspond to those shown in FIG.
Is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The point d by being cooled in the condenser 4
The refrigerant liquid in the state shown by the branch refrigerant paths 44 to
Although the refrigerant flows into the heat exchanger 250 while being divided into 46, first, the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant path 45 will be described. Refrigerant path 45
Is reduced in pressure by the throttle 254 and flows into the evaporation section 263a of the first heat exchange unit 251. The state at this time is indicated by a point e, in which a part of the liquid is evaporated and the liquid and the gas are mixed. The pressure at this time is an intermediate pressure between the condensing pressure of the condenser 4 and the evaporating pressure of the evaporator 2, and in the present embodiment, is 1.89 MPa and 0.8.
The value is between 30 MPa.

In the evaporating section 263a, the refrigerant liquid evaporates under the above-mentioned intermediate pressure, and the state becomes a point f1 located at the same pressure between the saturated liquid line and the saturated gas line. In this state, a part of the liquid has evaporated, but a considerable amount of the refrigerant liquid remains. Then, the refrigerant in the state indicated by the point f1 flows into the condensation sections 264a and 264b. In the condensation sections 264a and 264b, the refrigerant passes through the second heat exchange section 2
The heat is taken away by the low-temperature air R flowing through 52, and the state reaches the point g1.

The refrigerant in the state of the point g1 is supplied to the evaporating section 2
63b and 263c, where heat is deprived and the liquid phase is increased to reach the state of point f2.
64c. In the condensing section 264c,
The refrigerant increases the liquid phase and reaches the state of point g2. The point g2 is located on the saturated liquid line in the Mollier diagram. At this time, the temperature of the refrigerant is 15 ° C., and the enthalpy is 220.5 kJ / kg.
It is.

The refrigerant liquid in the state at the point g2 is
The pressure is reduced to 0.30 MPa, which is a saturation pressure at a temperature of 1 ° C., to reach a state shown by a point h. The refrigerant in the state at the point h reaches the evaporator 2 as a mixture of a refrigerant liquid and a gas at 1 ° C., where it takes heat from the air Q and evaporates to become a saturated gas in the state indicated by the point a. This saturated gas is again supplied to the booster 3
And the above-described cycle is repeated.

Similarly, the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage 44 is supplied to the throttle 253, the evaporating section, the condensing section, and the throttle 256.
Through the states indicated by points j, i1, k1, i2, and k2 to reach the state indicated by point l. Refrigerant path 4
6 passes through the throttle 255, the evaporating section, the condensing section, and the throttle 258, and passes through the points m, n1, o1,
The state shown by point n2 and point o2 is reached to the state shown by point p.

As described above, in the heat exchanger 250,
In the evaporating section, the refrigerant changes the state of evaporation from point e to point f1, or from point g1 to point f2,
In the condensing section, points f1 to g1 or points f
Since the state of condensation changes from point 2 to point g2, and the evaporation heat transfer and the condensation heat transfer are performed, the heat transfer coefficient is very high and the heat exchange efficiency is high.

Here, the booster 3, the condenser 4, the throttle 253
258 and the compression heat pump HP3 including the evaporator 2, when the heat exchanger 250 according to the present invention is provided, the amount of gas circulated to the booster for the same cooling load and, consequently, the required power are reduced. 42% as in the first embodiment
Can also be reduced. That is, the same operation as in the subcool cycle can be provided. As described above, the dehumidifier of the present invention reduces the refrigerant enthalpy at the inlet of the evaporator 2 due to the economizer effect of the heat pump HP3, and has a high refrigerant refrigerating effect per unit flow rate. Become.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be embodied in various forms within the technical idea. For example, the number of evaporating sections in the first heat exchanging section and the number of condensing sections in the second heat exchanging section of each refrigerant path are not limited to those shown. Further, the number of branches of the branched refrigerant path in the third embodiment is not limited to the number shown in the drawing, and the refrigerant path may be branched into any number of rows. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the dehumidifier for air-conditioning the air-conditioned space has been described as an example. However, the dehumidifier of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the air-conditioned space, and the dehumidifier of the present invention can be applied to other spaces requiring dehumidification. .

In each of the above-described embodiments, the air in the air-conditioned space 100 may be taken in as ventilation, and added to the air S that has exited the second heat exchange unit to form regeneration air. FIGS. 12 and 13 show the first embodiment.
A configuration example in a case where air in an air-conditioned space 100 is taken in as ventilation and used as regenerated air will be described. In this case, for example, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a ventilation port 18 for taking in the air of the air-conditioned space 100 is provided near a position where the air path branches upward and horizontally, and this ventilation port 1 is provided.
The ventilation taken in from 8 is added to the regeneration air, and this is sent to the condenser 4 by the blower 7. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a blower 8 may be further provided as necessary.

[0074]

As described above, according to the present invention, the air can be pre-cooled by the first heat exchange means before cooling in the evaporator, and the pre-cooled heat is removed from the air once cooled in the evaporator. It is possible to provide a dehumidifier provided with a heat pump that can be recovered and has a high operation coefficient. In addition, a dehumidifier having a high dehumidifying capacity per energy consumption can be provided. Further, by providing the branch refrigerant path, the operating temperature of the refrigerant can be changed stepwise, so that the heat exchange efficiency can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an entire configuration of a dehumidifying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a flow in the dehumidifying device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a refrigerant path in a heat exchanger of the dehumidifier in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a refrigerant Mollier diagram of a heat pump included in the dehumidifier of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a psychrometric chart showing an air conditioning cycle in the dehumidifier of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing a flow in a dehumidifying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a refrigerant Mollier diagram of a heat pump included in the dehumidifier of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a heat exchanger of the dehumidifier in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a flow in a dehumidifying device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a refrigerant Mollier diagram of a heat pump included in the dehumidifier of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing a refrigerant path in a heat exchanger of the dehumidifier in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a dehumidifying device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a view schematically showing a flow in the dehumidifier of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a view schematically showing a flow in a conventional dehumidifier.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 7, 8 Blower 2 Evaporator 3 Booster 4 Condenser 5 Heat exchanger 6 Desiccant rotor 6a Motor 6b Chain 10 Cabinet 11 Intake port 12 Filter 13a, 13b, 13c Air path 14 Drain pan 15 Drain tank 16 Discharge port 17 Supply Mouth 18 Ventilation port 51 First heat exchange section 52 Second heat exchange section 61 Evaporation section 62 Condensing section 63, 64 U tube 40 to 46 Path 48, 49, 163, 164, 253 to 258

Claims (4)

[The claims] A pressure booster for boosting a refrigerant; a condenser for condensing the refrigerant to heat regenerated air; an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant to cool external air to a temperature below a dew point; A first heat exchange provided in a refrigerant path connecting the evaporator and the evaporator, and evaporating the refrigerant at a pressure intermediate between the condensing pressure of the condenser and the evaporating pressure of the evaporator to cool external air. Means, provided in a refrigerant path connecting the condenser and the evaporator, for heating the external air by condensing the refrigerant at a pressure intermediate between the condensation pressure of the condenser and the evaporation pressure of the evaporator. A second heat exchanging means, and using the external air heated by the second heat exchanging means as processing air and regenerating air, adsorb moisture of the processing air, and desorb and regenerate moisture by the regenerating air. Desiccant and the first A dehumidifier comprising: a heat exchange unit; and an air path connecting the evaporator and the second heat exchange unit in this order. 2. The dehumidifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air in the room to which the processing air is supplied is added to the external air heated by the second heat exchanging means, thereby producing regenerated air. . 3. The first heat exchanging means and the second heat exchanging means are configured such that air flowing through each of the heat exchanging means flows opposite to each other. Having at least a pair of first and second through-holes in a first plane substantially orthogonal to the flow of air in the heat-exchange means and the second heat-exchange means. At least one pair of the first penetrating portion and the second
The dehumidifying device according to claim 1, further comprising a through-hole, and an intermediate diaphragm provided at a position where the intermediate diaphragm moves from the first plane to the second plane. 4. 4. A branch refrigerant path which branches into a plurality of rows between the condenser and the evaporator, wherein the first heat exchange means and the second heat exchange means are provided in the branch refrigerant path. The dehumidifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: