JP2003339839A - Deodorizing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a deodorizing device capable of solving the problem of deodorizing performance or discharging noise by discharging electricity at a frequency beyond a man's audible range, reducing the amount of ozone generation to extend the useful life of an ozone decomposing means, and dispensing with a cooling device for a control circuit. <P>SOLUTION: In the deodorizing device 1, a high voltage discharging means 11 generating ozone and ultraviolet rays, a photocatalyst module 5 performing decomposition of malodorous components or harmful substances contained in the air by being activated by the generated ultraviolet rays generated by the high voltage discharging means, and an ozone decomposing means 10 decomposing the generated ozone are disposed in a blowing passage 3. The discharging frequency by the discharging means is set beyond the audible range and the discharge is performed intermittently. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a deodorizing device that decomposes odorous components and harmful substances contained in the air to deodorize them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, along with the steadying of environmental pollution such as outdoor air and noise, the airtightness of houses has been increasing, and the demand for air quality improvement in living spaces has increased. Among air quality, reduction of odor of cigarette smoke, metabolic odor in sick care environment, etc., or VO generated from housing building materials
The need for removal of harmful gas components represented by C (volatile organic matter) is particularly increasing.

To meet these demands, conventionally, deodorization by adsorbing odorous molecules represented by activated carbon,
Alternatively, a method of changing the quality of odor by reacting a malodorous component with another drug component has been adopted.

Among the conventional techniques, there is a limit to the amount of adsorption for deodorization and removal of harmful gas components with an adsorbent, and replacement of the deodorization filter has been indispensable for long-term use. Further, the deodorizing filter has a problem of generation of odor due to the released odorous molecules being released again at the end of the life even during the life.

On the other hand, in the method of changing the odor quality by reacting an odor component with another drug component, the drug component is exhausted, so that it is necessary to replace the absorbed drug once every one to two months. In addition to being complicated, the release of the drug component into the environment is controlled by the room temperature, so the release amount of the drug component increases when the room temperature is high. There was a difficulty in controlling the relationship with the component life.

Further, in order to decompose and remove harmful gas components such as formaldehyde, a catalytic reaction with a high redox potential is required. However, oxidative decomposition by ozone does not lead to complete decomposition, and intermediate decomposition products are formed. It was difficult to completely render it harmless because it stopped at.

Further, it is possible to generate active oxygen by irradiating a photocatalyst typified by titanium oxide with ultraviolet rays and completely decompose harmful gas components by its strong oxidizing power. Since the fluorescent tube lamp containing mercury in the tube is used, it was not preferable from the viewpoint of environmental load at the time of disposal.

[0008]

In order to solve these problems, ozone or ultraviolet rays are generated by high-voltage discharge,
This photocatalyst module activated by ultraviolet rays decomposes odorous components and harmful substances contained in the air, and proposes a deodorizing device that decomposes ozone generated by high-pressure discharge means by ozone decomposition means. Has been done.

This deodorizing device is very excellent in terms of control of deodorizing performance, complete decomposition of harmful gas, environmental load when the device is discarded, and the like, but it uses high-voltage discharge. There is a problem that a discharge sound corresponding to the discharge frequency is generated. Further, depending on the conditions of high-voltage discharge, there is a problem that noise is generated and affects a television image received.

Regarding discharge noise, as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-159477 filed by the applicant of the present invention, it is effective to set the discharge frequency outside the human audible range, but it is audible below 50 pps. At a discharge frequency below the range, the amount of ultraviolet rays and ozone obtained by the discharge decreases in proportion to the frequency, and there is a problem that the deodorizing performance is impaired.

Further, if the discharge is performed at a frequency higher than the audible range, no discharge noise or deodorizing performance problems occur, but ozone generated in proportion to the discharge frequency is excessively generated in some cases. The problem of shortening the life of the disassembling means occurs, and further, when discharging at 20 kpps or more which is in the audible range or more, the heat generation amount of the control circuit increases,
It has the drawback of requiring a separate cooling device.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and solves the problems of deodorizing performance and discharge sound by discharging at a frequency higher than the audible range of human beings, and at the same time reduces the amount of ozone generated to generate ozone. An object of the present invention is to provide a deodorizing device that extends the life of the disassembling means and does not require a cooling device for the control circuit.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of a deodorizing device according to claim 1 is a high-pressure discharge means for generating ozone and ultraviolet rays, and is activated by the ultraviolet rays generated by this high-pressure discharge means. In a deodorizing device in which a photocatalyst module for decomposing odor components and harmful substances contained in the air that has been liquefied and an ozone decomposing means for decomposing ozone generated by the high-pressure discharging means are arranged in a ventilation path. The discharge frequency of the high-voltage discharge means is set to be in the audible range or higher, and the discharge is performed intermittently.

With this configuration, the amount of ozone generated can be reduced and the life of the ozone decomposing means can be extended without causing the problem of discharge noise, and the heat generation amount of the circuit section can be suppressed to provide a dedicated cooling device. The cost can be reduced by eliminating the requirement.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the discharge frequency of the high-voltage discharge means is set to 20 kpps or more, the on / off intervals of the discharge are set at predetermined time intervals, and the intermittent operation frequency is set to 50 Hz or less or 20 kHz or more. Even if the discharge frequency is outside the audible range, the problem of noise generation due to the intermittent operation frequency being within the audible range can be eliminated.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the intermittent operation control of the high-voltage discharge means is changed in response to the detected value of the odor sensor, and when the odor is relatively small, the ozone generation amount or the circuit. The heat generation amount of can be reduced.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a deodorizing device (1) according to the present invention, in which a blower fan is provided in an air passage (3) formed by a duct member (2) such as a cool air duct of a refrigerator or an air duct of an air conditioner. (4) is arranged, the photocatalyst module (5) is provided on the windward side, and the ozone decomposition catalyst filter (10) is arranged between the photocatalyst module (5) and the blower fan (4).

The photocatalyst module (5) is a photocatalyst filter (6) fixed by applying a photocatalyst material typified by titanium oxide to the surface of a substrate made of a porous ceramic such as alumina or silica, and drying or sintering. ) (7)
Are adjacently provided, and a discharge electrode (8) formed by etching a thin plate of stainless steel or the like in a mesh shape is erected between the photocatalytic filters and the two photocatalytic filters (6) (7) On the windward side and the leeward side of the air passage (3), counter electrodes (9) formed similarly to the discharge electrode (8) are arranged.

The photocatalyst filter in the photocatalyst module (5) does not necessarily have to have two photocatalyst filters adjacent to each other, but like the deodorizing device provided in the cold air passage from the refrigerator compartment to the vegetable compartment, the odor components and ethylene When the floating bacteria are relatively small, the counter electrode (9) and the discharge electrode (8) may be provided before and after one photocatalytic filter.

(11) is a power supply circuit for applying a positive pulsed DC high voltage between the discharge electrode (8) and each counter electrode (9) by a high voltage generating transformer (12).

The mesh size of the discharge electrode (8) is formed larger than that of the counter electrode (9).
With this configuration, the discharge electrode (8) and the counter electrode (9) function as a discharge means for generating ultraviolet rays, and discharge is generated between both electrodes to generate ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 380 nm or less.

When the discharge electrode (8) and the counter electrode (9) are discharged, ozone is generated together with ultraviolet rays, so that the photocatalyst module (5) completely decomposes harmful gas components by generation of active oxygen due to ultraviolet rays. Along with the function, it also functions as an ozone generating means, and an ozone decomposition catalyst filter (10) that absorbs ozone and is installed at a predetermined distance on the lee side from the photocatalyst module (5).
Is formed of a honeycomb-shaped sintered body containing manganese dioxide as a main component.

The operation of the deodorizing device (1) having the above structure is carried out as follows. That is, the power supply circuit (1
Energize 1) to drive the blower fan (4) and
When a voltage is applied between the discharge electrode (8) and the counter electrode (9),
Discharge occurs between the electrodes and ultraviolet rays are generated.

By irradiating the photocatalyst filters (6) and (7) with ultraviolet rays, active oxygen generated by activating the photocatalyst flows down the air passage (3), and strong oxidation of hydroxyl radicals (free radicals) occurs. By the action, the bonds of the odorous gas components and the organic compounds adhering to the surfaces of the photocatalyst filters (6) and (7) are decomposed to deodorize by deodorizing or reducing the odor.

In addition, the bacterial cell membrane of the bacterium is embrittled to perform antibacterial action, and the oxidative decomposition action suppresses the growth of microorganisms on the surface of the photocatalytic filter (6) (7), thereby deodorizing the device (1) and the air passage (3). ) Disassemble and remove dirt on the wall surface.

Then, according to the first aspect of the present invention based on the above configuration.
As a comparative example to the example, in the above operation, the peak voltage was 4 kV between the discharge electrode (8) and the counter electrode (9).
20 kpps, which is a discharge frequency above the audible range of humans
Continuous operation was performed by applying a voltage of (kilopulse / second).

In this case, the peak voltage shown in FIG. 2 is 4 kV.
As can be seen from the graph of the relationship between the discharge frequency and the noise level, the discharge sound generated when the discharge frequency is 20 kpps is higher than the audible range of humans and is a range that humans do not feel as a sound. Noise level is 17.6db
It was a low value close to the background noise (15.4db), and there was no problem.

However, the ozone discharged is 1.1
ppm, which is higher than the working environment standard of 0.5 ppm, and the resistance surface temperature on the power supply circuit (11) for supplying a high voltage was as high as 150 ° C. Normally, when the resistance surface temperature exceeds 70 to 80 ° C., the circuit life becomes extremely short. In the case of this comparative example, a cooling device was required to maintain the circuit life. This was dealt with by examining the example.

(Embodiment 1) As a deodorizing device of one embodiment of the present invention, the deodorizing device has the same structure as that shown in FIG. 1, and the peak voltage is 4 kV and 20 kpps between the discharge electrode (8) and the counter electrode (9).
Is applied and the discharge on-time is 0.01
Seconds, the off time was 0.09 seconds, and intermittent operation was performed.

The operating frequency, which is the number of on / off operations per second during this intermittent operation, is 50 Hz or less, or 20 kHz.
Even if the discharge frequency is outside the audible range of z or more and the discharge frequency is outside the audible range, the problem of noise generation due to the intermittent operation frequency being within the audible range is eliminated.

As a result, the noise value was 17.6 dB, which was the same value as that of the comparative example and did not change so low, but the discharged ozone was 0.09 ppm, which was a value much lower than the working environment standard, and was high on the high voltage circuit (11). The resistance surface temperature was 38 ° C., which was a level at which cooling was not required due to the circuit life.

(Embodiment 2) The basic structure is the same as that of Embodiment 1, and a power supply circuit (11) for supplying a high voltage is installed on the air passage (3). The noise value at this time is 17.6db
The discharged ozone was 0.09 ppm, which was the same as the value in Example 1, and the resistance surface temperature on the high-voltage circuit (11) was 32 ° C., which was lower than that in Example 1 and at a level with no problem.

Normally, it is necessary to provide a heat dissipation portion such as a cooling fan in the heat generating portion such as a resistor on the high voltage circuit (11), but during operation of the deodorizing device according to this embodiment,
Since a wind flow is constantly generated in the air passage due to the rotation of the fan and the discharge is intermittent, install a high voltage circuit (11) in a part of the cross-sectional area of this air passage (3). Therefore, when the circuit heats up, the air is forcibly cooled in synchronism with this, and the heat-generating portion can be cooled and heat can be radiated without the need for a separate heat radiation device or the like.

(Embodiment 3) The power supply circuit (11) including the high voltage generating transformer (12) is basically the same as that of the first embodiment and has the same configuration as shown in FIG.
Is installed on the air passage (3) on the upstream side of the photocatalyst module (5) and on the downstream side of the ozone decomposition catalyst filter (10) at the position indicated by B between the blower fan (4) for comparison. did. At the same time, a deodorizing endurance comparison test was conducted for 10 hours using ammonia, which produces a manure odor, and the appearance was investigated.

The results are as shown in the table of FIG. 4, and the resistance surface temperature on the high voltage transformer (12) was the same at 55 ° C. at both A and B positions, which was a low level.
The one installed at the position A on the upstream side of the photocatalyst module (5) was affected by ammonia, and rust was found on the metal part of the transformer (5). On the contrary, B on the leeward side
The location could be cooled by clean air that had been oxidatively decomposed by the photocatalyst and the high voltage transformer (5) could be protected from contamination by odorous substances.

(Embodiment 4) Although not shown, an odor sensor such as a hot-wire type semiconductor sensor using tin oxide as a sensitive material which detects an odor substance when it touches an odor substance is provided in the deodorizing device, and the discharge frequency is 20 kpps. As a result, the circuit was configured such that the discharge off time was changed to 0.05 seconds and the on time was changed in the range of 0.01 to 0.09 seconds in proportion to the signal from the odor sensor. At this time, the noise level is as low as 16.8 to 17.8 db, and the ozone generation amount is 0.13 to 0.23 pp, which is 0.5 ppm or less of the working environment standard.
The value was m, which was a level with no practical problems.

[0037]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, the discharge frequency is intermittently discharged in the human audible range or higher, so that the problem of the discharge sound is not generated.
The amount of ozone generated can be reduced to extend the life of the ozone decomposing unit, and the amount of heat generated in the circuit section can be suppressed to reduce the cost by eliminating the need for a dedicated cooling device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a deodorizing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between noise and discharge frequency by the device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a deodorizing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a table showing experimental results in Example 3.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Deodorizing device 2 ... Duct member 3 ... Air duct 4 ... Blower fan 5 ... Photocatalyst module 6, 7 ... Photocatalyst filter 8 ... Discharge electrode 9 ... Counter electrode 10 ... Ozone decomposition catalyst filter 11 ... Power supply circuit 12 ... Transformer

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B01J 35/02 B01D 53/36 J H (72) Inventor Dainobu Okada 1 Ota Toshiba-cho, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka No. 6 Stock Company, Toshiba Osaka Plant (72) Inventor Noboru Segawa 2-4 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Toshiba Keihin Office (72) Inventor Nahiko Shimura 2 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Street address 4 Toshiba Corporation Keihin workplace F-term (reference) 4C080 AA07 BB02 CC01 HH02 HH05 JJ03 KK02 KK08 LL10 MM02 MM08 NN02 NN03 NN06 QQ17 QQ20 4D048 AA12 AA22 AB03 BA28X BB02 CD05 EA03 4G069 AA03 BA01B BA02B BA04B BA48A CA10 CA17 FA02 FB23 4G075 AA03 BA01 BA05 BA06 CA15 DA02 EC21

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A high-pressure discharge means for generating ozone and ultraviolet rays, and a photocatalyst module which is activated by the ultraviolet rays generated by the high-pressure discharge means and decomposes odorous components and harmful substances contained in the air. In a deodorizing device in which ozone decomposing means for decomposing ozone generated by the high-pressure discharging means is arranged in a blower path, the discharge frequency by the high-pressure discharging means is set to an audible range or higher, and intermittent discharge is performed. Characteristic deodorizing device. 2. The discharge frequency of the high-voltage discharge means is 20 kpp
2. The discharge on / off interval is set to a predetermined time interval and the intermittent operation frequency is set to 50 Hz or less or 20 kHz or more.
The deodorizing device described. 3. The deodorizing device according to claim 1, wherein the intermittent operation control of the high-voltage discharging means is changed in response to the detection value of the odor sensor.