JP2004077002A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the growth of bacteria inside an air conditioner and prevent the invasion of bacteria into an air conditioner room. <P>SOLUTION: Antibacterial coating 31 is applied to the inner surface of the casing 30 of the air conditioner 10 and bactericidal lamps 20 for sterilizing the cooling surface of a cold water coil 18 are provided upstream and downstream of the cooling coil 18. An antibacterial HEPA (high efficiency perticle air filter) filter 28 is provided for preventing intrusion of bacteria into the air conditioner room 1. Hydrogen peroxide is sprayed into the air conditioner 10 from a spray nozzle 14 to sterilize the filtering surface of each filter inside the air conditioner 10. The hydrogen peroxide is removed as it is neutralized and decomposed by an activated charcoal filter 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner that supplies sterilized air-conditioned air to an air-conditioning room.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Clean air from which dust and the like have been removed is supplied to an air-conditioning room used in a pharmaceutical or food manufacturing plant by an air-conditioning device equipped with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Air-filter) filter, thereby maintaining the air-conditioning room at a high degree of cleanliness. are doing.
[0003]
Further, in order to adjust the temperature of the air-conditioning room to a predetermined temperature, a coil is provided inside the air conditioner, and air is brought into contact with the coil to obtain conditioned air at a desired temperature.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, these conventional air conditioners have a drawback that fungi easily adhere to bacteria and the like on the inner surface of the air conditioner and internal devices.
[0005]
Further, for example, when a chilled water coil is used as a coil for obtaining air conditioning air at a desired temperature, dew condensation easily occurs because moisture contained in the air adheres to the cooling surface of the chilled water coil, and bacteria and the like are likely to be generated. There was a problem that it was easy to breed.
[0006]
In addition, since bacteria cannot be sterilized by a HEPA filter that removes dust, bacteria that have adhered to the HEPA filter and propagated pass through the HEPA filter, which may cause bacteria to enter the air conditioning room. In order to cope with this, in the conventional air conditioners, bacteria adhered to the HEPA filter are periodically sterilized by spraying a chemical such as alcohol. However, it is necessary to stop the air conditioners with this sterilization operation. .
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner that suppresses the growth of bacteria inside an air conditioner and that prevents bacteria from entering an air conditioning room.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes at least a chilled water coil and a blower in a casing, and adjusts the air introduced therein to a predetermined temperature to be conditioned air. An air conditioner that supplies antibacterial paint to an inner surface of the casing, and an antibacterial HEPA filter that filters the air conditioning air is provided at an outlet side of the casing. Features.
[0009]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, an antibacterial coating is applied to the inner surface of the casing, whereby a high antibacterial effect is obtained. That is, by applying the antibacterial coating to the inner surface of the casing, the bacteria attached to the inner surface of the casing can be sterilized, and the growth of the bacteria can be suppressed. In addition, since the antibacterial HEPA filter is provided on the outlet side of the casing, bacteria adhered to the filtration surface of the antibacterial HEPA filter are sterilized, and thereby the bacterium of the air conditioning air can be removed.
[0010]
In the invention according to claim 2, in the air conditioner according to claim 1, sterilization means for sterilizing the chilled water coil is provided upstream and downstream of the air flow of the chilled water coil. Features.
[0011]
According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to sterilize dew condensation generated on the cooling surface of the chilled water coil. A germicidal lamp is used as the germicidal means, and the germicidal lamp is irradiated directly on the cooling surface of the cold water coil, so that sterilization can be performed efficiently.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the air conditioner according to the first or second aspect, a spray unit for spraying hydrogen peroxide to the introduced air is provided at an inlet side of the casing, and an air of the spray unit is provided. Downstream of the flow, neutralization / decomposition means for neutralizing / decomposition of hydrogen peroxide sprayed from the spraying means, downstream of the air flow of the neutralization / decomposition means, Concentration detection means for detecting the concentration of hydrogen is provided, and spray amount control means for controlling the spray amount of the hydrogen peroxide based on the concentration information from the concentration detection means is provided. And
[0013]
According to the third aspect of the invention, the air introduced into the casing inlet side is sprayed with hydrogen peroxide to sterilize the air and the air passage area. Further, a hydrogen peroxide neutralizing / decomposing means is provided downstream of the spraying means to neutralize / decompose the hydrogen peroxide sprayed on the air. As the neutralizing / decomposing means, for example, an activated carbon filter is used, and the sprayed hydrogen peroxide is decomposed into water and oxygen by the activated carbon filter and removed. Further, on the downstream side of the air flow of the activated carbon filter, a concentration sensor is provided as a concentration detecting means capable of detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the air-conditioned air. The concentration is detected, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide sprayed by the spray nozzle is controlled such that the concentration falls within the predetermined concentration. This minimizes the intrusion of hydrogen peroxide into the air conditioned room and prevents the effects on the workers in the air conditioned room, so that the inside of the air conditioner can be sterilized without stopping the operation of the air conditioner.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example in which an air conditioner 10 according to the present invention is applied to an air conditioning room 1.
[0015]
The air-conditioning room 1 shown in FIG. 1 is separated from the outside by a partition wall 2, and a production line for, for example, medicines and foods is installed in the room. Air supply panels 6, 6,... Are provided on a ceiling surface 4 of the air conditioning room 1. The air supply panel 6 has a blade grid outlet having a rectifying function, and rectifies the air-conditioning air supplied to the air supply panel 6 into the air-conditioning room 1 and blows out the air. An exhaust panel 9 is provided below the side wall 8 of the air-conditioned room 1, and air in the air-conditioned room 1 is exhausted from the exhaust panel 9. An air exhaust duct 12 a is connected to the exhaust panel 9. On the other hand, the air supply duct 12 b from the air conditioner 10 is connected to the air supply panels 6, 6,.
[0016]
The air conditioner 10 includes a casing 30 having an outside air intake 11 and an air conditioning air outlet 13, and a spray pipe 16 having a spray nozzle (spray means) 14 inside the casing 30 in order from the inlet side of the casing 30. , A germicidal lamp 20, 20,... Constituting a sterilizing means, a blower 22, etc., and an activated carbon filter 26 and an antibacterial HEPA filter 28 at the outlet side.
[0017]
An antibacterial coating 31 is applied to the inner surface of the casing 30. The antibacterial coating 31 is used to suppress the growth of bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and fungi such as mold and yeast, which are harmful to the human body, when they adhere to the painted surface. Paints containing such silver are used. These antibacterial coatings 31 are applied to the inner surface of the casing 30 to obtain an effect of inhibiting the growth of bacteria on the contact surface with air, and bacteria adhering to the painted surface are substantially eliminated after a certain period of time. Can be killed. The antibacterial coating 31 is not limited to the inner surface of the casing 30, and may be applied to the surface of each internal device such as a chilled water coil 18, which will be described later, as necessary.
[0018]
The outside air intake 11 takes outside air into the air conditioner 10. An outside air valve 11a is provided at the outside air inlet 11 so as to open and close the outside air inlet 11, and the amount of outside air taken in is adjusted by the opening amount of the outside air valve 11a.
[0019]
The pre-filter 38 is provided downstream of the outside air valve 11a, filters the outside air introduced into the air conditioner 10 through the outside air inlet 11, and removes dust contained in the outside air.
[0020]
The spray pipe 16 supplies hydrogen peroxide to the inside of the air conditioner 10 from a hydrogen peroxide tank 32 provided near the air conditioner 10. The spray pipe 16 is provided with a pump P1. When the pump P1 is driven, hydrogen peroxide is sent from the hydrogen peroxide tank 32 into the air conditioner 10 at a predetermined pressure. The spray pipe 16 is provided with a valve 34 on the downstream side of the pump P1 so that the amount of hydrogen peroxide to be sent to the air conditioner 10 is adjusted. The valve 34 is connected to a control device 36 described later, and the control device 36 controls opening and closing of the valve 34. Further, the spray pipe 16 is introduced to the inside of the casing 30 and is arranged so as to be located downstream of the pre-filter 38.
[0021]
The spray pipe 16 is formed with spray nozzles 14, 14,... At a portion introduced into the casing 30, and hydrogen peroxide sent from the hydrogen peroxide tank 32 is filtered by a pre-filter 38. Spray into air. By spraying hydrogen peroxide onto the air, the filtration surface of each filter can be sterilized as described later, and a sterilizing effect can be expected on bacteria contained in the air.
[0022]
The medium-performance filter 17 is provided downstream of the spray nozzles 14, 14,... And filters the air sprayed with hydrogen peroxide. An air exhaust duct 12a is connected to the casing 30, and the air exhausted from the air conditioning room 1 is blown out between the pre-filter 38 and the medium-performance filter 17 described above. The blown air is filtered by the medium-performance filter 17 together with the air sprayed with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide sprayed to the air adheres to the filtration surface of the medium-performance filter 17, thereby sterilizing bacteria adhered to the filtration surface of the medium-performance filter 17. The medium-performance filter 17 collects dust and sprayed hydrogen peroxide of about 3 to 10 μm.
[0023]
The chilled water coil 18 is provided on the downstream side of the air flow of the medium performance filter 17 and cools the air to adjust the temperature to a predetermined temperature. A chilled water tank 21 is connected to the chilled water coil 18 via a pump P2, and the pump P2 is driven to circulate the chilled water in the chilled water coil 18 with the chilled water tank 21. Thereby, the air filtered by the medium performance filter 17 contacts the cold water coil 18 and is cooled. A control device 19 for controlling the drive of the pump P2 and a temperature sensor 23 connected to the control device 19 for detecting the temperature in the air-conditioned room 1 are provided, respectively. Is adjusted to a predetermined temperature.
[0024]
The blower 22 generates an air flow inside the casing 30 to filter the air by each filter, and supplies the air-conditioned air into the air-conditioned room 1. The blower 22 is attached to a partition wall 24 of the casing. An outlet 24a is formed in the partition wall 24, and the blower 22 is arranged so as to blow air taken into the blower 22 from the outlet 24a. Thus, when the blower 22 is driven, the air in the air conditioner 10 is blown to generate an air flow, the air is filtered by each filter, and the air is conditioned in the air-conditioning room 1 through the air supply duct 12b. Air is supplied.
[0025]
The activated carbon filter 26 constituting the neutralizing / decomposing means performs neutralization / decomposition of hydrogen peroxide on the air blown by the blower 22. The activated carbon filter 26 is attached downstream of the blower 22, and hydrogen peroxide in the air blown by the blower 22 is decomposed into water and oxygen. In particular, hydrogen peroxide which is difficult to remove by the medium performance filter 17 is also neutralized and decomposed by the activated carbon filter 26 and removed.
[0026]
The antibacterial HEPA filter 28 filters the air inside the air conditioner 10 and removes bacteria in the air that are difficult to remove by the medium-performance filter 17. The antibacterial HEPA filter 28 is mounted on the downstream side of the air flow of the activated carbon filter 26 to prevent bacteria from entering the air conditioning room 1. In particular, bacteria attached to the filtration surface of the antibacterial HEPA filter 28 are sterilized by the antibacterial action of the antibacterial HEPA filter 28.
[0027]
An air supply duct 12b is connected to the air-conditioning air outlet 13, and the air-conditioned air conditioned inside the air conditioner 10 is supplied to the air supply duct 12b. Further, the air-conditioning air outlet 13 is provided with a concentration sensor 40 constituting a concentration detecting means, and detects the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the air-conditioning air. The concentration sensor 40 is connected to a control device 36 constituting a spray amount control unit, and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide detected by the concentration sensor 40 is input to the control device 36 as concentration detection information.
[0028]
The control device 36 controls the opening and closing of the valve 34 based on the hydrogen peroxide concentration detection information from the concentration sensor 40 to control the spray amount of hydrogen peroxide at the spray nozzle 14. That is, when the concentration of hydrogen peroxide detected by the concentration sensor 40 is higher than a predetermined concentration, the valve 34 is controlled to be closed by the control device 36 and the spray amount of hydrogen peroxide from the spray nozzle 14 is reduced. Conversely, when the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is lower than the predetermined concentration, the valve 34 is controlled to open, and the spray amount of hydrogen peroxide is increased so as not to exceed the predetermined concentration.
[0029]
The germicidal lamps 20 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the cold water coil 18, that is, between the medium-performance filter 17 and the cold water coil 18 and between the cold water coil 18 and the partition wall 24, respectively. As the germicidal lamp 20, for example, an ultraviolet lamp is used, and the cooling surface of the cold water coil 18 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to sterilize the cooling surface of the cold water coil 18. As shown in the figure, the germicidal lamp 20 is provided between the pre-filter 38 and the medium-performance filter 17 and between the partition wall 24 and the activated carbon filter 26 as necessary, and sterilizes each filter. Is also good. As a result, in addition to the sprayed hydrogen peroxide, the sterilizing lamps 20, 20,... Sterilize the filtering surfaces of the filters, and a high sterilizing effect can be expected. When the antibacterial HEPA filter 28 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the glass fibers provided in the antibacterial HEPA filter 28 are whitened and the antibacterial effect is reduced by half, so that activated carbon is placed upstream of the antibacterial HEPA filter 28 as shown in FIG. It is desirable that the antibacterial HEPA filter 28 is not directly irradiated with ultraviolet rays by providing the filter 26 or the like.
[0030]
When the blower 22 is operated by the air conditioner 10 having such a structure, outside air is introduced into the air conditioner 10 from the outside air intake 11 and air in the air conditioning room 1 is exhausted from the exhaust panel 9 to the air exhaust duct 12a. You. The exhausted air is taken into the air conditioner 10, and the air-conditioned air filtered and sterilized by the air conditioner 10 is blown out from the air supply panel 6 into the air-conditioning room 1.
[0031]
Inside the air conditioner 10, the antibacterial coating 31 is applied to the inner surface of the casing 30, so that the bacteria attached to the inner surface of the casing 30 can be sterilized, and the growth of the bacteria can be suppressed.
[0032]
In addition, since the antibacterial HEPA filter 28 is provided inside the air conditioner, the bacteria attached to the filtration surface of the antibacterial HEPA filter 28 are sterilized, and thereby, the conditioned air supplied to the air conditioning room 1 can be sterilized. You.
[0033]
Further, since the germicidal lamp 20 for sterilizing the dew condensation on the cooling surface of the cold water coil 18 is provided, sterilization can be performed on the dew condensation generated on the cooling surface.
[0034]
In addition, a spray nozzle 14 for spraying hydrogen peroxide is installed in the air conditioner 10 to spray hydrogen peroxide on air introduced into the air conditioner 1 and adhere to the filtration surfaces of the filters inside the air conditioner. Thus, bacteria on the filtration surface are sterilized, and clogging of the filter due to mold or the like can be prevented. Further, a means for neutralizing and decomposing hydrogen peroxide is provided downstream of the spray nozzle 14 to neutralize and decompose hydrogen peroxide sprayed into the air. Thereby, hydrogen peroxide can be removed from the air-conditioned air supplied into the air-conditioned room 1. Further, on the downstream side of the neutralizing / decomposing means, a concentration sensor 40 capable of detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the air is provided, and the spray amount controlling means is controlled so that the hydrogen peroxide concentration is within a predetermined concentration. This controls the amount of hydrogen peroxide sprayed by the spraying means. This minimizes the intrusion of hydrogen peroxide into the air conditioned room and prevents the effects on the workers in the air conditioned room, so that the inside of the air conditioner can be sterilized without stopping the operation of the air conditioner.
[0035]
The configuration of the air conditioner 10 shown in the embodiment as described above is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a timer 42 may be provided in the valve 34 to control the opening / closing time of the valve 34 and the spraying time of hydrogen peroxide. In this case, the opening and closing time of the valve 34 is set in advance, so that the opening and closing of the valve 34 is controlled at the set time.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the air conditioner according to the present invention, inside the air conditioner, antibacterial coating is applied to the inner surface of the casing, and bacteria adhered to the inner surface can be sterilized. In addition, since the antibacterial HEPA filter is provided, the bacteria attached to the antibacterial HEPA filter are sterilized, and thus, the bacterium can be removed from the air-conditioning air.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example in which an air conditioner according to the present invention is applied to an air conditioning room.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air-conditioning room, 10 ... Air conditioner, 12a ... Air exhaust duct, 12b ... Air supply duct, 14 ... Spray nozzle, 18 ... Cold water coil, 20 ... Sterilizing lamp, 26 ... Activated carbon filter, 28 ... Antibacterial HEPA filter, 31 ... Antibacterial coating, 36 ... Control device, 40 ... Density sensor

Claims (3)

An air conditioner including at least a chilled water coil and a blower in a casing, adjusting air introduced therein to a predetermined temperature to form air-conditioned air, and supplying the air-conditioned air to an air-conditioned room,
While the antibacterial coating is applied to the inner surface of the casing,
An air conditioner, wherein an antibacterial HEPA filter for filtering the conditioned air is provided at an outlet side of the casing. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a sterilizing unit that sterilizes the chilled water coil is provided upstream and downstream of the air flow of the chilled water coil. 3. Spraying means for spraying hydrogen peroxide on the introduced air on the inlet side of the casing,
On the downstream side of the air flow of the spraying means, a neutralization / decomposition means for neutralizing / decomposing hydrogen peroxide sprayed from the spraying means,
On the downstream side of the air flow of the neutralizing / decomposing means, a concentration detecting means for detecting the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the air-conditioned air is provided,
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a spray amount control unit that controls a spray amount of the hydrogen peroxide based on concentration information from the concentration detection unit.

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