JP2004340565A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a temperature in a gas space in a tank near to a temperature of a liquid in the tank, compared with those in the prior art. <P>SOLUTION: (1) This humidifier 10 has the tank 20 having the liquid 21 in its inside and the gas space 22 in an upper side thereof, a gas supply pipe 30 with one end inserted into the liquid 21, a gas spray tube 40 with one end part communicated with the liquid 21, and with the other end located in the gas space 22, and a heater 50 for heating an outer wall of a tank portion 23 having the gas space 22 in its inside. (2) The gas spray tube 40 includes a portion positioned inside the tank 20. (3) The heater 50 is provided over the whole outer wall of the tank portion 23 having the gas space 22 in its inside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifier.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-272787 discloses a humidifier provided with a gas spray pipe for spraying a liquid in a tank into a gas space of the tank. The publication does not provide a heater for heating the outer wall of a tank portion having a gas space therein.
Since the humidifier of the publication has a gas spray tube, the gas space can be filled with the liquid (mist) in the tank. Therefore, even when the temperature of the gas entering the tank from the gas supply pipe is different from the temperature of the liquid in the tank, the temperature of the gas space becomes close to the temperature of the liquid in the tank. As a result, the gas space becomes saturated at a temperature close to the temperature of the liquid in the tank, and the control of the humidity of the discharged gas becomes easier as compared with the case where the liquid in the tank is not sprayed into the gas space.

However, the conventional humidifier has the following problems.
Since the humidifier of the above publication is not provided with a heater for heating the outer wall of the tank portion having a gas space therein, even if the liquid in the tank is sprayed into the gas space, the gas near the tank wall is The temperature of the tank may be different from the temperature of the liquid in the tank due to the temperature of the tank wall. Therefore, there is a limit in bringing the temperature of the gas space closer to the temperature of the liquid in the tank.
JP-A-5-272787

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that there is a limit in bringing the temperature of the gas space closer to the temperature of the liquid in the tank.
An object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of bringing the temperature of a gas space in a tank closer to the temperature of liquid in the tank than before.

The present invention that achieves the above object is as follows.
(1) a tank having a liquid inside and a gas space above it,
A gas supply pipe having one end inserted into the liquid,
A gas spray tube having one end communicating with the liquid and the other end in the gas space;
A heater that heats the outer wall of the tank part with a gas space inside,
Humidifier having a.
(2) The humidifier according to (1), wherein the gas spray tube includes a portion located in the tank.
(3) The humidifier according to (1), wherein the heater is provided on an entire outer wall of a tank portion having a gas space therein.
(4) a gas discharge pipe having one end communicating with the gas space;
A water droplet removal mechanism for removing water droplets in the gas passing through the gas discharge pipe,
The humidifier according to (1), further comprising:
(5) The humidifier according to (4), wherein the gas discharge pipe includes a vertically extending portion extending in a vertical direction, and the water droplet removing mechanism is provided in a vertically extending portion of the gas discharge pipe.
(6) A part of the vertically extending portion is located in the gas space, and the water droplet removing mechanism is provided in a portion of the vertically extending portion located in the gas space, 5) The humidifier according to the above.
(7) The humidifier according to (4), wherein the water droplet removing mechanism includes a plate-shaped member provided spirally in an axial direction of the gas discharge pipe, and a water outflow hole provided in the gas discharge pipe. apparatus.
(8) The humidifier according to (7), wherein the plate-like member is inclined toward the upstream side in the gas flow direction from the outer peripheral end toward the center of the gas discharge pipe.

In the humidifier of the above (1), since the heater for heating the outer wall of the tank portion having the gas space therein is provided, the heater for heating the outer wall of the tank portion having the gas space therein is not provided. As compared with the conventional case, the possibility that the gas near the tank wall is affected by the temperature of the tank wall and differs from the temperature of the liquid in the tank is reduced.
In the humidifier of the above (2), the temperature change of the liquid flowing in the gas spray tube can be made smaller than when the gas spray tube is located outside the tank.
In the humidifier of the above (3), the gas near the tank wall is affected by the temperature of the tank wall and the temperature of the liquid is lower than the case where the heater is provided only in a part of the tank portion having the gas space inside. The likelihood of being different is small.
Since the humidifier of the above (4) or (5) has a water droplet removing mechanism, water droplets in the gas passing through the gas discharge pipe can be removed.
In the humidifier of the above (6), since the water droplet removing mechanism is provided in the portion located in the gas space, the water droplet removed from the gas discharge pipe by the water droplet removing mechanism can be easily returned into the tank.
In the humidifier of the above (7), since the helical plate-like member is provided, when the water-droplet-containing gas flows through the portion where the plate-like member is provided, the water-droplet-containing gas flows helically. Therefore, centrifugal force is generated and water droplets in the gas adhere to the wall surface of the gas discharge pipe.
Further, since the water outlet hole is provided, water droplets attached to the wall surface of the gas discharge pipe can flow out of the gas discharge pipe from the water outlet hole.
In the humidifier of the above (8), since the plate-like member is inclined, the gas flows efficiently in a spiral manner compared to the case where the plate-like member is not inclined or the case where the plate-like member is inclined downstream in the gas flow direction. be able to.

FIG. 1 shows a humidifying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 show a humidifying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Portions common to the first embodiment of the present invention and the second embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the first and second embodiments of the present invention.
First, portions common to the first embodiment of the present invention and the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to, for example, FIG.
The humidifying device according to the embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a humidifying device for humidifying a gas sent to a fuel cell (not shown). However, the humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above humidifier.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the humidifier 10 of the embodiment of the present invention includes a tank 20 having a liquid 21 therein and a gas space 22 thereabove, a gas supply pipe 30 having one end inserted into the liquid 21, A first heater that heats a gas spray pipe 40 having one end communicating with the liquid 21 and the other end in the gas space 22 and an outer wall of a tank portion (hereinafter, referred to as a first tank portion) 23 having the gas space 22 therein. 50. The humidifying device 10 further heats a gas discharge pipe 60 for discharging the gas in the gas space 22 to the outside of the humidifying device 10 and an outer wall of a tank portion 24 (hereinafter, referred to as a second tank portion) having the liquid 21 therein. It has a second heater 70 and a third heater 80 for heating the outer wall of the gas discharge pipe 60.

The side wall 20a of the tank 20 has a cylindrical shape.
The gas supply pipe 30 supplies gas into the liquid 21 to perform bubbling. The gas supply pipe 30 includes a vertically extending portion 31 extending vertically and a horizontally extending portion 32 extending horizontally from a lower end of the vertically extending portion 31.
The horizontal extension 32 is located in the liquid 21. The shape of the horizontally extending portion 32 may be a disk shape or a rod shape. At least an upper wall of the horizontally extending portion 32 is provided with a plurality of holes 32a. The gas supplied into the liquid 21 through the gas supply pipe 30 takes in water vapor in bubbles while rising in the liquid portion 21 and reaches the gas space 22.

The gas spray tube 40 sprays the liquid 21 in the tank 20 uniformly over the entire gas space 22. The gas spray pipe 40 may be provided so that a part thereof is located outside the tank 20, but it is preferable that the entire gas spray pipe 40 is provided inside the tank 20 (in the illustrated example, a part of the gas spray pipe 40 is used). Is provided so as to be located outside the tank 20).
The gas spray tube 40 has a liquid inlet 41 at one end of the gas spray tube 40, a pump 42, and a spray unit 43 at the other end of the gas spray tube 40.
The liquid inlet 41 is provided below the hole 32 a of the gas supply pipe 30. However, the liquid inlet 41 may be provided above the hole 32a of the gas supply pipe 30.
The spray unit 43 has a disk shape. The diameter of the spray part 43 is half or almost half of the inner diameter of the side wall 20 a of the tank 20. The spray section 43 is provided with a plurality of spray holes 43a.

The first heater 50 is desirably provided on the entire or substantially entire outer wall of the first tank portion 23.
When the humidifying device 10 is a humidifying device for humidifying the gas sent to the fuel cell (not shown), the gas passing through the gas discharge pipe 60 is sent to the fuel cell (not shown).
The second heater 70 may be an integral heater with the first heater 50 or may be a different heater from the first heater 50. The second heater 70 is desirably provided on the entire or substantially entire outer wall of the second tank portion 24.
The third heater 80 may be a heater integrated with at least one of the first and second heaters 50 and 70, or may be a heater different from the first and second heaters 50 and 70.

Here, an operation common to the first embodiment of the present invention and the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Since the spray tube 40 and the first heater 50 are provided, compared to the case where only the spray tube is provided and the first heater is not provided (conventional), the vicinity of the tank wall of the first tank portion 23 is closer. The influence of the temperature on the located gas from the tank wall can be reduced, and the temperature of the gas space 22 can be made closer to the temperature of the liquid 21.
When the entire gas spray pipe 40 is provided inside the tank 20, the temperature of the gas spray pipe 40 is closer to the temperature of the liquid 21 than when the gas spray pipe 40 is provided outside the tank 20. That is, a change in the temperature of the liquid while flowing through the gas spray tube 40 is suppressed.
When the first heater 50 is provided on the entire or almost the entire outer wall of the first tank portion 23, the first heater 50 is provided on only a part of the outer wall of the first tank portion 23. In addition, the temperature of the gas space 22 can be made close to the temperature of the liquid 21.

Since the diameter of the spraying part 43 of the gas spraying pipe 40 is half or almost half of the inner diameter of the tank 20, the spraying part 43 can spray the entire gas space 22 uniformly without blocking the gas passage.
When the first heater 50 is different from the second heater 70, it is possible to cope with the difference between the specific heat of the liquid 21 and the specific heat of the gas in the gas space 22, and the first heater 50 and the second heater 70 are integrated. The temperature of the gas space 22 can be made closer to the temperature of the liquid 21 as compared with the case of a heater.

Next, parts unique to each embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[Example 1 of the present invention]
As shown in FIG. 1, the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention is the same as the configuration of a portion common to the first embodiment of the present invention and the second embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the operation and effect of the portion common to the second embodiment of the present invention can be obtained.

[Example 2 of the present invention]
In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a case is shown in which a water drop removing mechanism 90 for removing water drops in the gas passing through the gas discharge pipe 60 is further provided.
The gas discharge pipe 60 has one end communicating with the gas space 22 as shown in FIG. The gas discharge pipe 60 includes a vertically extending portion 61 extending in a vertical direction, and a downstream extending portion 62 extending from a downstream end of the vertically extending portion 61 in a direction (for example, a horizontal direction) different from the vertical extending portion 61. Have.
The vertically extending portion 61 is connected to the upper wall of the tank 20. The upstream end of the vertically extending portion 61 and the vicinity thereof enter the gas space 22 of the tank 20 (hereinafter, the portion of the vertically extending portion 61 that enters the gas space 22 is referred to as the entry portion 63. ). The opening of the upstream end of the entrance portion 63 becomes larger as approaching the upstream end.

The water drop removing mechanism 90 removes water drops in the gas passing through the gas discharge pipe 60. The water droplet removing mechanism 90 prevents water droplets sprayed from the gas spray tube 40 from flowing through the gas discharge tube 60 as they are.
The water drop removing mechanism 90 is provided on the gas discharge pipe 60. The water droplet removing mechanism 90 may be provided in the vertically extending portion 61 of the gas discharge pipe 60, or may be provided in the downstream extending portion 62 of the gas discharge pipe 60. When the water droplet removing mechanism 90 is provided in the vertically extending portion 61, the water droplet removing mechanism 90 may be provided in the entrance portion 63, or may be provided in a portion other than the entrance portion 63 (in the illustrated example of the present invention, the water droplet is provided). The case where the removing mechanism 90 is provided in the entry portion 63 of the vertically extending portion 61 is shown). Hereinafter, in the second embodiment of the present invention, a case where the water droplet removing mechanism 90 is provided at the entrance 63 of the vertically extending portion 61 will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 3, the water drop removing mechanism 90 includes a plate-like member 91 continuously provided in a spiral shape in the axial direction of the entrance 63 and a water outlet hole 92 provided in the entrance 63. I have.
The plate-like member 91 is attached to the inner wall surface of the entrance 63 at the outer peripheral end. The plate-shaped member 91 is inclined upstream (downward) in the gas flow direction from the outer peripheral end toward the center of the entrance 63 at any cross section passing through the axis of the entrance 63.
The water outflow hole 92 penetrates the entrance 63. The water outflow hole 92 is provided immediately below the outer peripheral end of the plate-shaped member 91. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of water outflow holes 92 are provided on the spiral.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, since the water drop removing mechanism 90 is provided, water drops in the gas passing through the gas discharge pipe 60 can be removed.
Further, since the water drop removing mechanism 90 is provided at the entrance 63, the water that has flowed out of the entrance 63 through the water outlet 92 returns to the tank 20. Therefore, the water droplet removed from the gas discharge pipe 60 by the water droplet removing mechanism 90 can be easily returned into the tank 20. Here, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the case where the water drop removing mechanism 90 is provided at the entrance 63 is described as an example. However, when the water drop removing mechanism 90 is provided at a portion other than the entrance 63, the gas discharge pipe 60 is connected. It is also possible to adopt a double pipe structure and return the water droplets that have come out of the water outflow holes 92 into the tank 20 through the space between the inner and outer pipes.

Since the water droplet removing mechanism 90 includes the helical plate-like member 91, when the water-droplet-containing gas flows through the portion where the plate-like member 91 is provided, the water-droplet-containing gas flows helically. Therefore, a centrifugal force is generated, and water droplets in the gas move radially outward and adhere to the inner wall surface of the entrance 63. Further, since the water drop removing mechanism 90 includes the water outflow hole 92, water droplets attached to the inner wall surface of the entrance 63 can flow out of the entrance 63 through the water outflow hole 92.
In addition, since the plate-like member 91 is inclined toward the upstream side (downward) in the gas flow direction from the outer peripheral end toward the center of the entrance portion 63, the plate-like member 91 is not inclined or the downstream side in the gas flow direction (downward). The gas mixed with water droplets is more likely to flow along the inner wall surface of the entrance portion 63 as compared with the case of inclining upward. As a result, the gas mixed with water droplets can be efficiently flowed in a spiral shape. Therefore, the generated centrifugal force increases, and water droplets are rubbed on the inner wall surface of the entrance portion 63, and the water removing effect is large.

  Since the water drop removing mechanism 90 includes the plate member 91, the plate member 91 functions as a baffle plate. Therefore, water droplets sprayed by the gas spray tube 40 hit the lower surface of the plate-shaped member 91 and are less likely to enter the gas discharge tube 60.

  When the humidifying device 10 is a humidifying device that humidifies gas sent to a fuel cell (not shown), the humidifying device 10 includes the water droplet removing mechanism 90, so that water droplets can be prevented from flowing into the fuel cell. Further, it is possible to prevent water droplets from adhering to a dew point meter (not shown) disposed immediately before a fuel cell (not shown). Since water droplets can be prevented from adhering to the dew point meter, it is possible to prevent the dew point meter from malfunctioning and the humidity control from being disabled.

It is sectional drawing of the humidifier of Example 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the humidifier of Example 2 of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the water droplet removal mechanism of the humidifier of Example 2 of this invention, and its vicinity. FIG. 4 is a view as viewed from A in FIG. 3.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Humidifier 20 Tank 21 Liquid 22 Gas space 30 Gas supply pipe 32a Hole 40 Gas spray pipe 41 Liquid intake 42 Pump 43 Spray section 43a Spray hole 50 First heater 60 Gas exhaust pipe 61 Vertical extension of gas exhaust pipe Portion 62 Downstream extension 63 of gas exhaust pipe Entrance portion 70 Second heater 80 Third heater 90 Water droplet removing mechanism 91 Plate member 92 Water outflow hole

Claims (8)

A tank with a liquid inside and a gas space above it,
A gas supply pipe having one end inserted into the liquid,
A gas spray tube having one end communicating with the liquid and the other end in the gas space;
A heater that heats the outer wall of the tank part with a gas space inside,
Humidifier having a.   The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the gas spray tube includes a portion located in the tank.   The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the heater is provided on an entire outer wall of a tank portion having a gas space therein. A gas discharge pipe having one end communicating with the gas space,
A water droplet removal mechanism for removing water droplets in the gas passing through the gas discharge pipe,
The humidifier according to claim 1, further comprising:   The humidifier according to claim 4, wherein the gas discharge pipe includes a vertically extending portion extending in a vertical direction, and the water droplet removing mechanism is provided at a vertically extending portion of the gas discharge pipe.   6. A part of the vertically extending portion is located in the gas space, and the water droplet removing mechanism is provided in a portion of the vertically extending portion located in the gas space. Humidification equipment.   The humidifier according to claim 4, wherein the water droplet removing mechanism includes a plate-shaped member spirally provided in an axial direction of the gas discharge pipe, and a water outflow hole provided in the gas discharge pipe.   The humidifier according to claim 7, wherein the plate-like member is inclined toward an upstream side in a gas flow direction from an outer peripheral end toward a center of the gas discharge pipe.

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