JP2005155958A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a running cost of an air conditioner. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner is provided with a normal mode of introducing outside air into a temperature controller 3 from a first air supply system 11 passing through a heat exchanger 2, and recirculating air in a room to the temperature controller 3, a cooling mode of introducing outside air of a predetermined temperature or less into the temperature controller 3 from a second air supply system 12 not passing through the heat exchanger 2 when the room is forcibly heated, and exhausting air in the room, and an outside air mode of introducing outside air of a predetermined temperature or less into the temperature controller 3 from the second air supply system 12 not passing through the heat exchanger 2, and recirculating air in the room to the temperature controller 3. The temperature controller 3 is composed such that cooling of the outside air is stopped in the cooling mode and the outside air mode to control a temperature of air to be supplied to the room. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning technique for controlling the temperature of a room such as a tank room for storing brewer's yeast or a sieve room in which brewer's yeast is sieved by vibration.

  Conventionally, air conditioners have been used in a variety of fields, from home use to industrial use. In particular, air conditioners that control the temperature in the tank room where microorganisms such as brewer's yeast grow are maintained at the optimum temperature. It becomes important to do.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a process room is provided in a clean room as air conditioning equipment used for processes such as processing and cleaning of semiconductor wafers, polishing and cleaning of large mirrors and large-diameter lenses, and the properties suitable for each room. For example, an air conditioning system is described in which a process such as cooling or heating can be omitted by supplying gas.
JP 2000-257909 A

  In general air conditioners, outside air or recirculated air is heated / cooled through a temperature controller. For example, there is a temperature difference between the outside and inside of the room before and after cooling, or a temperature difference between outside air and cooling air. The larger the size, the larger the cooling capacity is required. Therefore, the amount of energy such as electric power consumed by the temperature controller increases, and the running cost of the air conditioner increases.

  In particular, in the beer yeast tank chamber, CIP (stationary cleaning) for sterilizing the tank and the pipe is performed, but since this CIP is performed through hot water in the tank, the temperature of the tank chamber is rapidly increased. It becomes a heat source to raise. Such a heat source brings about the result which promotes the said subject by becoming a factor which increases the cost required for cooling.

  Further, heat generated by yeast growth, temperature of operators, various motors, adjacent rooms, lighting equipment, and the like can also serve as heat sources.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, The objective is to provide the technique which can save the temperature regulator and can reduce the running cost of an air conditioner by utilizing outside air for indoor temperature control.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an air conditioner according to the present invention is an air conditioner that controls a room temperature to a set temperature, and when the outside air falls below a predetermined temperature, the outside air is removed. Use it to adjust the temperature in the room.

  In addition, preferably, in order to control the temperature of the room to a set temperature, a temperature controller for adjusting the temperature of the air supplied to the room is provided, and the temperature controller is configured so that the outside air is below a predetermined temperature. The cooling of the outside air is stopped, or the temperature of the air supplied to the room is adjusted by reducing the cooling capacity as compared with the case where the outside air exceeds a predetermined temperature.

Preferably, a normal mode in which outside air is introduced from the first air supply system passing through the heat exchanger into the temperature controller, and indoor air is recirculated to the temperature controller;
A cooling mode for introducing outside air having a predetermined temperature or less from the second air supply system that does not pass through the heat exchanger into the temperature regulator and exhausting the room air when the room is forcibly heated; And an outside air mode in which outside air having a predetermined temperature or less is introduced from the second air supply system that does not pass through the heat exchanger into the temperature regulator, and indoor air is recirculated to the temperature regulator. In the cooling mode and the outside air mode, the regulator stops the cooling of the outside air or adjusts the temperature of the air supplied to the room by reducing the cooling capacity as compared with a case where the outside air exceeds a predetermined temperature.

  Preferably, the apparatus further includes control means for switching and executing each mode according to a predetermined condition.

  Preferably, the apparatus further includes means for manually switching from the normal mode or the outside air mode to the cooling mode.

  Preferably, in the cooling mode and the outside air mode, supply / exhaust into the room is controlled so that the pressure in the room is maintained at a set pressure.

  Preferably, the first air supply system, the second air supply system, and the recirculated system are connected to the temperature controller, and means for adjusting an air flow rate flowing from each system is provided. In addition.

  Preferably, the predetermined temperature is set to 10 to 13 ° C.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the temperature of the temperature regulator can be saved and the running cost of the air conditioner can be reduced by using the outside air for indoor temperature adjustment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiment described below is an example as means for realizing the present invention, and the present invention can be applied to a modified or modified embodiment described below without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a control example for each operation mode of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exhaust fan control example (a) based on room pressure and a valve opening degree control example (b) based on room temperature.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner of the present embodiment uses, for example, air in a tank room for storing brewer's yeast or a sieve room in which brewer's yeast is sieved by vibration (hereinafter collectively referred to as a tank room). Control the temperature in harmony.

  Specifically, the air conditioner includes a normal air supply system 11 that takes in outside air and sends it to the temperature controller 3 through the heat exchanger 2 as an air supply system that is a piping path for supplying air into the tank chamber 1. An outside air introduction system 12 that takes outside air and sends it to the temperature regulator 3 without passing through the heat exchanger 2, and a common supply that supplies conditioned air adjusted to a desired temperature and humidity by the temperature regulator 3 into the tank chamber 1. Air system 13. Further, as an exhaust system serving as a piping path for exhausting the air in the tank chamber 1 to the outside, the normal exhaust system 14 that exhausts the air in the tank chamber 1 through the heat exchanger 2 and the heat in the air in the tank chamber 1 are exchanged. And a pressure adjusting system 15 that directly discharges the tank chamber 1 without passing through the vessel 2 and holds the inside of the tank chamber 1 at a set pressure (a positive pressure is set so that no germs enter from the outside). Further, the normal exhaust system 14 is provided with a recirculation system 16 that branches on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 2 and communicates with the temperature regulator 3 that is an air supply system, and the temperature of the air exhausted from the tank chamber 1 is increased. It is circulated again to the air supply system via the regulator 3.

  The heat exchanger 2 is provided with an outside air passage 2A that allows outside air to pass through and an exhaust passage 2B that allows exhaust air to pass through. The outside air passage 2A is provided with a fan F1, and the exhaust passage 2B is provided with a fan F2. It has been.

  In the above air supply system, a valve V1 is provided on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 2 in the normal air supply system 11, and a valve V2 is provided on the upstream side of the temperature regulator 3 in the outside air introduction system 12, respectively. Control the opening / closing or opening of the path. The common air supply system 13 is provided with an air supply fan F3 that supplies conditioned air from the temperature controller 3 into the tank chamber 1.

  In the exhaust system, a valve V3 is provided downstream of the heat exchanger 2 in the normal exhaust system 14, a valve V4 is provided in the pressure control system 15, and a valve V5 is provided in the recirculation system 16, respectively. The opening / closing or opening degree of each piping path is controlled by M5. An exhaust fan F4 for forcibly discharging air from the tank chamber 1 is provided upstream of the valve V4 in the pressure control system 15.

  The tank chamber 1 is provided with a detector S1 such as a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the chamber, and the fan 4 is inverter-controlled according to the detected pressure P1 so that the pressure in the tank chamber 1 becomes the set pressure. To control.

  A detector S2 such as a temperature sensor for detecting the supply air temperature T2 is provided on the downstream side of the fan F3 in the common supply system 13, and an exhaust temperature T3 is detected on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 2 in the normal exhaust system 14. A detector S3 such as a temperature sensor is provided.

  Further, a temperature sensor S4 for detecting an outside air temperature T4 is provided at an inlet for taking in outside air, which is an upstream end of the normal air supply system 11 and the outside air introduction system 12.

  The temperature controller 3 is provided with a cooler 3A on the inlet (upstream) side and a heater 3B on the outlet (downstream) side. In the cooler 3A, the pipe is formed in a coil shape, and a fin is attached to increase the surface area in contact with the air. By circulating the refrigerant in the pipe by the refrigerant supply pump P, the air passing through the temperature regulator 3 is Cooling. The refrigerant that has absorbed heat from the air is cooled through the regenerator 5 and then circulated to the regenerator 5 by the refrigerant supply pump P. The flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe is controlled according to the opening degree of the valve V6.

  In the heater 3B, the pipe is formed in a coil shape, and the surface area that comes into contact with the air is increased by attaching fins, and the air that passes through the temperature regulator 3 is circulated in the pipe by a pump (not shown). Heat. The flow rate of the heating steam flowing through the pipe is controlled according to the opening degree of the valve V7. In particular, the heater 3B is used for dehumidification in the normal mode, which will be described later, and for freezing prevention in the outside air mode.

  Of the above valves, the valves V1, V3, and V4 have a simple open / close control, and the valves V2 and V5-V7 have a configuration that can control the opening. The fans F3 and F4 can be controlled by the inverter circuits 6 and 7.

  The opening / closing of the valve and inverter control of the fan are automatically controlled by the control device 21. The control device 21 is provided with an operation panel 22 on which an operator operates a switch and a monitor 23 such as an LCD for displaying an operation status. The operation panel 22 is provided with a CIP switch 24 capable of switching the operation mode of the air conditioner to the CIP mode, a power switch 25, and a lamp 26 such as an LED. The CIP switch 24 can be switched between an “OFF” state in which the operation in the CIP mode is not performed, a “manual” operation in which the CIP mode is always performed, and an “automatic” operation in which the CIP mode is performed under a predetermined condition. It is switched manually or automatically from the normal mode or outside air mode described later to the CIP mode. In addition, the control device 21 switches between the normal mode, the CIP mode, and the outside air mode according to the switch operation, the outside air temperature, and the like.

  Below, the specific example of each operation | movement content of the normal mode by the air conditioner of this embodiment, CIP mode, and external air mode is demonstrated.

[Normal mode]
The normal mode is a mode in which outside air is introduced into the temperature controller 3 from the normal air supply system 11 passing through the heat exchanger 2 and air in the tank chamber 1 is recirculated to the temperature controller 3. This is executed by turning on the switch 25, and the temperature is controlled using the exhaust temperature T3 by the detector S3 installed in the normal exhaust system 14.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the normal exhaust system 14 with the fans F1-F3 turned on (running), the fan F4 turned off (stopped), the valves V1, V3, V5 opened, and the valves V2, V4 closed. A portion of the exhaust passing through is recirculated to the temperature regulator 3. Further, the opening degree of the valves V6 and V7 is controlled, and the outside air flowing into the temperature controller 3 and the recirculated air are brought to a predetermined temperature and humidity by the cooler 3A and the heater 3B, and the inside of the tank chamber 1 by the fan F3. To supply.

[CIP mode]
The CIP mode is executed by switching the CIP switch 24 of the operation panel 22 to “manual” or “automatic”. In addition, the contents of operation differ depending on whether or not the outside air temperature T4 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold temperature (for example, 10 ° C. ≦ threshold temperature ≦ 13 ° C.).

<When outside temperature exceeds threshold temperature (CIP mode I)>
When the outside air temperature T4 exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature, the outside air and the recirculated air are set to a predetermined temperature by the cooler 3A and supplied into the tank chamber 1 by the fan F3 as in the normal mode. To do.

<When outside temperature is below threshold temperature (CIP mode II)>
When the outside air temperature T4 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold temperature, outside air is introduced into the temperature regulator 3 from the outside air introduction system 12 that does not pass through the heat exchanger 2, and air in the tank chamber is discharged from the pressure regulation system 15. It is effective in low temperatures such as winter and in regions where the average temperature is low.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the fans F1 and F2 are turned off, the fan F3 is inverter controlled by a preset temperature value (CIP signal), and the fan F4 is preset as shown in FIG. The inverter is controlled by the pressure value (CIP signal). Further, the valve V2 is opened to stop the cooling by the cooler 3A, and the valve V4 is opened to discharge the air in the tank chamber. Further, the valves V1, V3, V5, and V6 are closed to introduce the outside air from the outside air introduction system 12 into the temperature regulator 3, and the control based on the supply air temperature T2 is performed by controlling the opening degree of the valve V7.

  Here, in the case of “automatic” operation, the CIP mode automatically ends when at least one of the following conditions (I) and (II) is satisfied.

(I) CIP ends and the room temperature (exhaust temperature) reaches the set temperature. (II) CIP ends and the outside air temperature reaches the outside air temperature + α ° C. When the CIP mode ends, the normal mode or Transition to the following outside air mode.

[Outside air mode]
In the outside air mode, outside air is introduced into the temperature controller 3 from the outside air introduction system 12 that does not pass through the heat exchanger 2, indoor air is recirculated to the temperature controller 3, and further, air in the tank room is recirculated to the pressure regulator 15. This is executed when the outside air temperature T4 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold temperature (for example, 10 ° C. ≦ threshold temperature ≦ 13 ° C.). In particular, it is effective in a low temperature season such as winter or an area where the average temperature is low.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the fans F1 and F2 are turned off (similar to when the outside air is below the threshold temperature in the CIP mode), and the fan F3 is inverter-controlled by a preset temperature value (CIP signal). The fan F4 is inverter-controlled by a preset pressure value (CIP signal) as shown in FIG. Further, the valve V4 is opened to discharge the air in the tank chamber. Further, the opening degree of the valves V2 and V5 is controlled by the room temperature as shown in FIG. 3B, the valves V1 and V3 are closed, the outside air is introduced into the temperature controller 3 from the outside air introduction system 12, and the valve V6 Is closed, and the control based on the supply air temperature T2 is performed by controlling the opening degree of the valve V7, and the cooling by the cooler 3A is stopped. Note that the minimum value of the opening degree of the valve V2 and the maximum value of the opening degree of the valve V5 may be set depending on the situation such as the outside air temperature.

  According to the embodiment, in the CIP mode or the outside air mode, the outside air having a temperature equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature is used for indoor temperature adjustment, so that the temperature controller can save energy and the running cost of the air conditioner can be reduced.

  In the CIP mode and the outside air mode, the energy consumption of the temperature regulator 3 can be suppressed even when the cooling capacity is reduced compared to the normal mode without stopping the cooling by the temperature regulator 3. An effect can be obtained.

It is a distribution diagram showing an air-conditioner of an embodiment concerning the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of control for every operation mode of the air conditioner of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the control example (a) of the exhaust fan based on room pressure, and the control example (b) of the valve opening degree based on room temperature.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Yeast tank room 2 Heat exchanger 3 Temperature regulator 5 Regenerator 6, 7 Inverter circuit 11 Normal supply system 12 Outside air introduction system 13 Common supply system 14 Normal exhaust system 15 Pressure regulation system 16 Recirculation system 21 Controller 22 Operation panel 23 Display 24 CIP switch 25 Power switch 26 Lamp F1-F4 Fan V1-V7 Valve M1-M5 Motor S1-S4 Detector

Claims (8)

An air conditioner that controls the indoor temperature to a set temperature,
An air conditioner characterized in that when the outside air falls below a predetermined temperature, the outside air is taken in and used to adjust the temperature in the room. In order to control the temperature of the room to a set temperature, a temperature regulator for adjusting the temperature of the air supplied to the room is provided,
The temperature controller stops the cooling of the outside air when the outside air is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, or adjusts the temperature of the air supplied to the room by reducing the cooling capacity compared to the case where the outside air exceeds the predetermined temperature. The air conditioner according to claim 1. A normal mode in which outside air is introduced into the temperature regulator from a first air supply system passing through a heat exchanger, and indoor air is recirculated to the temperature regulator;
A cooling mode for introducing outside air having a predetermined temperature or less from the second air supply system that does not pass through the heat exchanger into the temperature regulator and exhausting the room air when the room is forcibly heated; ,
An outside air mode in which outside air having a predetermined temperature or less is introduced into the temperature regulator from a second air supply system that does not pass through the heat exchanger, and the outside air mode is configured to recirculate indoor air to the temperature regulator,
The temperature controller stops the cooling of the outside air in the cooling mode and the outside air mode, or adjusts the temperature of the air supplied to the room by reducing the cooling capacity as compared with a case where the outside air exceeds a predetermined temperature. The air conditioner according to claim 2.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, further comprising control means for switching and executing each mode according to a predetermined condition.   The air conditioner according to claim 3, further comprising means for manually switching from the normal mode or the outside air mode to the cooling mode.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein in the cooling mode and the outside air mode, air supply / exhaust into the room is controlled so as to keep the pressure in the room at a set pressure. . The first air supply system, the second air supply system, and the recirculated system are connected to the temperature controller, and further include means for adjusting an air flow rate flowing from each system. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the predetermined temperature is set to 10 to 13 ° C.

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