JP2005265313A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress deposit of scales and reduce the labor in maintenance works by eliminating necessity for the blowing operation. <P>SOLUTION: The humidifier is equipped with an evaporating water tank 13 to accommodate water, furnished with a heating means 14 to heat the water accommodated, and capable of generating water vapor, and a water supply hole 21 to take in the water supplied to the evaporating water tank, wherein the part between the water tank and the supply hole is furnished with a activated coal filtrating means 31 to filtrate the supply water to the water tank by activated charcoal and a reverse permeation membrane means 32 to take in the filtrated water having passed the filtrating means and allow it to pass through a reverse permeation membrane. The water tank, the filtrating means, and the membrane means are accommodated in a single case. At the fore-stage of the membrane means 32, a heat exchange means 25 is installed which admits passage of the supply water to the water tank and can absorb the heat originating from the heating means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifier, and more particularly to a humidifier structure that can eliminate the need for maintenance and blow operation associated with scale deposition.

  Decreasing the amount of moisture in the air not only detracts from the comfort of the indoor environment, but also adversely affects the health of the resident, or various substances (for example, fresh food, wine, plants, collections in museums, museums and libraries, Humidifiers are used to keep this in an appropriate state because it causes damage to paper and original film, electronic equipment, etc. in printing plants due to drying and static electricity.

  Among these humidifiers, the electrothermal steam generator can be used for both clean water and high-precision humidification, and it can be used regardless of whether it is pure water or soft water. Is used.

  By the way, since a steam generator evaporates only water vapor, impurities such as minerals and iron rust contained in supply water (for example, tap water) accumulate in the evaporating water tank, and these are gradually concentrated as the operation progresses. Go. As the concentration of impurities progresses, the boiling and foaming of the water surface become more intense with the boiling of the evaporating water, causing the problem of splashing hot water with the steam.

  Moreover, due to the concentration of impurities in the evaporating water tank, the amount of scale (cane stone) deposited increases, and it is necessary to remove this. This is because once the scale is deposited, it does not dissolve again in the water, but accumulates in the evaporating water tank and gives a fault to the humidifier itself, causing a failure.

  On the other hand, in order to partially replace the water in the evaporating water tank and reduce the concentration of impurities, an automatic blowing device may be equipped. However, a sufficient humidification amount cannot be obtained at the time of blow operation. Especially in a constant temperature and humidity chamber where high-precision humidity control is required, or in a computer room where continuous humidification is performed for 24 hours throughout the year, a humidification function at the time of blow operation This is a problem. In anechoic rooms, studios, laboratories, operating rooms, bedrooms, etc., humidification without noise is required, but noise due to water level control (solenoid valves, float valves) and water supply pressure could not be eliminated.

  Furthermore, in the conventional humidifier, it is necessary to perform the cleaning operation for removing the accumulated scales many times a year, and the operation must be stopped each time, and there is a difficulty in increasing the complexity of the maintenance and the operation cost.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce scale maintenance by reducing the deposition of scales and making the blowing operation unnecessary.

  In order to achieve the object and solve the problem, a first humidifier according to the present invention includes an evaporating water tank capable of generating water vapor with a heating means for containing water and heating the contained water, and the evaporating water tank A humidifier equipped with a water supply port for taking in water to be supplied to the activated carbon filtration means for filtering the water supplied to the evaporative water tank with activated carbon between the evaporative water tank and the water supply port, and the activated carbon filtration And reverse osmosis membrane means for taking the filtered water that has passed through the means and allowing the reverse osmosis membrane to pass through.

  In the humidifier of the present invention, water is taken from the water supply port, and this water is supplied to the evaporating water tank. In the evaporating water tank, water stored in the tank is heated by a heating means to generate water vapor. Here, activated carbon filtering means and reverse osmosis membrane means are provided between the water supply port and the evaporating water tank. The feed water taken from the feed port passes through the activated carbon filtering means, so that organic substances, residual chlorine, and suspended substances such as colloidal iron rust are removed. Further, the feed water filtered through the activated carbon filtering means further passes through the reverse osmosis membrane means to remove minerals, which are inorganic components ionized in the water, and minute substances such as viruses and bacteria.

  Thus, in the humidifier of the present invention, almost all impurities contained in the feed water supplied to the evaporating water tank can be removed by the activated carbon filtration means and the reverse osmosis membrane means (slightly low molecular weight inorganic ions). Only the water leaks), the water held in the evaporating water tank is not concentrated, and it is possible to omit the automatic blow operation which has been necessary in the past. In addition, scale accumulation does not occur, and the complexity of maintenance work can be avoided. Furthermore, since no blow is required, a drain solenoid valve is not necessary, and it is also possible to adopt a float valve type for water supply, and according to this, it is sufficient to supply a small amount of moisture continuously, It is also possible to prevent the generation of water jet noise and vibration noise caused by a water hammer.

  The second humidifier of the present invention is one in which the evaporating water tank, the activated carbon filtering means and the reverse osmosis membrane means are accommodated in a single case.

  By housing in a single case, a compact humidifier convenient for installation and handling can be formed and provided.

  The third humidifier according to the present invention is the reverse osmosis membrane means in the first humidifier, wherein the water exchange means that can pass water supplied to the evaporating water tank and can absorb the heat derived from the heating means. Is further provided in the previous stage.

  In the third humidifier, the water supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane means is heated by passing through the heat exchange means. The reason for heating in this way is as follows.

  The amount of pure water obtained by passing through the reverse osmosis membrane generally decreases when the pressure of the inflowing water is low, and decreases as the water temperature is low. Therefore, for example, assuming that tap water is used as the water supply, if the tap water pressure in the place where the humidifier is installed is low, or if the water temperature is low, such as in winter, and if these conditions overlap, It is expected that the amount of water supplied to the evaporating water tank through the reverse osmosis membrane means will be reduced.

  More specifically, the amount of pure water collected by the reverse osmosis membrane is about a half compared to when the water temperature is 10 ° C. and the water temperature is 20 ° C., for example, and the water pressure is 0.1 MPa when the water pressure is 0.1 MPa, for example. Compared to 2 MPa, it is about a half. Therefore, when these conditions are overlapped, the collected amount of 10 to 11 L / h at normal time (water pressure: 0.2 MPa, water temperature: 20 ° C.) is about 1/4 of 2.5 L / h. Only pure water can be collected, and depending on the amount of humidification required, water supply to the evaporating water tank may not be sufficiently performed.

  For this reason, in the second humidifier of the present invention, the amount of water treated by the reverse osmosis membrane means is increased by heating the water supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane means, and the amount of water supplied to the evaporating water tank is increased. To increase the amount of water vapor that can be generated. Since this heating uses heat (for example, waste heat or residual heat) derived from the heating means provided in the evaporating water tank, it is not necessary to newly provide a heat source means for heating, in terms of apparatus cost and energy consumption. It is advantageous. Furthermore, in order to increase the amount of treated water by the reverse osmosis membrane, it is conceivable to increase the water pressure with a pump, but the humidifier of the present invention does not need to be provided with a pump because of the heating method as described above. It is possible to reduce the device cost and to configure a compact humidifier.

  According to a fourth humidifier of the present invention, the heat exchange means of the third humidifier includes a heat absorption pipe disposed in the case so as to be able to absorb heat generated from the evaporating water tank.

  Heat is generated from the evaporating water tank by heating by the heating means, and the inside of the case is warmed. In the fourth humidifier, the water supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane means is heated using this heat.

  The heat absorption pipe may be disposed in contact with the outer surface of the evaporating water tank or the water vapor outlet pipe connected to the evaporating water tank so as to be capable of exchanging heat, or disposed inside the evaporating water tank or the water vapor outlet pipe connected to the evaporating water tank. It is also possible. According to such a configuration, the amount of heat absorbed by the heat absorption tube can be increased, and the temperature of the water supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane means can be increased.

  According to the humidifier according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the precipitation of scales, eliminate the need for a blow operation, and reduce maintenance labor.

  Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention.

(Configuration of humidifier)
FIG. 1 shows a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the humidifier 11 includes an evaporating water tank 13 for storing evaporating water for humidification, an electric heater 14 for heating the water in the evaporating water tank 13 to generate water vapor, and a water supply A filter 31 for filtering water taken from the mouth 21; and a water purifier 32 provided at a subsequent stage of the filter 31 for further purifying the filtered water that has passed through the filter 31. Each of these components (evaporated water tank 13, The electric heater 14, the filter 31 and the water purifier 32) are accommodated in a single case 12.

  The filter 31 includes an activated carbon filter, and minerals such as calcium and magnesium, iron, organic substances, residual chlorine, suspended substances, and the like contained in water (for example, tap water) taken from the water supply port 21 are filtered by the activated carbon filter. Filter. As the activated carbon used for the filter 31, various activated carbons made of wood, coconut husk, coal (bituminous coal, lignite, lignite), petroleum pitch or the like can be used. Also, a combination of a plurality of types of activated carbon (for example, fibrous activated carbon and coconut shell activated carbon) can be used, and can be appropriately selected according to the water quality of the water used (water taken from the water supply port 21).

  On the other hand, the water purifier 32 includes a reverse osmosis membrane, and further purifies the water filtered by the filter 31 with the reverse osmosis membrane. The reverse osmosis membrane is not limited to a specific type of membrane. For example, a membrane formed of hollow fibers such as aromatic polyamide and acetyl cellulose, or a thin semipermeable membrane is attached to the surface of the porous membrane. A reverse osmosis membrane such as a composite membrane can be used. Moreover, in order to monitor the pressure of the water supplied to the water purifier 32 (reverse osmosis membrane), a water pressure gauge 33 is provided in the front stage of the water purifier 32.

  It is desirable that the filter 31 and the water purifier 32 have a so-called cartridge type that can be attached to and detached from a predetermined position along the water supply pipeline. This is because the humidifiers (filters and reverse osmosis membranes) can be easily replaced when their functions are deteriorated due to aging, and the convenience during maintenance is improved. In addition, according to the structure of this embodiment, the replacement | exchange of the activated carbon filter cartridge of the filter 31 should just be performed for every about 6000 hours, for example, and the replacement | exchange of the reverse osmosis membrane cartridge of the water purifier 32 should be performed about every 5 years, for example.

  In addition, the reverse osmosis membrane has a side surface in which durability is lowered when exposed to chlorine for a long time. However, in the humidifier 11 of this embodiment, the filter 31 is provided in front of the reverse osmosis membrane (water purifier 32), and residual carbon contained in raw water (tap water, industrial water, etc.) is removed by the activated carbon filter. It is possible to extend the life of the osmotic membrane and reduce the number of maintenance (cartridge replacement).

  Furthermore, by interposing the filter 31 between the reverse osmosis membrane (water purifier 32) and the heat absorption pipe 25 (described in detail later), waste heat absorbed by the heat absorption pipe 25 can be stored, and reverse osmosis is also possible. Inflow of high temperature water to the membrane (water purifier 32) can be prevented.

  In front of the evaporating water tank 13, a feed water tank 15 communicating with the evaporating water tank 13 by a connecting pipe 17 is provided, and a float valve 16 is provided in the feed water tank 15. The float valve 16 adjusts the amount of water flowing into the feed water tank 15 from the water purifier 32 to maintain the water level of the feed water tank 15 (and hence the evaporating water tank 13 communicating therewith) at a constant level.

  The float valve 16 is provided with a water level detection means (for example, a proximity switch (reed switch)) that outputs a detection signal when the water level falls below a certain level, and lights up based on the detection signal and the water level falls below the certain level. A water shutoff indicator for notifying that there is provided on the control panel (not shown) of the humidifier 11. Therefore, when the water level of the evaporating water tank 13 is below a certain level, the water stop indicator lamp is turned on.

  Furthermore, a drainage pipe 41 communicating with the drainage port 43 for discharging the water in the evaporative water tank 13 and the feedwater tank 15 and a drainage valve 42 for opening and closing the drainage pipe 41 are provided on the bottom surface of the feedwater tank 15. is there. At the time of maintenance, the drain valve 42 is opened, and the water in the water tanks 13 and 15 can be discharged from the drain outlet 43 through the drain pipe 41. In addition, a blow pipe 35 provided at the bottom of the water purifier is connected to the drain 43 to discharge the water in the water purifier 32, and the blow amount adjusting valve 36 provided in the blow pipe 35 is operated. Thus, the water in the water purifier 32 can be discharged to the drain outlet 43.

  The evaporating water tank 13 is provided with an electric heater 14 that heats water stored therein and generates water vapor, and a steam outlet pipe 18 that guides the generated water vapor to a steam pipe (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the evaporating water tank 13. Provided in the section. The water vapor generated from the evaporating water tank 13 is guided to the steam pipe from the steam outlet pipe 18 and sent to the humidification place through the steam pipe.

  Further, in the vicinity of the periphery of the evaporating water tank 13 in the case 12 (for example, the upper part), the water from the water supply port 21 can be passed through the water to the filter 31 and heat (waste heat) in the case 12 can be absorbed. An endothermic tube 25 is arranged. The inside of the humidifier case 12 is warmed by the heat from the evaporating water tank 13 heated by the electric heater 14, but the supplied water flows into the water purifier 32 (reverse osmosis membrane) using the waste heat from the evaporating water tank 13. It is for heating. The heat absorption pipe 25 is inserted between the water supply port 21 and the filter 31 and is formed of a material having high thermal conductivity (for example, a copper pipe) in order to increase the amount of heat absorbed. The water taken in from the water supply port 21 absorbs the heat in the case 12 while passing through the heat absorption pipe 25 and is heated.

  In addition, if the effect by warming is described concretely, when the water temperature will be 40 degreeC by this heating, it will be obtained with the water purifier 32 (reverse osmosis membrane) compared with the case where the water temperature is 25 degreeC. The amount of treated water increases by about 40%.

  The arrangement form of the heat absorption pipe 25 may be any other form as long as the heat of the evaporating water tank 13 can be used. For example, in order to more actively absorb heat (heat exchange), the endothermic pipe 25 is wound around the outer surface of the evaporating water tank 13 or the outer surface of the steam outlet pipe 18 (steam outlet pipe), and the evaporated water tank 13 or the steam outlet pipe 18 is wound around. You may arrange | position so that it may contact. In this case, the peripheral wall portion of the evaporating water tank 13 or the steam outlet pipe 18 with which the heat absorption pipe 25 is brought into contact is preferably made of a material having a high thermal conductivity such as copper in the same manner as the heat absorption pipe in order to increase the heat exchange efficiency.

  Further, the endothermic pipe 25 is disposed so as to be immersed in the steam extraction pipe 18, the upper space in the evaporating water tank 13, or the stored water in the evaporating water tank 13, and the like. It is also possible to take an arrangement that is directly exposed to water. In the case of such an arrangement, the endothermic tube 25 is formed so as to draw a spiral (coil shape) or meander (mander shape) in the steam extraction pipe 18 or the evaporating water tank 13. Thus, the heat exchangeable area can be increased, and the heat of the evaporating water tank 13 can be used more efficiently.

  In addition, since the heat absorption pipe | tube 25 should just be inserted in the front | former stage of the water purifier 32 (reverse osmosis membrane) from a viewpoint of heating the water supplied to a reverse osmosis membrane, it is not necessarily in the front | former stage of the filter 31. It is not necessary to provide, for example, it is also possible to provide between the filter 31 and the water purifier 32.

  Between the filter 31 and the feed water tank 15, there are provided a bypass line 45 that bypasses the water purifier 32 and short-circuits between the filter 31 and the feed water tank 15 and a valve 46 that opens and closes the bypass line 45. Provide. As will be described later, this bypass line 45 is used first when the humidifier 11 is started. If the bypass valve 46 is opened, the filtered water flowing out from the filter 31 is passed through the water purifier 32. It flows directly into the feed water tank 15 without passing through.

  Further, the humidifier 11 detects that water has overflowed into the case 12, for example, a water supply port 21 that is connected to a water pipe and takes in water to be supplied to the evaporating water tank 13, an electromagnetic valve 22 that opens and closes the water supply port 21. The overflow detection sensor 51 is provided. When the overflow detection sensor 51 detects water leakage in the case 12, the overflow detection sensor 51 outputs a detection signal to a control unit (not shown), and the control unit closes the electromagnetic valve 22 of the water supply port 21 based on the detection signal. The water supply from the water supply port 21 is shut off. Thereby, the water leak accident from the humidifier 11 can be prevented.

(At start of operation)
At the start of operation of the humidifier 11, the electromagnetic valve 22 and the bypass valve 46 of the water supply port 21 are opened by closing the operation switch of the control panel, and the water flowing in from the water supply port 21 flows into the heat absorption pipe 25, the filter 31 and The water flows into the feed water tank 15 through the bypass pipe 45 and is supplied into the evaporating water tank 13 through the connection pipe 17. When water is accumulated in the evaporating water tank 13 to a predetermined water level, the water stop indicator lamp is turned off and the bypass valve 46 is closed. At this time, it is possible to confirm that the water pressure supplied from the water supply port 21 by the water pressure gauge 33 is not less than a value (for example, 0.1 MPa) necessary for water purification treatment by the reverse osmosis membrane (water purifier 32). It is.

(During steady operation)
When the water in the evaporating water tank 13 is heated by the electric heater 14 and humidification is started, the water taken in from the water supply port 21 is warmed by passing through the heat absorption pipe 25 and then flows into the filter 31. In the filter 31, impurities such as organic matter, residual chlorine, and colloidal iron rust are removed by the activated carbon filter, and the filtered water is sent to the water purifier 32. In the water purifier 32, bacteria such as minerals and micro viruses, which are inorganic components ionized into water by the reverse osmosis membrane, are further removed, and the purified water is sent to the feed water tank 15 and flows into the evaporating water tank 13. . And it heats in the evaporating water tank 13 with the electric heater 14, evaporates as water vapor | steam, and is sent to a humidification place through the vapor | steam extraction pipe | tube 18 and a vapor | steam piping.

(Features of the humidifier of the present invention or embodiment)
The features of the humidifier according to the present invention (or the embodiment) will be summarized as follows.
(1) High-precision humidification is possible with an electric heater. Because it has built-in purification means with a filter (activated carbon filter) and a water purifier (reverse osmosis membrane), there is no need for a blow operation to replace the water stored in the evaporating water tank, and humidification down during blow occurs as in the past. There is no.
(2) Since the activated carbon filter and the reverse osmosis membrane can remove impurities in the evaporated water almost completely, clean humidification can be realized.
(3) In addition, troubles due to foaming and clogging hardly occur, and reliability is high.
(4) Heating is performed using the heat of the evaporating water tank before the treatment with the reverse osmosis membrane, so it is sufficient even when the water pressure of the supply water is low or when the water temperature is low such as in winter or in cold regions. It is possible to ensure a sufficient amount of evaporated water and perform humidification. Moreover, it is not necessary to use a pump.
(5) Consumable parts (activated carbon filter cartridge, reverse osmosis membrane cartridge, etc.) can be easily replaced, and are excellent in maintainability.
(6) Since the necessary configuration is integrally stored in the case, it is easy to handle and does not require labor for installation work.
(7) Moreover, since it is not necessary to attach a water purifier separately and a pump is not required, installation space can be small.
(8) Since the overflow detection sensor is provided, for example, the filter filter or the water purifier filter may not be easily installed (tightening the connection with the pipe) or the drain pipe (drain port) may be clogged. However, the water supply is automatically shut off, and a water leak accident can be prevented. Therefore, safety is high.
(9) The driving sound is small and no noise is generated. In the conventional humidifier, the operation sound of the electromagnetic switch and the electromagnetic switch that turns the heater on and off during blow / water supply, etc. was generated, but the water supply was adjusted by the float valve and there was only a slight amount of water, and automatic blow was unnecessary and the drain solenoid valve Since it is not used, it is quiet with almost no noise during operation.

(Preferred use)
Because it has the above features, for example, constant temperature and humidity room and various test rooms, clean room, electronic parts factory, print calibration room, museum exhibition room, storage room, computer room, general health air conditioning room, operating room, Suitable for use in bedrooms and other places.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these, It is clear to those skilled in the art that a various change can be made within the range as described in a claim. .

It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the humidifier which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Humidifier 12 Device case 13 Evaporating water tank 14 Electric heater 15 Water supply water tank 16 Float valve 17 Connection pipe 18 Steam extraction pipe 21 Water supply port 25 Endothermic pipe 31 Filter (activated carbon filter)
32 Water purifier (reverse osmosis membrane)
33 Water pressure gauge 35 Blow pipe 36 Blow amount adjustment valve 41 Drain pipe 42 Drain valve 43 Drain port 45 Bypass pipe 46 Bypass valve

Claims (6)

An evaporating water tank that contains water and has a heating means for heating the contained water, and is capable of generating water vapor;
A water inlet for taking in water to be supplied to the evaporating water tank;
A humidifier comprising:
Between the evaporating water tank and the water supply port,
Activated carbon filtering means for filtering the water supplied to the evaporating water tank by activated carbon;
Reverse osmosis membrane means that takes in the filtered water that has passed through the activated carbon filtration means and further passes through the reverse osmosis membrane;
A humidifier characterized by comprising: The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the evaporating water tank, the activated carbon filtering means and the reverse osmosis membrane means are accommodated in a single case. The heat exchange means which can pass the supply water to the evaporating water tank and can absorb the heat derived from the heating means is further provided in the previous stage of the reverse osmosis membrane means. humidifier. The humidifier according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanging means includes a heat absorption pipe arranged in the case so as to be able to absorb heat generated from the evaporating water tank. The humidifier according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanging means includes an endothermic pipe disposed in contact with the evaporating water tank or an outer surface of a water vapor outlet pipe connected to the evaporating water tank so as to be able to exchange heat. . The humidifier according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanging means includes an endothermic pipe disposed inside the evaporating water tank or a water vapor outlet pipe connected to the evaporating water tank.

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