JP2006170492A - Humidity controller and humidity controlling system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently control humidity of a gas in a humidity controller comprising a humidity control member. <P>SOLUTION: This humidity controller 1 comprises a first flow channel 8 and a second flow channel 9, and a desiccant rotor 11 functions as an adsorbing area 11A and a humidifying area 11M in the flow channels 8, 9. A first air blower 20 and a second air blower 27 are respectively mounted in the flow channels 8, 9 at a downstream side of the desiccant rotor 11, and these air blowers 20, 27 are rotated by a rotating shaft 23 of a coaxial motor 22. Further, dampers 25, 30 as flow rate adjusting means are rotatably mounted in exhaust ducts 24, 29 of the air blowers 20, 27. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidity control device including a humidity control member, and a humidity control system including the humidity control device.

It is known to use a humidity control device or a humidity control system including a humidity control device when performing dehumidification, humidification, or ventilation in a room. In the humidity control apparatus, a desiccant rotor that is a rotary type humidity control member is rotatably supported by a case, and the desiccant rotor is divided into a drying function part, a humidification function part, and a heat recovery function part. There are some (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this type of humidity control apparatus, a partition plate in which an opening into which a desiccant rotor is inserted is attached is attached to the case, and the outside is divided into an outdoor side and an indoor side, and outside air is supplied to the drying function part of the desiccant rotor. A first ventilation path is formed to flow therethrough, and a second ventilation path is formed on the indoor side to allow outside air to flow through the heat recovery function part of the desiccant rotor. In Patent Document 1, the second air passage is formed so as to flow through the humidifying function part after making a U-turn after flowing through the heat recovery function part. Here, in the first air passage, a suction type blower is arranged on one surface side of the desiccant rotor, and in the second air passage, a suction type blower is arranged on the other surface side of the desiccant rotor, The direction of the air flowing through the first air passage and the direction of the air flowing through the humidifying function portion of the second air passage are set to be opposite to each other.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-241837

However, in the conventional humidity control apparatus, a fan including a motor as a driving unit must be installed in each flow path, so that the flow path space is reduced according to the size of the blower and the flow resistance is increased. The pressure loss was great. For this reason, in order to ensure a sufficient flow path, the apparatus had to be enlarged.
In addition, since the air flowing through each of the first air passage and the second air passage is an opposite flow, the static pressure difference between the air passages sandwiching the partition plate increases, and the static pressure difference causes the air to flow. However, there is a problem that the air flows from the high pressure side air passage toward the low pressure side air passage through the gap between the desiccant rotor and the partition plate. When such an inflow of air occurs, air that has not been humidified flows from the first flow path to the downstream side of the desiccant rotor of the second flow path, and the amount of moisture adsorbed by the desiccant rotor decreases. , Resulting in a decrease in humidification capacity.
This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and the place made into the objective is to enable it to perform humidity control of gas, such as air efficiently.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems includes a first flow path and a second flow path through which air can flow, and the air flows through the first flow path. In a humidity control apparatus that adsorbs moisture to the humidity control member while desorbing moisture from the humidity control member into the air flowing through the second flow path, the air flows through the first flow path. A first blower that causes the air to flow through the second flow path, and has a single coaxial motor as a drive source for both the blowers. The humidity control apparatus is characterized in that a drive shaft of the first blower and a drive shaft of the second blower are connected to each of the end portions.
In this humidity control apparatus, when the coaxial motor is rotated, the first blower disposed in the first flow path and the second blower disposed in the second flow path are both rotationally driven, Starts inhaling air. As a result, when air flows through the first flow path, moisture in the air is adsorbed by the humidity control member. The portion that has adsorbed moisture enters the second flow path with the rotation of the humidity control member, and humidifies the air flowing therethrough.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the humidity control apparatus according to the first aspect, the direction of the air flowing through the first flow path is the same as the direction of the air flowing through the second flow path. The first air blower and the second air blower are arranged in the above.
In this humidity control apparatus, since the direction of the air flowing through the first flow path and the direction of the air flowing through the second flow path are the same and substantially parallel, each flow path on the upstream side of the humidity control member The pressure difference between them decreases. Similarly, the pressure difference between the flow paths on the downstream side of the humidity control member decreases.

The invention according to claim 3 is the humidity control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of air flowing through the blower is provided to at least one of the first blower and the second blower. A flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate is provided.
In this humidity control apparatus, the flow rate adjusting means makes a difference in the air volume of the air flowing through the first blower and the second blower. Thereby, the air volume of the first channel and the second channel can be made different. For example, when the flow rate adjusting means is provided on the second flow path side and the air volume of the second blower is relatively small, the air volume of the air flowing through the second flow path is smaller than that of the first flow path.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the humidity control apparatus according to the third aspect, the flow rate adjusting means includes a damper that changes a flow path area.
In this humidity control apparatus, when the rotation angle of the damper is changed to change the flow path area, the air volume of the flow path provided with the damper is changed. For example, when the flow passage area of the second blower is reduced by the damper, the air volume of the second flow passage becomes relatively small with respect to the first flow passage.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the humidity control apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the first flow path of the humidity control apparatus, or the discharge hole of the second flow path. The humidity control system is characterized in that a flow adjusting means for adjusting the air volume is provided in the air blowing duct.
In this humidity control system, by providing a flow rate adjusting means in the air duct, a relative difference is formed between the air volume of the second flow path and the air volume of the first flow path. When the air duct is connected to the discharge hole of the first flow path, the dehumidified air can be supplied indoors. Moreover, when the ventilation duct is connected to the discharge hole of the second flow path, the humidified air can be supplied indoors.

According to the present invention, when performing humidity control while rotating the humidity control member, the fan of each flow path is rotationally driven by one coaxial motor, so that the motor installation space can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. Can do. Therefore, a sufficient flow path area can be secured and the apparatus size can be reduced.
In addition, when each blower is arranged on the same side with respect to the humidity control member, the air flow in each flow path is in the same direction, so the pressure difference between the flow paths upstream or downstream of the humidity control member is small. Thus, air leakage between the flow paths is reduced. Therefore, moisture absorption loss and humidification loss can be reduced.
Furthermore, when the flow rate adjusting means is provided, it is possible to adjust the air volume for each flow path while using one coaxial motor as a drive source, and it is possible to efficiently perform moisture absorption and humidification. And in the case of a humidity control system, it becomes possible to ensure an appropriate air volume even when the duct diameter and length of the air duct are different.

The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown schematically in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the humidity control apparatus 1 has two intake holes 3 and 4 formed on one side 2a of the case 2, and the other facing the one side 2a. Two exhaust holes (hereinafter referred to as exhaust holes 5 and air supply holes 6) are formed in the side portion 2b. Further, a partition plate 7 is provided in the case 2 so as to connect both side portions 2a and 2b, and a first flow path for allowing air to flow from the intake hole 3 to the exhaust hole 5 by the partition plate 7. 8 and a second flow path 9 that is parallel to the first flow path 8 and that allows air to flow from the intake hole 4 to the air supply hole 6. A notch 10 is formed in the partition plate 7 from one side 2a of the case 2 to the other side 2b, and a desiccant rotor 11 serving as a humidity control member is inserted therein. ing.

  The desiccant rotor 11 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a structure that allows ventilation, such as a honeycomb structure, and a desiccant (hygroscopic material) is provided on the surface or inside thereof. As shown in FIG. 2, the desiccant rotor 11 has a circular front surface 12 and a rear surface 13 orthogonal to the flow paths 8 and 9, and the amount of exposure into the flow paths 8 and 9 is uniform. Are arranged so that. The outer peripheral portion of the desiccant rotor 11 is connected to a rotation shaft of a drive motor (not shown), and rotates at a low speed around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of each flow path 8, 9 as the drive motor rotates. It has become. In the desiccant rotor 11, a portion in the first flow path 8 functions as an adsorption region 11A, and a portion in the second flow path 9 functions as a humidification region 11M. The functions of the areas 11A and 11M will be described later.

  In the first flow path 8, the first blower 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the desiccant rotor 11. The first blower 20 is a suction type fan in which an impeller is rotatably provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive source of the first blower 20 is a coaxial motor 22, and the drive shaft 21 of the impeller of the first blower 20 is connected to one end portion of the rotary shaft 23 of the coaxial motor 22. Has been. Further, the exhaust duct 24 of the first blower 20 is connected to the exhaust hole 5. As shown in FIG. 2, a damper 25 as a flow rate adjusting means is provided in the exhaust duct 24. The damper 25 has a rotation angle in advance so that the exhaust amount from the exhaust hole 5 becomes a predetermined amount. It has been adjusted.

  In the second flow path 9, a heater 26 is disposed on the upstream side of the desiccant rotor 11. The heater 26 is a heating source that heats air using electricity, hot water, steam, or the like. Further, a second blower 27 that is a suction type fan is disposed downstream of the desiccant rotor 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive source of the second blower 27 is the coaxial motor 22, and the drive shaft 28 of the impeller of the second blower 27 is disposed at the other end of the rotary shaft 23 of the coaxial motor 22. It is connected. The air supply duct 29 of the blower 27 is connected to the air supply hole 6. As shown in FIG. 2, a damper 30 as a flow rate adjusting means is provided in the air supply duct 29. The damper 30 has a rotation angle such that the exhaust amount becomes a predetermined amount, for example, the first described above. The rotation angle is adjusted in advance so that the flow passage area is smaller than the damper 25 on the blower 20 side.

  The coaxial motor 22 has a stator fixed to the case 2 so as to pass through the partition plate 7 and a rotor that is rotatable with respect to the stator. It has the structure protruded to each of the channel 8 side and the second channel 9 side.

The operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, a control device (not shown) starts rotation of the desiccant rotor 11 with a drive motor, and drives the coaxial motor 22. Thereby, each air blower 20 and 27 rotates at the same rotation speed. A predetermined flow rate of air is sucked into the first flow path 8 from the intake hole 3. This air flows through the adsorption region 11A of the desiccant rotor 11 and is sucked into the first blower 20, but in the middle of the process, moisture contained in the air is adsorbed by the desiccant in the adsorption region 11A and is dried. Become dehumidified air. The dehumidified air passes through the exhaust duct 24 of the first blower 20 and is discharged from the exhaust hole 5. In addition, the air volume of the 1st flow path 8 is regulated by the damper 25 on this path | route.

  Further, a predetermined flow rate of air is sucked into the second flow path 9 from the intake hole 4 and is heated by the heater 26. The warm air heated by the heater 26 flows through the humidification area 11M of the desiccant rotor 11 and is sucked into the second blower 27. Here, in the desiccant rotor 11, the portion where moisture is adsorbed as the adsorption region 11 </ b> A in the first flow path 8 moves into the second flow path 9 to become the humidification area 11 </ b> M, and the desiccant is held by warm air. Desorb moisture. As a result, the air sucked into the second blower 27 becomes humidified humid air. The humid air is supplied into the room or the like from the air supply hole 6 in a state where the flow rate is regulated by the damper 30 in the air supply duct 29 of the second blower 27. Note that the desiccant that has released moisture in the second flow path 9 moves into the first flow path 8 as the desiccant rotor 11 rotates, functions as an adsorption region 11A, and again adsorbs moisture. The moist air is supplied from the second blower 27 through the air supply duct 29 to the room or the like through the air supply hole 6. The air volume of the first flow path 8 is regulated by the damper 30 on this path. Note that the desiccant that has released moisture in the second flow path 9 moves into the first flow path 8 as the desiccant rotor 11 rotates, and becomes an adsorption region 11A to adsorb moisture again.

  Here, referring to FIG. 2, when the static pressure before and after the desiccant rotor 11 is compared with the humidity control apparatus 1, the static pressure P <b> 1 on the upstream side of the desiccant rotor 11 is approximately atmospheric pressure in the first flow path 8. It becomes larger than the static pressure P2 (negative pressure) on the downstream side. Similarly, in the second flow path 9, the static pressure P3 on the upstream side of the desiccant rotor 11 is substantially atmospheric pressure, and is larger than the static pressure P4 (negative pressure) on the downstream side. Therefore, the difference between the static pressure P1 and the static pressure P3 on the upstream side of the desiccant rotor 11 is smaller than that in the case of the counterflow as in the prior art. The amount of air leaking from the gap is reduced. Similarly, the difference between the static pressure P2 and the static pressure P4 on the downstream side of the desiccant rotor 11 is smaller than that in the case of the counterflow as in the prior art. The amount of air leaking from the gap is reduced. Therefore, since air leakage between the flow paths 8 and 9 is suppressed, adsorption loss and humidification loss are reduced.

According to this embodiment, since both the fans 20 and 27 for allowing air to flow through the respective flow paths 8 and 9 are arranged on the downstream side of the desiccant rotor 11, the static pressures P1 and P3 upstream of the desiccant rotor 11 are arranged. And the difference between the static pressures P2 and P3 downstream can be reduced. Therefore, the amount of air leakage from between the desiccant rotor 11 and the partition plate 7 can be reduced, and stable performance can be exhibited.
Moreover, since the single coaxial motor 22 is shared as a drive source of each air blower 20 and 27, compared with the case where the air blowers 20 and 27 are separately arrange | positioned, an installation space can be made small. For this reason, since a flow path area can be enlarged, an air volume becomes large and it becomes possible to humidify air efficiently. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus instead of increasing the flow path area. In this case, each of the blowers 20 and 27 rotates at the same rotational speed. However, by adjusting the rotation angle of the dampers 25 and 30 of the respective ducts 24 and 29 of each of the blowers 20 and 27, each of the flow paths 8 and 9 is adjusted. It becomes possible to vary the air volume of

In addition, what is shown in FIG. 3 is mention | raise | lifted as an example of use of such a humidity control apparatus 1. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a humidity control system in which the humidity control apparatus 1 is installed in the attic of the building 40 and an external duct is further attached. The building 40 is a house, an office, a factory, and the like, and includes four rooms 41, 42, 43, and 44. However, the number of rooms (number of sections) and the shape are not limited thereto.
In the humidity control system, an intake duct 50 is connected to the intake hole 3 of the first flow path 8 of the humidity control apparatus 1, and the intake duct 50 is provided with an intake port 51 outdoors. An exhaust duct 52 is connected to the exhaust hole 5 of the first flow path 8, and the exhaust duct 52 is provided with an exhaust port 53 outdoors. An intake duct 54 is connected to the intake hole 4 of the second flow path 9, and the intake duct 54 has an opening 55 provided outdoors. A blower duct 56 for discharging and supplying wet air is connected to the air supply hole 6 of the second flow path 9. The blower duct 56 is connected to a blower duct 58 and a blower duct by a distributor 57. Branches to a duct 59. In each of the air ducts 58 and 59, air supply holes 60 and 61 are formed in the ceiling surfaces of the rooms 43 and 44. Here, a damper 62 that is a flow rate adjusting means is rotatably provided in the air duct 59. When adjusting the air volume with such a damper 62, the dampers 25 and 30 (see FIG. 2) on the humidity control apparatus 1 side are not necessarily required.

In this humidity control system, outside air is sucked into the intake duct 50, passed through the first flow path 8 of the humidity control apparatus 1, moisture is adsorbed by the desiccant rotor 11, and then from the first blower 20. The air is discharged to the outside through the exhaust duct 52. In addition, outside air is taken in from the outside by the intake duct 54, the second flow path 9 is passed through, heated by the heater 26, and humidified by the desiccant rotor 11, and then the air blow duct 56, After 58 and 59, the air is supplied to the rooms 43 and 44. Although the length of the air duct 59 is shorter than that of the air duct 58, the damper 62 reduces the flow path area so that wet air is supplied to each of the rooms 43 and 44 with a predetermined air volume. .
In such a humidity control system, it becomes possible to stably supply humid air to the building 40 with a sufficient air volume. Further, since the damper 62 as the flow rate adjusting means is provided in the air duct 59, the air volume flowing through the second flow path 9 can be adjusted on the air duct 59 side.

  In this humidity control system, the air supply side duct is branched into a plurality of parts. However, a single duct may be used instead of branching, and it may be branched into three or more. Further, as indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 3, instead of the intake duct 50, an intake duct having an intake port on the ceiling surface of each of the two rooms 41 and 42 may be connected to the intake hole 3. . In this case, the air in the rooms 41 and 42 can be sucked into the first flow path 8 for ventilation, and the room can be ventilated. The number of intake ducts and the number of branches in this case are not limited to the example indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. Further, the blower duct 56 may be connected to the exhaust hole 5 of the first flow path 8, and the exhaust duct 52 may be connected to the exhaust hole 6 of the second flow path 10. If it connects in this way, it will become possible to supply dehumidified air.

Note that the present invention can be widely applied without being limited to the above-described embodiment.
For example, like the humidity control device 70 shown in FIG. 4, the suction hole 4 is provided in the front surface 2 c of the case 2, the second flow path 71 is folded back from the suction hole 4 in the vicinity of the heater 26, and passes through the desiccant rotor 11. You may comprise so that it may guide to the 2nd air blower 27. Examples of the means for forming the second flow path 71 include a partition plate 72 extending from the vicinity of the intake hole 4. The partition plate 72 extends to the vicinity of the heater 26 so that a part on the outer peripheral side of the desiccant rotor 11 enters. In this case, the desiccant rotor 11 is divided into an outer purge region 11P and a humidification region 11M that is a portion where the partition plate 72 and the partition plate 7 are sandwiched. In the purge region 11P, the temperature of the desiccant rotor 11 is lowered by the flow of outside air having a low temperature.
In the humidity control apparatus 70, the air sucked from the intake hole 4 flows through the purge region 11 </ b> P of the desiccant rotor 11, is then heated by the heater 26, becomes humid air in the humidification region 11 </ b> M, and enters the second blower 27. After being sucked in, the air supply holes 6 are supplied. Therefore, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the flow rate adjusting means is the dampers 25, 30, 62, the dampers 25, 30, 62 may be configured so that the rotation angle can be manually changed. Further, it may be connected to a motor for rotating the damper. In the case of using a motor, the rotation angle of the dampers 25, 30, 62 can be changed electrically. Further, an air flow meter may be provided in the air supply hole 6 or the air duct 56 so that the rotation angle of the dampers 25, 30, 62 may be automatically adjusted.
In addition to the dampers 25, 30, 62, the flow rate adjusting means is provided with at least a part of a region having a small flow channel area to increase the flow channel resistance by increasing the flow channel resistance, or by increasing the flow resistance. Any means may be used as long as it changes the flow rate by changing the shape resistance coefficient, such as a duct. Furthermore, the flow rate adjusting means may be provided on the intake side of each of the fans 20 and 27. Moreover, you may provide in the intake holes 3 and 4 of the humidity control apparatus 1, and you may provide in any one intake duct 44,45,48,51 in a humidity control system. Then, the damper (for example, the damper 25) is not provided on the first channel 8 side, and it can be provided only on the second channel 9 side, or vice versa.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the humidity control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing along the II-II line of FIG. It is a top view which shows an example of a humidity control system. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a humidity control apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Humidity control apparatus 5,6 Exhaust hole 8 1st flow path 9 2nd flow path 11 Desiccant rotor (humidity control member)
Reference Signs List 20 First blower 21, 28 Drive shaft 22 Coaxial motor 23 Rotating shaft 27 Second blower 25, 30, 62 Damper (flow rate adjusting means)

Claims (5)

The first flow path and the second flow path that allow air to flow are provided, and moisture in the air that flows through the first flow path is adsorbed to the humidity control member, while the second flow In a humidity control apparatus that desorbs moisture from the humidity control member into the air flowing through the road,
A first blower for causing air to flow through the first flow path and a second blower for allowing air to flow through the second flow path; And a drive shaft of the first blower and a drive shaft of the second blower connected to each end of the rotation shaft of the coaxial motor.   The first blower and the second blower are arranged so that the direction of air flowing through the first flow path and the direction of air flowing through the second flow path are the same. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:   The flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the air volume of the air flowing through the blower is provided in at least one of the first blower and the second blower. Humidity control equipment.   The humidity control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the flow rate adjusting unit includes a damper that changes a flow path area. The humidity control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and a duct for blowing connected to the discharge passage of the first flow path or the second flow path of the humidity control apparatus. A humidity control system comprising a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting an air volume in the air duct.

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