JP2006170517A - Dehumidifier/humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent dehumidifying efficiency and humidifying efficiency from being restricted by outside air temperature and humidity. <P>SOLUTION: This dehumidifier/humidifier 1 comprises a dehumidifying/humidifying portion 2, which comprises a first flow channel 10 for taking the outside air and allowing moisture to be adsorbed by a rotor 12, and a second flow channel 11 for taking the outside air and humidifying the same by the moisture desorbed from the rotor 12. The outside air supplied to the second flow channel 11 is heated by heat exchange in a total enthalpy heat exchanger 3 before flowing to the dehumidifier/humidifier 2. As the air used in heating the outside air , the indoor air exhausted from the room is used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a dehumidifying / humidifying device that supplies outside air while conditioning the outside air.

  Some dehumidifying / humidifying devices that dehumidify or humidify the air supplied to the room use a dry humidity control member. The humidity control member is composed of a cylindrical rotor impregnated with a hygroscopic material. By rotating the rotor, moisture is adsorbed from the air, while the adsorbed moisture can be desorbed to other air. . When the room is dehumidified by such a dehumidifying / humidifying device, air having moisture adsorbed by the rotor is blown into the room, and during humidification, moisture is desorbed from the rotor and humidified air is blown into the room.

Here, in a general household dehumidifying / humidifying device, there is one that takes in adsorbed air used for dehumidification and regenerated air used for humidification from the outdoors. In other words, during the humidification operation, moisture in the outside air is adsorbed in the dehumidifying region of the rotor, while other outside air is passed through the regeneration region of the rotor to be humidified (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The outside air to be humidified once passes through the heat recovery area of the rotor, recovers the heat of the rotor and is raised in temperature, and then is further heated by the regeneration heater and guided to the regeneration area of the rotor. By heating the heat of the rotor and the outside air humidified by the heater, the desorption of moisture from the rotor is promoted, and the humidification efficiency is improved.
JP 2002-71172 A

However, when the humidifying operation is performed with the conventional dehumidifying / humidifying device, the outdoor air humidity or the temperature is lower than the indoor humidity or temperature of the blown air, while maintaining the indoor temperature or humidity, Could not ventilate. In addition, since the outside air taken in from the outside flows through the adsorption area and the regeneration area of the rotor, in order to promote moisture desorption in the regeneration area, the regeneration area is compared with the temperature of the outside air on the adsorption area side. The temperature of the outside air on the side had to be increased, and the input power of the heater had to be increased. Furthermore, when humidifying with no water supply, the outside air that is blown into the room is humidified with the humidity of the outside air, so that there is a problem that the humidifying ability is lowered in an environment where the outside humidity is low. In addition, the same problem occurs even when the dehumidifying operation is performed. Especially, when the room is cold and the outdoor is hot, the outdoor warm air is blown into the room. It was difficult to maintain humidity.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object thereof is to prevent the dehumidification efficiency and the humidification efficiency from being limited by the temperature and humidity of the outside air. Is to improve.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention for solving the above-described problems has a first flow path and a second flow path through which outside air can flow, and the first and second flow paths include: A humidity control member is disposed that adsorbs moisture in the outside air flowing through the first channel and dehumidifies, while humidifying the outside air flowing through the second channel using the moisture. When dehumidifying, heat exchange is performed between the outside air before flowing through the humidity control member and air at a lower temperature than the outside air, and when humidifying, the outside air before flowing through the humidity control member and the outside air are heated to a higher temperature. The dehumidifying / humidifying device is characterized in that a heat exchanger for exchanging heat with air is arranged upstream of the first and second flow paths.
In this dehumidifying / humidifying device, at the time of dehumidification, heat is exchanged between the outside air upstream of the first flow path and air having a temperature lower than the outside air, and after the temperature of the outside air is lowered, moisture is absorbed into the adsorption region of the humidity control member. Adsorb. Thereby, the adsorption of moisture in the humidity control member is promoted, and the dehumidification efficiency is improved. On the other hand, at the time of humidification, heat exchange is performed between the outside air and air having a temperature higher than that of the outside air upstream of the second flow path, and the temperature of the outside air is raised before flowing into the humidity control member. When the heated outside air flows through the regeneration region of the humidity control member, the desorption of moisture in the humidity control member is promoted, and the humidification efficiency is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the dehumidifying / humidifying device according to the first aspect, the low-temperature or high-temperature air is indoor air that is discharged from the room to the outside.
In this dehumidifying / humidifying device, air having a temperature lower or higher than that of the outside air is used as room air, and while the room is ventilated, the dehumidifying efficiency or the humidifying efficiency is improved using the ventilation air discharged from the room. For example, indoor air during cooling operation is used as the low-temperature air, and indoor air during heating operation is used as the high-temperature air, for example.

The invention according to claim 3 is the dehumidifying / humidifying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat exchanger is a total heat exchanger.
In this dehumidifying / humidifying device, at the time of dehumidification, by performing total heat exchange with low-temperature air, moisture in the outside air is removed and the temperature is further lowered, so that the dehumidifying efficiency is improved. At the time of humidification, by performing total heat exchange with high-temperature air, moisture is taken into the outside air, and the outside air is further warmed by the amount of heat held by the moisture, so that the humidification efficiency is improved.

The invention according to claim 4 is the dehumidifying / humidifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adsorption amount control performs an adsorption operation for adsorbing moisture to the humidity control member prior to the humidification operation. Means is provided.
In this dehumidifying / humidifying device, the adsorption amount control means performs an adsorption operation so that moisture is adsorbed to the humidity control member, but is not desorbed from the humidity control member, if necessary. Such an adsorption operation is performed before the normal humidification operation, and when performing the humidification operation, the humidification is started in a state where moisture is sufficiently adsorbed to the humidity control member in advance.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the dehumidifying / humidifying device according to the fourth aspect, the adsorption amount control means includes a humidity at a position upstream and downstream of the humidity control member in the first flow path. Or a sensor for measuring the temperature, and the adsorption operation is stopped based on the measurement results of these sensors.
In this dehumidifying / humidifying device, the humidity or temperature of the outside air flowing into the humidity control member and the humidity or temperature of the outside air after flowing through the humidity control member are measured. If the humidity difference or the temperature difference is small as a result of this measurement, it is assumed that moisture has been sufficiently adsorbed by the humidity control member, and the adsorption operation is terminated.

The invention according to claim 6 is the dehumidifying / humidifying device according to claim 4, wherein the adsorption amount control means is a sensor that measures humidity at a position downstream of the humidity control member in the first flow path. And the suction operation is stopped based on the measurement result of the sensor.
In this dehumidifying / humidifying device, the humidity of the outside air after flowing through the humidity control member is measured, and if the humidity exceeds a predetermined value relative to the humidity before the start of adsorption, the humidity control member has sufficient moisture. The adsorption operation is terminated as having been adsorbed.

  According to the present invention, at the time of humidification, air having a temperature higher than that of the outside air is supplied to the heat exchanger, the outside air heated by this air is supplied to the humidity control member to perform humidification, and at the time of dehumidification, the temperature is lower than that of the outside air. The air is supplied to the heat exchanger, and the outside air cooled by this air is introduced into the humidity control member to perform dehumidification, so that the humidification efficiency and the dehumidification efficiency can be improved. When a heater is provided in the flow path, the input power of the heater can be reduced. Here, if the air supplied to the heat exchanger is ventilation air from the room, it becomes possible to perform humidification or dehumidification while ventilating the room, and the heat quantity of the ventilation air can be effectively utilized. Humidification efficiency or dehumidification efficiency is improved. Therefore, humidification can be sufficiently performed even when the outside air temperature is low during the humidifying operation, and sufficient dehumidification can be performed even when the outside air temperature is high during the dehumidifying operation. Moreover, when a total heat exchanger is used as a heat exchanger, the amount of heat contained in moisture in the outside air or indoor air can be effectively utilized. Furthermore, when the adsorption amount control means is provided, moisture can be sufficiently adsorbed to the humidity control member prior to the normal humidification operation, so that the humidification amount at the start of the humidification operation can be improved or stable humidification can be achieved. Quantity can be obtained. When performing such an adsorption operation, if a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor is provided before and after the region where the humidity control member is adsorbed, and the humidity change or temperature change before and after the humidity control member is measured, the humidity control member It is possible to control the amount of moisture adsorbed to the appropriate amount.

The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a dehumidifying / humidifying device 1 includes a dehumidifying / humidifying unit 2 that performs humidification and dehumidification with no water supply, a total heat exchanger 3, and various ducts 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6, 7A, 7B, 8, and 9 are main components. In the dehumidifying / humidifying portion 2, a first flow path 10 and a second flow path 11 are formed in parallel as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1, and the first and second flow paths 10, 11 are formed. A rotor 12 as a humidity control member is rotatably provided so as to straddle. The rotor 12 is a cylindrical honeycomb structure impregnated with a moisture absorbing material such as silica gel or zeolite, and is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the first and second flow paths 10 and 11. . In this embodiment, the rotor 12 is arranged so as to be exposed to each of the flow paths 10 and 11 substantially uniformly, and the area exposed to the first flow path 10 becomes an adsorption area 12A that adsorbs moisture, A region exposed to the second flow path 11 is a regeneration region 12B from which moisture is desorbed.

  In the first flow path 10, an intake hole 13 for introducing outside air, an adsorption region 12 </ b> A of the rotor 12, an adsorption blower fan 14, and an exhaust hole 15 for discharging outside air are sequentially provided along the flow direction of the outside air. Are arranged in order. The second flow path 11 includes an intake hole 16 for introducing outside air, a heater 17 for heating the outside air, a regeneration region 12B of the rotor 12, and a regeneration fan 18 in order along the flow direction of the outside air. An exhaust hole 19 for discharging outside air is provided.

  Further, the intake duct 4A is connected to the intake hole 13 of the first flow path 10 of the dehumidifying / humidifying portion 2 configured as described above, and the intake duct 16 of the second flow path 11 is connected to the intake duct 16 4B is connected, and these intake ducts 4A and 4B are connected to the outflow side of the first flow path switching unit 20. Two intake ducts 5 </ b> A and an intake duct 5 </ b> B that open to the outdoors are connected to the inflow side of the first flow path switching unit 20. The first flow path switching unit 20 is configured so that the intake ducts 5A and 5B on the inflow side and the intake ducts 4A and 4B on the outflow side can be alternatively connected. In FIG. 1, the intake duct 5A and the intake duct 4A are connected. Are connected, and the intake duct 5B and the intake duct 4B are connected. However, it is also possible to connect the intake duct 5A and the intake duct 4B, and the intake duct 5B and the intake duct 4A.

  Here, a total heat exchanger 3 as a heat exchanger is provided in the path of the intake duct 5B. The total heat exchanger 3 is configured to, for example, distribute two kinds of airflows orthogonally every other stage across a partition plate, and exchange heat between the sensible heat and latent heat of the two airflows via the partition plate. In this embodiment, the outside air flowing through the intake duct 5B is used as one air flow, and the room air supplied from the ventilation duct 6 connected to the room is used as the other air flow, that is, Ventilation air is used. The ventilation air flowing through the total heat exchanger 3 is discharged from the ventilation duct 6 to the outside.

  In addition, an exhaust duct 7A is connected to the exhaust hole 15 of the first flow path 10 of the dehumidifying / humidifying portion 2, and an exhaust duct 7B is connected to the exhaust hole 19 of the second flow path 11. These exhaust ducts 7A and 7B are connected to the inflow side of the second flow path switching unit 21. An exhaust duct 8 that opens outdoors and an air supply duct 9 that opens indoors are connected to the outflow side of the second flow path switching unit 21. The second flow path switching unit 21 is configured to be able to alternatively connect the exhaust ducts 7A and 7B on the inflow side, the exhaust duct 8 and the supply duct 9 on the outflow side, and in FIG. Although the exhaust duct 8 is connected and the exhaust duct 7B and the air supply duct 9 are connected, it is also possible to connect the exhaust duct 7A and the air supply duct 9, and the exhaust duct 7B and the exhaust duct 8.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, during the humidifying operation, in the flow path configuration shown in FIG. 1, the rotation of the rotor 12 of the dehumidifying / humidifying device 1 is started to drive the blower fans 14 and 18. Outside air is taken into the first flow path 10 through the intake duct 5A, the first flow path switching unit 20, and the intake duct 4A, and this outside air flows into the adsorption region 12A of the rotor 12 as adsorbed air. In the adsorption region 12A of the rotor 12, the moisture of the outside air is desorbed by being adsorbed by the hygroscopic material, and is discharged from the adsorption fan 14 to the outside through the exhaust duct 7A, the second flow path switching unit 21, and the exhaust duct 8. Is done. On the other hand, outside air is introduced into the second flow path 11 through the intake duct 5B, the total heat exchanger 3, the first flow path switch 20, and the intake duct 4B. Before the outside air flows into the dehumidifying / humidifying unit 2, the total heat exchanger 3 performs total heat exchange with high-temperature and high-humidity ventilation air from the room. In a state where the humidity is higher than the outside air humidity, the regenerated air is introduced into the second flow path 11. Further, in the second flow path 11, after being heated by the heater 17, it is guided into the regeneration region 12 </ b> B of the rotor 12. In the rotor 12, a portion where moisture is adsorbed in the first flow path 10 moves into the second flow path 11 by rotational movement, and functions as a regeneration region 12B. That is, the moisture adsorbed on the hygroscopic material is desorbed by the high-temperature outside air, and humid air containing this moisture is formed. This air is blown into the room from the regeneration fan 18 through the exhaust duct 7B, the second flow path switching unit 21, and the air supply duct 9, and humidifies the room.

  During the dehumidifying operation, the first flow path switch 20 connects the intake duct 5 </ b> B having the total heat exchanger 3 in the path and the intake duct 4 </ b> A, and supplies the external air after heat exchange to the first flow path 10. . In general, during the dehumidifying operation, the room is low temperature and the outdoor temperature is high, so that the outside air passing through the total heat exchanger 3 is relatively exchanged by exchanging total heat with low temperature and low humidity ventilation air. The air becomes low-temperature and low-humidity, and this air is supplied as adsorption air to the adsorption region 12 </ b> A of the rotor 12. On the other hand, the second flow path switching unit 21 connects the exhaust duct 7 </ b> A and the air supply duct 9. As a result, the air dehumidified in the first flow path 10 is blown into the room, and the room is humidified. Note that outside air that is not completely heat-exchanged is supplied to the second flow path 11 through the intake duct 5A, the first flow path switch 20, and the intake duct 4B, and the humidified air is supplied to the exhaust duct 7B and the second flow. It is discharged to the outside through the path switch 21 and the exhaust duct 8.

  In this embodiment, a total heat exchanger 3 is provided on the upstream side of the dehumidifying / humidifying unit 2, and during humidification, total heat exchange is performed between the outside air and the indoor ventilation air, and the temperature and humidity of the outside air Since the outside air is allowed to flow into the regeneration region 12B of the rotor 12 in a state where the temperature is increased, the temperature of the outside air introduced into the regeneration region 12B of the rotor 12 can be increased. As a result, the relative humidity difference between the regeneration air in the second flow path 11 and the adsorption air in the first flow path 10 can be increased, and the desorption of moisture in the regeneration region 12B is promoted. The amount of humidification can be increased. Therefore, humidification can be performed while maintaining the room temperature regardless of the temperature and humidity of the outside air. Here, by using the total heat exchanger 3, the humidity of the outside air supplied to the second flow path 11 is increased, but the temperature of the outside air is made higher than when only sensible heat is exchanged. Therefore, the humidification efficiency can be improved even if the increase in humidity due to total heat exchange is subtracted. Moreover, since it becomes possible to take in external air as warmed air by total heat exchange, the input electric power of the heater 17 in the 2nd flow path 11 can be reduced, and energy efficiency can be improved. .

  Further, at the time of dehumidification, the total heat exchange is performed between the outside air and the indoor ventilation air, and the temperature and humidity of the outside air are lowered before flowing into the adsorption region 12A of the rotor 12, The temperature of the outside air introduced into the adsorption region 12A of the rotor 12 can be lowered, the adsorption of moisture in the adsorption region 12A can be promoted, and the adsorption amount can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to perform dehumidification while maintaining the room temperature regardless of the temperature and humidity of the outside air.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as the said embodiment. In addition, overlapping description is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the dehumidifying / humidifying device 30, a first humidity sensor 31 is provided on the upstream side of the rotor 12 in the first flow path 10 of the dehumidifying / humidifying unit 2, and on the downstream side of the rotor 12. A second humidity sensor 32 is provided. The outputs of the first and second humidity sensors 31 and 32 are connected to a control device 33, and the first and second humidity sensors 31 and 32 and the control device 33 constitute an adsorption amount control means. .

The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference mainly to the flowchart of FIG.
First, when a normal humidifying operation or dehumidifying operation is performed (Yes in step S101), the suction fan 14 and the regeneration fan 18 are operated (step S102). As a result, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, adsorption is performed in the first flow path 10, regeneration is performed in the second flow path 11, and humidified air or dehumidified air is indoors. Be blown. When the operation is ended (Yes in step S105), the suction blower fan 14, the regeneration blower fan 18, and the rotor 12 are stopped.

  On the other hand, when the humidification operation and the dehumidification operation are not performed (No in step S101), the first and second humidity sensors 31 and 32 and the control device 32 shown in FIG. Obtained (step S103). The adsorption inlet / outlet humidity difference is calculated as the humidity difference of the outside air (adsorbed air) detected by the second humidity sensor 32 with respect to the humidity of the outside air detected by the first humidity sensor 31. When the suction / inlet humidity difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, for example, 10% or more of the detected value of the upstream first humidity sensor 31 (Yes in step S103), only the suction fan 14 is operated. (Step S104), the regeneration blower fan 18 is stopped and the suction motion is started. During this time, since the rotor 12 is rotating, moisture is adsorbed to the entire rotor 12 in the first flow path 10. Note that the air volume of the suction fan 14 may be the same as that during the humidifying operation, or may be smaller than that. Then, the processing from step S101 to step S104 is repeated until the adsorption inlet / outlet humidity difference becomes less than a predetermined value (for example, 10% of the detection value of the upstream first humidity sensor 31). If it becomes less than the value (No in step S103), the suction fan 14 and the rotor 12 are stopped and the operation is terminated (Yes in step S105).

  When the adsorption operation is performed in this way, when the humidification operation is performed later, the humidification operation is started in a state where moisture is sufficiently adsorbed by the rotor 12, and the regenerated air is supplied indoors. For this reason, the regenerated air sufficiently humidified immediately after the humidification operation is supplied to the room. Furthermore, even after a predetermined time has passed, the sufficiently humidified regeneration air is stably supplied.

  Examples of the timing for performing such an adsorption operation include, for example, after the humidification operation has been completed by the user's selection, or when the user has selected to perform the adsorption operation using an operation unit (not shown). Further, a time zone in which the user is not in the room during the day may be set in a timer provided in the control device 33, and the adsorption operation may be automatically performed during this time zone. Further, the adsorption operation may be performed automatically at night or during the time when the user is sleeping, or by the user's setting. If the nighttime electricity usage fee is cheaper than the daytime, the running cost can be reduced.

  According to this embodiment, since moisture can be stored in the rotor 12 in advance of the humidification operation, when the humidification operation is started, it is possible to quickly supply regenerated air with high humidity into the room. become. Further, since the amount of moisture adsorbed on the rotor 12 is large, a state where the humidification efficiency is high can be maintained for a long time. Other effects are the same as in the above embodiment. In addition, the threshold value of the adsorption inlet / outlet humidity difference in step S3 is not limited to 10%, and an optimum value can be used for the dehumidifying / humidifying device 30 and the installation location.

  Here, only the second humidity sensor 32 is provided, and the same operation and effect can be obtained even when the adsorption operation is stopped when the humidity before the adsorption operation starts reaches 80% or more. Further, a temperature sensor may be provided instead of the first and second humidity sensors 31 and 32, and the adsorption operation may be terminated by a temperature difference between the upstream side and the downstream side of the rotor 12. Generally, since it is known that the temperature of the adsorbed air after moisture is adsorbed is higher than that before the adsorption, the controller 33 detects that the temperature difference detected by the temperature sensor becomes a constant value. Then, the adsorption operation is controlled to end. In addition, a timer that measures the elapsed time since the start of the adsorption operation may be provided in the control device 33 so that the adsorption operation is stopped after a preset time has elapsed. Then, a sensor for detecting outdoor temperature and humidity may be provided, and the adsorption operation may be stopped when the outdoor temperature falls to the adsorption limit.

The present invention can be widely applied without being limited to the above-described embodiments.
For example, the dehumidifying / humidifying unit 2 may be of any configuration as long as it is dry and can perform adsorption and humidification. In particular, the positions of the suction fan 14 and the regeneration fan 18 are limited to the embodiment. Instead, the fan of the total heat exchanger 3 may be used instead of at least one of the blower fans 14 and 18. The humidity control member may be intermittently operated in batch instead of the rotor 12 or may be rectangular.
In addition, a pipe is provided so that the adsorbed air dehumidified in the first flow path 10 can be supplied into the room, and the humidified regeneration air and the dehumidified adsorbed air are selectively blown into the room depending on the user's selection or the like. You may make it.
Furthermore, the ventilation air is not limited to indoor air that is humidified or dehumidified, and may be a space partitioned from the outside, such as another room or a house.
A total heat exchanger 3 is also provided in the intake duct 5A, a flow path switch is provided in the ventilation duct 6, and ventilation air is supplied to the total heat exchanger 3 of the intake duct 5A during dehumidification, and all of the intake duct 5B is supplied during humidification. Ventilation air may be supplied to the heat exchanger 3.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the dehumidification / humidification apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a dehumidification / humidification apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of control of a dehumidification / humidification apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1,30 Dehumidifying / humidifying device 3 Total heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
10 1st flow path 11 2nd flow path 12 Rotor (humidity control member)
31 1st humidity sensor (adsorption amount control means)
32 Second humidity sensor (adsorption amount control means)
33 Control device (adsorption amount control means)

Claims (6)

  It has a first flow path and a second flow path through which outside air can flow, and adsorbs moisture in the outside air flowing through the first flow path to the first and second flow paths. A humidity control member that humidifies the outside air that flows through the second flow path using this moisture is disposed, and the outside air before flowing through the humidity control member and the outside air before dehumidification are disposed. A heat exchanger that exchanges heat with air at a lower temperature than before, and performs heat exchange between outside air before flowing through the humidity control member and air at a higher temperature than the outside air at the time of humidification. The dehumidifying / humidifying device is arranged upstream of the second flow path.   The dehumidifying / humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the low-temperature or high-temperature air is room air discharged from the room to the outdoors.   The dehumidifying / humidifying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat exchanger is a total heat exchanger.   The dehumidifying / humidifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an adsorption amount control unit that performs an adsorption operation for adsorbing moisture to the humidity control member prior to the humidification operation.   The adsorption amount control means has a sensor for measuring the humidity or temperature at a position upstream and downstream of the humidity control member in the first flow path, and based on the measurement results of these sensors. The dehumidifying / humidifying device according to claim 4, wherein the dehumidifying / humidifying device is configured to stop the adsorption operation. The adsorption amount control means includes a sensor that measures the humidity at a position downstream of the humidity control member in the first flow path, and is configured to stop the adsorption operation based on a measurement result of the sensor. The dehumidifying / humidifying device according to claim 4, wherein the dehumidifying / humidifying device is provided.

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