JP2008302874A - Humidity control air-conditioning system for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a miniaturized humidity control air-conditioning system for an automobile capable of reducing humidity control load of a car air conditioner. <P>SOLUTION: In the humidity control air-conditioning system for the automobile, the car air conditioner 14 provided with a heater part 5 for circulating engine cooling water and a coolant evaporator 7 for evaporating the coolant; and a desiccant rotor comprising an adsorption area 8 for performing dehumidification of circulation air built-in with an adsorbent and a reproduction area 6 for performing moistening of circulation air are combined, and after outside air and/or indoor air are humidity-controlled, it is fed into the vehicle as feeding air. When a compressor of the car air conditioner 14 is in the operation state, it is made to a flow path in which it is circulated through the heater part 5 for circulating the engine cooling water, the reproduction area 6 of the desiccant rotor, the coolant evaporator 7 and the adsorption area 8 of the desiccant rotor in the order. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles that can dehumidify or humidify the interior air with high efficiency while maintaining a comfortable air condition in the automobile.

  In recent years, the trend of global warming has become prominent, and as a countermeasure, high-efficiency use of fossil fuels (energy-saving activities) and alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons (so-called 3) The introduction of gas emission control technology is underway.

  Particularly in automobiles, it has been pointed out that if a car air conditioner is operated to cool or dehumidify the inside of a car, the fuel consumption of the car will deteriorate by about 20%. For this reason, improving the fuel efficiency of automobiles by improving the efficiency of car air conditioners is an urgent issue from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of fossil fuel used.

On the other hand, in recent years, desiccant dehumidifiers incorporating an adsorbent that absorbs and desorbs moisture are used for dehumidification in the room in order to promote energy saving. As shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, for example, this desiccant dehumidifier is configured such that the dehumidified outside air is placed indoors by a desiccant rotor containing an adsorbent disposed so as to straddle the air supply path and the exhaust path. The adsorbent is regenerated by the indoor air that is supplied and exhausted.
JP 2007-32912 A JP 2007-85680 A

  However, since the conventional desiccant dehumidifying device is dehumidified or humidified by the moisture adsorption / desorption action by the adsorbent, the device becomes large and unsuitable for mounting in an automobile.

  In addition, many of the conventional adsorbents use air heated to 80 ° C or higher (air with low relative humidity) by an electric heater or gas heater, etc., for regeneration of the adsorbent (desorption of adsorbed moisture). Since it was necessary to use this, extra energy was required for this heating, and it was pointed out that the energy efficiency of the entire apparatus was not improved, and it has not been put into practical use for automobiles.

  On the other hand, in a conventional car air conditioner, during dehumidifying operation, the air is cooled to a temperature below the dew point and condensed water is separated by condensation, and then heated to an appropriate temperature to obtain dry air with a low relative humidity. The inefficient operation of supplying to.

  In such inefficient dehumidifying operation, especially in the winter season, the window glass is clouded by water vapor released from the passengers, causing trouble in the operation. Therefore, the air conditioner is operated for the purpose of removing the fog of the window glass. There are many. The operation of the car air conditioner in the winter season is unavoidable from the viewpoint of ensuring safety, but it is a problem from the viewpoint of improving automobile fuel consumption and preventing global warming.

  As described above, the dehumidifying load of the car air conditioner occupies most of the in-vehicle air conditioning load. If this dehumidifying load can be reduced, it can be said that it is effective for improving the automobile fuel consumption.

  By the way, as a result of the dehumidifying operation by the car air conditioner, the dry air released into the vehicle has a phenomenon in which the amount of tear secretion decreases due to a decrease in occupant's tension and / or blinking during driving (so-called dry eye). It is a factor that makes it worse. When it comes to dry eyes, I feel uncomfortable in my eyes and my attention is distracted, which not only interferes with safety, but sometimes I have to stop the car air conditioner to avoid dry eyes. It becomes a situation where the comfort in the car cannot be secured. For this reason, in recent years, in order to prevent dry eye, attempts have been made to install a humidifier in the vehicle, and the vicious cycle of symptomatic therapy tends to further deteriorate fuel consumption.

  Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a miniaturized automotive air conditioning system that can reduce the dehumidifying load of a car air conditioner.

  The second problem is to provide a humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles that can prevent dry eyes in addition to the above problems.

In order to solve the first problem, the present invention according to claim 1 is directed to a car air conditioner including a heater unit for circulating engine cooling water, a refrigerant evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant, and a dehumidifier for circulating air incorporating an adsorbent. In a humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles, which combines a desiccant rotor consisting of an adsorption area for performing air conditioning and a regeneration area for humidifying circulation air, conditioning the outside air and / or air inside the car, and then supplying it to the car as supply air There,
When the compressor of the car air conditioner is in an operating state, a heater section for circulating the engine cooling water, a regeneration area of the desiccant rotor, the refrigerant evaporator, and a flow path that sequentially goes through the adsorption area of the desiccant rotor are configured. A humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles is provided.

  The present invention as defined in claim 1 stipulates the operating condition in the summer season when the outside air temperature is high and the relative humidity is high and the dehumidification with cooling is performed. In this case, the outside air and / or the inside air is heated by the heater unit and is humidified by desorbing moisture from the adsorbent in the regeneration region of the desiccant rotor. Then, it cools with a refrigerant | coolant evaporator and dehumidification is performed by dew condensation, and relative humidity becomes 100%. Thereafter, the air is supplied to the vehicle after the second stage of dehumidification by the moisture adsorbed by the adsorbent incorporated in the adsorption area of the desiccant rotor. As described above, in the present invention, the dehumidification load of the car air conditioner can be reduced because the dehumidification by the condensation in the refrigerant evaporator and the dehumidification by the moisture adsorption of the adsorbent are efficiently performed. Contribute to improvement and prevention of global warming. Furthermore, there is no need to increase the size of the desiccant rotor as in the prior art, and the system can be downsized.

As the present invention according to claim 2, a heater part for circulating engine cooling water, a desiccant rotor comprising an adsorbent and an adsorption region for dehumidifying the circulating air and a regeneration region for humidifying the circulating air are combined, A humidity control air conditioning system for an automobile for supplying outside air and / or air in the vehicle as supply air to the vehicle,
When the compressor of the car air conditioner is in a stopped state, the outside air and / or the air inside the vehicle passes through the adsorption region of the desiccant rotor, and the outside air and / or the air inside the engine cooling water. A humidity control air conditioning system for an automobile is provided, in which a heater section that circulates and a second flow path that goes around the regeneration region of the desiccant rotor and reaches the outside of the vehicle are configured.

  The present invention according to claim 2 stipulates operating conditions in a season where the outside air temperature is relatively low such as during a rainy season and the dehumidifying load is relatively large, or in a season where the dehumidifying load is about the degree of prevention of fogging of the window such as winter. It is a thing. In this case, a first flow path through which outside air and / or vehicle interior air passes through the adsorption region of the desiccant rotor to the vehicle interior, a heater unit that circulates cooling water of the engine cooling device from outside air and / or vehicle interior, the desiccant A second flow path that goes around the regeneration area of the rotor in order and reaches the outside of the vehicle is formed. This season leads to energy saving in that the dehumidifying operation is performed while the compressor of the car air conditioner is stopped.

  In order to solve the second problem, according to a third aspect of the present invention, dry eye prevention for releasing a part of the humidified air that passes through the regeneration region of the desiccant rotor directly into the vehicle is provided. An automotive humidity control air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2 is provided with a duct.

  The present invention according to claim 3 is for preventing the dry eye of the occupant, and a part of the humidified air after passing through the regeneration region of the desiccant rotor is preferably directed near the occupant's face. By discharging, dry eyes can be prevented even in a vehicle maintained at a constant comfortable humidity. In addition, although the supply air to the vehicle is heated at the heater portion, it is deprived of heat when it passes through the regeneration region and regenerates the adsorbent. The air supply does not make the passengers feel uncomfortable.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the desiccant rotor is provided with a first humidity control section containing the adsorbent in a casing for forming the flow path, and the casing interior for forming the flow path. A second humidity control unit containing an adsorbent is provided, and the first humidity control unit and the second humidity control unit are integrated directly or through a connecting member, and the first humidity control unit and the second humidity control unit are integrated with each other. The two humidity control units are rotatably supported by a rotation shaft provided at the center of the two humidity control units along the flow path direction. By rotating the rotation shaft in 180 ° increments in the forward direction or the reverse direction, The automotive humidity control air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the humidity control section and the second humidity control section are interchanged.

  In the present invention as set forth in claim 4, the first humidity control section and the second humidity control section are each housed in a casing, and switching between adsorption and desorption of moisture of the adsorbent is centered on the rotating shaft. As a result, the complicated flow path configuration is eliminated, and a compact and simple system can be realized.

  As the present invention according to claim 5, the adsorbent has a moisture absorption rate that is a ratio of the adsorbed moisture weight per unit weight of the adsorbent at or near 100% relative humidity of the circulating air, and the relative humidity of the circulating air is The polymer sorbent or imogolite which is 50% or more of the moisture absorption rate which is the ratio of the weight of adsorbed water per unit weight of the adsorbent at or near 50% is used for automobiles according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A humidity conditioning system is provided.

  In the present invention described in claim 5, the adsorbent has a moisture absorption rate, which is a ratio of the adsorbed moisture weight per unit weight of the adsorbent at or near 100% relative humidity of the circulating air, and the relative humidity of the circulating air is Since it has a property that is more than twice the moisture absorption rate, which is the ratio of the weight of adsorbed water per unit weight of the adsorbent at or near 50%, the relative humidity is reduced by cooling with a refrigerant evaporator. Thus, moisture adsorption by the adsorbent is efficiently performed with respect to air having become 100% or in the vicinity thereof. In addition, as described above, moisture adsorption is efficiently performed in the adsorption region, so that the amount of moisture desorbed by regeneration in the regeneration region is increased, and the relative humidity of the air after passing through the regeneration region is close to 100%. To rise. For this reason, the dew condensation accompanying the cooling in the refrigerant evaporator is promptly performed, and the dehumidification amount in the refrigerant evaporator is increased. Thereby, the humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles is excellent in energy saving and enables high-level dehumidification.

  As a sixth aspect of the present invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the adsorbent is fixed on a surface of a fixing material having a honeycomb structure or a corrugated structure in which an air-permeable hole is formed along the flow path. A humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles as described above is provided.

  In the present invention described in claim 6, the adsorbent is fixed on the surface of a fixing material having a honeycomb structure or a corrugated structure in which holes that can be vented along the flow path are formed, and is incorporated in a desiccant rotor. Thus, moisture can be efficiently absorbed and desorbed, and the desiccant rotor can be downsized.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a miniaturized automotive air conditioning system that can reduce the dehumidifying load of a car air conditioner. In addition, dry eyes can be prevented by the dry eye prevention duct that supplies humidified air into the vehicle.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram during summer operation of a humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles (hereinafter referred to as “the present humidity control system”) according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram during rainy season or winter operation.

  The humidity control system includes a heater unit 5 that circulates cooling water of the engine cooling device 13, a car air conditioner 14 that includes a refrigerant evaporator 7 that evaporates the refrigerant, and an adsorption region 8 that incorporates an adsorbent and dehumidifies the circulating air. And a desiccant rotor composed of a regeneration region 6 for humidifying the circulating air, and after conditioning the outside air and / or room air, the humidity conditioning air conditioning system supplies the air to the vehicle as supply air. This will be described in more detail below.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the humidity control air conditioning system includes a switching device 3 that selectively switches between the outside air 1 or the vehicle interior air 2 that is a supply air source, and the air selected by the switching device 3. Is formed by the fan 4 to the vehicle interior 10. In the switching device 3, the outside air 1 and the vehicle interior air 2 may be mixed at a predetermined ratio. In the flow path, the heater 5 that circulates the cooling water of the engine cooling device 13, the refrigerant evaporator 7 of the car air conditioner 14 as necessary, the regeneration area 6 and the adsorption area 8 of the desiccant rotor, if necessary. And are provided.

  The engine cooling device 13 is a general water-cooling type cooling device for circulating cooling water through a cylinder wall of an automobile engine and keeping the temperature of the cylinder wall constant. A water pump for pumping and a plurality of tubes through which the cooling water flows are provided, and a plurality of fins are provided to radiate the heat of the cooling water standing up on the outer surface of the tubes and flowing through the tubes. It is mainly composed of a radiator. And in this invention, after passing through the said cylinder wall, the cooling water heated up is guide | induced to the heater part 5 provided in the flow path of this humidity control system, and after circulating through this heater part 5, the said radiator To be guided to.

  The car air conditioner 14 is composed of a general refrigeration cycle. The carousel air conditioner 14 evaporates the refrigerant to take away ambient heat, the compressor for sucking and compressing the refrigerant, and the compressor discharged from the compressor. A refrigerant condenser that condenses the refrigerant and releases heat to the surroundings, and an expansion valve that depressurizes the refrigerant from the refrigerant condenser.

  The adsorbent has a moisture absorption rate, which is a ratio of the weight of adsorbed moisture per unit weight of the adsorbent at or near the relative humidity of the circulating air, and the adsorbent has a relative humidity of 50% or near the circulating air. A material having the property of being twice or more of the moisture absorption rate, which is the ratio of the weight of adsorbed water per unit weight, is used. Examples of the adsorbent having such properties include a polymer sorbent or imogolite.

  FIG. 3 (extracted from the product catalog of Nippon Exlan Industry Co., Ltd.) shows the above-mentioned polymer sorbent (in the sense of being distinguished from the conventional adsorbent, in the present invention, it is particularly referred to as “sorbent”) and others. Is an adsorption isotherm showing the relationship between the relative humidity (% RH) and the moisture absorption rate (% weight) of the adsorbents (silica gel A-type, B-type and Active carbon). As is clear from the figure, the polymer sorbent has excellent moisture absorption compared to other adsorbents, and the moisture absorption rate when the relative humidity of the circulating air is near 100% RH is 120% by weight or more. In addition, it has the property of being more than twice the weight of about 50% by weight in the vicinity of 50% RH relative humidity. As the structure of the polymer sorbent having such properties, for example, as described in JP-A-11-262621, an organic polymer which is an amphoteric ion exchanger having an anion exchange group and a cation exchange group is used. And a highly moisture-absorbing and releasing polymer sorbent having a crosslinked structure can be suitably used.

Moreover, an imogolite can be mentioned as an adsorbent having a moisture absorption equivalent to or higher than that of the polymer sorbent. The imogolite is a nanotube-like low crystalline aluminum silicate (SiO ₂ · Al ₂ O ₃ · 2H ₂ O) (outer diameter is about 2 nm, inner diameter is about 1 nm, length is several tens to several μm) In addition to having a high specific surface area due to its unique form, it has an excellent affinity for water. Therefore, various industrial applications such as heat exchangers for heat pump systems that use low-temperature exhaust heat such as factory exhaust heat and solar heat, humidity regulators and anti-condensation agents that autonomously control the humidity in the living environment are expected. It is what. As is apparent from the relative humidity (% RH) and moisture absorption (wt%) curves of imogolite shown in FIG. 4, it is the ratio of the adsorbed moisture weight per unit weight of the adsorbent when the relative humidity is 100% or in the vicinity thereof. The moisture absorption rate is such that the relative humidity of the circulating air is 50% or more than the moisture absorption rate, which is the ratio of the adsorbed moisture weight per unit weight of the adsorbent in the vicinity thereof.

FIG. 5 is an example of an experimental result of examining the dehumidifying performance of the polymer sorbent. The result of this experiment was that an adsorbent unit with the polymer sorbent fixed on the surface of a cylindrical member with a diameter of 150 mm and a length of 240 mm was manufactured, and from one side of this adsorbent unit, the flow rate was 38 to 41 m ³ / h. Experiments were conducted to circulate high-humidity air of various temperature conditions and collect the low-humidity air after dehumidification on the other side, using the temperature of the circulated air as a parameter, and the relative humidity difference between the high-humidity air and low-humidity air And a graph showing the relationship between the amount of dehumidified water and the unit dehumidified amount obtained by dividing the amount of dehumidified water by the amount of circulating air. As a result, it has been clarified that the unit dehumidification amount increases as the relative humidity difference increases, and the tendency becomes more prominent when the temperature of the circulating air is increased.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the desiccant rotor includes the first ducts 20, 20 ′ into which the circulating air that has passed through the heater unit 5 flows and the flowing air that has flowed out into the vehicle interior 10 through the main duct 9. In one of the supplied second ducts 21 and 21 ', a first humidity control section 23 preferably contains an adsorbent such as the polymer sorbent or imogolite in the casing 22 constituting the flow path. And a second humidity control unit 25 containing an adsorbent such as the polymer sorbent or imogolite is provided inside the casing 24 constituting the flow path, and the first humidity control unit 23 and The second humidity control unit 25 is integrated directly or through a connecting member 26, and the first humidity control unit 23 and the second humidity control unit 25 are provided along the duct direction at the center of these. By the rotating shaft 27 The first humidity control unit 23 and the second humidity control unit 25 are interchanged by rotating the rotary shaft 27 in the forward direction or the reverse direction by 180 degrees, and the first ducts 20 and 20 are supported. The humidity control section provided in the 'second duct 21, 21' is used as the regeneration area 6 and the humidity control section provided in the second duct 21, 21 'acts as the adsorption area 8, so that moisture absorption and regeneration of the built-in adsorbent are alternately performed. It has become so.

  The motor 28 rotates the rotary shaft 27 in the forward direction or the reverse direction by 180 degrees so that the first humidity control unit 23 and the second humidity control unit 25 are switched. That is, while the adsorbent adsorbs moisture in the air in the second ducts 21 and 21 ′, the adsorbent releases moisture in the air in the first ducts 20 and 20 ′. Regeneration is performed, and an operation pattern for exchanging the first humidity control unit 23 and the second humidity control unit 25 is repeated, so that moisture absorption and regeneration of the built-in adsorbent are alternately performed.

  Thus, in the present humidity control system, the first humidity control unit 23 and the second humidity control unit 25 are configured to be accommodated in the casings 22 and 24, respectively, and the moisture absorption and regeneration switching of the adsorbent is performed on the rotating shaft. Since this is performed by rotating and switching around the center 27, there is no complicated flow path configuration, and the system can be miniaturized to the extent that it can be mounted on an automobile.

  Moreover, in the said form example, although the 1st humidity control part 23 and the 2nd humidity control part 25 were comprised by the independent casings 22 and 24, respectively, as FIG. 8 shows, it is based on a conventionally well-known single casing. A desiccant device can be substituted. That is, each adsorbent is filled in each space defined by a partition material provided in the center of a single casing, and this desiccant device is connected to the first ducts 20, 20 ′ and the second ducts 21, 21 ′ is arranged so as to straddle 21 ′, and can be rotated by a rotation shaft provided along the duct direction. When a predetermined time elapses, the rotation shaft is rotated by 180 ° in the forward direction or the reverse direction to replace the flow path. You may make it perform.

  As described above, the adsorbent is incorporated in the first humidity control unit 23 and the second humidity control unit 25. At this time, the adsorbent may be filled in the first humidity control unit 23 and the second humidity control unit 25, but is preferably incorporated as follows. That is, the adsorbent is fixed on the surface of a fixing material (for example, honeycomb paper, corrugated paper, etc.) having a honeycomb structure or a corrugated structure in which holes that can be vented along the flow path are formed. It has been confirmed that the honeycomb paper to which the adsorbent is fixed exhibits sufficient adsorption / desorption performance even in a temperature range of about 30 ° C. if there is a relative humidity difference (see the experimental results in FIG. 5). Thus, by incorporating the honeycomb paper or the like on which the adsorbent is fixed, moisture can be efficiently absorbed and desorbed, and the desiccant rotor can be downsized.

[Operation status when compressor is in operation]
Next, the operation state when the compressor of the car air conditioner 14 is in operation will be described in detail. The case where the compressor of the car air conditioner 14 is in an operating state refers to an operation state during summer operation in which cool air is generated by the refrigerant evaporator 7 and cooling and dehumidification are performed in the vehicle.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the outside air and / or the vehicle interior air pumped by the fan 4 passes through the duct, circulates the cooling water of the engine cooling device 13, and the regeneration region 6 of the desiccant rotor. Then, the refrigerant evaporator 7 of the car air conditioner 14 and the adsorption area 8 of the desiccant rotor are visited in this order and supplied to the vehicle interior 10 through the main duct 9.

  The change in the state of the circulating air in the operation state during the summer operation will be described in detail using a specific example of the wet air diagram shown in FIG. 9. First, the outside air 1 and the in-vehicle air 2 are selectively selected by the switching device 3. The state of air that has been switched or mixed is indicated by a point a (here, it is assumed that the outside air 1 is selected).

  The circulating air in the state of point a is sent to the heater unit 5 and heated by the heat radiation action of the heater unit 5, and the relative humidity is lowered accordingly, and the state of point b is reached.

  The circulating air in the state of the point b is sent to the regeneration region 6 of the desiccant rotor, receives moisture from the built-in adsorbent and is humidified, and at the same time the temperature is lowered to the state of the point c.

  Next, the circulating air in the state of point c is sent to the refrigerant evaporator 7 of the car air conditioner 14 and is cooled to the dew point or lower by the endothermic action of the refrigerant evaporator 7 to be in the state of point d. Here, the moisture of the circulating air is condensed on the surface of the refrigerant evaporator 7 and attached as water droplets, and the first-stage dehumidification from the circulating air is performed. In the state at this point d, the relative humidity is about 100%.

  Thereafter, the circulating air in the state of point d is sent to the adsorption region 8 of the desiccant rotor, and the second stage of dehumidification is performed by the adsorbent incorporated therein. At this time, the circulating air in the state of the point d has a relative humidity of about 100%, so that dehumidification is efficiently performed in a state where the moisture absorption rate of the adsorbent is maximized (see FIG. 3). The state after dehumidification is represented by a point e, and the circulating air in the state of the point e is supplied to the vehicle interior 10 through the main duct 9.

  By the way, considering the theoretical COP of the humidity control air conditioning system, as shown in FIG. 9, in the humidity control air conditioning system, the heat removal amount when cooling from the point c to the point d becomes the enthalpy difference h, and the theoretical COP is , The temperatures Tc and Td of the points c and d are defined as COP = Td / (Tc−Td).

  On the other hand, in the conventional air conditioning system, it is dehumidified and cooled from point a through point f to point e, and the heat removal amount becomes an enthalpy difference H (actually, additional heating is required). It is clear that the value is larger than.

  In the conventional air conditioning system, the theoretical COP is defined by the temperatures Ta and Tf at the points a and f, and COP = Tf / (Ta−Tf). Therefore, in this humidity control air conditioning system, the temperature range of the refrigeration cycle (difference between condensation temperature and evaporation temperature) can be reduced compared with the theoretical COP of the conventional air conditioning system, and the refrigeration efficiency and energy saving performance are excellent. It can be an air conditioning system.

  The main energy consumption of the humidity control system is the compressor power of the car air conditioner 14. Moreover, since the cooling water (hot water) circulating through the heater unit 5 uses exhaust heat, energy consumption is extremely small.

[Operation status when compressor is stopped]
On the other hand, the case where the compressor of the car air conditioner 14 is in a stopped state means an operating state in a time other than the above-described summer, that is, in the winter, autumn, spring, rainy season, etc., air cooling is not required, but dehumidification or It is the driving condition in the season when you want to apply air conditioning in the car centering on heating.

  Conventionally, even in the winter season or in the rainy season, dehumidification is performed by the cooling and dehumidifying action of the car air conditioner, and this low-temperature air is heated by the heater unit 5 and then supplied to the interior of the vehicle. . For this reason, even in the dehumidifying operation, the engine load is large, causing a reduction in fuel consumption. On the other hand, the present humidity control system performs such dehumidification without using a car air conditioner, and thus does not cause such a problem. This will be specifically described below.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the circulation air pumped by the fan 11 passes through the adsorption region 8 of the desiccant rotor to the vehicle interior 10, and the circulation air pumped by the fan 4 A heater unit 5 for circulating the cooling water of the engine cooling device 13 and a second flow path 16 that goes around the regeneration region 6 of the desiccant rotor in order are formed.

  The state change of the supply air in the operation state during the rainy season will be described in detail using a specific example of the wet air diagram shown in FIG. 10. First, the outside air 1 and the vehicle interior air 2 are selectively selected by the switching device 3. The state of the circulating air that has been switched or mixed is indicated by a point a ′ (here, it is assumed that the outside air 1 is selected).

  A part of the circulating air in the state at this point a ′ is guided to the first flow path 15 by the fan 11, and the remaining part is guided to the second flow path 16 by the fan 4. In the first flow path 15, the circulating air that has passed through the adsorption region 8 of the desiccant rotor is dehumidified to the state of the point g ′ and supplied to the vehicle interior 10 through the main duct 9. During dehumidification, there is a slight increase in temperature, but since the temperature is originally low and the relative humidity is reduced, there is no discomfort.

  On the other hand, in the second flow path 16, the circulating air heated by the heater unit 5 is in the state of point b ′ and sent to the regeneration region 6 of the desiccant rotor, receiving moisture and increasing the absolute humidity. At the same time, the temperature is lowered to a state of point c ′ and then discharged outside the vehicle.

  Considering the comfort in the vehicle by such dehumidifying operation, the rising temperature when 1 g of moisture is adsorbed from 1 kg of air is theoretically about 2.5 ° C. Therefore, for example, 1 kg of outside air 1 or inside air 2 If 2 to 4 g of water is removed from the air, the temperature of the circulating air rises by 5 to 10 ° C. However, even if the temperature rises, the absolute humidity is lowered, so the relative humidity is lowered and a comfortable in-vehicle environment can be secured. At the same time, since the dehumidification can be performed without operating the compressor of the car air conditioner 14, the engine load can be reduced and the fuel consumption can be greatly improved.

[Dry eye prevention device]
In the present humidity control system, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a part of the humidified circulation air that passes through the regeneration region 6 of the desiccant rotor and is directly released toward the passenger in the vehicle is discharged. It is preferable that the eye prevention duct 12 is provided. Since the circulation air (point c, point c ′) after passing through the regeneration region 6 is air of relatively high humidity, the passenger's eyes can be appropriately dried even in a car dried by cooling or dehumidifying the car air conditioner 14. Can be prevented. Such a configuration eliminates the need for a separate heat source for preventing dry eyes, and thus saves energy without increasing the engine load.

It is a system block diagram of this humidity control system in case the compressor of a car air conditioner is an operation state. It is a system block diagram of this humidity control system when the compressor of a car air conditioner is a stop state. It is an adsorption isotherm curve of a polymer sorbent and other adsorbents (silica gel A-type, B-type and Active carbon). It is an adsorption isotherm showing the relationship between the relative humidity (% RH) and moisture absorption rate (% weight) of imogolite. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a relative humidity difference and unit dehumidification amount. It is a side view of a desiccant rotor. It is a VII-VII arrow line view of FIG. It is a perspective view of a desiccant rotor. It is a humid air line figure in case the compressor of a car air-conditioner is an operation state. It is a humid air line figure in case the compressor of a car air-conditioner is a stop state.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outside air, 2 ... Car interior air, 3 ... Switching apparatus, 4.11 ... Fan, 5 ... Heater part, 6 ... Regeneration area, 7 ... Refrigerant evaporator, 8 ... Adsorption area, 9 ... Main duct, 10 ... Inside car, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Dry eye prevention duct, 13 ... Engine cooling device, 14 ... Car air conditioner, 15 ... 1st flow path, 16 ... 2nd flow path

Claims (6)

A desiccant rotor comprising a heater unit that circulates engine cooling water, a car air conditioner that includes a refrigerant evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant, an adsorption region that contains an adsorbent and dehumidifies the circulating air, and a regeneration region that humidifies the circulating air A humidity control air conditioning system for an automobile for supplying outside air and / or air inside the vehicle as supply air after the humidity is adjusted,
When the compressor of the car air conditioner is in an operating state, a heater section for circulating the engine cooling water, a regeneration area of the desiccant rotor, the refrigerant evaporator, and a flow path that sequentially goes through the adsorption area of the desiccant rotor are configured. A humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles. Combining a heater part that circulates engine cooling water with a desiccant rotor that contains an adsorbent and an adsorption area that dehumidifies the circulating air and a regeneration area that humidifies the circulating air, adjusts the outside air and / or the interior air. After that, a humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles for supplying into the vehicle as supply air,
When the compressor of the car air conditioner is in a stopped state, the outside air and / or the air inside the vehicle passes through the adsorption region of the desiccant rotor, and the outside air and / or the air inside the engine cooling water. A humidity control air-conditioning system for an automobile, comprising: a heater section that circulates the exhaust gas; and a second flow path that goes around the regeneration region of the desiccant rotor in order.   The humidity control air conditioner for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising a dry eye prevention duct for discharging a part of the humidified air that passes through the regeneration region of the desiccant rotor directly into the vehicle. system.   The desiccant rotor is provided with a first humidity control section that houses the adsorbent in the casing for forming the flow path, and a second control that incorporates the adsorbent in the casing for forming the flow path. A humidity unit is provided, and the first humidity control unit and the second humidity control unit are integrated directly or through a connecting member, and the first humidity control unit and the second humidity control unit are centered on each other. The first humidity control unit and the second humidity control unit are rotatably supported by a rotation shaft provided in the flow path direction and rotated in the forward direction or the reverse direction by 180 °. The humidity control air conditioning system for automobiles according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The adsorbent has a moisture absorption rate, which is a ratio of the weight of adsorbed moisture per unit weight of the adsorbent at or near the relative humidity of the circulating air, and the adsorbent has a relative humidity of 50% or near the circulating air. The humidity control air-conditioning system for automobiles according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a polymer sorbent or imogolite that is twice or more of a moisture absorption rate that is a ratio of an adsorbed moisture weight per unit weight is used.   The humidity control air conditioner for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the adsorbent is fixed on a surface of a fixing material having a honeycomb structure or a corrugated structure in which an air-permeable opening is formed along a flow path. system.

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