JP2009180402A - Humidifier, heat exchanger, and humidifying method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a humidifier, a heat exchanger and a humidifying method capable of reducing motive power and an installation space of a fan by improving a humidifying capacity by a vaporization method, improving the efficiency of a heat source, and furthermore, increasing a control width of humidifying efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: A typical constitution of this humidifier 100 comprises a plurality of plate-shaped fins 110 vertically disposed in parallel with one another, moistened layers 112 buried in surfaces of the fins 110, a dryness determining portion 150 determining the dryness of the moistening layers, a water spraying portion 124 for supplying water 122 to the moistened layers 112 on the basis of information from the dryness determining portion, a tube 130 for heating the fins 110, and a fan 140 for promoting the vaporization of the water absorbed by the moistened layers 112 by circulating air between and among the fins 110. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vaporizing humidifier, a heat exchanger, and a humidifying method.

  Humidifiers can be roughly classified into vaporizing humidifiers, steam humidifiers, and water spray humidifiers.

  The vaporization type humidifier performs humidification by evaporating normal temperature water, and is generally configured to evaporate sensible heat of warmed air instead of latent heat of water. For this reason, when water evaporates and cools to the dew point temperature, it becomes impossible to humidify. Therefore, it is necessary to raise the air temperature by 10 ° C or more from room temperature or increase the air circulation amount, and the amount of water to be vaporized is difficult to control. There is a problem. In addition, since the humidifying ability is low, there is a problem that the device is likely to be large.

  There are several types of vaporizing humidifiers, and one of them is a capillary type that supplies water (pumps water) to the filter using the capillary phenomenon. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a lower end of a honeycomb-shaped filler is immersed in a water tank to supply water, and blown and vaporized by a blower. For the filter, a filler formed of a nonwoven fabric made of a resin such as rayon is used. Filters have various shapes, and a honeycomb plate, a cylinder, or a plurality of complex corrugated plates are often used.

  The steam humidifier is a method of humidifying using steam, for example, steam generated by a boiler is sprayed on a heat exchanger. Since the steam humidifier uses boiling steam, it is easy to control the amount of humidification. On the other hand, since it is saturated steam, there is a problem that if it is not mixed well with air, condensation is likely to occur and saturation efficiency is difficult to increase.

  The water spray type humidifier is a method of humidifying by discharging water at normal temperature into fine water droplets. For example, water droplets of several tens of microns (micro order) or less are generated and ejected by spraying or ultrasonic waves. The water spray type is easier to control the humidification amount than the vaporization type. However, since what is contained in water is released as it is, calcium, magnesium, etc. are deposited around it, and miscellaneous bacteria propagated in the water are also scattered. For this reason, it is difficult to use in clean rooms and food facilities, and it is used in places where air cleanliness is not required, or a pure water device or a sterilizer is used in combination.

In addition, both the steam humidifier and the water spray humidifier are susceptible to condensation due to the density of water vapor if there is no volume, so a large duct and eliminator (water droplet separator) for mixing with air is required. There is a problem that the area occupied by the equipment increases.
JP 2003-074916 A

  In order to improve the comfort of the living space, the temperature control has been mainly performed in the past, but the humidity control has become important. At that time, it is necessary to reduce the power and improve the humidification capacity due to the recent trend of energy saving.

  However, as described above, it is easy to control the amount of humidification with a water spray type, but it is difficult to use because of precipitation of hardness components and the release of various bacteria in the vicinity. The steam type is difficult to adopt because the air to be released becomes hot and the humidification efficiency is difficult to increase.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a humidifier and a heat exchanger capable of reducing fan power and installation space by increasing the humidification capacity in the vaporization type, improving the efficiency of the heat source, and further increasing the control range of the humidification efficiency. An object is to provide a humidification method.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical configuration of a humidifier according to the present invention includes a plurality of plate-like fins erected in parallel, and a wetting layer provided by flocking on the surface of the fin. A dry determination unit that determines whether the wet layer is dry, a water supply unit that supplies water to the wet layer based on information from the dry determination unit, a heating unit that heats the fins, and air is circulated between the fins. And a ventilation portion that promotes vaporization of the water absorbed by the wet layer.

  According to the above configuration, when water is supplied to the wet layer, the water permeates and diffuses into the wet layer using the capillary phenomenon, and humidification can be performed by circulating air through the wet layer. And by performing water supply based on the information from the dryness determination unit, intermittent water supply can be performed according to the dryness of the wet layer, and compared to the case where water is continuously supplied, A very thin water film is formed between them. By forming a thin film in this way, a high temperature gradient is formed in the water film and a high heat flux is obtained, so that the evaporation rate, that is, the humidifying ability can be increased. Moreover, since the highest heat flux is obtained immediately before the thin film of water is dried, the time average heat flux is increased and the humidifying ability can be further increased by supplying water just before drying. Similarly, since the water is a very thin thin film, the fluctuation of the heating unit as a heat source greatly affects the temperature gradient, so that the control range of the humidifying capacity can be increased. Furthermore, compared with the case where a water retention tank is installed below and water is supplied (pumped) using the capillary phenomenon, the risk of germs can be drastically reduced.

  The dryness determination unit may include a reflectometer that measures the light reflection intensity of the wet layer, and may determine whether the wet layer is dry based on a signal of the reflectometer. Since the wet layer is formed by flocking, the reflection intensity of light changes depending on the moisture content, so that it can be electrically detected that the wet layer has been dried. Intermittent water supply can be performed to supply water appropriately.

  The dry determination unit has a capacitance meter that measures the water film thickness of the wet layer based on the capacitance generated by applying a voltage between the wet layer and the probe, and based on the capacitance signal, Dryness may be determined. Since the wet layer is formed by flocking, the capacitance changes depending on the water content, so that it is possible to electrically detect that the wet layer has dried using this, depending on the dryness. Intermittent water supply can be performed.

  The wetting layer is preferably configured by electrostatically flocking fibers on a fin coated with an adhesive. Thereby, the planted fiber can be removed with an alkaline solvent such as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), and the fins can be reused.

  The fiber may be a synthetic resin mainly composed of rayon or acrylic. Acrylic is particularly preferable because of its high hydrophilicity. When using rayon, it is preferable to use a fungicide together.

  The length of the fiber is preferably 0.5 mm to 2 mm, more preferably about 1 mm. This is because if the fiber is shorter than 0.5 mm, the pumping height due to the capillary phenomenon is lowered. Moreover, it is because the film | membrane of the water contained in a fiber will become thick when a fiber becomes longer than 2 mm, and desired humidification performance will not be obtained.

  The fiber may contain metal or carbon or both. As a result, the thermal conductivity is improved, so that the heat held by the fins and the heat of the outside air can be efficiently exchanged.

  The interval between the fins is preferably 1 mm to 3 mm, and more preferably about 2 mm. This is because if the gap between the fins is narrower than 1 mm, the pressure loss increases and the fan power must be increased. In addition, if the gap between the fins is larger than 3 mm, the contact area between the wet layer and the air decreases, and the desired humidification performance cannot be obtained.

  The water supply unit may include a semi-permeable tank that supplies water to each fin in an upper part of the plurality of fins and a water supply pipe that supplies water to the semi-permeable tank. Since water falls little by little from the entire lower surface of the semi-permeable tank toward the fins, it is possible to reliably supply water to all the fins and to sufficiently penetrate the entire wet layer of all the fins. .

  When water is supplied using a semi-permeable tank, a cleaning unit that sprays water directly onto the wet layer for cleaning may be provided. Thereby, the hardness component concentrated in the wet layer can be washed away, and the humidifying ability can be appropriately maintained. In addition, when supplying water intermittently without using a semipermeable tank, it can wash | clean by supplying a lot of water temporarily from a water supply part.

  The heating unit may be a tube that passes through the fins and circulates the refrigerant. As a result, the humidifier can be incorporated as a part of the heat exchanger (air conditioner).

  The tube penetrates the fin repeatedly, and the cross-sectional arrangement of the tube relative to the fin may be staggered. Thereby, the heat transfer efficiency from a tube to a fin can be improved.

  A typical configuration of a heat exchanger according to the present invention is a heat exchanger that circulates a refrigerant to exchange outdoor heat and indoor heat, an evaporator that vaporizes and absorbs heat from the refrigerant, and a compression that compresses the refrigerant. A condenser that radiates and liquefies the compressed refrigerant, a tube that circulates the refrigerant in the condenser, a fin that radiates heat into the room, a wetting layer provided by flocking on the surface of the fin, and a wetting layer A dryness determination unit that determines dryness, a water supply unit that supplies water to the wet layer based on information from the dryness determination unit, and a ventilation unit that circulates air through the condenser and promotes vaporization of water absorbed by the wet layer And.

  A typical configuration of the humidifying method according to the present invention is to determine whether a wet layer provided on the surface of a plurality of plate-like fins standing in parallel is dry and intermittently supply water, and use the capillary phenomenon for the wet layer. Then, water is permeated and water is evaporated by circulating air between the fins.

  The components based on the technical idea of the humidifier and the description thereof can be applied to the heat exchanger and the humidification method.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the fan power and the installation space by increasing the humidification capacity while using the vaporization type, to improve the efficiency of the heat source, and to further increase the control range of the humidification efficiency.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The first embodiment is an example of a humidifier and a humidification method. Note that dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the following embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. Further, in the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a humidifier according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wetting layer and a tube. A humidifier 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of plate-like fins 110, a wetting layer 112 provided on the surface of the fins 110, a watering unit 124 as an example of a water supply unit, and an example of a heating unit. The tube 130, the fan 140 as an example of a ventilation part, and the dry determination part 150 which determines the dryness of a wet layer are provided.

  The fins 110 are a plurality of plate-like members erected in parallel. Specifically, it can be configured as a fin tube connected (welded) integrally with the tube 130. The fin 110 functions as a heat sink if it is made of a refrigerant circulating in the tube 130, but in the humidifier 100, heat is supplied from the tube 130 in order to warm the water contained on the surface thereof.

  The fin 110 is an aluminum plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm in this embodiment. The interval between the fins 110 can be 1 mm to 3 mm, and more preferably about 2 mm. This is because if the gap between the fins is narrower than 1 mm, the pressure loss increases and the power of the fan 140 must be increased. In addition, if the gap between the fins is larger than 3 mm, the contact area between the wet layer and the air decreases, and the desired humidification performance cannot be obtained.

  The wet layer 112 is provided by flocking the surface of the fin 110. Specifically, the wetting layer 112 can be configured, for example, by electrostatically flocking fibers on the fin 110 coated with an adhesive.

  As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, the wetting layer 112 is composed of fibers 114 irregularly implanted. Accordingly, the wet layer 112 can permeate and diffuse the water 122 supplied from the water sprinkling part 124 by using the capillary phenomenon. The supplied water forms a thin film called a meniscus (liquid bridge) between the fibers 114 as shown in FIG.

  As the fiber 114, a synthetic resin mainly composed of rayon, nylon, or acrylic can be preferably used. Acrylic is particularly preferable because of its good hydrophilicity and high hydrophilicity (high diffusibility). This is because when the hydrophilicity is high, the solid-liquid contact angle becomes small and the meniscus portion increases. When using rayon, it is preferable to use a fungicide together. Further, by using these materials for the fibers 114, a general air conditioner cleaner or neutral scale remover can be used, and cleaning is easy.

  Moreover, since the fibers 114 are planted using an adhesive, the planted fibers 114 can be removed with an alkaline solvent such as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). Therefore, if the fibers 114 are clogged due to use and become clogged, the fins 110 are replaced, but the wet layer 112 can be removed and the hair can be replanted. By reusing the fins 110 in this way, it is possible to reduce running costs and effectively use resources.

  The length of the fiber 114 is preferably 0.5 mm to 2 mm, and most preferably about 1 mm. In addition, when the fiber 114 of about 1 mm is used, the layer thickness of the wet layer is about 0.5 mm. This is because if the fiber 114 is shorter than 0.5 mm, the diffusibility due to the capillary phenomenon is lowered. Further, if the fiber 114 is longer than 2 mm, the water film contained in the fiber 114 becomes thick, and a desired humidification performance as described later cannot be obtained.

  The fiber 114 may contain metal and / or carbon. As a result, the thermal conductivity is improved, so that the heat held by the fins 110 can be efficiently exchanged with the heat of the outside air.

  A water tray 120 is disposed below the fins 110 to receive water that has fallen without penetrating the wet layer 112. A drain pipe 126 is connected to the water tray 120 and drains without collecting.

  The tube 130 is a tube that circulates the refrigerant, and transfers heat of the refrigerant to the fins 110. Although the present embodiment is an example of a single humidifier, the humidifier 100 can be incorporated as a part of a heat exchanger (air conditioner) by using the heat of the refrigerant as a heating unit. The tube 130 is connected to a pump 132 as a heat source, and the temperature is adjusted by the pump compressing the refrigerant.

  The tube 130 repeatedly penetrates the fin 110, and as shown in FIG. 2B, the cross-sectional arrangement of the tube 130 with respect to the fin 110 is staggered (alternately arranged). Thereby, the heat transfer efficiency from the tube 130 to the fin 110 can be enhanced without obstructing the air flow.

  As other examples of the heating unit, it is also possible to flow a thermal fluid (hot water or oil) into the tube 130 or use an electric heater instead of the tube. Further, a current may be passed through the entire fin 110 to cause the fin itself to generate heat.

  The fan 140 circulates air between the fins 110 by generating an air flow, and promotes vaporization of the water absorbed by the wet layer 112.

  The dry determination unit 150 is provided to determine whether the wet layer is dry. As shown in the figure, a reflectometer 152 (specifically, an optical fiber probe of the reflectometer) that measures the light reflection intensity of the wet layer 112 is disposed in the vicinity of the fin 110, and the dry determination unit 150 includes It is connected. As shown in the diagram on the left side of FIG. 2C, when the wet layer 112 retains water, the incident light is refracted and the reflection intensity is reduced. On the contrary, as shown in the figure on the right side, when the wet layer 112 is dry, the incident light is directly reflected on the fin 110 and the reflection intensity is increased. Further, since the reflection intensity varies depending on the thickness of the water film (water 122) of the wet layer 112, the degree of dryness can be determined. Using this property, it is possible to detect the dryness of the wet layer 112 according to the signal from the reflectometer 152. The dryness determination unit 150 detects the degree of dryness stepwise or linearly by receiving the signal from the reflectometer 152 and comparing it with a preset value.

  Thereby, it can electrically detect that the wet layer 112 has dried and can utilize for control. For example, the dryness determination unit 150 is connected to the control unit 102 of the humidifier 100, and the control unit 102 is connected to the water supply valve 124 a of the watering unit 124. The control unit 102 can perform humidification continuously by controlling the water supply valve 124a in accordance with a signal from the dryness determination unit 150 and intermittently supplying water so that the wet layer 112 does not dry.

  The dryness determination unit 150 is not limited to the reflectometer 152, and dryness may be determined by other methods. For example, the dryness determination unit 150 may include a capacitance meter that measures the water film thickness, and the dryness of the wet layer 112 may be determined based on the capacitance signal. Further, the refrigerant temperature before and after the fin 110 may be monitored, and the dryness may be determined based on the rapid rise in the refrigerant temperature. Further, a humidity sensor may be arranged on the downstream side of the airflow of the fin 110, and dryness may be determined by a decrease in humidity despite humidification. In this case, it is preferable that the humidification sensor has a quick response. For example, a ceramic humidity sensor or a polymer film humidity sensor can be suitably used.

  According to the above configuration, when water is supplied from the water sprinkling part 124 to the wet layer 112, water penetrates and diffuses into the wet layer 112 formed by flocking using capillary action, and air is supplied to the wet layer 112. Humidification can be performed by making it circulate. And by supplying water based on the information from the dry determination part, the intermittent water supply which supplies water according to the dry condition of a wet layer can be performed. Here, while water is being discharged from the water sprinkling portion 124, the wet layer 112 contains excessive water, so that a thin film is hardly formed. However, by performing intermittent water supply, when the water supply is stopped, excess water quickly drops, and an extremely thin thin film is formed on the wet layer 112 (see FIG. 2A).

  Therefore, the water film can be drastically reduced as compared with the case where water is constantly supplied. By forming an extremely thin thin film in this way, a high temperature gradient is formed in the water film and a high heat flux is obtained. Therefore, vaporization is facilitated, and the evaporation rate, that is, the humidifying ability can be increased. Moreover, since the highest heat flux is obtained immediately before the thin film of water is dried, the time average heat flux is increased and the humidifying ability can be further increased by supplying water just before drying. Similarly, since the water is a very thin thin film, the temperature near the heat transfer surface of the water film changes almost in proportion to the heat source temperature, so the range of change in the temperature gradient in the water film can be increased, and the humidifying capacity can be increased. It is possible to increase the control width.

  In addition, compared to the case where a water retention tank is installed below and water is supplied (pumped) using capillary action, according to the above configuration, there is no water remaining for a long period of time, and the amount of water held in the wet layer is small. If the water is stopped, the fin 110 and the wet layer 112 are easily dried. Therefore, the generation | occurrence | production risk degree of microbe can be reduced dramatically and generation | occurrence | production of an odor can be prevented.

  Moreover, since the wet layer 112 by flocking has high diffusibility, if the small amount of water is supplied, it can be spread throughout. Although the water supply utilization rate in the case of always supplying water is 30 to 70%, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, almost 100% can be used. For this reason, even if the water to be supplied is subjected to a water softening treatment for removing the hardness component in advance, the amount of treatment is small, so that an increase in cost can be prevented.

  By the way, in the wet layer 112, since water evaporates, the non-volatile components calcium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, etc. (hardness component) contained in the tap water remain, and the concentration gradually increases. When the concentration of the hardness component is increased in the wet layer 112, these non-volatile components are precipitated, the hydrophilicity of the fibers is inhibited, and the meniscus portion is reduced by increasing the solid-liquid contact angle. There is a risk of it. Therefore, the wet layer can be washed by temporarily ejecting a large amount of water from the watering part 124. Since the fin 110 according to the present embodiment is not a corrugated plate but a vertical plate shape, it can be easily washed by applying water.

  The timing of cleaning may be cleaning that also serves as short-time water supply by a signal from the dryness determination unit, or may be performed at regular intervals by providing a timer (not shown), or when the power is turned on, etc. It may be performed at a specific timing. At this time, since the washing water falls to the water tray 120, it is drained from the drain pipe 126.

  According to the said structure, the hardness component concentrated in the wet layer 112 can be washed away, and a humidification capability can be maintained appropriately. In addition, when a filler is used, it is necessary to always drain the drain water and flow the hardness component, or to perform a dehydration treatment to remove the hardness component, but according to the configuration of this embodiment, Can be avoided, and a dewatering device can be dispensed with.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining dry detection and cleaning operations. The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is a loop process that does not end during operation of the humidifier 100.

  When the dryness determination unit 150 detects dryness (S502), the control unit 102 opens the water supply valve 124a for a predetermined time and supplies water to the wet layer 112 (S504). If it is not detected, no particular processing is performed.

  When the control unit 102 detects that a predetermined time has passed since the previous cleaning (S506), the control unit 102 supplies a large amount of water from the watering unit 124 to clean the wet layer 112 (S508). After the cleaning for a certain period of time, the water supply valve 124a is closed, and the process waits until dryness is detected (S502).

[Examples and Comparative Examples]
An evaluation experiment was conducted using the humidifier with the above configuration as an example and a vaporizing humidifier using a filler as a comparative example. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vaporizing humidifier using a filler as a comparative example, and the same reference numerals are given to portions overlapping the above description and the description is omitted.

  In the vaporizing humidifier 800 as a comparative example shown in FIG. 4, the fin 810 is not provided with a wetting layer, and the watering part 124 is not arranged. Tubes 130 are provided through the fins 810 and heat is supplied from the refrigerant. A filler 820 made of a non-woven corrugated sheet is disposed on the downstream side of the fins 810, and water is dripped from a water supply pipe 830 disposed above the filler 820 so that water is constantly supplied. Therefore, in the vaporizing humidifier 800, the airflow generated by the fan 140 is warmed by the fins 810 and water is vaporized by the filler 820.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram comparing the saturation efficiencies of the example and the comparative example. Saturation efficiency is an index indicating how much air can be humidified, and is expressed by dry bulb humidity difference / absolute humidity difference before and after humidification × 100 (%). When measured for 1000 seconds in both the comparative example and the example, as shown in Table 1 of FIG. 5, a saturation efficiency of 91% was obtained in the comparative example and 92% in the example, respectively. From this, it was found that the saturation efficiency was almost the same as that of the conventional vaporization type, and it was confirmed that the adaptation situation was wide.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram comparing the coefficient of performance and fan power between the example and the comparative example. FIG. 6 compares the coefficient of performance and fan power (pressure loss) when the flow rate is the same (air volume) and the humidification efficiency is the same.

  The coefficient of performance (COP) is also called an operation coefficient and is an index indicating energy efficiency. COP can be calculated as operating capacity (kW) / power consumption (kW), but here it is calculated as evaporation temperature / (evaporation temperature-condensation temperature) (theoretical COP based on Carnot cycle). As shown in Table 2 of FIG. 6, it can be seen that the heat source COP can achieve high efficiency that is approximately twice as high as that of a vaporizing humidifier that vaporizes from a filler using heated air.

  Fan power is compared by pressure loss in achieving the same flow rate. If the channel cross section (volume) is the same, the flow velocity is proportional to the flow rate. As shown in Table 3 of FIG. 6, the fan power is about ½ that of the comparative example, and it can be seen that the fan power can be significantly reduced.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram comparing the controllability of the fault efficiency between the example and the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 7, in the comparative example, when the refrigerant temperature is changed from 30 ° C. to 40 ° C., the relative humidity is 82.2% to 86.5% (change width 4%), and the saturation efficiency is 86% to It changed only in the range of 91%. On the other hand, in the examples, when the refrigerant temperature was changed from 20 ° C. to 30 ° C., the relative humidity was 74% to 89% (change width 14%), and the saturation efficiency was changed from 75% to 94%. From this, it can be seen that the control range of the humidification efficiency can be increased according to the refrigerant temperature (the temperature of the tube 130 as the heating unit).

  As described above, in the humidifier according to this embodiment, the fan power and the installation space are reduced by increasing the humidification capacity in the vaporization type, the efficiency of the heat source is improved, and the control range of the humidification efficiency is further increased. be able to.

  Moreover, compared with the vaporization type humidifier using a filler, since the amount of retained water is very small, it can be easily dried even at the time of stoppage, and propagation of germs can be prevented. Further, since the wet layer 112 is integrated with the tube 130 as a heating unit, it can be heated to a high temperature, and can be sterilized by heating to about 60 ° C.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the pressure loss and relative humidity during cleaning in the example and the comparative example. The pressure loss is the difference in static pressure before and after the filter, and the relative humidity is water vapor partial pressure / saturated water vapor pressure. In the example, the fin 110 was washed, and in the comparative example, an experiment was performed in which a large amount of water was applied to the filler 820 (at a time of about 1500 seconds).

  Then, in the configuration of the comparative example, a film of water was stretched in the gap between the fillers during cleaning, and an increase in pressure loss was observed as can be seen from FIG. On the other hand, in the examples, no increase in pressure loss was observed. This is considered to be due to the fact that since the fin 110 has a vertical plate shape, the washing water falls immediately and no water film is formed between the fins 110. In addition, since the water vaporized by the wet layer 112 on the surface of the fin 110 is retained, the gap between the fins 110 can be made relatively wide, so that a water film can be avoided.

  Further, in the examples, the humidification amount (relative humidity on the outlet side) is reduced at the time of cleaning, but the decrease is about 1 minute, and the humidification amount is recovered immediately after the completion of the cleaning. This is also because the cleaning water falls immediately because the fin 110 has a vertical plate shape. On the other hand, in the comparative example, the time to recover after the humidification amount is reduced is about twice as long. This is considered to be the time required to raise the water temperature decreased by washing because the amount of water retained in the comparative example is twice or more that in the example.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, it has been described that intermittent water supply is performed by directly applying water to the fins 110 from the water sprinkling unit 124 as an example of the water supply unit, and that the wet layer 112 is also washed with water applied from the water sprinkling unit 124. . On the other hand, 2nd Embodiment is an example provided with the semi-permeable tank and the washing | cleaning part. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the humidifier according to the second embodiment. A semipermeable tank 160 is disposed above the fins 110, and the semipermeable tank 160 is supplied with water by a water supply pipe 162. A washing water supply pipe 164 is disposed beside the semipermeable tank 160.

  The semi-permeable tank 160 is a container configured using a material that allows water to gradually permeate, and is configured to have a shape and a size located above all the fins 110. The semi-permeable tank 160 may be made of any material that can gradually drop water. For example, a water-absorbing sheet or a non-woven fabric can be used.

  By supplying water through the semipermeable tank 160 in this way, the water gradually falls toward the fins 110 from the entire lower surface of the semipermeable tank 160, so that water is reliably supplied to all the fins 110. In addition, water can sufficiently penetrate the entire surface of the wet layer 112 of all the fins 110. Therefore, water can be reliably absorbed by the entire surface of the wet layer 112 of all the fins 110 with a small amount of water, compared to the case where the water drops are dropped from the water sprinkling part 124 as in the first embodiment.

  In addition, the water absorbed in the semipermeable tank 160 falls early, and no water is stored in the semipermeable tank 160. Therefore, if the operation of the humidifier 100 stops, it is easily dried. Since the bacteria are killed when dried, the risk of bacteria generation in the semipermeable tank 160 is extremely low.

  The cleaning water supply pipe 164 performs cleaning by directly injecting water onto the fins 110. The cleaning valve 164a of the cleaning water supply pipe 164 is connected to the control unit 102, and the control unit 102 performs jet cleaning by opening the cleaning valve 164a for a predetermined time.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of dryness detection and cleaning. The flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is a loop process that does not end during operation of the humidifier 100.

  When the dryness determination unit 150 detects dryness (S502), the control unit 102 opens the water supply valve 162a of the water supply pipe 162 for a predetermined time, and supplies water to the wet layer 112 through the semipermeable tank 160 (S504). If it is not detected, no particular processing is performed.

  When the control unit 102 detects that a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous cleaning (S506), the control unit 102 opens the cleaning valve 164a and injects water from the cleaning water supply pipe 164 to clean the wet layer 112 (S510). ). After cleaning for a certain time, the cleaning valve 164a is closed (S512), and the process waits until dryness is detected (S502).

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 3rd Embodiment shows the example which applied the humidifier mentioned above to the heat exchanger. Portions that are the same as those described in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchanger (air conditioner, also referred to as an air conditioner, hereinafter referred to as “air conditioner 300”) according to the fourth embodiment. The air conditioner 300 is a heat exchanger that circulates refrigerant to exchange outdoor heat and indoor heat. The air conditioner 300 functions as cooling or heating according to the circulation direction of the refrigerant, and the outdoor unit 310, the indoor unit 320, and these It is comprised from the refrigerant | coolant piping 330 which connects and circulates a refrigerant | coolant.

  The outdoor unit 310 includes an evaporator 312 (a condenser during cooling), a fan 314, and a compressor 316. In the evaporator 312, the liquid refrigerant is evaporated and vaporized to absorb heat. The fan 314 uses the outside air to promote the heat absorption of the refrigerant (releases cold heat to the outside air). The compressor compresses the refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas.

  The indoor unit 320 includes a fin 110 and a tube 130 that function as a condenser (an evaporator during cooling), a water spray unit 124 as an example of a water supply unit, a fan 140 as an example of a ventilation unit, and a semi-permeable tank. 160. Further, although not shown in FIG. 11, a dry determination unit 150 for determining whether the wet layer is dry is provided (see FIG. 1). The tube 130 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 330 and circulates between the outdoor unit 310 and the refrigerant. The refrigerant, which is a high-temperature and high-pressure gas, dissipates heat by the fins 110 and condenses into a liquid. The fan 140 circulates air through the fins 110 and promotes heat dissipation of the refrigerant using indoor air.

  As described in the first embodiment, the wet layer 112 is provided on the surface of the fin 110 by flocking as described in the first embodiment (see FIG. 1). The semipermeable tank 160 is disposed above the fins, and supplies water from the water supply pipe 162 to the wet layer 112 of the fins 110 through the semipermeable tank 160. The fan 140 circulates air through the fins 110 serving as a condenser and promotes vaporization of the water absorbed by the wet layer 112. Surplus water and washing water fall into the water tray 120 and are drained to the outside through the drain pipe 126.

  That is, the humidifier 100 shown in the first embodiment is configured by the fins 110, the tubes 130, the semipermeable tank 160, and the fan 140 in the indoor unit 320. On the other hand, the fin 110 and the tube 130 of the humidifier 100 constitute a condenser of the air conditioner 300.

  According to the said structure, in the air conditioner 300 (heat exchanger) concerning this embodiment, a humidification function can be integrated, without enlarging an indoor unit. And although it is a vaporization type | formula, while being able to obtain high humidification capability with a small evaporation area, since a pressure loss is low, it does not cause the increase in fan motive power. Further, the heat source temperature required for the humidifier only needs to be equal to or higher than the wet bulb temperature, and can be lower by 10 ° C. or more than a general vaporization type. Therefore, a high humidification capability can be obtained without lowering the COP of the air conditioner 300. Furthermore, since the control range of the humidifying capacity is large, the room air can be harmonized with a comfortable environment.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  The present invention can be used as a vaporizing humidifier, a heat exchanger, and a humidifying method.

It is a figure explaining the schematic structure of the humidifier concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure explaining a wetting layer and a tube. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of dry detection and washing | cleaning. It is a figure which shows the structure of the vaporization type humidifier using the filler as a comparative example. It is a figure which compares the saturation efficiency of an Example and a comparative example. It is a figure which compares the coefficient of performance and fan power of an Example and a comparative example. It is a figure which compares the controllability of the fault efficiency of an Example and a comparative example. It is a figure explaining the pressure loss at the time of washing | cleaning of an Example and a comparative example, and relative humidity. It is a figure explaining schematic structure of the humidifier concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of dry detection and washing | cleaning. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the heat exchanger concerning 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Humidifier, 102 ... Control part, 110 ... Fin, 112 ... Wetting layer, 114 ... Fiber, 120 ... Water tray, 122 ... Water, 124 ... Sprinkling part, 124a ... Water supply valve, 126 ... Drain pipe, 126a ... Drain Valve, 130 ... Tube, 132 ... Pump, 140 ... Fan, 150 ... Dryness determination unit, 152 ... Reflectometer, 160 ... Semi-permeable tank, 162 ... Water supply pipe, 162a ... Water supply valve, 164 ... Washing water supply pipe, 164a ... Cleaning valve, 200 ... Humidifier, 300 ... Air conditioner, 310 ... Outdoor unit, 312 ... Evaporator, 314 ... Fan, 316 ... Compressor, 320 ... Indoor unit, 330 ... Refrigerant piping, 800 ... Evaporative humidifier, 810 ... Fins, 820 ... Filler, 830 ... Water supply pipe

Claims (10)

A plurality of plate-like fins erected in parallel;
A wet layer provided by flocking the surface of the fin;
A dry determination unit for determining dryness of the wet layer;
A water supply unit for supplying water to the wet layer based on information from the dry determination unit;
A heating unit for heating the fins;
A ventilation part that circulates air between the fins and promotes vaporization of the water absorbed by the wet layer;
A humidifier characterized by comprising:   The dryness determination unit includes a reflectometer for measuring the light reflection intensity of the wet layer, and determines whether the wet layer is dry based on a signal of the reflectometer. The humidifier described.   The dryness determination unit includes a capacitance meter that measures a water film thickness of the wet layer, and determines whether the wet layer is dry based on a signal of the capacitance. The humidifier described.   The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the wetting layer is configured by electrostatically flocking fibers to the fin to which an adhesive is applied. The water supply unit is
A semi-permeable tank for supplying water to each fin in a distributed manner on top of the plurality of fins;
The humidifier according to claim 1, further comprising a water supply pipe for injecting water into the semipermeable tank.   The humidifier according to claim 5, further comprising a cleaning unit that sprays water onto the wet layer for cleaning.   The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is a tube that passes through the fins and circulates a refrigerant.   The humidifier according to claim 7, wherein the tube repeatedly penetrates the fin, and a cross-sectional arrangement of the tube with respect to the fin is staggered. A heat exchanger that circulates refrigerant to exchange outdoor heat and indoor heat,
An evaporator for vaporizing and absorbing the refrigerant;
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant;
A condenser that radiates and liquefies the compressed refrigerant;
A tube for circulating the refrigerant in the condenser and a fin for radiating heat into the room;
A wet layer provided by flocking the surface of the fin;
A dry determination unit for determining dryness of the wet layer;
A water supply unit for supplying water to the wet layer based on information from the dry determination unit;
A ventilation part that circulates air through the condenser and promotes vaporization of the water absorbed by the wet layer;
A heat exchanger characterized by comprising: Determine the dryness of the wet layer provided on the surface of a plurality of plate-like fins erected in parallel and intermittently supply water,
Infiltrate water into the wet layer using capillary action,
A humidification method, wherein water is evaporated by circulating air between the fins.

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