JP2010284625A - Electrostatic atomizer, and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrostatic atomizer capable of allowing its water application electrode to maintain high water absorbency for a long time and of stably generating mist in a large amount for a long time. <P>SOLUTION: The electrostatic atomizer including a water application electrode that conveys water supplied from a water supply means to its atomizing tip member whereon the water is atomized by virtue of a high voltage applied thereto, is characterized in that the water application electrode is made from an expanded metallic material of a three-dimensional mesh structure constituted of continuous pores of high porosity and a large pore diameter. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrostatic atomizer that generates nanometer-size mist by an electrostatic atomization phenomenon, and an air conditioner equipped with the electrostatic atomizer.

  Conventionally, a ceramic porous body that transports water is brought upright in the water reservoir, the water in the water reservoir is sucked up to the upper end by capillary action, and a high voltage is applied to the ceramic porous body to form a needle shape. There has been proposed an electrostatic atomizer that crushes sucked-up water and releases it into the air at a sharp upper end (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the metal rod itself is cooled, moisture in the air is directly condensed on the surface of the metal rod, and a high voltage is applied to the metal rod to crush the water adhering to the tip of the metal rod and air. There has been proposed an electrostatic atomizer that discharges inside (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Mist produced by crushing water with high voltage has a particle size of about 3 to 50 nm (nanometer = ^10-9 meters) and is smaller than the size of the horny cells of the human body. Moisturizing effect is imparted to the skin, and the skin surface is also made hydrophilic. Further, since the mist is charged by a high voltage, it is easy to approach a person who generates a potential difference.

JP 2004-351276 A JP 2006-68711 A

  Ceramics such as titania, mullite, silica, and alumina as disclosed in Patent Document 1 are generally used as a water application electrode for applying a voltage to water to be atomized in a conventional electrostatic atomizer. . Ceramics have the advantage of being able to absorb and transport water by capillary action and have good workability, but the porosity is low and the pore diameter is small. Since it is a clogged material, it takes time to transport the water to be atomized to the upper end, it takes time from the start of operation of the electrostatic atomizer to the occurrence of mist, pores are clogged by impurities, and it takes a long time However, there was a problem that water absorption and conveyance performance could not be maintained. Further, since the electrical resistivity is high, there is a problem that a high voltage applied to the ceramic does not sufficiently act on the water to be atomized, the atomization hardly occurs, and a sufficient amount of mist cannot be obtained.

  In addition, in an electrostatic atomizer that does not require the user's water supply work as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the metal rod does not have pores such as a ceramic porous body. Neither water absorption nor transport is provided, and only a small amount of atomization (amount of mist generated) can be obtained with only the amount of moisture adhering to the tip of the metal rod, and the generation of mist is not stable. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can quickly and surely guide the water supplied from the water supply means to the tip atomization section, and can stably provide a large amount of water over a long period of time. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrostatic atomizer capable of obtaining an amount of electrostatic mist, and an air conditioner capable of stably discharging a large amount of electrostatic mist into a room using the electrostatic atomizer.

  The electrostatic atomization device according to the present invention transports water supplied from the water supply means for supplying water and water supplied from the water supply means, and applies the high voltage to the water at the tip atomizing section. A water application electrode to be atomized, and the water application electrode is formed of a foam metal having a three-dimensional network structure as a material.

  In the electrostatic atomizer according to the present invention, since the water application electrode is formed using a foam metal having a three-dimensional network structure as a material, the water supplied from the water supply means is quickly and reliably guided to the tip atomization section. At the same time, water can be charged efficiently, and a large amount of electrostatic mist can be generated stably over a long period of time.

FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of the electrostatic atomizer 100. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment and is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 100. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of a cooling unit 8 of water supply means. FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of a water application electrode 2. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a schematic configuration diagram of a modified example of the water application electrode 2. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 150 according to a first modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 200 of a second modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a top view of the water application electrode 2 used in the electrostatic atomizer 200 of the second modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 300 of a third modification. FIG. 6 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 400 of a fourth modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is a side view of an electrostatic atomizer 500 of a fifth modification. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is an enlarged conceptual diagram for explaining metal foam used for the water application electrode 2. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and the figure which compared the water absorption of the foam metal and the comparative example. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and the figure which compared the electrical resistivity of a foam metal and a comparative example. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and the figure which compared the amount of electrostatic atomization of a foam metal and a comparative example. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 is the figure which compared the ozone generation amount by the difference in the material of a foam metal It is a figure which shows Embodiment 1, and is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air conditioner 50 provided with either of the electrostatic atomizers 100-500.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 to 17 show the first embodiment. First, the configuration of the electrostatic atomizer 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrostatic atomizer 100 of the present embodiment includes a water application electrode 2 and a counter electrode 3 in order to generate an electrostatic mist 1 having a nanometer (10 ⁻⁹ m) size. ing.

  The water application electrode 2 is composed of a plate-shaped body portion 28 and a tip atomizing portion 29, and moves (conveys) the water supplied to the body portion 28 to the tip atomizing portion 29. The tip (protruding tip) of the tip atomizing portion 29 is arranged so as to face the counter electrode 3. The water application electrode 2 is made of a porous material, but here, in particular, a foam metal that is a metal porous material having a three-dimensional network structure is used. Details will be described later.

  A high voltage of about 4 to 6 kV supplied from the high voltage power supply unit 4 is applied between the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3. Here, the counter electrode 3 serves as a ground electrode and has a potential of 0 V, and a negative DC voltage of −4 to −6 kV is applied to the water application electrode 2.

  The shape of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is substantially rectangular, and a Peltier unit 6 that is a part of the water supply means is provided above the body portion 28 with a gap of a predetermined distance L1 (see FIG. 2). A plurality of cooling fins 8b of the cooling unit 8 in contact with the cooling surface are positioned in a state of being stacked in a substantially horizontal direction. The body part 28 is formed by extending the width in the long side direction (width in the longitudinal direction) in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b. That is, the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the substantially rectangular trunk portion 28 substantially coincides with the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8 b of the cooling portion 8.

  The water application electrode 2 is located below the cooling fins 8b with a gap of a predetermined distance L1, and has a plate-like body portion 28 that extends in the longitudinal direction (long side direction) in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b. is doing. And the short side direction of the trunk | drum 28 is substantially corresponded to the protrusion direction of the cooling fin 8b. The body portion 28 has an elongated shape having a width in the long side direction that is at least three times the width in the short side direction. The plate-like water application electrode 2 has a plate thickness smaller than the width in the short side direction of the body portion 28.

  In addition, although the shape of the trunk | drum 28 is demonstrated as a substantially rectangular shape, it is not limited to the complete rectangle whose angle which a long side and a short side make is a right angle, The angle with respect to the long side of a short side is an acute angle or It may be an obtuse angle, that is, a parallelogram or a trapezoid in which the short side is not connected to the long side of the two sides parallel to each other. Such parallelograms and trapezoids are also included.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the water application electrode 2 has a tip atomization portion 29 formed in the middle of the side surface in the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the body portion 28 so as to protrude from the side surface. The tip atomizing portion 29 is a plate-like protrusion having the same thickness and continuing from the body portion 28, and its shape is triangular when viewed from above. In the triangular tip atomizing portion 29, the bottom surface is connected to the long side surface of the body portion 28, and the tip 29 a (protruding tip) that is the apex faces the counter electrode 3. The tip 29a becomes a discharge portion with the counter electrode 3. 1 to 4 show the case where there is one protrusion which is the tip atomizing portion 29, but there may be a plurality of protrusions.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the projection that is the tip atomizing portion 29 is a so-called quadrilateral portion that is connected to the body portion 28 and a triangular portion that is connected to the bottom surface of the rectangular portion. The shape may be a home base shape, and the tip 29a (protruding end) that is the apex of the triangular portion may be directed toward the counter electrode 3.

  The tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 has a plate shape and a thickness as in the case of the trunk portion 28 regardless of whether it is a triangular shape as shown in FIG. 1 or a home base shape as shown in FIG. The tip 29a toward the counter electrode 3 is thick, and the tip 29a is pointed linearly. Since the tip 29a is pointed linearly, two corners are formed at its upper and lower ends.

  The tip atomizing section 29 is formed continuously with the body section 28 in the middle of the side surface extending in the laminating direction of the cooling fins 8b, which is the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the plate-shaped body section 28, and the long side of the body section 28 A plate-like protrusion that protrudes from the side surface toward the counter electrode 3, and has a shape in which the protrusion width becomes narrower toward the tip 29 a, and the tip 29 a is pointed linearly or pointed linearly It is thin enough to be close to the condition.

  The counter electrode 3 is formed into a plate shape with a conductive metal or resin, and has an opening at substantially the center. The counter electrode 3 is located at a certain distance from the tip 29 a of the tip atomizing portion 29 so that the opening faces the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2.

  Next, the water supply means located above the water application electrode 2 will be described. An electrostatic atomizer 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a Peltier unit 6, a heat radiating part 7 in contact with the heat radiating surface of the Peltier unit 6, and a cooling part 8 in contact with a cooling surface located on the opposite side of the heat radiating surface. It has water supply means. And the water produced | generated with this water supply means is dripped by gravity on the upper surface of the trunk | drum 28 of the water application electrode 2, and is supplied.

  Each of the heat dissipating section 7 and the cooling section 8 has a base plate in contact with the Peltier unit 6 and a plurality of fins standing substantially vertically on the surface of the base plate on the side opposite to the Peltier unit. The plurality of fins of the heat dissipating unit 7 and the cooling unit 8 are stacked in a direction substantially orthogonal to the air flow passing through the fins so as to be substantially parallel to the air flow through which each fin passes. Here, since the airflow is generally in the direction of gravity, the fins of the heat radiating unit 7 and the cooling unit 8 are stacked in a substantially horizontal direction that is a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction of gravity. In order to cool the cooling unit 8 efficiently, the heat radiating unit 7 is configured to have a larger fin surface area than the cooling unit 8.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the cooling unit 8. The cooling unit 8 includes a base plate 8 a in contact with the Peltier unit 6 and a plurality of cooling fins standing substantially vertically on the surface of the base plate 8 a on the side opposite to the Peltier unit. 8b. The plurality of cooling fins 8b are stacked in a substantially horizontal direction as described above. L2 shown in FIG. 3 is the width of the cooling fin 8b in the stacking direction, and the distance from the outer surface of the cooling fin 8b located at one end in the stacking direction to the outer surface of the cooling fin 8b positioned at the other end. It is. The plurality of cooling fins 8b including the cooling fins 8b at both ends and positioned within the range of the width L2 are all exposed to the air.

  Further, L4 shown in FIG. 3 is the protruding height of the cooling fin 8b, and the distance from the base end to the protruding end on the base plate 8a, that is, from the surface on the side opposite to the Peltier unit of the base plate 8a to the protruding end of the cooling fin 8b. Distance. Here, the entire lower end surfaces of the plurality of cooling fins 8b are exposed so as to face the upper surface of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 with a predetermined distance L1.

  If the vicinity of the base end of the lower end surface of the cooling fin 8b described above is partially covered by a holding frame or the like that fixes the cooling unit 8, the distance L4 is minus the amount of the covered distance. And In such a case, the distance L4 is the exposed length in the protruding direction of the lower end surface of the cooling fin 8b.

  A plurality of P-type N-type semiconductor junctions are provided inside the Peltier unit 6, and when a DC voltage of about 1 to 5 V is applied to the Peltier unit 6 from the low voltage power supply unit 5, a current flows in one direction. The amount of heat on the heat radiating surface is increased by the Peltier effect, and heat is absorbed on the cooling surface. Thereby, the thermal radiation part 7 is warmed and the cooling part 8 is cooled.

  When the temperature of the cooling unit 8 is cooled below the dew point of the passing air by the Peltier unit 6, dew condensation water 10 in which moisture in the air is condensed is generated on the surface of the cooling fin 8b of the cooling unit 8. The generated condensed water 10 falls along the surface of the cooling fin 8b toward the lower end of the cooling fin 8b due to gravity, and drops down from the cooling fin 8b due to gravity after reaching the lower end. Since the flow of the passing air is almost the same as the direction of gravity, the condensed water 10 is easily generated on the surface on the upper side of the cooling fin 8b, and the moisture in the air disappears as it goes downstream. It becomes difficult to do. Little condensation occurs on the lower end surface of the cooling fin 8b.

  The heat dissipating part 7 and the cooling part 8 are made of aluminum. The contact angle of aluminum fins with water in general is 50 to 70 degrees. Here, at least the cooling fins 8b are subjected to water repellency treatment so that the contact angle is 90 degrees or more, or Hydrophilic treatment is performed so that the contact angle is 30 degrees or less, and the generated condensed water 10 is easily moved on the surface of the cooling fin 8b in the direction of gravity, and the generated condensed water 10 is quickly removed from the cooling fin 8b. I try to dripping.

  The contact angle of water is an angle formed between the surface of the water droplet and the solid surface when the water droplet is placed on the solid surface and reaches equilibrium, and at the contact point where the water droplet contacts the surface of the cooling fin 8b. Is an angle formed by the tangent line formed by the surface and the surface of the cooling fin 8b.

  Here, below the cooling unit 8 in the direction of gravity, the water applying electrode 2 is disposed through a space having a predetermined length L1 from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b as shown in FIG. The cooling unit 8 and the water application electrode 2 do not have a portion in direct contact with each other. The condensed water 10 dripped from the lower end of the cooling fin 8 b falls on the upper surface of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2. That is, the substantially rectangular trunk portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 extends in the long side direction in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b, and is disposed directly below (directly below) the cooling fins 8b with a space of a distance L1. is there.

  Condensed water 10 that has fallen by gravity onto the upper surface of the body portion 28 is absorbed into the water application electrode 2 of the metal porous body, and moves by surface diffusion in a space in which the inside is three-dimensionally connected. The condensed water 10 is conveyed from the trunk portion 28 to the tip atomizing portion 29 inside the water application electrode 2 by such a surface diffusion phenomenon.

  When water (condensation water 10) is transported to the vicinity of the tip 29a of the tip atomization portion 29 of the water application electrode 2, the water application electrode 2 has a voltage of -4 to -6 kV with respect to the counter electrode 3 that is the ground electrode. Since a negative high voltage is applied, the high voltage is applied to the water in the vicinity of the tip 29a and is charged to the same potential as the water application electrode 2, that is, a negative high voltage. Therefore, the charged water is pulled locally from the tip 29a to the outside of the water application electrode 2 by the action of Coulomb force in an electrostatic field, and forms a swell called a tailor cone. At this time, the water forming the tailor cone is attached to the water application electrode 2 and is continuously charged. Then, when the coulomb force acting exceeds the surface tension of water, the water that formed the tailor cone pops out and repeats splitting (this splitting is called Rayleigh splitting), and is charged with a nanometer size. The electrostatic mist 1 is generated. The electrostatic mist 1 moves toward the counter electrode 3 and is discharged from the opening of the counter electrode 3 to the outside.

  Here, in order for the charged water to jump out from the tip 29a of the tip atomizing section 29, it is necessary to concentrate the electric field. In this water application electrode 2, the tip atomizing portion 29 is formed in a plate shape, and the tip 29a which is a discharge portion is pointed linearly, so at least at the two corners of the upper end and the lower end of the tip 29a. The electric field can be concentrated.

  For this reason, in the case where the vicinity of the tip is formed in a pyramid shape (a pyramid or a cone) and the tip serving as a discharge portion is pointed like a needle, a tailor cone of water is formed only at one point of the needle-like tip. Thus, the tip 29a that is linearly sharp can form a water tailor cone at least at the two corners of the upper and lower ends, making the electrostatic mist 1 more efficient than a tip having a discharge point as a needle-like tip. It can be generated in large quantities. Since the tip 29a is linearly pointed, the electric field is concentrated although not as much as the corners of the upper and lower ends, so that a tailor cone of water may be formed even between the upper and lower corners. Yes, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 is efficiently generated.

  In order to make it easy to concentrate the electric field, the tip atomizing portion 29 should form an angle α (shown in FIG. 4) of a triangular apex portion with an acute angle when viewed from the top facing the counter electrode 3, preferably 60 ° or less is better. The angle of the apex portion that is farthest from the body portion 28 of the triangular tip atomizing portion 29 in the top view is the angle α. Further, in the manufacturing process and the delivery process of the water application electrode 2, if the tip atomizing portion 29 protrudes long and narrow, there is a risk of breakage. Therefore, in order to avoid damage, the protrusion height L6 of the tip atomizing portion 29 (Shown in FIG. 4) is preferably equal to or less than the width in the short side direction of the body portion 28, and the angle α of the apex portion is preferably 15 ° or more.

  The electrostatic mist 1 generated in this way is simply called mist or fine particle water, or since it is charged, it may be called charged mist or charged fine particle water. Moreover, since the magnitude | size is a nanometer size, it may be called nanomist. In any case, it is a charged nanometer-size mist (fine particle water) generated by applying a high voltage to water and making it fine by Rayleigh splitting. Here, the mist generated in this way is electrostatically charged. It will be called mist 1. Moreover, producing | generating the electrostatic mist 1 in this way is called electrostatic atomization, and atomizing is making water mist. The atomization amount is the generation amount (generation amount) of the electrostatic mist 1.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the water application electrode 2. L3 shown in this figure is the width in the long side direction (longitudinal direction) of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fins 8b located above. Thus, the width is the same as the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b.

  For example, a connecting terminal to the high-voltage power supply unit 4 is attached to one end in the long side direction of the trunk portion 28, and the trunk portion is provided by the connecting terminal or by a separate cover installed to protect the connecting terminal. When the upper surface of the one end portion of 28 is not exposed toward the cooling fin 8b, the one end portion is not included in the width L3. The width L3 is not simply the length in the long side direction of the body portion 28 but the width in the long side direction of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fins 8b located above, and is exposed upward. The part which does not exist is not included in the width L3.

  Further, L5 shown in FIG. 5 is the width in the direction orthogonal to L3, the width in the short side direction of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fin 8b, and the same direction as the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8b. Width.

  Here, the water application electrode 2 is formed such that the width L3 of the body portion 28 is equal to or larger than the width L2 of the cooling fins 8b in the stacking direction. That is, the width L3 ≧ the width L2. Further, the width L5 of the body portion 28 is formed to be equal to or larger than the protrusion height L4 of the cooling fin 8b described above. That is, the width L5 ≧ L4.

  Further, when the entire cooling fin 8b is projected onto the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 in the direction of gravity, the stacking direction width L2 substantially coincides with the long side direction width L3 of the body portion 28 or falls within the width L3. In addition, the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is disposed with respect to the cooling fin 8b so that the height L4 substantially coincides with the short side width L5 of the body portion 28 or falls within the width L5. Has been.

  Since the plurality of cooling fins 8b positioned above and the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 positioned below the cooling unit 8 through the gap L1 are in contact with each other, the gravity is Therefore, a large amount of condensed water 10 dripped widely in the stacking direction from the lower ends of the plurality of cooling fins 8b can be reliably received without waste, with the upper surface of the body portion 28 serving as a water receiving surface, and they are atomized at the tip. Since it can be conveyed to the unit 29, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  In addition, even if the cooling fin 8b is dropped from any position in the protruding direction at the lower end of the cooling fin 8b having a range of the height L4, the upper surface of the body portion 28 serves as a water receiving surface. It can be reliably received without waste, and a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  In particular, in order to obtain a large amount of condensed water 10 in the cooling unit 8, the cooling fins 8b are stacked in a horizontal direction substantially orthogonal to the air flow, and the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is formed in a flat plate shape in the stacking direction. By forming so as to extend the width in the long side direction, the dew condensation water 10 efficiently condensed in a large amount by the cooling fins 8b is reliably received on the upper surface of the body portion 28 without waste, so that the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 is generated. Is continued stably.

  The cooling unit 8 of the water supply means does not necessarily include the cooling fins 8b, and the amount of the condensed water 10 that is generated is reduced as compared with the case where the cooling fins 8b are provided. The configuration may be such that only the base plate 8 a is in contact with the cooling surface of the Peltier unit 6. In this case, the base plate 8a serves as a cooling plate on the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the Peltier unit 6 (the surface from which the plurality of cooling fins 8b protrude if the cooling fins 8b are provided) Condensed water 10 is generated, falls on the surface toward the lower end by gravity, drops to the lower end, and then drops downward from the base plate 8a by gravity.

  In the case where the cooling unit 8 has the above-described configuration having only the flat base plate 8a serving as a cooling plate without the cooling fins 8b, the horizontal width (length) of the base plate 8a is limited. The width L3 of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 may be formed to be equal to or greater than that. That is, the width L3 ≧ the horizontal width of the base plate 8a. When the base plate 8a is projected onto the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 in the direction of gravity, the horizontal width of the base plate 8a substantially matches the long side width L3 of the body portion 28, or the width L3. The body part 28 of the water application electrode 2 is arranged with respect to the cooling part 8 so as to be accommodated in the inside. Of course, the trunk | drum 28 is located below the base board 8a through the clearance of the distance L1, and the cooling part 8 and the water application electrode 2 are non-contact.

  By adopting such a positional relationship, the condensed water 10 dripped widely in the horizontal direction from the lower end of the base plate 8a serving as a cooling plate due to gravity is reliably and efficiently used with the upper surface of the body portion 28 serving as a water receiving surface. Since they can be conveyed to the tip atomizing section 29, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  That is, regardless of the presence or absence of the cooling fin 8b, the width L3 of the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is formed to be equal to or larger than the horizontal width of the cooling portion 8, that is, width L3 ≧ cooling. As the horizontal width of the portion 8, when the cooling portion 8 is further projected onto the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 in the direction of gravity, the horizontal width of the cooling portion 8 is substantially equal to the long side width L3 of the body portion 28. Or by placing it so as to be within the width L3, the condensed water 10 dripped widely in the horizontal direction from the cooling unit 8 due to gravity can be reliably and efficiently used with the upper surface of the body unit 28 serving as a water receiving surface. Since they can be conveyed to the tip atomizing section 29, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be generated stably.

  In the cooling unit 8 shown in FIG. 3, the cooling fins 8 b protrude from the left and right ends of the base plate 8 a, and the width L <b> 2 in the stacking direction corresponds to the horizontal width of the cooling unit 8. The base plate 8a is generally formed in a rectangular shape, and is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the direction of the air flow that passes. Most of the generation of the dew condensation water 10 in the cooling unit 8 occurs in the upstream part (of the passing air flow) of the cooling unit 8, and thus the base plate that comes into contact with the air flow containing a lot of moisture is provided. This is because the area of 8a (the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the Peltier unit 6) can be earned. Therefore, the dew condensation water 10 generated in the cooling unit 8 is dripped widely in the horizontal direction.

  Moreover, since the front end atomization part 29 is formed in the middle of the long side direction side surface of the trunk | drum 28, compared with providing in the short side direction side surface, the dew condensation water 10 received by the trunk | drum 28 is rapidly tip atomized. It can be conveyed to the section 29. For this reason, coupled with the fact that the path from the dew condensation water 10 to the water application electrode 2 is direct dripping onto the body portion 28 due to gravity, the static atomization apparatus 100 can be quietly moved in a short time from the start of operation. Electric mist 1 can be generated. Assuming that the same amount of dew condensation water 10 is dropped from each cooling fin 8b, when there is only one tip atomizing portion 29, it is on the side of the long side direction of the body portion 28 and the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b It is most preferable to arrange at a position corresponding to the center of the width L2 from the stability of water conveyance.

  In addition, the water application electrode 2 is configured so as not to accumulate the dew condensation water 10 dropped from the cooling unit 8 around the water application electrode 2. The holding frame for fixing the water application electrode 2 is not a container so that water does not collect, for example, around the lower surface of the water application electrode 2 (the surface opposite to the upper surface facing the cooling unit 8). Is provided with a downward opening, and unnecessary water is drained from the holding frame of the water application electrode 2 through the opening, and water is not accumulated around the water application electrode 2.

The reason why water is not collected around the water application electrode 2 is as follows.
(1) When water accumulates on the water application electrode 2, the distance between the water application electrode 2 (particularly the body part 28) and the cooling part 8 (particularly the cooling fin 8 b) is short due to the interposition of the accumulated water. Therefore, a discharge phenomenon may occur from the water application electrode 2 having a high potential to the cooling unit 8. When a discharge phenomenon occurs between the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8, the discharge between the water application electrode 2 and the counter electrode 3 becomes unstable, and the generation of accurate electrostatic mist 1 is inhibited. Further, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of reliability.

  (2) Although the water application electrode 2 is composed of a porous body, if the water content in the water application electrode 2 is large, the Coulomb force cannot be overcome against the surface tension of the water forming the tailor cone, It becomes difficult to separate from the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29, that is, it does not easily jump out from the tip 29a, and the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 is inhibited. The water application electrode 2 has better generation efficiency of the electrostatic mist 1 if the internal voids (pores) are not saturated with water.

(3) When the Peltier unit 6 is immersed in water, a malfunction occurs in terms of reliability. The Peltier unit 6 has a configuration in which P-type N-type semiconductors are connected in series, and becomes unusable if any of the P-type N-type semiconductors breaks down due to water intrusion.
For these reasons, it is necessary to have a structure that does not collect water around the water application electrode 2.

  The counter electrode 3 is installed in order to keep the potential difference with the water application electrode 2 constant. However, the counter electrode 3 is not installed and is statically discharged by discharge in the air (discharge from the floating potential in the air). The electric mist 1 may be generated. In addition, a member (for example, an indoor heat exchanger installed inside an indoor unit when mounted on an indoor unit of an air conditioner) having a potential in the vicinity of 0 V in advance of a device on which the electrostatic atomizer 100 is mounted is opposed. As an alternative to the electrode 3, the electrostatic mist 1 may be generated so as to maintain a potential difference from the water application electrode 2.

  In this electrostatic atomizer 100, the air flow in the direction of gravity, that is, from the upper side to the lower side, passes through the heat dissipating unit 7 and the cooling unit 8, but the heat absorption amount in the cooling unit 8 is prevented from decreasing and the cooling fin 8b is efficiently In order to lower the temperature, the amount of air flow to the cooling unit 8 (the amount of airflow that passes through) is made smaller than that of the heat radiating unit 7. As a means for realizing this, the heat dissipating part 7 is open on the upstream side and does not give airflow resistance to the air flow passing through the heat dissipating part 7, but on the cooling part 8 side, an enclosure or a rib is provided on the upstream side. Reduce the air flow by limiting the opening of the inlet. In this way, the flow rate of the air flow passing through the cooling unit 8 is reduced to a slight wind state of about 0.1 m / s by reducing the amount of ventilation, and the air flow is prevented from taking out the cooling heat and flowing out. As a result, the cooling fin 8b can be efficiently cooled.

  And although the flow velocity is very small, since there is an air flow in the cooling unit 8, it will flow in so that new air containing moisture will be exchanged, and the air around the cooling unit 8 will not dry, Condensed water 10 is stably generated on the surfaces of the cooling fins 8b cooled efficiently.

  Since the water application electrode 2 is made of a metal porous body, the water application electrode 2 has a property of transporting the received water to the tip atomization unit 29 wherever the condensed water 10 is dropped on the upper surface of the body unit 28.

  That is, the water application electrode 2 itself has three functions such as a water receiving part, a water transport means, and an atomization part (generation part of the electrostatic mist 1). . For this reason, it has the effect that water can be quickly gathered in the tip atomization part 29, and can be made electrostatic atomization efficiently and accurately stably.

  In this electrostatic atomizer 100, as shown in FIG. 2, the body portion 28 of the water application electrode 2 is directly below the cooling unit 8 in the gravity direction of the cooling unit 8 in contact with the cooling surface of the Peltier unit 6. It is installed with a gap of a predetermined distance L1 at a position where it does not touch.

  Here, the predetermined gap L1 requires a distance that the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8 are not electrically connected. In order not to cause discharge from the body portion 28 at a high potential to the cooling unit 8, an electric field like the tip atomizing unit 29 is concentrated on the upper surface of the body unit 28 that is exposed to face the cooling fins 8 b. It is formed in a flat shape without providing projections. And in order to avoid the dielectric breakdown of the space between the trunk | drum 28 and the cooling part 8, the distance L1 needs at least 3 mm.

  Furthermore, since the dew condensation water 10 is dripped from the cooling fin 8b to the body part 28, the length of the water droplet immediately before dropping from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b is the insulation distance between the cooling fin 8b and the body part 28. In view of this, the distance L1 must be at least 5 mm, and the body portion 28 is installed with a gap L1 of 5 mm or more from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b. Is good.

  In addition to this, the gap L1 that satisfies the reliability for the discharge considering the creeping discharge to the surrounding members respectively holding the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8 may be appropriately set.

  In this electrostatic atomizer 100, the water collecting that collects water dripped from the cooling unit 8 in addition to the space between the cooling unit 8 and the upper surface of the body unit 28 exposed toward the cooling unit 8. Condensed water 10 is directly formed by gravity without a member, a guide member for guiding dripping water to the trunk portion 28, or a water retaining member for temporarily collecting dripping water before reaching the trunk portion 28. Is dropped on the upper surface of the body portion 28. There are no elements that hinder the movement of water from the cooling section 8 to the body section 28. Thereby, the dew condensation water 10 produced | generated in the cooling part 8 can be supplied to the water application electrode 2 quickly and reliably in a short time.

  And since the water application electrode 2 and the cooling unit 8 are not in contact with each other, there is no fear that the Peltier unit 6 is broken due to a high voltage applied to the Peltier unit 6. Thus, the part to which a high voltage is applied is limited to the water application electrode 2.

  In addition, by using a metal porous body (details will be described later) as the material for the water application electrode 2, if water is supplied to a part of the body portion 28, it proceeds through the internal voids by surface diffusion and is atomized at the tip. It can be quickly conveyed to the unit 29, and the time from the start of operation to the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 can be shortened.

  Next, some modifications of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows an electrostatic atomizer 150 according to the first modification. In the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1, the tip atomizing portion 29 of the water application electrode 2 protrudes in the same direction as the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8 b on the long side surface of the trunk portion 28. In the electrostatic atomizer 150, it is provided on the side surface in the long side opposite to the surface so as to protrude in the direction opposite to the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8b, that is, in the fin protruding direction of the heat radiating unit 7. The counter electrode 3 is also provided on the heat radiating part 7 side so as to face the tip atomizing part 29 at that time. With such an arrangement, there is an additional effect that the electrostatic mist 1 emitted from the opening of the counter electrode 3 can be widely diffused on the air flow passing through the heat radiating unit 7 having a larger flow rate than the cooling unit 8. Is done.

  However, in the case of the modified example 1, there is a concern that tailor cone formation and Rayleigh splitting of water are hindered by an air flow having a large flow rate to pass, and generation of an accurate and stable electrostatic mist 1 may be impaired. The tip atomizing section 29 and the counter electrode 3, and the upstream side of the space between them (but the downstream side of the heat dissipating section 7), as shown in FIG. It is better to suppress the air flow from passing through the generation part of the electrostatic mist 1.

  Next, the electrostatic atomizer 200 of the modification 2 is demonstrated with FIG. 7 and FIG. In the electrostatic atomizer 200 of Modification 2, the position of the tip atomizing section 29 relative to the trunk section 28 is the same as the position of the projection of the tip atomizing section 29 as in the electrostatic atomizer 100 shown in FIG. It is provided not on the side surface in the long side direction of 28 but on the end portion (on the side surface in the short side direction) of the body portion 28.

  Also in this case, like the electrostatic atomizer 100, the trunk portion 28 is installed with its long side direction extended in a direction that coincides with the stacking direction of the plurality of cooling fins 8b onto which the condensed water 10 is dropped. FIG. 8 is a top view of the water application electrode 2 used in the electrostatic atomizer 200. The dimensions L3 and L5 shown in this figure are L3 and L5 of the water application electrode 2 in the electrostatic atomizer 100 (FIG. 8). 4) and the positional relationship with the dimensions L2 and L4 of the cooling fin 8b (see FIG. 3) is the same as that of the electrostatic atomizer 100. Thereby, the dew condensation water 10 dripped from the plurality of cooling fins 8b can be reliably received directly on the upper surface of the body portion 28 without waste.

  Since the protrusion which is the tip atomizing portion 29 protrudes in the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8 b, the counter electrode 3 is provided in front of the protruding tip atomizing portion 29. In the electrostatic atomization apparatus 200 of Modification 2, the water application electrode 2 itself is a water receiving unit, a water transport unit, and an atomization unit (electrostatic mist 1 generation unit). Since it has three functions, water can be efficiently collected at the tip atomization section 29 and can be efficiently and stably electrostatically atomized, and there is no protrusion in the middle of the long side. The delivery work of the additional electrode 2 becomes easy, and the effect of increasing the reliability of the delivery work is obtained.

  FIG. 9 is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 300 of the third modification. The difference from the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1 is the installation angle of the water application electrode 2 (the tip atomization part 29 and the trunk | drum 28). In the electrostatic atomizer 100, the water application electrode 2 is installed horizontally, and the cooling unit 8 is also horizontal in both the stacking direction and the protruding height direction of the cooling fins 8b. The upper surface of the additional electrode 2 was parallel to both the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b and the protruding height direction.

  However, in the electrostatic atomizer 300 of the third modification shown in FIG. 9, the cooling unit 8 remains horizontal in the same manner as the electrostatic atomizer 100, but the water application electrode 2 is atomized from the body portion 28 to the tip. It is inclined by an angle θ1 (see FIG. 9) in the direction of gravity toward the portion 29 (projecting on the side surface in the long side direction of the body portion 28). The magnitude of the angle θ1 is about 5 to 30 °.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 300 in which the water application electrode 2 is installed in this way, not only the movement of the internal gap due to the surface diffusion but also the gravity can be used for transporting the water from the trunk portion 28 to the tip atomization portion 29. Thus, for example, even when the condensed water 10 generated by the cooling unit 8 is small, the condensed water 10 received by the body 28 can be quickly conveyed to the tip atomizing unit 29.

  Next, FIG. 10 is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 400 of Modification 4. 9 differs from the electrostatic atomizer 300 of FIG. 9 in that the inclination direction of the water application electrode 2 (the tip atomization portion 29 and the body portion 28) is reversed. In the electrostatic atomizer 400 of Modification 4 shown in FIG. 10, the cooling unit 8 remains horizontal as in the electrostatic atomizer 300, but the water application electrode 2 is moved from the body unit 28 to the tip atomizing unit 29. It is installed by being inclined by an angle θ2 (see FIG. 10) in the antigravity direction (projected on the side surface in the long side direction of the body portion 28). The magnitude of the angle θ2 is about 5 to 30 °.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 400 in which the water application electrode 2 is installed in this manner, for example, when the humidity of the air supplied to the cooling unit 8 is high and the condensed water 10 is dripped excessively onto the trunk unit 28, the excess moisture Can be drained in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the tip atomizing portion 29. In this electrostatic atomizer 400, excess water is drained from the side opposite to the tip atomizing section 29, so that excess moisture does not flow into the tip 29a of the tip atomizing section 29. Therefore, the electrostatic mist 1 can be generated accurately and stably.

  Even if the water application electrode 2 is made of a metal porous body even if it is installed to be inclined in the anti-gravity direction from the body portion 28 toward the tip atomization portion 29, the inside is not saturated with water. Water can be conveyed to the tip atomization section 29 against the gravity by surface diffusion of the voids (pores).

  Next, FIG. 11 is a side view of the electrostatic atomizer 500 of the fifth modification. The difference from the electrostatic atomizer 100 in FIG. 1 is the installation angle of the cooling unit 8. In the electrostatic atomizer 500 of the modified example 5 shown in FIG. 11, the cooling unit 8 is moved in the direction of gravity from the base plate 8a (base end of the cooling fin 8b) on the Peltier unit 6 side toward the protruding end of the cooling fin 8b. Inclined by an angle θ3 (see FIG. 11). The magnitude of the angle θ3 is about 10 to 30 °.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 500 in which the cooling unit 8 is installed in this way, water condensed on the surface of the cooling fin 8b is transmitted to the lower end while being guided to the protruding end side of the cooling fin 8b by gravity. Become. For this reason, the dripping position of the water dripped from the lower end of the cooling fin 8b can be limited to a narrow range on the protruding end side of the cooling fin 8b.

  In the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1, the range of the protrusion height L4 of the cooling fins 8b is the dropping position, but in the electrostatic atomizer 500, the range of the dropping position of the condensed water 10 is L4. Can be made narrower. For this reason, it becomes possible to make the width | variety of the short side direction of the trunk | drum 28 of the water application electrode 2 smaller than L4. That is, the width in the short side direction of the body portion 28 can be reduced as compared with the electrostatic atomizer 100. The electrostatic atomizer 500 can make the width L5 (see FIG. 5) in the short side direction of the upper surface of the body portion 28 exposed to face the cooling fin 8b smaller than the electrostatic atomizer 100. .

  Thereby, since the conveyance distance of the trunk | drum 28 short side direction to the front-end | tip atomization part 29 becomes short, this electrostatic atomization apparatus 500 to the front-end atomization part 29 of the condensed water 10 received by the trunk | drum 28 is provided. The conveyance can be performed more quickly than the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. 1, and the effect that the time from the start of operation to the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 can be further reduced can be obtained. .

  Moreover, the volume of the water application electrode 2 can be reduced, and resource saving and cost reduction can also be achieved. The installation angle of the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer 500 shown in FIG. 11 remains horizontal as in the electrostatic atomizer 100 of FIG. You may make it incline like the modification 4, and if it inclines in such a way, the effect of the modification 3 and the modification 4 can be show | played together.

  As described above, when the amount of water in the water application electrode 2 is large, the Coulomb force cannot be won against the surface tension of the water that forms the tailor cone, and the water is supplied from the tip 29 a of the tip atomizing portion 29. The water application electrode 2 does not saturate the internal voids (pores) with water because it is difficult to separate, that is, it does not easily jump out of the tip 29a and the generation of the electrostatic mist 1 may be inhibited. The generation efficiency of the electrostatic mist 1 is better. Therefore, it is preferable to control energization to the Peltier unit 6 to control the amount of the condensed water 10 generated so that the water application electrode 2 is not saturated with water.

  So far, the structure of the electrostatic atomizer including a plurality of modifications, particularly the shape and installation configuration of the water application electrode 2 have been described. From here, the structure of the water application electrode 2 will be described in detail. . In all of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 according to this embodiment that have been described so far, the water application electrode 2 is formed using a foam metal that is a metal porous body as its material.

  In conventional electrostatic atomizers, ceramics such as titania, mullite, silica, and alumina have been used as a porous material that also serves as water transport and discharge (for example, Patent Document 1). Ceramics have the advantages of being able to transport water by capillary action, having good workability, and excellent wear resistance from high voltages.

  However, ceramic has an internal porosity (pore content ratio) of about 10 to 50% and a pore diameter (nominal pore diameter) of 0.1 to 1.0 μm, at most 3.0 μm. However, the inside is a relatively clogged material, and it takes time to transport the atomized water to the discharge part at the tip by capillary action, and it takes time from the start of operation to the occurrence of mist. As a result, the pores are clogged or the water is bridged, so that the water absorption and the conveyance performance cannot be maintained high over a long period of time. Furthermore, since ceramic has a high volume resistivity (electrical resistivity), the high voltage applied to the ceramic does not sufficiently act on the water to be atomized, the atomization hardly occurs, and a sufficient amount of mist cannot be obtained. There was also a problem.

  Further, when a metal rod is used instead of a porous material as an electrode on the discharge side, since the metal rod has no pores inside, water cannot be transported to the tip serving as a discharge portion. For this reason, the metal rod itself may be cooled to generate dew condensation water directly on the tip surface, but with only the water condensed on the tip surface of the metal rod, the amount of moisture is small and a sufficient amount of mist cannot be obtained. There was a problem.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, while having sufficient water absorption performance and conveyance performance, it has a low electrical resistivity (volume low efficiency) and high electrical conductivity, and efficiently transmits electricity to the atomized water for charging. As a material that can be made, a metal foam, which is a metal porous body, has been used as a material for the water application electrode 2.

  Here, the foam metal is defined as a porous metal body having a three-dimensional network structure. The three-dimensional network structure is known as a resin foam typified by sponge and has the same structure. Sintered metal is well known as a porous metal body. The difference between foam metal and sintered metal is that the porosity is high and the pore diameter is large due to the three-dimensional network structure. is there.

  The foam metal is made by sintering at a very high temperature in a state where a foaming agent is introduced into a liquid mixture containing a metal called a slurry and foamed. Thereby, the foam made from various metals and alloys can be made. The foam metal thus produced has a continuous pore structure. So far, it has been mainly used for filters, catalyst carriers, gas diffusion layers for fuel cells, etc., but now it has been found that it has excellent characteristics as an electrode material for electrostatic atomizers.

  The most prominent feature of the foam metal is its high porosity. Porosity is also referred to as porosity and indicates the content ratio of pores, and can be evaluated by examining how much water can be absorbed inside the foam metal. This evaluation method follows Archimedes' principle that an object in the liquid is subjected to buoyancy equal to the weight of the excluded liquid.

  In the foam metal used for the water application electrode 2 of the present embodiment, the porosity can be set as very high as 60 to 98% due to the three-dimensional network structure. Therefore, a lot of water application electrode 2 can absorb water inside the foam metal. However, if the porosity is too large, even if the water absorption force can be increased, the absorbed water may leak out. Therefore, the water application electrode 2 is preferably set to a porosity of 60 to 90%.

  On the other hand, in ceramics such as titania and mullite that have been conventionally used as a porous body, the porosity is about 10 to 50%, and often around 35%. Also, in the case of a general sintered metal that is not a foam metal, even if the porosity is high, it is about 50%, and the porosity of the foam metal is clearly high.

  Another major feature of the foam metal is a large pore diameter. FIG. 12 shows an enlarged conceptual diagram for explaining the foam metal. Since FIG. 12 shows a plane (two-dimensional) shape, each pore appears to be independent, but the actual foam metal is a continuous pore structure in which the pores are three-dimensionally continuous. is there. As shown in FIG. 12, the foam metal used as the water application electrode 2 in the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 of the present embodiment is composed of the baked and solidified metal portion 22 and the pores 21 that become the void portion. . Here, the diameter of the pores 21 is defined as the hole diameter. The size of the hole diameter can be determined from an image taken with an electron microscope. It is also possible to measure not only the pore diameter but also the pore distribution using a mercury intrusion porosimeter or a gas adsorption measuring device.

  The pore diameter of the foam metal of the water application electrode 2 is 10 to 1000 μm, but the foam metal with a pore diameter of 50 to 600 μm is suitable from the viewpoint of water absorption and clogging, and further has rigidity and productivity (workability). ) Is optimally 150 to 300 μm.

  When the pore diameter is less than 10 μm like ceramic, the pore diameter becomes too fine (too small) and there is a high risk of clogging, and the amount of water absorption is also small. In addition, it is difficult to stably arrange the pores 21 in a small size in the production of foam metal. On the other hand, when the pore diameter exceeds 1000 μm, the water absorbed through the continuous pores 21 is likely to leak, making it difficult to transport the water from the body portion 28 to the tip atomizing portion 29.

Here, the amount of water absorption between the metal foam used for the water application electrode 2 and the ceramic porous body conventionally used for the electrode on the discharge side is compared. FIG. 13 illustrates the result. In Example 1, which is a foam metal made of SUS316 of austenitic stainless steel, the water absorption is about 0.4 g / cm ^{3. In} Example 2, which is a foam metal made of titanium, about 0.5 g / cm cm ³ . On the other hand, in the ceramic material, the mullite of Comparative Example 1 and the titania of Comparative Example 2 are both about 0.2 g / cm ³ , and it can be seen that the foam metal has a water absorption performance twice that of ceramic.

  A foam metal having a high porosity and a large pore diameter has higher water absorption performance than ceramic as shown in FIG. High water absorption performance (in other words, a large amount of water absorption) means that the amount of water that can move inside and the moving speed are large, that is, the conveyance performance is also high. Therefore, the water application electrode 2 made of foam metal can move water to the tip atomization portion 29 more quickly than the case where the water application electrode 2 is made of ceramic, and the water absorption amount is large, so that the operation of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 starts. The time from the start of electrostatic atomization to the start of electrostatic atomization can be shortened, and the transportation of water from the body part 28 to the tip atomization part 29 is temporarily interrupted, preventing the situation where electrostatic atomization is interrupted. Thus, the electrostatic mist 1 can be generated accurately and stably.

  In addition, since the metal moves mainly through surface diffusion through the three-dimensionally continuous pores 21 inside the foam metal, the direction of installation of the water application electrode 2 is not related to the direction of gravity, and the tip atomizing portion 29 is directed toward the ceiling. Or can be used horizontally. And since it is a continuous pore structure and the pore diameter of the pore 21 is large, water can be stably conveyed to the tip atomization part 29 without clogging over a long period of time.

  Next, FIG. 14 shows the result of comparison of the electrical resistivity between the foam metal and another porous body. FIG. 15 shows the water application electrode 2 of this embodiment made of foam metal and the same as the water application electrode 2. The result of having compared the amount of electrostatic atomization with the water application electrode formed with the ceramic by the shape is shown. Here, the electrostatic atomization amount is the amount of mist generated, and the electrostatic atomizer generated by the electrostatic atomization device per unit time using the above-described water application electrode (jumped out from the water application electrode). This indicates the weight and can be calculated from the degree of increase in humidity inside the specified volume box. In FIG. 15, the supply voltage of the high voltage power supply unit 4 is the same.

  In the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500, the high voltage acts on the water of the tip atomization unit 29 of the water application electrode 2, and the Coulomb force created by the application of the high voltage exceeds the surface tension of the water, so that the tip The charged water jumps out from 29a, and is crushed one after another (Rayleigh split) and discharged as electrostatic mist 1 from the opening of the counter electrode 3 into the air. Therefore, it is important to efficiently apply electricity to the water present in the water application electrode 2. In other words, how can the high potential supplied from the high voltage power supply unit 4 be transferred to the water (condensed water 10 dripped from the cooling fins 8b) present in the water application electrode 2 with a reduced loss to charge the water? Therefore, the smaller the electrical resistance of the water application electrode 2 itself, the smaller the loss consumed by the resistance, and the higher the electrical conductivity, the more efficiently the water can be charged. And the electrical resistance of the water application electrode 2 is often specified by the material.

The electrical resistivity of the foam metal is a metal, although it is a foam, and is a conductor. Therefore, even in Example 1 of SUS316, which is made of stainless steel, or in Example 2 of titanium, 1 × The electric resistance is as small as about 10 ⁻⁷ Ω · m, and it can conduct electricity well, that is, it can be charged efficiently by flowing electricity through water with reduced loss due to current. On the other hand, the electrical resistivity of the ceramic material is 1 × 10 ¹⁴ Ω · m for mullite shown in Comparative Example 1 and 1 × 10 ¹² Ω · m for titania shown in Comparative Example 2, and the ceramic material is large. It is not a conductor but between the semiconductor and the insulator. A high electrical resistivity equivalent to that of the sponge, which is the resin foam of Comparative Example 3, is exhibited.

  Thus, by forming the water application electrode 2 using a foam metal as a material, water can be charged more efficiently than those using a ceramic as a material. In other words, if the high voltage supplied by the high voltage power supply unit 4 is the same magnitude, the use of the water application electrode 2 formed in this embodiment made of foam metal is made of ceramic. As a result, current can be easily transmitted to water and water can be charged efficiently. By forming the water application electrode 2 using a foam metal as a material, the electric resistance is reduced, so that the electric power consumed by electrostatic atomization can be made smaller than that using a ceramic material, thereby saving energy. Can contribute.

  Further, referring to FIG. 15, when the amount of electrostatic atomization is compared when the water application electrode has the same shape and the supply voltage of the high voltage power supply unit 4 is the same, the static electricity of the water application electrode 2 formed of foam metal is used as the static electricity. The amount of electro-atomization was about 0.15 cc / hr per water application electrode 2 in both Example 1 where the foam metal material was SUS316 and Example 2 where titanium was used. On the other hand, in the ceramic material, it was 0.06 cc / hr for the mullite shown in Comparative Example 1 and 0.08 cc / hr for the titania shown in Comparative Example 2, which was less than that of the foam metal example.

  Even with the same ceramic, titania has a larger amount of electrostatic atomization than mullite, but FIG. 14 shows that the electrical resistivity of titania is two orders of magnitude lower than that of mullite. In FIGS. 14 and 15, it can be seen that ceramics, that is, Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 are compared with each other. However, the water application electrode is more likely to conduct electricity (the electric resistivity is smaller), so that electricity can be efficiently applied to water. It can be said that the tailor cone of water formed at the tip 29a of the tip atomizing portion 29 can be easily ejected by Coulomb force, and the amount of electrostatic atomization increases. From these results, when a foam metal that is a conductor and has a low electrical resistivity is used for the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500, a higher voltage is applied to the water to be atomized than the conventional ceramic material. If the voltage can be efficiently applied (charged) and the supply voltage of the high-voltage power supply unit 4 is the same, the amount of electrostatic atomization (the amount of generated electrostatic mist 1) can be increased.

  In addition, the water application electrode 2 of a foam metal creates a large sheet-like foam metal body having a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm, and then forms a desired shape (a continuous body portion 28 and a tip atomization portion 29). Cut out and produce. Mass production is possible by stacking a plurality of sheet-like foam metal bodies in the thickness direction and cutting out the plurality of sheets simultaneously. Cutting is performed by wire cutting or laser cutting. In addition, it can be processed into a desired shape using various processing methods such as punching with a Thomson blade or a press, machining by mechanical cutting, manual cutting, and bending. Although this water application electrode 2 is not used, the metal foam can be joined by welding or brazing.

  Next, the comparison result of the ozone generation amount by the difference in the raw material (material) of a foam metal is shown in FIG. When a discharge occurs from the water application electrode 2 toward the counter electrode 3, ozone is generated along with the discharge. Ozone is beneficial by using its bactericidal action if it is in an appropriate amount, but if the amount produced is excessive, the blue smell of odor will be felt to humans as a strange odor, or the oxidizing and corrosive action will be affected by humans and surroundings. May also affect the substance. Therefore, in the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 for discharging the electrostatic mist 1, it is desirable to suppress the generation amount of ozone generated by the discharge as much as possible.

  Therefore, the amount of ozone generated in the water application electrode 2 formed of foam metal was investigated by experiment. The content of the experiment is to investigate the steady value of the ozone concentration inside the 42 L (liter) box (42 L tank) when a predetermined high voltage is applied to the water application electrode 2.

  In FIG. 16, the foam metal shown in Comparative Example 4 is SUS304 (nickel content: 8 to 10.5%, chromium content: 18 to 20%), which is generally well known as an austenitic stainless steel. As the amount of ozone generated in this case, the ozone concentration inside the 42L tank was 1.2 ppm. On the other hand, in the case of Example 1 using SUS316 which is the same austenitic stainless steel but has a nickel content of 11 to 15%, a chromium content of 16 to 20% and a molybdenum content of 1 to 4%. The ozone concentration in the 42 L tank was about 60% 0.7 ppm compared to SUS304 of Comparative Example 1.

  It was found that even if the same austenitic stainless steel was used, the amount of ozone generation was smaller when the nickel content was higher and the molybdenum content was several percent. Therefore, when the water application electrode 2 is formed of a foam metal made of stainless steel, it is preferable to use austenitic stainless steel containing 11% or more of nickel and 1 to 4% of molybdenum. In addition to SUS316 of Example 1, SUS316L and SUS317 have a nickel content of 11% or more and contain molybdenum, so that the amount of ozone generated can be reduced compared to SUS304.

  In FIG. 16, the titanium shown in Example 2 formed of a foam metal is the smallest amount of ozone generated, the ozone concentration in the 42 L tank is 0.03 ppm, and is 1/40 of Comparative Example 4 (SUS304). It was 1/23 of Example 1 (SUS316), and it was found that the amount of generated ozone can be significantly suppressed. Moreover, in the case of using a foam metal made of nickel as shown in Example 3, the ozone concentration inside the 42L tank is 0.3 ppm, and the ozone generation suppression effect as in Example 2 (titanium) cannot be obtained. The effect of suppressing ozone generation is greater than in Example 1 (SUS316).

  Such an ozone generation suppression effect is considered to be because the generated ozone is decomposed by the reducing action of the foam metal material. That is, the amount of ozone generated can be suppressed by using a metal having a reducing action as the material of the water application electrode 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 16, it is considered that titanium has the strongest ozone reducing action. Although not as much as titanium, it can be said from the results of Example 3 that nickel also has a reducing action. Therefore, in austenitic stainless steel, it is considered that SUS316 having a higher nickel content can suppress the amount of ozone generated, and molybdenum also has an effect of reducing ozone. Further, by using a foam metal as the material of the water application electrode 2, water can be charged efficiently, so that it is conceivable that the ozone itself is hardly generated.

  In addition, when a discharge occurs from the water application electrode 2 to the counter electrode 3, radicals (active species) such as hydroxyl radicals and superoxide may be generated along with the discharge, but such radicals react chemically. It is a very unstable substance because it is highly active and active, and reacts quickly with molecules in the air such as oxygen and nitrogen, so it has a very short life in the air, and even if produced, it is almost instantaneous Since they disappear, even if radicals are generated, they are not released together with the electrostatic mist 1 and the electrostatic mist 1 does not contain radicals.

  From the above results, it can be said that the most preferable material for the water application electrode 2 is a foam metal made of titanium. Moreover, in the foam metal using SUS316, titanium, or nickel as a raw material, it is possible to prevent electric corrosion and electric wear due to application of a high voltage, and the shape of the water application electrode 2, particularly the tip atomization portion, over a long period of time. 29 sharp points can be maintained. Therefore, the effect that electrostatic atomization can be implemented stably over a long period of time is also obtained. Also in this effect, those using titanium as a raw material are particularly remarkable from the characteristics of the material.

  So far, foam metal has been described to have high water absorption and transportability (property of water movement speed) because it has a three-dimensional network structure with high porosity and large pore diameter. Moreover, it has been described that a metal foam is suitable as a material for the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer shown in the present embodiment by utilizing such properties. Further, it has been found that by oxidizing the foam metal, the hydrophilicity of the surface of the internal pores 21 is improved and the water absorption and transportability of the water application electrode 2 are improved. The oxidation treatment can be performed by exposing the foam metal to an oxygen atmosphere.

  The hydrophilicity improvement by the oxidation treatment is particularly remarkable when the material is titanium. When titanium is oxidized, the surface layer becomes close to titanium oxide. When titanium oxide receives energy such as ultraviolet rays, it reacts with surrounding water to form a hydroxyl group (OH group) on the outermost surface, and thus has a property (high hydrophilicity) that is very compatible with water. For this reason, when water moves by surface diffusion, since water spreads and advances without stopping, water can be efficiently moved quickly inside the foam metal. In the case of a foam metal made of titanium, the result of the oxidation treatment is about 5 times faster when the oxidation treatment is performed than when the oxidation treatment is not performed.

  Even when the material is a foam metal made of another metal material such as nickel other than titanium, a layer having an affinity for the surface is formed during the oxidation treatment, so that the compatibility with water (hydrophilicity) is improved. However, the effect of improving the hydrophilicity is remarkable when the metal foam is made of titanium, and the effect of improving the water absorption and transportability of the water application electrode 2 is high because the water moving speed is increased. In the oxidation treatment exposed to an oxygen atmosphere, not only the outer surface of the water application electrode 2 formed of a foam metal but also a continuous pore structure having a high porosity and a large pore diameter passes through the continuous pores into the internal pores 21. The facing surface is also oxidized, so that the hydrophilicity of all the surfaces of the metal part 22 including the inner surface facing the pores 21 is improved, and the movement speed of water can be increased. For this reason, the time from the start of operation of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 to the discharge of the electrostatic mist 1 can be shortened.

  As described above, the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer according to the present embodiment is characterized in that it is formed using a foam metal having a three-dimensional network structure as a material. For this reason, since the amount of water absorption is large and the moving speed of water is fast, the time from the start of operation of the electrostatic atomizer to the start of atomization (electrostatic mist 1 is released) is fast. And since a metal foam has low electrical resistivity and is excellent in electrical conductivity, it has the effect that it can be charged by efficiently applying electricity to the water to be atomized and the amount of atomization increases.

  In addition, electric corrosion and electric wear can be prevented, and the shape of the water application electrode 2, particularly the sharp shape of the tip atomizing portion 29 can be maintained over a long period of time. Therefore, it has the effect that electrostatic atomization can be implemented stably over a long period of time.

  In addition, it can absorb a large amount of water because of its high porosity, and because of its large pore size, it can maintain a stable high water absorption and transportability for a long time without clogging for a long time, It has the effect that electrostatic atomization can be carried out stably over a long period of time.

  In addition, the material of the foam metal is titanium or nickel, which is a metal having a reducing action, and is generated by electric discharge by using any of austenitic stainless steel containing 11% or more of nickel and several percent of molybdenum. The amount of generated ozone can be suppressed. This effect is particularly remarkable when the water application electrode 2 is formed of a foam metal made of titanium.

  Further, if the water application electrode 2 is formed using a material obtained by oxidizing the surface of the foam metal after sintering, the hydrophilicity of the inner surface is increased, and the water moving speed is further improved.

  In addition, the foam metal which has the three-dimensional network structure demonstrated so far is not restricted to the water application electrode 2 of the electrostatic atomizer 100-500 shown in this Embodiment from the high water absorption and conveyance property, Others Even if it is an electrostatic atomizer of this form, if it uses for the electrode which serves also as the water conveyance to a discharge part, the effect similar to the water application electrode 2 of this Embodiment can be acquired. For example, in the electrostatic atomizer of Patent Document 1, water in a water reservoir serving as a water supply means is conveyed up to its upper end by a capillary phenomenon on an upright conveying body made of a ceramic porous body, and water is formed at the upper end that is pointed like a needle. The tailor cone is formed to produce mist, but if this carrier (corresponding to the water application electrode 2) is made of the above-described foam metal instead of ceramic, the water conveyance speed can be increased. The time from the start of operation to electrostatic atomization can be shortened compared with the case of forming with ceramic, and the needle-shaped upper end that becomes the discharge part can be prevented from electric corrosion and electric wear. The sharp shape can be maintained over a long period of time, and electrostatic atomization can be carried out stably over a long period of time as compared with the case of forming with ceramic.

  From this, the case where any of the electrostatic atomizers 100-500 of this Embodiment is mounted in the air conditioner 50 is demonstrated. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner 50 including any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500. The air conditioner 50 is a general wall-hanging type.

  The air conditioner 50 includes a suction port 41 for sucking indoor air, a blowout port 42 for blowing conditioned air into the room, and an inverted V-shaped heat exchanger 51 (an upper front heat exchanger 51a for generating conditioned air from the room air). A front lower heat exchanger 51 b and a rear heat exchanger 51 c), drain pans 40 (two places) for receiving water condensed by the heat exchanger 51, and a blower fan 43. The indoor air that has flowed in through the rotation of the blower fan 43 from the suction port 41 located above the air conditioner 50 main body is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle when passing through the heat exchanger 51, and the temperature and humidity are adjusted. Then, the air passes through the blower fan 43 and is blown into the room as conditioned air from the outlet 42 located below.

  A left and right wind direction plate 44 and an up and down wind direction plate 45 that can change the wind direction of the conditioned air to be blown out are installed at the blowout port 42, and the blowout direction of the blowout flow is adjusted. A left and right wind direction plate 44 that can change the wind direction in the left and right direction of the blown flow is located upstream of the vertical wind direction plate 45 that can change the vertical direction of the blown flow. Moreover, the dew condensation water of the heat exchanger 51 collected by the drain pan 40 is discharged outdoors through a drain hose (not shown).

  Here, in this air conditioner 50, any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 is connected to the windward side (upstream side) of the front lower heat exchanger 51b or the windward side (upstream side) of the rear heat exchanger 51c. Or above the drain pan 40. If any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 is installed above the drain pan 40, the drain pan 40 can be used even when the condensed water 10 in the cooling unit 8 is large and excessive moisture is generated. Since excess moisture is received and discharged to the outside together with the dew condensation water of the heat exchanger 51, there is no possibility that excess moisture in any of the installed electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 leaks into the room.

  By installing any one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 in the air conditioner 50, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 discharged from the electrostatic atomizer is extracted from the indoor air sucked from the suction port 41. The heat exchanger 51 can be passed together and discharged into the room together with the conditioned air from the outlet 42.

  A large amount of nanometer-sized electrostatic mist 1 generated by one of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 is released into the room together with the conditioned air from the outlet 42 of the air conditioner 50. Since it is negatively charged, it is easy to move to a human body with a potential difference, and since the size of the electrostatic mist 1 is smaller than the horny cells of the human body, it penetrates into exposed skin such as the face and neck, Provides moisturizing effect. Thereby, the following effects are acquired.

(1) The user's skin moisturizing effect during heating operation increases (the amount of moisture in the skin increases).
(2) The user's perceived temperature increases as the amount of moisture in the skin increases.
(3) The set room temperature at the time of heating can be lowered correspondingly, and the power consumption of the air conditioner 50 is reduced correspondingly, contributing to (contributing to) energy saving.

  When the moisture content of the exposed skin such as the user's face and neck during the heating operation increases by 25%, this corresponds to an increase in indoor humidity by about 20% RH. An increase of about 20% RH in indoor humidity corresponds to an increase in the human sensible temperature by about 1 deg. If the set temperature is lowered by 1 deg during the heating operation, the power consumption of the air conditioner 50 can be reduced by about 10%.

  In any case, when installing any of the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500 on the windward side of the heat exchanger 51, the stacking direction of the cooling fins 8b and the fins of the heat radiating unit 7 is the air conditioner. It is good to arrange so that it may become the left-right direction of 50 main bodies. Thereby, the suction air flow from the suction port 41 flows along the fins, and the heat radiation of the heat radiating unit 7 is promoted. And the direction arrange | positioned so that the thermal radiation part 7 may oppose the heat exchanger 51 may increase the flow volume of the air (indoor suction air) flow which passes the thermal radiation part 7, and heat dissipation may be accelerated | stimulated more.

  Moreover, when arrange | positioning the thermal radiation part 7 facing the heat exchanger 51, the electrostatic atomizer 100, the electrostatic atomizer 300 (modification 3), the electrostatic atomizer 400 (modification 4), static If it is any one of the electroatomizers 500, the front end atomization part 29 is replaced with the side surface in the long side on the heat radiating part 7 side of the body part 28, similarly to the electrostatic atomizer 150 shown in FIG. On the top, if it is provided so as to protrude in the direction opposite to the protruding direction of the cooling fin 8b, the electrostatic mist 1 can be quickly and surely guided to the blowout port 42 on the air flow having a large flow rate passing through the heat radiating portion 7. Accordingly, a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be released from the outlet 42 in a short time from the start of the operation of the air conditioner 50. In this case, it is better to install a gutter 30 above the generation part of the electrostatic mist 1 as shown in FIG. 6 to suppress the passage of the air flow to the generation part of the electrostatic mist 1.

  Since the water application electrode 2 is formed of a reducing metal, particularly a foam metal made of titanium, the amount of ozone generated by the discharge can be suppressed. It is blown out so that the user does not feel a strange odor or oxidize the user's human body that requires a moisturizing effect. In addition, as described above, even if radicals (active species) are generated along with discharge, they are short-lived and disappear, so that radicals are not blown out from the blowout opening 42 but are blown out. Since radicals are not included in the electrostatic mist 1, radicals do not oxidize the human body of the user who requires a moisturizing effect. Although charged, nanometer-sized pure water penetrates the user's skin, so that the moisturizing effect can be enhanced without adversely affecting the skin.

  In addition, in the electrostatic atomizers 100 to 500, a foam metal having a three-dimensional network structure has been used as the material of the water application electrode 2. For example, a ceramic or non-foaming general material that transports water by capillary action is used. Even if the water application electrode 2 is formed using another porous body such as a sintered metal or a resin foam, various effects due to the use of the foam metal cannot be obtained. 28 and the tip atomization section 29), the positional relationship between the cooling section 8 (water supply means) and the water application electrode 2, the installation angle of the water application electrode 2 and the installation angle of the cooling section 8, and the cooling section 8 It is possible to obtain the effect that the water generated in (1) can be quickly and efficiently led to the tip atomization unit 29 and a large amount of electrostatic mist 1 can be stably generated.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrostatic mist, 2 Water application electrode, 3 Counter electrode, 4 High voltage power supply part, 5 Low voltage power supply part, 6 Peltier unit, 7 Heat radiation part, 8 Cooling part, 8a Base plate, 8b Cooling fin, 10 Condensation water, 21 pores, 22 metal parts, 28 body parts, 29 tip atomization parts, 29a tips, 40 drain pans, 41 suction ports, 42 outlets, 43 blow fans, 44 left and right wind direction plates, 45 up and down wind direction plates, 50 air conditioners, 51 heat exchanger, 51a front upper heat exchanger, 51b front lower heat exchanger, 51c back heat exchanger, 100 electrostatic atomizer, 150 electrostatic atomizer, 200 electrostatic atomizer, 300 electrostatic fog Device, 400 electrostatic atomizer, 500 electrostatic atomizer.

Claims (8)

Water supply means for supplying water;
A water application electrode that transports the water supplied from the water supply means and atomizes the water at the tip atomization unit by applying a high voltage, and
The electrostatic atomizer characterized in that the water application electrode is made of a foam metal having a three-dimensional network structure.   2. The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the foam metal used as a material of the water application electrode has an internal porosity of 60 to 90% and a pore diameter of 50 to 600 μm.   The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the metal foam used as a material of the water application electrode is made of titanium.   The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the metal foam used as a material for the water application electrode is nickel.   The electrostatic atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the foam metal used as a material for the water application electrode is made of austenitic stainless steel containing molybdenum.   The electrostatic atomizer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a foam metal used as a material of the water application electrode has an oxidized surface.   The water supply means includes a Peltier unit and a cooling unit in contact with the cooling surface thereof, and drops condensed water to the cooling unit and supplies the water application electrode to the water application electrode. The electrostatic atomizer in any one of 6. In an air conditioner comprising: a suction port for sucking room air; a blowout port for blowing conditioned air into the room; a heat exchanger that generates the conditioned air; and a drain pan that receives water condensed in the heat exchanger.
An air conditioner, wherein the electrostatic atomizer according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is installed on the windward side of the heat exchanger and above the drain pan.