JP2012013377A - Gas generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas generator capable of setting and controlling each of a temperature, humidity and flow rate independently as individual physical quantity.SOLUTION: The gas generator includes: a container 11 having a built-in heater 10; a dry air generation system 1 supplying dry air to the container 11; a steam generation system 2 supplying steam to the container 11; a thermometer 12, a hygrometer 13 and a flowmeter 14 for measuring the temperature, humidity and flow rate of gas mixed by the container 11, respectively; and a circuit feeding back at least any one of output information from the thermometer 12, output information from the hygrometer 13 and output information from the flowmeter 14 to either of the dry air generation system 1, the steam generation system 2 or the heater 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas generator capable of delivering a gas having a predetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity desired by a user at a predetermined flow rate.

  As one of gas generators (humidity generators) that send out gas with adjusted humidity and temperature, a shunt-type humidity generator (JIS-B7920) is known. This is a method for adjusting the humidity by mixing saturated air and dry air, and specifically relates to a mechanism for adjusting the humidity of 0 to 100% RH by the diversion ratio of saturated air and dry air. . A dry constant temperature air with a humidity of 0% RH can be generated when the diversion ratio of dry air is 100%, and conversely, a humid constant temperature air with a humidity of 100% RH can be generated when the diversion ratio of saturated air is 100%. Is.

  FIG. 13 shows a basic configuration of a shunt type gas generator. Since the temperature and humidity of the generated gas are adjusted based on the dew point of the generated gas, the temperature of the saturation tank, test tank, and piping is kept constant in a thermostatic water tank or the like, and the humidity for the specific temperature is actually obtained. The saturated tank is a water tank for obtaining 100% RH saturated air by passing dry air through the water, and the test tank is a gas tank for mixing dry air and saturated air.

  Since it is difficult to accurately measure the flow rate of the saturated air itself, the dry air before entering the saturation tank is measured as the flow rate of the saturated air.

  To change the temperature of the saturated air, it is necessary to change the temperature of the constant temperature water tank (saturated tank). Since the heat capacity of water is large, this operation takes a long time. Since humidity is also affected, if the humidity in the test chamber is kept constant, it is necessary to change the diversion ratio, and the flow rate deviates from the desired amount. Therefore, in the conventional shunt-type humidity generator, it is very difficult to send a gas that satisfies all of the predetermined temperature, predetermined humidity, and predetermined flow rate desired by the user.

  In a general-purpose shunt-type humidity generator, the temperature of the saturation tank is less than 100 ° C., and it is difficult to generate a gas with a dew point exceeding 90 ° C. In order to obtain an arbitrary temperature and humidity at a location away from the gas generator, a mechanism capable of adjusting to an arbitrary temperature is required separately from the gas generator, and the apparatus becomes complicated and large. On the other hand, it is difficult to generate a gas having a low dew point below room temperature. This is because a refrigerator is required to cool the water, and the entire apparatus becomes large, resulting in high costs.

FIG. 14 is an air diagram showing the relationship between air temperature and saturated water vapor pressure. In order to convert the dew point into temperature and humidity, it is obtained using the air diagram shown in FIG. 14 or obtained by calculation. In order to obtain the relative humidity (temperature: arbitrary condition) from the dew point by calculation, the following equations (1) to (3) are used. Equation (1) is an equation for obtaining a saturated water vapor pressure ed [Pa] at a dew point t _dp [° C.] (absolute temperature is Tdp [K] (= t _dp +273.15)), and equation (2) is a temperature t [° C. ] (Absolute temperature is T [K] (= t + 273.15)) Equation for obtaining saturated water vapor pressure es [Pa], Equation (3) is relative humidity at temperature t [° C.] (Absolute temperature is T [K]) U [% RH] is obtained. In the following formulas (1) to (2), LN represents a natural logarithmic function.

  In Patent Document 1, by changing the diversion ratio of the flow rate controller that can adjust the gas supply amount and the steam flow rate control valve that can adjust the heating steam amount, the obtained heating gas and steam are mixed in the mixer to reduce the humidity. A regulated shunt humidity generator is described. In the method described in Patent Document 1, since the humidity of the generated gas is adjusted by changing the flow rate of the steam flow rate control valve, the flow rate of the supplied gas is also changed by changing the humidity. Therefore, the humidity cannot be kept constant and the flow rate of the generated gas cannot be kept constant.

  In addition to the shunt-type humidity generator, a bubbling-type humidity generator (also JIS-B7920) is known, and is mainly classified into a two-pressure method and a two-temperature method. In the bubbling type, air is blown into a bubbling tank (water tank), and the water temperature and the dew point are equal. The structure is simple compared to a shunt-type humidity generator.

  FIG. 15 shows a basic configuration of a bubbling gas generator. A heater is attached to the upper part of the bubbling tank, that is, the part where the generated gas comes into contact, and further to the piping arranged ahead of it, so that the difference between the temperature of the water in the bubbling tank and the temperature of the generated gas does not occur. Keep warm. In order to obtain an arbitrary humidity at an arbitrary temperature away from the humidity generator, an auxiliary mechanism that can be adjusted to an arbitrary temperature is required separately from the humidity generator, as in the case of the shunt type, and the equipment is enlarged or used. There is a need to add ancillary equipment. In a general-purpose bubbling tank, the upper limit of the temperature of the bubbling tank is about 90 ° C., and it is difficult to achieve a dew point exceeding 90 ° C. Generally, when a higher dew point is desired, a dew point gas exceeding 90 ° C or exceeding 100 ° C is obtained by applying pressure to the bubbling tank.

  FIG. 16 shows the configuration of another bubbling gas generator. As shown in FIG. 16, in order to obtain a low dew point gas at room temperature or lower, it is necessary to cool the water in the bubbling tank indirectly with a refrigerator, which increases the size of the apparatus and increases the cost. Since the dew point of the generated gas is measured for both the shunt type and the bubbling type, the humidity of the generated gas must be obtained by calculation as described above or from an air diagram.

  As described above, in both the shunt type and the bubbling type, if the wet gas is obtained at a high flow rate, the size of the apparatus is increased by increasing the number of water tanks or increasing the number of water tanks.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a bubbling mechanism that humidifies heated water through air. However, in order to ensure stable humidification performance, it is described that the number of water tanks is increased. Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 2 that the dew point is stabilized by making the temperature of the humidified gas higher than the target temperature, it is possible to stabilize the dew point of high-flow humid air. difficult. It is necessary to adjust the dew point once raised to a high temperature to a necessary temperature at the gas supply destination.

  Patent Document 3 describes a method of passing water through a bag of a water vapor permeable membrane and humidifying the membrane by heating water. Since the amount of humidification is proportional to the surface area of the membrane, when the flow rate is large, it becomes a humidifier with a large volume and can be used for indoor humidification.

JP 2004-273222 A JP 2007-141656 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-195842

  As described above, in the conventional gas generator, it is difficult to generate (send out) gas satisfying all three elements of a predetermined temperature, a predetermined humidity, and a predetermined flow rate desired by the user.

  In order to solve these problems, the present invention relates to a gas generator capable of independently setting and controlling temperature, humidity, and flow rate as individual physical quantities. Furthermore, high-speed control that could not be achieved sufficiently with the conventional technology, that is, frequent setting change of set temperature and humidity, control of low dew point, arbitrary temperature and humidity control at a remote location, large flow control, etc. An object is to provide a highly precise gas generator.

  The gas generator of the present invention that has solved the above problems includes a container with a built-in heater, a dry gas generation system that supplies dry gas to the container, a steam generation system that supplies steam to the container, Thermometer, hygrometer, and flow meter for measuring the temperature, humidity, and flow rate of the gas mixed by the container, output information from the thermometer, output information from the hygrometer, and from the flow meter A circuit that feeds back at least one of the output information to any one of a dry gas generation system, a steam generation system, and a heater is provided. In such a configuration, instead of indirectly deriving the temperature and humidity using the dew point information measured by the dew point meter as in the past, the temperature and humidity of the generated gas are measured using the thermometer and hygrometer. Since it measures separately, temperature and humidity can be controlled directly. As a result, the temperature and humidity of the generated gas can be stably controlled with good responsiveness.

  In the gas generator, a mode in which output information from the thermometer is fed back to the heater is preferably implemented. This is because the temperature of the gas in the container can be directly and effectively adjusted by changing the temperature of the heater built in the container.

  In the gas generator, a mode in which output information from the hygrometer is fed back to the steam generation system is preferably implemented. This is because the humidity of the generated gas can be directly and effectively adjusted by changing the setting of the steam generation system.

  In the gas generation device, the dry gas generation system includes a flow rate control device, and a calculation device is connected to the flow rate control device. The calculation device includes output information from the flow meter, and from the thermometer. A mode in which output information and output information from the hygrometer are input and a signal for controlling the flow control device is generated by the arithmetic device is preferably implemented. The change in the flow rate of the dry gas obtained from the dry gas generation system is not only reflected in the gas delivery rate of the entire flow control device, but also changes the temperature and humidity of the delivered gas. This is because controlling the flow control device based on all of the output information from the thermometer, the output information from the thermometer, and the output information from the hygrometer is more effective for the stable operation of the entire system.

  In the above gas generator, an embodiment in which the thermometer is provided in the container and the hygrometer and the flow meter are provided downstream of the container is preferably implemented. By providing the thermometer in the container, temperature information at a place closer to the place where the steam is generated can be acquired, so that the temperature of the generated gas can be controlled with good responsiveness.

  Preferably, the gas generator includes an external thermometer provided outside the gas generator, and has a switch for selecting either output information from the external thermometer or output information from the thermometer. Is done. Thereby, since the gas generator is directly controlled based on the external temperature of the gas generator, it is possible to follow the temperature environment desired by the user with good responsiveness.

  The gas generator includes an external hygrometer provided outside the gas generator, and selects either the output information from the external hygrometer or the output information from the hygrometer and inputs the selected information to the circuit An embodiment with a switch is preferably implemented. Thereby, since the gas generator is directly controlled based on the external humidity of the gas generator, it is also possible to follow the humidity environment desired by the user with good responsiveness.

  In the gas generator, an embodiment in which the heater has a winding shape is preferably implemented. Specifically, the heater has a heating part having a long object shape, and the long object has a component that is non-parallel to the gas flow axis, so that the stirring action is expressed by the gas flow. Refers to things.

  The gas generator may further include an arithmetic device that calculates a dew point from output information of the hygrometer, and includes a switch that selects either humidity information or dew point information and inputs the information to the circuit.

  In the gas generator, an aspect in which the dew point is controlled to be constant is also implemented.

  The said gas generator WHEREIN: The aspect whose said steam generation system is an electrothermal steam generator is also implemented.

  The said gas generator WHEREIN: The aspect with which the pressure gauge which measures the pressure of dry gas is provided in the said dry gas generation system is also implemented.

  The said gas generator WHEREIN: The aspect with which the pressure gauge which measures the pressure of mixed gas is provided in the gas delivery port of the said gas generator is also implemented.

  In the gas generator, an aspect in which the dry gas is an inert gas, an aspect in which the dry gas is air, and an aspect in which the steam is water vapor are also implemented.

  The gas generator of the present invention includes a container containing a heater, a dry gas generation system that supplies dry gas to the container, a steam generation system that supplies steam to the container, and a gas mixed by the container. At least one of thermometer, hygrometer, and flow meter for measuring temperature, humidity, and flow rate, output information from thermometer, output information from hygrometer, and output information from flow meter By feeding back one of them to a dry gas generation system, a steam generation system, or a heater, it is possible to send a gas having a predetermined temperature and humidity desired by a user at a predetermined flow rate. It is.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the gas generator in embodiment of this invention. It is a partial expanded sectional view of the mixing heating system in embodiment of this invention. It is a reference figure which shows the flow of the control signal of the gas generator in embodiment of this invention. It is a partially expanded sectional view of the gas generator in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the test result in the Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the conventional shunt type gas generator. It is an air diagram which shows the relationship between the temperature of air, and saturated water vapor pressure. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the conventional bubbling type gas generator. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the other conventional bubbling type gas generator.

1. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a gas generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the gas generator of the present invention includes a dry gas generation system 1, a steam generation system 2, a mixed heating system 3, a flow rate measurement system 4, and a temperature / humidity measurement system 5. In the present invention, a system refers to an apparatus system that can achieve a certain action by combining a plurality of configurations (including machine components, electronic components, etc.). Each system is one of the configurations of other systems. Some or all of the functions may be included, and the arrangement relationship is not limited to the above.

  The kind of gas and vapor | steam used in the gas generator of this invention is not specifically limited. In addition to air as a gas, non-explosive gases such as nitrogen can be heated and humidified cleanly. Explosive gases such as hydrogen can be used as long as safety is taken into consideration. The steam generation system 2 can be humidified cleanly by supplying pure water. In the present embodiment, description will be made by taking air as an example of gas and steam as an example of steam.

  The gas generator in the present embodiment includes at least a container 11 containing a heater 10, a dry gas generation system 1 that supplies dry gas to the container 11, a steam generation system 2 that supplies steam to the container 11, Thermometer 12, hygrometer 13, and flow meter 14 for measuring the temperature, humidity, and flow rate of the air mixed by the container 11, output information from the thermometer 12, output information from the hygrometer 13, And it has a circuit which feeds back at least any one of the output information from the flowmeter 14 to either the dry gas generation system 1, the steam generation system 2, or the heater 10. As a result, it is possible to obtain a gas generating device that delivers air at a predetermined temperature and humidity at a predetermined flow rate. In the present invention, feedback refers to returning a specific calculation result using output information as an argument, or the output information itself to the upstream side of the gas generator.

  The dry air in the present invention refers to air having relatively low humidity because it is not humidified, and does not mean only air of 0% RH.

  The gas generator in the present embodiment can generate humid air having a temperature and humidity desired by the user by mixing dry air and steam in the container 11 and heating with the heater 10. It is. Since the temperature, humidity, and flow rate are measured separately by the thermometer 12, the hygrometer 13, and the flow meter 14, respectively, the temperature, humidity, and flow rate are used without using or calculating an air diagram as in the prior art. Can be set and controlled directly. Therefore, it is easy to understand intuitively and has high versatility without requiring specialized knowledge about the gas generator.

  Since the heating of the dry air is not the indirect heating by the liquid tank or the like storing the heat medium but the direct heating by the heater 10, the temperature rise time of the dry air is fast, and the change of the set temperature is short in a short time. Can reach a stable state.

  In particular, in order to obtain a dew point gas at room temperature or lower, a dew point type such as the bubbling type shown in FIG. 16 requires a refrigerator, but the gas generator of the present invention can easily wet with a low dew point without using a refrigerator. You can get air. A dew point range of -21 to 90 ° C. or higher is obtained.

  The dry gas generation system 1, the steam generation system 2, the mixed heating system 3, the flow rate measurement system 4, and the temperature / humidity measurement system 5 can take the following specific modes as necessary.

2. Dry Gas Generation System The dry gas generation system 1 includes a pressure control valve 15, a pressure sensor 16, and a mass flow controller (flow rate control device) 17. As an air supply source installed upstream of the pressure control valve 15, for example, a compressor or a high pressure blower can be used. When the humidity of the supplied air is high, dehumidified dry air can be supplied by adding a heaterless dryer or the like. In the case where the temperature is adjusted and sent as heated dry air, and the temperature and humidity are adjusted and sent as heated humid air, the set flow rate of the mass flow controller 17 is different, so the mass flow rate of the heated dry air or heated humid air is Based on the temperature, humidity, and pressure values, the flow rate obtained by calculation is set in the mass flow controller 17. The setting of the flow rate is switched by the switch 20 between manual setting by the volume adjuster 18, electrical signal (voltage signal, current signal) calculated by the dry air mass flow rate calculation unit 19, or automatic setting by digital communication signal. Can be selected.

3. Steam Generation System In the steam generation system 2, water stored in the water storage tank 27 is heated by a heater (not shown) to generate steam. The humidification controller 28 controls the amount of heating. The humidification controller 28 is controlled by using a signal transmitted from the temperature / humidity measurement system 5 as input information. The capacity of the water storage tank 27 is preferably small. This is because, when the capacity of the water storage tank 27 is reduced, the time when the water is cooled after the heating of the water stored in the water storage tank 27 is stopped. If a heater having a high heating capacity is selected as a heater for heating water, the responsiveness of steam generation at the time of subsequent heating is also increased. Note that the gas generated from the water storage tank 27 is basically water vapor, and unlike the conventional shunt type or bubbling type, almost no air is mixed therein. Preferably, 98 mol% or more, more preferably 99 mol% or more of the generated gas is water vapor.

4). Mixed Heating System FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the mixed heating system 3 in the gas generator of the present invention. The mixed heating system 3 introduces dry air supplied from the mass flow controller 17 into the container 11 through the supply port (A in FIG. 2), heats it with the heater 10 built in the container 11, and then generates a wet steam generation system. The steam generated from 2 is introduced from the supply port (B in FIG. 2), and the dry air and steam are mixed. The humid air obtained by mixing is sent out of the container 11 from the outlet (C in FIG. 2).

  The container 11 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “mixing box 11”) includes a heater 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “cable heater 10”) and a temperature sensor in a pressure-resistant cylindrical case made of stainless steel, for example. 12, the cable heater 10 includes an air heating unit 10a and a mixing heating unit 10b. The air heating unit 10a is a part that heats the air introduced from the dry air supply port. The mixing and heating unit 10b is a part that increases the humidity of the humid air obtained by mixing the dry air and steam heated by the air heating unit 10a.

  The heating temperature of the cable heater 10 is controlled as follows. First, the temperature of the air heated by the temperature sensor 12 in the mixing box 11 is measured, and the obtained data is passed through the temperature controller 21 (see FIG. 1) and the heater power controller 22 to control the power of the cable heater 10. It can be performed.

  The temperature of the obtained humid air is measured by a temperature sensor 12 provided in the mixing box 11, a temperature sensor (not shown) which will be described later attached to the humidity sensor 13, and an external temperature sensor (not shown) at the external input 23. Any one of the three can be selected by switching with the switch 24.

  The external temperature sensor is provided when it is desired to measure or display the temperature at a location away from the gas generator, and can be controlled or displayed from the external temperature sensor of the gas generator. This is because the temperature sensor 12 inside the gas generator can be switched, so that an optimum sensor can be selected in accordance with the stability of temperature or overshoot at the time of temperature rise. When the response of the external temperature sensor at a remote location is slow, optimum control can be performed by cascading with the temperature sensor 12 of the gas generator.

  The shape of the heating part of the cable heater 10 is preferably a winding shape. Specifically, the cable heater 10 has a long object-shaped heating section, and the long object has a non-parallel component with respect to the gas flow axis, so that the stirring action is caused by the gas flow. Refers to the shape to be given. As the winding shape, a spiral shape is typically considered, but the winding direction is not limited to one direction, and may be a shape that alternately repeats clockwise and counterclockwise. The cable heater 10 is not limited to a circular shape when viewed from the axial center (gas flow axis) direction, and may be a rectangular shape. With the above configuration, the mixing of dry air and steam becomes more uniform.

  The steam generated in the steam generation system 2 is connected to the mixing box 11 by a short pipe (not shown) having an improved heat retention effect. The mixing box 11 and the gas pipe downstream thereof are kept warm by a heat retaining heater 25 and / or a heat retaining material 26 so that cooling of heated air and condensation of steam do not occur, and a heat retaining temperature sensor (not shown) and a temperature controller. The temperature is controlled by (not shown).

  The steam generation system 2 is controlled by the humidification controller 28 from 0 to the maximum steam generation amount with a voltage value or current value signal. Therefore, by stopping the steam generator, heated dry air at normal temperature + 5 ° C. to 100 ° C. can be sent out by the cable heater 10 of the mixing box 11. By stopping both the cable heater 10 and the steam generation system 2, normal temperature dry air can be delivered at 0 to 100 liters / minute (L / min: volume L is a value converted to 20 ° C.).

5. Flow Measurement System The flow measurement system 4 can be configured by a dry air mass flow calculation unit 19 having, for example, a flow meter 14 that is a thermal mass flow meter, a heat retaining heater 25, and a microcomputer (microcomputer). The flow meter 14 is a flow meter that measures the mass flow rate from the heat conduction caused by the flow velocity in the pipe in a non-contact manner with the passing gas, and is output or displayed with the mass flow rate converted to the reference state. It is possible to grasp the flow rate that does not depend on it.

  The dry air mass flow rate calculation unit 19 obtains the flow rate of the supplied dry air from the specific volume obtained from the wet air flow rate measured by the mass flow meter 14 and the specific volume of the supplied dry air, and finally the mass flow. The flow rate of the dry air passing through the controller 17 can be controlled. As described above, for the control of the mass flow controller 17, it is possible to select from manual setting by the volume adjuster 18 and automatic flow control by voltage or current from the dry air mass flow rate calculation unit 19. It is. The flow meter 14 and the pipes are kept warm by a heat insulation heater 25 and / or a heat insulation material 26 so that cooling of heated air and vapor condensation do not occur, and a heat insulation temperature sensor (not shown) and a temperature controller (not shown). The temperature is controlled at.

  The mass flow rate of the dry air to be delivered from the dry gas generation system 1 can be calculated using the following formulas (4) to (11) based on actual measurement values such as the temperature and humidity of the humid air. However, the following [Kg (DA)] is used to indicate the mass of moisture in dry air (dry air).

<Calculation target>
Target flow rate of dry air: Lw [L / min]
<Values used as actual measurement values>
Wet air temperature: tw [° C]
Humid air humidity: rhw [% RH]
Wet air pressure: pw [kPa]
Dry air temperature: ta [° C.]
Dry air humidity: rha [% RH]
Dry air pressure: pa [kPa]
<Values used in the calculation process>
Wet air water vapor pressure: ew [kPa]
Humid air absolute humidity: dw [Kg / Kg (DA)]
Wet air specific volume: vw [m ³ / Kg (DA)]
Dry air water vapor pressure: ea [kPa]
Dry air absolute humidity: da [Kg / Kg (DA)]
Dry air specific volume: va [m ³ / Kg (DA)]
Dry air mass flow rate: Lm [Kg (DA) / min]
Dry air supply flow rate: La [L / min]

However, in the formula (4), T = tw + 273.15.

However, in the formula (7), T = ta + 273.15.

  All the constants included in the above formulas (4) to (11) may have an allowable range of ± 1% or less, preferably ± 0.5% or less.

6). Temperature / Humidity Measurement System The preferred configuration of the hygrometer 13 described above will be described in detail. It is more preferable that the humidity is measured by a polymer capacitive humidity sensor, and the temperature is also increased by providing a precision resistance temperature detector. More preferably, it is measured. In addition, it is preferred to calculate the dew point by calculation from the measured temperature and humidity.

(1) Feedback of temperature information As described above, the temperature of the heated dry air or humid air is controlled to be constant by the cable heater 10 in the mixing box 11 by the temperature controller 21. The temperature control is performed by the temperature sensor 12 in the mixing box 11, by the above-described precision resistance thermometer provided in the hygrometer 13, or from among three of the external temperature sensors (not shown), a switch It is preferable to enable switching by 24.

(2) Feedback of Humidity Information As described above, the humidity information measured in the temperature / humidity measuring system 5 is fed back to the humidification controller 28. As the original humidity information, the humidity by the hygrometer 13 is directly measured. It is preferable to enable selection by the switches 31 and 32 from among a measured value, a calculated dew point value from the hygrometer 13, or an external input 30 from an external humidity sensor (not shown). When the humidity measurement value obtained by the hygrometer 13 is fed back to the humidification controller 28, the switch 32 is operated so that the humidity signal flows through the humidity controller 33, and the calculated dew point value from the hygrometer 13 is humidified. When the controller 28 is fed back, the switch 32 is operated so that the humidity signal flows through the dew point controller 34. Of course, this operation can be performed by automatic control. By the function of the humidity controller 33 or the dew point controller 34, the humidity or dew point of the heated humid air can be controlled to be constant.

7). Data Recording FIG. 3 is a reference diagram showing the flow of control signals of the gas generator in the embodiment of the present invention. Pressure and mass flow rate of supplied dry air, heater power control amount of mixing box 11 and temperature of heated air or heated humid air, control amount of steam generator, mass flow rate of heated dry air or heated humid air, temperature and humidity The absolute humidity and amount of water determined by the dry air mass flow rate calculation unit 19 are sent to a computer (not shown) via a data storage device (not shown). Can be collected and recorded.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited by the following examples, and appropriate modifications are made within a range that can be adapted to the above-described purpose. Of course, it is possible to implement them, and they are all included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) Structure of mixing box FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container 11 in the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, a stainless steel pressure-resistant cylindrical case (container 11) and a heater 10 (trade name: cable air heater, model: MCA-500, drive voltage: 200 V single phase, power consumption: 500 W, manufactured by Sakaguchi Electric Heat Co., Ltd. ) And two additional steam supply ports (B1, B2) were used. The container 11 was equipped with a thermocouple temperature sensor 12. The two steam supply ports B1 and B2 are used as follows. For example, when the steam temperature drops due to a long road to the steam generator, the steam supply port B1 is used to perform sufficient heating by the heater 10. Conversely, when the distance to the steam generator is short, the steam supply port B2 is used. The surface temperature of the heater 10 itself in the vicinity of the steam supply port B2 is the hottest point in the entire heater 10, and the vapor entering from the steam supply port B2 is promoted to be vaporized and stabilized without condensing. Steam can be delivered. The container 11 was prevented from lowering temperature and condensing steam by the heat retaining heater 25 and the heat retaining material 26. For the temperature control of the heat retaining heater 25, a heat retaining temperature sensor (not shown) and a temperature controller (not shown) were used.

(2) Structure of Steam Generator As the steam generation system 2, an electric heating steam humidifier (model: SU-486) manufactured by PS Industry Co., Ltd. was used. This humidifier has a capacity of an effective humidification amount of 0 to 4.8 kg / h. A heater is mounted in the water of a stainless steel pressure-resistant evaporation container (water storage tank 27) that always maintains a constant water level, and the boiled water is changed according to an input value of 0 to 100% that is a steam generation amount control value from the humidification controller 28. The steam pressure is controlled, and the steam can be delivered at a steam amount of 0 to 4.8 kg / h. Since the delivered steam rapidly condenses and returns to water when it comes into contact with a low-temperature structure or the atmosphere, it is prevented from condensing by being introduced into the heated container 11 through a heat-insulated short tube. As a result, stable heated humid air could be generated.

(3) Test result FIGS. 5-12 shows the result of the humidification test using the gas generator in a present Example.

(I) Test 1
Over about 2 hours, the relative humidity of the humid air was increased from 20% RH to 70% RH. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the temperature, humidity, and dew point of the humid air. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time, the flow rate of dry air, and the flow rate of wet air.
<Other conditions>
Wet air flow rate: 50L / min
Wet air temperature: 90 ° C

(Ii) Test 2
Over about 2 hours, the flow rate of the humid air was increased from 20 L / min to 80 L / min. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the temperature, humidity, and dew point of the humid air. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time, the flow rate of dry air, and the flow rate of wet air.
<Other conditions>
Wet air temperature: 80 ° C
Humid air relative humidity: 80% RH

(Iii) Test 3
Over about 2 hours, the temperature of the dry air was increased from 25 ° C to 100 ° C. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the temperature of the dry air. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time, the flow rate of dry air, and the flow rate of heated air.
<Other conditions>
Dry air flow rate: 50 L / min
Dry air relative humidity: 0% RH

  In any of Tests 1 to 3, stable operation was possible without giving large fluctuations to the other two indicators even when each of temperature, humidity, and flow rate was independently changed.

(Iv) Test 4
Over about 2 hours, the relative humidity of the humid air was reduced from 30% RH to 5% RH. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between elapsed time, temperature of humid air, humidity, and dew point (calculated value). FIG. 12 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time, the absolute humidity of the humid air, and the moisture content of the humid air.
<Other conditions>
Dry air flow rate: 20 L / min
Wet air temperature: 30 ° C
As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the moisture content is 1. under the conditions of a heated humid air flow rate of 20 liters / minute (L / min), a temperature of 30 ° C., and a humidity of 5% RH (dew point: −13.6 ° C.). It was found that control of a low humidity (low dew point) of 4 g / h is possible, and the resolution (control capability) of the humidification amount of the gas generator in this example was very high.

  The gas generator of the present invention has applications in performance evaluation devices for heat exchangers, material moisture absorption characteristics, material heat resistance characteristics, fuel cell evaluation devices, and the like. In addition, as an application of the two-temperature method, heated humid air of the same temperature is supplied to a temperature-controlled space or container, the humidity is measured by a humidity sensor installed in the space, and the humidity is controlled by the gas generator of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention can be easily applied as a humidity control and supply device capable of adjusting the humidity of a supply destination to a constant humidity such as a space having no humidity supply function. The apparatus can be easily introduced into various devices by sending heated humid air or heated dry air from a flexible tube that is kept warm, and adjusting the tube diameter with a different diameter reducer or the like.

  A generally used ultrasonic humidity generator is deprived of temperature by latent heat, and therefore the temperature changes depending on the amount of humidification. However, the gas generator of the present invention has an advantage that humidity can be supplied at a constant temperature. Further, in the gas generator of the present invention, the heated humid air does not change the room temperature, which greatly contributes to energy saving of air conditioning equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dry gas generation system 2 Steam generation system 3 Mixing heating system 4 Flow measurement system 5 Temperature humidity measurement system 10 Heater 10a Air heating part 10b Mixing heating part 11 Container 12 Thermometer (temperature sensor)
13 Hygrometer (humidity sensor)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Flowmeter 15 Pressure control valve 16 Pressure sensor 17 Mass flow controller 18 Volume regulator 19 Dry air mass flow calculation part 20 Switch 21 Temperature controller 22 Heater power controller 23 External input 24 Switch 25 Heat insulation heater 26 Heat insulation material 27 Water storage tank 28 Humidification controller 30 External input 31 Switch 32 Switch 33 Humidity controller 34 Dew point controller

Claims (16)

A gas generator for sending a gas having a predetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity at a predetermined flow rate,
A container with a built-in heater,
A dry gas generation system for supplying dry gas to the container;
A steam generation system for supplying steam to the container;
A thermometer, a hygrometer, and a flow meter for measuring the temperature, humidity, and flow rate of the gas mixed by the container;
At least one of output information from the thermometer, output information from the hygrometer, and output information from the flowmeter is used as the dry gas generation system, the steam generation system, or the heater. A circuit that feeds back to either
A gas generator.   The gas generator according to claim 1, wherein output information from the thermometer is fed back to the heater.   The gas generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein output information from the hygrometer is fed back to the steam generation system.   The dry gas generation system has a flow rate control device, and a calculation device is connected to the flow rate control device, and the calculation device includes output information from the flow meter, output information from the thermometer, and the humidity. The gas generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein output information from a meter is input and a signal for controlling the flow control device is generated by the arithmetic device.   The gas generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thermometer is provided in the container, and the hygrometer and the flow meter are provided downstream of the container.   6. An external thermometer provided outside the gas generator, and having a switch for selecting either output information from the external thermometer or output information from the thermometer. Gas generator.   2. A switch comprising an external hygrometer provided outside the gas generator, wherein the switch selects either output information from the external hygrometer or output information from the hygrometer and inputs the selected information to the circuit. The gas generator in any one of -6.   The gas generator according to claim 1, wherein the heater has a winding shape.   The gas generation according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an arithmetic unit that calculates a dew point from output information of the hygrometer, and having a switch that selects either humidity information or dew point information and inputs the information to the circuit. apparatus.   The gas generator according to claim 9, wherein the dew point is controlled to be constant.   The gas generator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the steam generation system is an electrothermal steam generator.   The gas generator according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the dry gas generation system includes a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of the dry gas.   The gas generator according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of the mixed gas is provided at a gas delivery port of the gas generator.   The gas generator according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the dry gas is an inert gas.   The gas generator according to claim 14, wherein the dry gas is air.   The gas generator according to claim 1, wherein the steam is water vapor.